Burned Alive: a Victim of the Law of Men Essay

Burned Alive is the devastating story of a young Arabic girl named Souad living in a small West Bank village that is run by the law of men, where women are practically worthless. Women here are beaten almost daily, and are used mostly for labor purposes, but most importantly, to produce sons. Not only do women go through horrible abuse and mistreatment, but they also live with the risk if being killed for committing even the smallest sin which brings embarrassment to the family. In order to restore the family’s honor, they get a man, normally the girls’ brother, to perform a torturous honor killing Souad begins noticing a man that lives nearby, named Faiez. After gaining his attention, they use signals to communicate from afar, since a girl must be married before she can speak or even raise her eyes to a man besides her father or brother. They eventually start meeting in private every day, they begin discussing marriage, even though Souad knows it is unrealistic at the time, since her older sister must marry before she can. Soon, Faiez starts to question Souads loyalty to him, and wants her prove her loyalty by letting him have her virginity. As badly as Souad does not want to do this, she knows that he will leave if she does not, so she lets him do what he wants. It’s not too long until Souad realizes that she is pregnant, and when she goes to tell Faiez, he has left the village, and will not return. Soon after, her stomach starts to grow, and her secret is out. The family decides that Hussein, Souads brother-in-law, will perform the honor killing. Hussein attempts this by pouring gasoline on Souads head while washing clothes in a pot above a fire. Souad runs screaming out of the garden and into the street where two women began beating her with scarves trying to put the fire out. The next thing she knew, she awoke in a hospital. Shortly after this, while still in the hospital, her mother tried to poison her with a drink. Luckily, a nurse came in just in time, and stopped Souad from drinking the poison and banned any of Souads family from coming back to the hospital. Several weeks later, Souad was awakened by a sharp pain between her legs. She had her baby, and didn’t even realize it. The doctors took her son, and she thought she would never see him again. A woman named Jacqueline, who was working in the Middle East with a humanitarian organization, heard of Souad’s story, and immediately started working to save her. She met with Souad, and tricked her parents into giving permission to take Souad to another country for better care. She got Souad’s son Marouan back and flew both of them to Switzerland, where she was given proper treatment. Once Souads burns were healed, she flew to Europe with Marouan to live with a foster family. When Marouan was five years old, their foster parents adopted him, and though she felt guilty about it, Souad needed to learn to live life on her own. She eventually adjusted to Europe, and went on to live on her own, get a job, get married, and even have two daughters. She later reunited with her son when he was about 18. After reconnecting with her and forming a great bond with his sisters, Marouan moved in with the family. Souad and Jacqueline stayed in touch, and when Souad was emotionally strong enough, she began bearing witness for the SURGIR association and shared her story with hundreds of men and women. I believe the author’s objective in writing this book was to inform the readers that not all cultures and beliefs are the same, and in some societies, what they believe is normal or right is actually very unfair. This story was written to open the reader’s eyes to the way woman are grossly unequal to men in some societies. They are sometimes not allowed to speak or look at a man, and they are often mistreated, abused, or even killed without any regard to their life. The book Burned Alive has many universal themes. One, for example, is acceptance. Souads husband in Europe, as well as her three children, still loved and accepted her despite her past and her scarred skin. Another is fear. â€Å"I’ve realized in adulthood that the memories that remain of my childhood are all linked to fear,† says Souad. Souad, her sisters, and every other woman and man around the world has felt fear. One last universal theme in the book is guilt. Everyone feels guilt at some point in their life, including Souad when she gave Marouan up for adoption. â€Å"I feel guilty, many years later, for making this choice,† she said. Considering Burned Alive is a true story, many parts of it can tie into human geography. For example, culture; it is typical of the cultures of the Middle East to treat women in what we in the western part of the world consider being a derogatory way. They require women to live by the men’s law and treat them basically as salves. Also in their culture, women are not allowed to get married until their older sisters do, women cannot go into a shop, wear jewelry, or pluck her eyebrows until she is married, a man can have several wives, and, of course, performing honor killings is very normal. The book also talks about the culture of Europe, and how tremendously different it is from the culture of the West Bank. In Europe, women were allowed to get an education, to choose who they marry, and to wear makeup and dresses that show their knees. Although it is not elaborated on, religion is another aspect of human geography mentioned in Burned Alive. It does not specifically say Souads religions, but it does mention that she prays twice a day with her brother and sisters and that the people in her village were taught to hate the Jews. One last geographic theme in Burned Alive is political development. The book does not actually say anything about political development, but if their country was more developed, these horrible crimes would not be tolerated. Also, in countries such as the ones in the West Bank, religion and politics are linked, and since their religion and culture believe that treating women that way is the right thing to do, their government allows it. Burned Alive was an amazing book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was hard for me to put down. The fact that it was a true story made it even better. In my opinion, it was a complete story and was not really missing anything. It talked about all she could remember, and her life after the tragedy in full detail.

Realistic View Essay

Everyone views life differently since no one is the same. In the poem, â€Å"Boy with His Hair Cut Short† by Muriel Rukeyser, and in the story, â€Å"Furniture Art† by Sarah Miller, show the realistic views of two different characters about life. Comparing both stories, the sister in â€Å"Boy with His Hair Cut Short† has a lest realistic view of life than Mr. DuPont’s in â€Å"Furniture Art†. The â€Å"solicitous tall† (line 9) sister in â€Å"Boy with His Hair Cut Short† pretended to be optimistic during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The sister did everything she could to help her brother: â€Å"[cut] his hair with her cheap shears†, â€Å"[new-pressed] his decent suit†. (line 10, 21) She cut his hair to encourage him that he can find a job if he changed his look. â€Å"You’ll surely find [a job], they can’t keep turning you down; the finest gentleman’s not so trim as you!† (line 17-19) Even though, she told his brother to be hopeful, she knew that find a job was impossible because her fascal expression cannot lie. â€Å"The impersonal sign, her motion, the blue vein, bright on her temple, pitifully beating.† The sister did not truthfully told her brother her actual view of life, perhaps to raise her brother’s hope of finding a job, but this proved she was being unrealistic. Mr. DuPont in â€Å"Furniture Art† was a strong French accent man of about sixty who â€Å"live off unemployment†.(Para. 2) He was a artist with strange style: â€Å"walls [filled with] murals of bright colors†, â€Å"furniture was a mess, paint-splattered and arranged in unconventional patterns†. (Para. 6) When asked about his opinion about the world, he asked the narrator for her opinion first and when the narrator said that the school â€Å"say unemployment’s down and economy’s booming†(Para. 12). He interpreted her answer by asking the narrator that â€Å"are people more happy [with the booming economy]?†.(Para. 18) This shown that he cared more about the happiness in people. Mr.DuPont was trying to teach the narrator to have her own point of view. For example, he told the girl to look at the furniture as art and that economy and quality of life is not the same thing. He believed that by opening our eyes to the world meaning that we should look at the world in many different prospective. Mr. DuPont taught the narrator to view the world  in her own side, instead of viewing the world through the school’s or nowaday’s sociality side. Comparing both poem and the story, Mr. Dupont has a more realistic view of life than the sister in â€Å"Boy with His Hair Cut Short†. Mr. DuPont taught the narrator to observe the world in her view, not in the school prospective. While the sister only encouraged the brother that he will soon find a job, even if she knew the possibility of finding a job was low. Mr. DuPont cared about the happiness in people rather than the improvement in people life. He did not cared what people think of him and did not followed people’s taste in furniture. Mr. DuPont has his own view of life and own style. On the other hand, the sister only hid her own view in her brother’s situation and helped her brother in any way she could. She encouraged her brother to keep trying but overall she did not told her brother anything about her view of life. Mr. DuPont has a more realistic view of life than the sister because he thought we should open our eyes and looked at the world in our view rather than in other people’s view. He was a strange man but who has his own view in life. Mr. DuPont was different from anyone in the sociality while the sister like everyone during the time was trying to make life better by viewing it optimistically.

Runescape

An essay on Runescape The issues involving Runescape has been a popular topic amongst scholars for many years. I find my self constantly drawn back to the subject of Runescape. While much has been written on its influence on contemporary living, it is important to remember that ‘what goes up must come down. ’ Crossing many cultural barriers it still draws remarks such as ‘I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole' and ‘i'd rather eat wasps' from socialists, who just don't like that sort of thing. Relax, sit back and gasp as I display the rich tapestries of Runescape. Social Factors Society is our own everyday reality.When Sir Bernard Chivilary said ‘hounds will feast on society' [1] he, contrary to my learned colleague Sir George Allen’s recent publication ‘Into the eye of , could not have been referring to eighteenth century beliefs regarding society. A child’s approach to Runescape smells of success. Of paramount importance to any stud y of Runescape within its context, is understanding the ideals of society. Clearly it promotes higher individualism and obeyence of instinct. As soon as a child meets Runescape they are changed. Economic Factors Is unemployment inherently bad for an economy? Yes.We will primarily be focusing on the Fish-Out-Of-Water model. Taking special care to highlight the role of Runescape within the vast framework which this provides. Housing Prices (i had a graph here comparing housing to runescape with a line going upwards) Indisputably there is a link. How can this be explained? Clearly housing prices looms over Runescape this cannot be a coincidence. What it all comes down to is money. Capitalists love Runescape. Political Factors Politics, we all agree, is a fact of life. Placing theory on the scales of justice and weighing it against practice can produce similar results to contrasting 0To quote nobel prize winner Xaviera Rock ‘Taking a walk across hot coals will inevitably hurt your feet. ‘ [2] This clearly illustrates the primary concern of those involved with Runescape. Both spectacular failure and unequaled political accomplishment may be accredited to Runescape. I hope, for our sake that Runescape will endure. Conclusion We can conclude that the Runescape is both a need and a want. It enlightens our daily lives, invades where necessary and never hides. Let's finish with a thought from star Uma Morissette: ‘I love Runescape? Yes! Hurray for Runescape! ‘ [3]

Leisure & Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leisure & Tourism - Essay Example Researchers have identified several motivations, from which leisure is founded upon. According to Daniel (2006, p 166), motivation could be intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation. Intrinsic motivation originates internally from an individual due to the benefits accrued from leisure, such as pleasure and enjoyment. Extrinsic factors motivate people to engage in leisure to attain other goals besides pleasure and fun. This paper is a critical analysis of findings by a number of researchers, on various factors, which motivate leisure based activities in a family. According to Alex and Song (2004, p 57), a family can either be extended or nuclear, with varying ages of parents and children. However, the basic motivation of each and every family member for leisure is driven mainly by the psychological results, which in turn determines their behavior in day to day activities (Alex, and Song 2004, p 57). In this respect, an individual decision or choice to engage in a particular leisure activity is a result of ones belief, on how well he will do the activity and what the activity means to him (Alex, and Song 2004, p 58). From this argument, people in a family set up engage in engage in leisure to reap particular psychological desires. Researchers have found out several psychological desires that motivate people in a family set up to engage in leisure. These motivations include: achievement, stimulation, independence, leadership, risk taking, mastery of equipment or machine, family togetherness and adventure (Alex, and Song 2004, p 59). According to Kivel, (2007, p 86), enhancing family unity is the main motivation for leisure in a family. Presently due to ever increasing demands at work, most parents do not have time to catch up with their children and other extended family members. In this regard, time specifically to bond with family members is increasingly being set

Support of Colorado House Bill 1175 - State Wide Smoking Ban Essay

Support of Colorado House Bill 1175 - State Wide Smoking Ban - Essay Example During the later years the chemicals in tobacco were being recognized by scientists, which made them realize the serious health effects that it can create. It was then in 1826, when the pure form of nicotine was fully discovered. Later the scientists concluded that nicotine is poisonous and began to warn people about the dangers of smoking tobacco. It was only during the 1900's that the manufacture and selling of cigarettes, which was a major tobacco product, began. (History of Tobacco) During World War I, the use of cigarette became so enormous that it was called as the "soldier's smoke". Then during World War II, cigarettes were provided to soldiers as a part of C-Rations like other food products. Later in the 1950's it was proved with evidence that smoking was a major cause for lung cancer. The Surgeon General's report on "Smoking and Health" in 1964, helped the government to regulate the market and sales of cigarettes. In the 1980's there were a number of lawsuits which were filed against the tobacco industries due to the hazardous effect that the product creates on people. But it is only in recent times that there are evidences revealing the fact that the tobacco industry is continuing to market and sell its product, knowing very well the harm that it causes to the public. It was also proved that the tobacco industry establishers knew that nicotine creates addiction and that they revealed this to millions of people knowingly to make them a prey to this addicti on. (History of Tobacco) Negative effects of second hand smoke Second-hand smoke - SHS, kills 53,000 non-smokers every year in U.S. and is found to be the third leading reason for preventable death in the country. This Second-hand smoke is alternatively known as passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke - ETS. Research has revealed that each time a person breathes in second-hand smoke, he/she intakes over 100 harmful chemical agents like the carcinogens and toxins. This kind of SHS is the cause for death due to the following diseases: low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, heart diseases, stroke and negative results on the growth of cognition and behaviour, exacerbation of cystic fibrosis, lung as well as nasal sinus cancer, cervical cancer and also the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. (Second-Hand Smoke) The SHS also has a serious impact on children which causes bronchitis and pneumonia, asthma induction and exacerbation, constant respiratory indications, middle ear getting infected and also low birth weight. The other factors of the SHS is that it is a major source of the Particulate Matter - PM pollution, which is a factor for pulmonary diseases, asthma and other lung diseases like cancer. Generally 3 cigarettes on fire in a room emit 10-fold more PM pollution than an eco-diesel engine. When children inhale this SHS smoke during their childhood it causes neck pain, spinal pain and back pain in their later ages of life. This kind of Second hand smoke also damages the child's ability to learn, and it is neurotoxic at very low levels. Studies revealed that more than 21.9 million children are proved to be at a danger of getting reading disabilities due to this second hand smoke. A greater level of exposure to this smoke also causes an increased disorder in math and visuospatial reason ing. (Second-Hand

Alternative Voting System in Parliamentary Elections Essay - 1

Alternative Voting System in Parliamentary Elections - Essay Example UK has seen in many such reforms that have made it a modern democracy with elected representatives, from being a monarchic state (Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, 2007, 9). My article will examine the current electoral changes that have been proposed, which signal the ushering in of the Alternative Voting system (AVs). This topic has been in debate in the UK parliament for quite some years, and is currently under review, in the House of Lords and the Parliament. My article will explore to find out whether the changes in the electoral processes that will bring in use of the Alternative Voting System or AVs in parliamentary elections, would actually work towards improving democracy in United Kingdom. What is AV: â€Å"AV represents a very simple change to our current First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) voting system. The principle behind AV is a no-brainer: the winner in an election should need the support of a majority of the people. AV makes this happen with ‘preference voting’. All that means for voters are swapping the ‘X’ on the ballot paper for numbers, so voters can rank the candidates in order of preference 1, 2, 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Electoral Reform Society, Introducing the Alternative Vote). Fig 1: (Source: Electoral Reform Society, Introducing the Alternative Vote). In this figure, we take an example of a voting centre, which has 4 candidates A, B, C and D, standing for an election, while the number of voters is taken to be 100. In the present electoral process that is known as the First-Past-the–Post or FPTP, Candidate ‘A’ has garnered the maximum number of votes, and is the clearly the winner, though he hasn’t received even 50% of the total vote share, that is, majority of the voters are not backing him.

Brief on Reasonable Doubt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brief on Reasonable Doubt - Essay Example ndard in criminal cases started even during the ancient times which became formalized in the phrase â€Å"beyond a reasonable doubt† that occurred in the late 1798 (American Law Review, 642). In common law jurisdictions, this is now an accepted standard wherein the prosecution must be able to convince the trier that all the elements of guilt have been satisfied (Broun, 341). The United States Supreme Court on one occasion in 1970, explained that the due process clause proof beyond reasonable doubt of the essential facts of a crime charged against the accused, is the standard that guards the accused against an innocent person that may be found guilty (In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358 (1970). In the trial of cases, the jury is always instructed to apply reasonable doubt test to determine the innocence or guilt of the accused (U.S. v. Pepe, 501 F.2d 1142, 1143 (10th Cir. 1974). However defining reasonable doubt is not required by Courts (Torres v. State, 2003 WL 21757509 (Tex. App. El Paso 2003). There were attempts to define what reasonable doubt is. In the Commonwealth v. Webster, reasonable doubt has been defined as, â€Å"that state which, after the entire comparison and consideration of all the evidence, leaves the minds of jurors in that condition that they cannot say they feel an abiding conviction, to a moral certainty, of the truth of the charge,† Commonwealth v. Webster, 59 Mass. (5 Cush.) 295, 320 (1850). In another case, reasonable doubt has been explained to be that which is â€Å"founded upon a real tangible substantial basis and not upon mere caprice and conjecture,† (Cage v. Louisiana, 498 U.S. 39, 111 S. Ct. 328, 112 L. Ed. 2d 339 (1990). It is that doubt which would raise ‘grave uncertainty’ in ones mind because of insufficient or the lack of evidence in prosecuting a person of a crime (Bergman and Hollander, 4). Such a doubt must be an ‘actual substantial doubt’ that a reasonable man can assess (Bergman and Hollander, 2008). The certainty of

CJUS 410 DB1 Replies DB3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CJUS 410 DB1 Replies DB3 - Essay Example However, he had no chance to make any comment on the allegations against him considering he was the victim of the day. Without any testimonies from witness, passing of judgment took place whereby unanimously majority agreed his actions qualified him to die through crucifying. Just like in Jesus’ case, the woman did not have a chance to explain herself despite holding onto solid proof regarding the former husband trailing her, hence prompting the victim fear her life but little in ensuring safety took place. Non-testimonial evidence, apart from playing an important and dramatic role especially in advocate cases, I think it also quite a probative when it comes to the value of evidence. The only issues that makes non-testimonial evidence complex is because it requires more than probative value to convince the jury that the case is worth pursuing (â€Å"NLRG†). It is because of this reason I believe the woman in question people failed to take him seriously even after providing photographs and texts stating that her former husband was still on her trail. NLRG. Persuasion at Trial: Nontestimonial Evidence. 2014. Web. 21 April 2014.

European Practice Towards Asylum Seekers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

European Practice Towards Asylum Seekers - Essay Example However, a recent poll revealed that on average the British public believes that 23 percent of the world's refugees and asylum seekers are in the UK, which is more than ten times the actual figure. According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), there were almost 19.8 million people of concern to the agency worldwide as of 1 January 2002, of which over 12 million were refugees and 940,800 were asylum seekers. Approximately one in every 300 people on earth is a refugee. (Refugee, 2005a) two third of all refugees are hosted in the Middle East and in Africa. Taking the greatest burdens are Iran, Burundi and Guinea. Indeed, monthly asylum figures in countries such, as Tanzania and Pakistan are comparable to the total annual asylum application statistics of some of the European countries. (Refugee, 2005a) Population: The UK also takes in a small number of refugees relative to its population. Whereas the UK hosts just over 3 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants or 0.3 per cent of its population, Armenia hosts 70, Congo hosts 40, and Yugoslavia hosts 38. (Refugee, 2005a) Europe: While in terms of absolute numbers the UK received more applicants (85,865) than any other EU country in 2002. Most of the applicants were from Iraq, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Afghanistan, countries with well-documented human rights abuses. Between 1990 and 2000, just under two million people applied for asylum in Germany, four times as many as in the UK. When compared to the size of the total national population among European countries to host asylum seekers, the UK ranked only 8th in Europe in 2002 and 12th over the past decade as a whole (1992-2001). Whereas the UK received 1.9 asylum seekers per 1,000 inhabitants, it lagged well behind Austria (4.6 per capita), Norway (3.9), Sweden (3.7), Switzerland, Ireland (3.1), Liechtenstein (2.8) and Luxembourg (2.4). (Refugee, 2005a) Applications in the UK accounted for 19 percent of all asylum claims lodged in the industrialised world during 2002, followed by the USA (14 percent), Germany (12 percent) and France (9 percent). The UK, Germany and France accounted for 50 percent of all asylum applications submitted in Europe in 2002, with the UK taking 24 percent. However, the UK's refugee population is by no means disproportionate when compared to the rest of Europe. In 2001, the UK's proportion of refugees to its population was roughly in line with that of Europe as a whole a ratio of 1 to 317. Refugee Action supports current discussions amongst European governments for a common, unified EU policy for dealing with asylum applications which would ensure that European countries share their responsibilities while maintaining the highest standards of refugee protection and human rights. (Refugee, 2005a) During 1992-2001, while 86 percent of the world's estimated 12 million refugees originated from developing countries. For

Case Study Topic about risk management of events or meeting Essay

Case Study Topic about risk management of events or meeting - Essay Example e specific study chosen focuses on the collapse of a stage on 13th August 2011 at the Indiana State Fair, as attendees waited for Sugarland, a prominent band, to perform. The tragic incident, caused by strong winds preceding a storm, led to four deaths and critical injury of about twenty four individuals. Following the accident, the event was cancelled, and subsequent entertainment fairs involving the performing band suffered the same fate. This shows that the accident set off a series of negative events. For instance, in addition to the deaths, injuries, and events cancellation, the affected attendees also filed expensive law suits against Indiana State Fair (CNN Wire Staff, 2011). Some of the factors that will be examined in the case analysis will include: How consistency in event scrutiny and review of meeting activities can pave way for problem detection and prevention or mitigation measures, especially since the incident under scrutiny could have been avoided through early

Position Paper Contrarian's Guide to Leadership Essay

Position Paper Contrarian's Guide to Leadership - Essay Example Traditionally, leaders have been evaluated on the basis of their charisma, attitude, and ability. That is the "boxed-in", prevailing mindset society harbors when quantifying leadership. However, more contemporary views see leadership as the end result of a dynamic interaction between leader and follower, a "collaborative endeavor" between those embroiled in the process (Rost, 1993:12) However we may define leadership, what is infinitely clear is the fact that society has these preconceived notions about what a "good" leader should be. There are some though, who offer a differing perspective on the concept of leadership. In "The Contrarian's Guide To Leadership", Steven Sample argues that leadership is not necessarily measured in black and white. Better known as the current president of the University of Southern California, Sample dissects traditional leadership "values" and professes that leadership is a dynamic, unpredictable entity that is context-dependent and evolving. In line with today's rapidly changing times, leadership can no longer be limited to the predictability and rigidity of the past. Not to detract anything from past leaders of historical lore, but just because one was successful in a different era does not necessarily translate into success in the current one. The dictates of contemporary society need leaders who are flexible, and are not bound by a certain mode of thinking. These are the individuals who will react to situations objectively and creatively, and will use original ideas in asserting their independence en route to solving relevant problems and issues. The aforementioned constitute the hallmarks of the aptly termed "contrarian" perspective of leadership. According to Sample (2002), the contrarian perspective "doesn't mean counter to all conventional wisdom. Indeed, much of it is true. But, you can't become an effective leader by trying to mimic a famous leader of the past. So, you can't develop your full leadership potential, or even fully appreciate the art of leadership by slavishly adhering to conventional wisdom. The key is to break free, if only fleetingly" (p.1) Adopting a contrarian approach ensures that one is looking at things from a fresh and highly adaptable point of view, one that will bode well for the challenges of today. At the forefront of the contrarian framework lies the concept of "thinking gray". Leaders who adopt this maintain their independence by "thinking free" and refusing to think like the people surrounding them. For instance, conventional wisdom dictates that good, efficient leaders make rash, impulsive, and hopefully brilliant decisions. On the other hand, contrarian wisdom offers that leaders should deliberately weigh all sides to an issue, hence arriving at a highly objective, thorough and carefully thought out decision. By nature, people would usually look at things in binary terms - black and white, right or wrong, true or false, et. al. It must be put into consideration though that there will always be "gray" areas somewhere along the point of contention. Nothing can be truly quantified as being absolutely true or absolutely false; there is always something that can be further perused and dissected in order to

Inspiration and Inerrancy Essay Example for Free

Inspiration and Inerrancy Essay Living in a Fallen world, people tend to search for answers to life’s questions in places they should not be looking. This causes them to belittle the actual source of answers God has provided for us, the Bible. I find it hard to explain God’s authority to an unbelieving individual talk less of the Bible’s authority. If a person doesn’t believe the bible, it can be a task to convince them that it has any authority. It is easy to explain the authority of the government or police, because these are authorities they are subject to and they can see, but when to comes to the authority of God and the bible, it is a different perspective. God has given us the Bible as a gift of love for us His children to follow until He comes back. It is the divine truth to all of humanity. The Bible is God’s revelation in written form to man. That is where the authority of the Bible comes from, the divine revelation of God Himself. Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the bible and what it teaches. Compared to the modern definition of inspiration, which is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something especially to do something creative, biblical inspiration is God breathed, divine influence of the Holy spirit. God revealed Himself to selected people whom he had inspired to write the books of the Bible. In 2 Peter 1:21 the bible says for prophecy never had it’s origin in the human will, but prophets, thou humans spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Inerrancy states that the Bible’s word is accurate, authoritative and free of error. There are four separate arguments for validating that the Bible is error free: Slippery Slope, Epistemological, Historical and Biblical. The slippery Slope Argument is the least important of the four. One of the foundational principles that is a slipping slope is confession of sins. Many scholars have argued whether we need to repent of our sins even after we’ve been saved. Read more: Inspirational Essay About Life New teaching state that we do not need to repent of our sins once we are saved. This is diabolical to what the bible says in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just and He will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. The Epistemological Argument says that we shouldn’t trust that the whole bible is error free, that we cannot tell what parts are accurate and what parts aren’t. Some who deny inerrancy say that the presence of errors does not mean we cannot trust it, because we trust our teachers in school even though we know that they are not perfect and theta the make mistakes. The Historical Argument suggests that there is a long lasting organization from Christian forefathers who believed in the Bible’s inerrancy. Princeton theologians made up the Bible’s inerrancy in the 19th century and Feinburg disproved the notion. Lastly, the Biblical Argument, which is the strongest of the four, simply states that we can trust the Scriptures simple because the scripture tell us to. In Titus 1:2, the bible says that God does not lie. In Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah wrote God’s plan for redeeming man under the Inspiration of God and in Luke 4:18, Jesus who had been inspired by the same spirit as His Father quoted the same plan as His Father. With over a millennium between the time of Isaiah and Jesus, we know that the redemption plan is true and inspired by God. This is the relationship between inspiration and inerrancy. Also the fact that God said that it would happen and it did shows that the Bible is true. In the process of explaining to my inquisitive jogger, I would let him or her know about my testimony and the numerous things God has done in my life. Also, I would try and explain some of the other teaching of the bible about confession and how when we confess the things from the Bible, they come to pass if we have faith. People tend to be more convinced when they can relate to you on a personal level. In the way that I live my life, I believe that the word of God is real and infallible. It is the truth and has authority. God breathe and inspired people to write. They wrote things and the things came to pass in due time. The bible instructs us to be faithful to His Great commission and to live our life in a way that pleases Him. These with the other things that He has spoken and have come to pass, I have enough reason to believe Him. Bibliography Elwell, Walter A Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001) Holy Bible NIV, (Copyright Biblica, Inc. 2011, Grand Rapids MI. Zondervan 2011) Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today, (Cengage Learning, 2008, 2002)

The Roles Of Social Workers Social Work Essay

The Roles Of Social Workers Social Work Essay This assignment is going to explain the role of the Social Worker in the Child Protection setting and consider what interventions they can delivery to safeguard a child. It is also going to be making links with anti-discriminatory practice, and show the importance of working in partnerships with service users and other professionals. I am going to focus this assignment on Children at Risk of Significant Harm. This is such a broad area, so I am going to particularly focus on children aged 0-3 years. Physical abuse may involve, hitting, shaking, throwing, suffocating, burning or scolding, poisoning, drowning, or causing deliberate illness. Child Abuse and Neglect cause personal misery for children and parents raise public concern and requires professional attention (Waterhouse, LÂ ¸2008) In all cases the Social Worker has to ensure that the childs welfare is paramount, the child must be safeguarded. The social worker has a duty to investigate if a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, as delay can be detrimental to the child (Children Act 1989). The Social Worker will receive a referral and from this information they should check to see if the child or family is already known to Social Services, if they are then the Social Worker can read through recorded case note and learn some background information before making a visit. If they are not known to Social Services then the Social Worker needs to make a visit to the family and investigate the referral. This is where they will need to try and find out some back ground information to build a picture of the family members. When the Social Worker arrives at the home they may find that the family are reluctant to speak to them or even let them into their home, so it is important that the Social Worker explains to them exactly who they are and that they have received a referral regarding the safety of the children. The visit is likely to be a shock to the caregivers and they may feel scared and intimidated, the Social Worker must assure them that they are here to make sure the children are safe and that the caregivers are ok, and then request that they come in and speak to them and try and make this visit is easy as they can. This will start to build the relationship. The Social Worker must be honest, clear and make sure all involved understand what happens to the information the users and carers give to the Social Worker, how it is recorded, who it will be shared with and how it might be used. (Lester Parrott 2008). It is important that the Social Worker is always aware of the child, as they are the main service user it is important that they see the child on visits and see that they are in good health with no obvious signs of physical abuse. It is the Social Workers job to advise, assist, and befriend the family, and must not portray themselves as being powerful and somebody that can force the family into doing thing, this kind of attitude can be oppressive and it is less likely that a family will be willing to cooperate with a Social Worker that demands the family do things. The family are more likely to work with the Social Worker if they can all work together. However it is the Social Workers duty to investigate who is at risk and see if they can identify what is the cause of the risk. Other people who have contact with children also have a responsibility to spot signs of abuse, these could be other family members, health visitors, GP, and nursery workers and for children of school age, teachers, school nurses and even dinner staff may be able to spot signs and any other person that has contact with them. Physical abuse causes misery, anxiety, fear, loneliness and many more feelings and when abuse is identified it requires professional attention. A baby at risk from, or suffering significant harm at this young age in the form of physical abuse will be unable to communicate with words so it is important that the Social Worker is always aware and looks for signs. They may do this at their visit. This can be done in an easy and non intrusive way perhaps by asking parent if they mind if they spend some time with the child and perhaps getting down on the floor with the child, and interacting with them through play, this also allows the Social Worker to see how the react to their presence. If the parent does not allow this then this may be a sign of a problem, however this may be because they have no trust and are not willing to cooperate, it is important for the Social Worker to remain open minded, aware and non-judgemental. There may also be obvious physical signs like bruising, cuts or burns, in this case if the Social Worker would talk with the care givers and if they believe this to be a genuine emergency then they must interv ene immediately and can request Police Protection Under Section 46 of Children Act 1989 where the Police have the power to remove or detain the child immediately. No child can be held for more than 72 hours, the Social Worker could also make an application to the Family Proceedings Court Courts for an Emergency Protection Order under section 44 of the Children Act 1989, which is an order providing immediate but temporary removal of the child in a genuine emergency. This is not to be used as a routine response to suspicion of abuse There is no absolute criteria to rely on when judging what constitutes significant harm. Where the question of whether harm suffered by a child is significant turns on the childs health and development, their health or development shall be compared with what could be reasonably expected of children at the same age. If the Social Worker has reasonable belief that a child is at risk of significant harm then Local Authorities have a duty to investigate and if necessary intervene. The intervention of Social Work can help families to achieve goals and allow them to better themselves and positively move forward with the help of professionals. When working to protect a child from significant harm it is important to work with the care givers as well as the child. It is important to learn the history of the child and the history of the caregivers. This can build a picture of background and any possible previous problems and can help towards working to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Also good communication between Social Worker and caregiver is important, as this will help identify possible causes of problems and also may help towards creating solutions. It is also important for the social worker to remember that their main service user is the child and they need to be aware that working with a child of such a young age it may become easy to over look the child and become more involved with the caregiver. When assessing a child and family the Social Worker mu st be confident in gathering information and may at times have to ask questions that may be uncomfortable for themselves or the service user, but it is important that these questions are asked as this can start to build a picture and also may help to identify problems and causes of problems. This can also help towards the start of putting together a plan for the family as to how to help to eliminate the causes and the problems. For example if the child is at risk of harm after the caregivers have been drinking then the cause is alcohol and the Social Worker would need make contact with services (such as) that are able to help with this issue, and advise the caregivers that in working with this service they can help to eliminate the problem and reduce the risk to the child, so this would go into the plan for the caregivers and the child. If the caregivers refuse this help then it is the Social Workers job to negotiate with the caregiver and encourage that these steps need to be taken if they are to overcome and move forward from their problems, they would advise that if the caregiver is not going to cooperate then they may have to start Child Protection proceedings which could lead to the child being put on the Child Protection Register. When in practice Social Workers needs to be aware of discrimination, it is important to see every service users as an individual in there own social context. It is important to be aware of the individual relating to their culture, sex, age, class and disabilities. The Social worker needs to be aware of these factors and take them into consideration when making an assessment. A Social Worker needs to go to every individual visit with an open mind and be sure to be non-judgemental. It is important at all times that the worker follows anti oppressive practice. The perception of the service user may be that you have power that you may use against him/her. It is important to be non judgemental and listen to those involved and work towards resolution with the client as opposed to condemning them and making decisions without consultation as this makes the service user feel disempowered and without a voice. Obviously if the risk to the child is great then intervention of an oppressive nature may be justified. True partnership working with service users and other professional can create empowerment. Social Workers can help to advices services users and signpost them to other service that they are entitle to. Social Workers can find themselves working with a number of different professionals such as police officers, doctors, school teacher, school nurses, nursery staff, connexions, Housing. These are just a few out of a long list of possible partnerships. It is important to work together for the Service User, different professionals may have different aims and resources and values, which can create partnership conflict. Good communication and understanding of one anothers jobs and services can help to ensure a positive partnership and create a valuable service for the Service user. It is important for all professional to be made aware of any information they need to be aware of, and for all involved in the partnership to be committed to Service Users and their needs. With good communication between Social Worker, the child the caregiver and other professionals involved can create a positive relationship in which they can work together to reduce risk and safeguard the child, it can also work towards helping the family move forward and create positive change. Working together can help empower the service users and help them forward with their lives and work towards keeping the child in the family home. This is the ideal option for the Local Authority as they want children to remain at the family home provided that they are safe. The childs safety is paramount. A good example of good Social Work Practice would be an assessment of a family being completed, and from the assessment the Social Worker and the family can discuss together different option available to the family and going through them and seeing what option is most appropriate and relevant for the family. The can set up any services the family made need for example Parenting Classes, and then set goals for the family to achieve. And the Social Worker would make regular visits to see that the goals set are being achieved and of they are not to find out why and help focus on achieving them. The ideal ending would be that the family needs a little help and after achieving their goals, no longer needs the input of a Social Worker. However there are many families that need more than a little help and often end up having the input of a Social Worker for a long time and in extreme case children get removed from the family home for their safety. Children Act 1989 Section 44 Children Act Section 46 Waterhouse, L(2008) The Blackwell Companion To Social Work. Third Edition. Blackwell Publishing; Parrott, L (2008) Values and Ethics in Social Work Practice. Learning Matters

Investigation of Aspirin Overdose Using Salicylate Assay

Investigation of Aspirin Overdose Using Salicylate Assay Introduction Aspirin is the most widely used over-the-counter drug in the world. The average tablet contains about 325 milligrams of acetylsalicylic. Aspirin is used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and lower fever. Aspirin originally was derived by boiling the bark of the white willow tree. Although the salicin in willow bark has palliative properties, purified salicylic acid was bitter and irritating when taken orally. Phenylsalicylate could be produced by modifying Salicylic acid which resulted in better tasting and less irritating outcomes. Felix Hoffman and Arthur Eichengrà ¼n first produced the active ingredient in aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, in 1893. However, Hippocrates wrote about a bitter powder extracted from willow bark that could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers during the fifth century B.C 200 ml well mixed stomach contents (Sample A)- Transparent Yellow 200 ml hydrolysed stomach contents (Sample B)- Purple 200 ml urine (Sample D)- Light Purple 200 ml negative control (water)- Transparent Yellow 200 ml positive control (400 mg /ml sodium salicylate)- Purple Solution i and iv which where stomach content and negative control turned Transparent Yellow this means, No change, Negative test. Solutions ii and v turned purple which means that the test where portative for high aspirin traces. Solution iii turned Light Purple which means that slight trances of aspirin are shown the sample. Salicylic acid is a weak acid, and very little as its ionized in the stomach after oral consumption. Acetylsalicylic acid is poorly soluble in the acidic conditions of the stomach, which can setback amalgamation of high doses for 8 to 24 hours. In addition to the increased pH of the small intestine, aspirin is rapidly absorbed due to the increased surface area, which results in allowing more of the salicylate to dissolve. However, aspirin is absorbed much more slowly during overdose, and plasma concentrations can continue to rise for up to 24 hours after ingestion. As much as 80% of therapeutic doses of salicylic acid are metabolized in the liver. Renal excretion of salicylic acid becomes ever more important as the metabolic pathways become saturated, because it is extremely responsive to changes in urinary pH. There is a 10 to 20 fold increase in renal clearance when urine pH is increased from 5 to 8. The use of urinary alkalinization utilizes this particular aspect of salicylate elimination. From the deductions that can be from by results and investigations, it shows that aspirin is absorbed via the small intestine, which then transported to the blood serum. Waste product is transported to urea and disposed via renal excretion. Therefore more aspirin is present in the serum, that why forms a precipitate and the urine dose not as much of it is waste product. The acutely toxic dose of aspirin is commonly regard as greater than 150  mg per kg of body mass. Moderate toxicity occurs at doses up to 300  mg/kg, severe toxicity occurs between 300 to 500  mg/kg, and a potentially lethal dose is greater than 500  mg/kg. Chronic toxicity may arise subsequently to doses of 100  mg/kg per day for two or more days. Around 3 grams per day in divided doses for rheumatoid arthritis is recommended. Serum salicylate levels may be useful in guiding therapeutic decisions regarding dosage. Serum salicylate levels of 150 to 300 mcg/mL are associated with anti-inflammatory response. However, the incidence of toxicity increases with salicylate levels greater than 200 mcg/mL. This patients salicylate concentration level levels where 400 mcg/mL. Therefore I believe this person was overdosing on aspirin. The key objectionable side effects of aspirin are tinnitus, gastrointestinal ulcers and stomach bleeding contestably in higher doses; this is due to aspirin irritating the stomach lining. In youngsters, aspirin is no longer used to control flu-like symptoms or the symptoms of other viral illnesses, because of the risk of Reyes syndrome. Another common side effect of aspirin is heart burn, this can occur at low doses. Aspirin was once used as an anti-inflammatory drug as well as a pain killer. This results in the medication working as a block pain. For example, when a person has a headache, it is often the result in restriction in the blood vessels of the brain. Aspirin reduces the swelling and also thins down the blood to help with blood flow through the vessels; this help in reducing pain and prevention of recurring when the painkiller properties of aspirin wear off. Aspirin is also effective in reducing fevers. People who have a history of heart problems and those at risk of heart attacks are often advised by doctors to take daily doses of aspirin as a preventative measure. The blood thinning properties of aspirin can save a life in the event of a heart emergency by helping some blood to pass through the body until a clot or blockage can be treated. Aspirin is also a known anti-coagulant, which means that it helps to keep the blood thin and prevents clotting. Anti-coagulant is used to prevent blood clots forming within the blood vessels; this can cause heart attack, stroke or other circulatory system problems.

EMMA,(Jane Austen) Miss Bates character analysis Essay -- essays resea

In the novel Emma, the author, Jane Austen, uses many different techniques to characterize Miss Bates as a woman with no intellect, but a very kind heart. Miss Bates in a humorous character who is loved and loving.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Austen’s diction is one such technique used to characterize Miss Bates. Miss Bates is a â€Å"contented† old woman with certain â€Å"cheerfulness† to her nature. Miss Bates always has good intentions and is always a happy, joyful woman. Her good will towards others makes her such a popular woman even though she has no husband and no physical beauty. Miss Bates had a splendid â€Å"simplicity† about her, and everyone in the town of Highbury enjoyed her â€Å"grateful† spirit. Miss Bates appreciates the small things in life, and never receives any satisfaction from fancy, frilly things. She likes to keep life simple and she is appreciative of every simple gesture bestowed upon her. Miss Bates very much enjoys the companionship of her friends and neighbours more than anything in the world. Miss Bates seems to most people in the town to be a â€Å"silly† old woman who was quite â€Å"poor†, but has many blessings in he r life. Not only does Miss Bates have her friends, she also has her mother and a wonderful home that wants for nothing. Miss Bates has a amiable personality that has helped her to become a popular woman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jane Austen’s detail allows the reader to see another apparent character trait in Miss Bates, her lack of intelligence. ...

Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust Essay -- Essays Papers

Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust Synopsis – Hitler’s Willing Executioners is a work that may change our understanding of the Holocaust and of Germany during the Nazi period. Daniel Goldhagen has revisited a question that history has come to treat as settled, and his researches have led him to the inescapable conclusion that none of the established answers holds true. Drawing on materials either unexplored or neglected by previous scholars, Goldhagen presents new evidence to show that many beliefs about the killers are fallacies. They were not primarily SS men or Nazi Party members, but perfectly ordinary Germans from all walks of life, men who brutalized and murdered Jews both willingly and zealously. â€Å"They acted as they did because of a widespread, profound, unquestioned, and virulent anti-Semitism that led them to regard the Jews as a demonic enemy whose extermination was not only necessary but also just.†1 The author proposes to show that the phenomenon of German anti-Semitism was alread y deep-rooted and pervasive in German society before Hitler came to power, and that there was a widely shared view that the Jews ought to be eliminated in some way from German society. When Hitler chose mass extermination as the only final solution, he was easily able to enlist vast numbers of Germans to carry it out. About the Author - Daniel Jonah Goldhagen is Assistant Professor of Government and Social Studies at Harvard University and an Associate of Harvard's Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. His doctoral dissertation, which is the basis for his book "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust," was awarded the American Political Science Association's 1994 Gabriel A. Almond Award for the best dissertation in the field of comparative politics.2 Summary - For the extermination of the Jews to occur, four principal things were necessary: 1. The Nazis - that is, the leadership, specifically Hitler - had to decide to undertake the extermination. 2. They had to gain control over the Jews, namely over the territory in which they resided. 3. They had to organize the extermination and devote to it sufficient resources. 4. They had to induce a large number of people to carry out the killings. The vast literature on Nazism and the Holocaust treats in great depth the first three elements, the focus of this book, is t... ...lity and having judged the mass annihilation of Jews to be right, did not want to say "no." It is my belief that the author presents a very controversial view of the causes and implementation of the Holocaust. The root of the controversy is his contention that the German people, as a society, are responsible for the attempted extermination of the Jews. According to Mr. Goldhagen, in the eyes of the Germans, the Jews as nothing more than a cancer that must be removed in order to cure the ills of their nation. In the book Mr. Goldhagen has gone to great extents to prove his views. However, â€Å"†¦his theories will probably remain a point of contention with historians for years to come.†4 The brutality and horror that is described throughout the book is, at times, overwhelming. To realize that one group of people can treat their fellow man with such heartlessness and savagery in what we call a civilized world is almost beyond comprehension. Notes 1. Hitler’s Willing Executioners, Book Jacket, 1996 2. Patterns of Prejudice, Erich Goldhagen, 1978, 12, No.1, 1-16 3. First Things, Richard John Neuhaus, August/September 1996, 36-41 4. U.S. News & World Report, David Gergen, May 24, 1996

Human Motivation Essay

On page 227 of your text you will find Figure 8-6. Provide two scenarios for two different hypothetical people showing the two possible outcomes, two possible paths for the same frustrated need. Summarize the two, comparing and contrasting the experiences in the scenarios. Create a box table for each with summaries for each. Then, provide, in paragraph format, an explicit explanation of similarities and differences. Each table should have two explanations along with descriptions and references to your text and/or other readings. Cite all references following correct APA style (5th edition).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In explaining the behavior of people, we start our description with reference to some kind of active driving force: the individual seeks, the individual wants, the individual fears. Various psychologists describe motivation, in other words, as the driving force behind our behavior (Atkinson, et al. 1983). Smith, et al. labels their discussion on motivation as the â€Å"Why† of behavior (1982). Why does the tardy student in mathematics spend the rest of the period outside instead of inside the mathematics classroom? Emotions or strong feelings usually accompany motivated behavior.   Often, emotions direct behavior toward goals (Atkinson, et al. 1983). This paper briefly describes and explains the origin/causes, and distinction of motivation and different scenarios linking motivation and other concepts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Motives, according to Marx, originate either from a biological or a physiological source, or from an environmental influence. A motive may arise from a biological need for food or water which will drive an individual to seek food when hungry or drink when thirsty. The tissues of the human body need these to function continuously. It will cease to live without sufficient nourishment. The hormonal substances in the blood which activate certain parts of the nervous system are other biological sources, for instance, the sex drive which is due to the presence of hormones secreted by the reproductive glands, the ovaries (in the female), and the testes present in the male (1976).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, motives may also be caused by environmental influence. We react strongly to social acceptance so we want to acquire an appliance or any other thing that we see in others especially if we can afford them. Companies offering high salaries attract employees from other firms that give low wages (Atkinson, et al. 1983).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A predominant view is that human motivation comes from either a small number of basic urges or even one basic urge and that all aspire for family prestige, social status, and security (Morris and Maisto, 1999, p. 315). ~Internal and External Classification of Motivation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychology recognizes different perspectives of motivation. One of these viewpoints pertains to the idea of â€Å"motivational inducements,† otherwise known as incentives. Incentives are referenced from either the vantage point of internal, or that of external motivation. An inducement coming from within the individual is called intrinsic or internal motivation. It is, according to Morris and Maisto, about the â€Å". . . desire to perform a behavior that originates within the individual.† An inducement coming from outside the individual is called external or extrinsic motivation. It is the aspiration to do or achieve a goal in order to acquire a type of incentives or escape or steer clear of punishment (Morris and Maisto, 1999, p.316). Children are often induced by the presence of external incentives to perform expected tasks or avoid incurring punishment. For motivation experts, however, a person developing the internal type of motivation will reap more lasting and beneficial effects compared with external motivation (1999). To induce a child to do what the parents ask for by way of rewards or threats are at times less constructive or even detrimental to the overall performance of the person or child. Fear is a strong component of human motivation. Explain the numerous roles of fear in both positive and negative impact situations on human motivation you have studied this term. Be specific and cite all references in correct APA style (5th edition). Create real-life examples for each role of fear to support your position(s). Develop your scenarios to include the application of theory. Thoroughly develop your scenario.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fear is defined as â€Å"a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil or pain; a specific instance of or propensity for fear; concern or anxiety, solicitude† (Random House Webster’s Dictionary, 4th Ed.). Where fear is concerned, though it is deemed as a negative emotional state by many, life will become unreal. This paper will try to explain why fear is essential to an individual’s healthy outlook. Weighing on the polarities of this particular affect, one will see the necessity of this kind of emotion which is processed by the body’s amygdala. Although social psychology literature is extensive, there are yet inconclusive evidences as to how fear actually work towards its positive effect. Volumes of literature attest to both positive and negative effects of fear especially in its role to convince. Because of this, it is very important that one examines the specific instances where fear can be said to be effective in positive manner as well as in a negative way. The following scenarios will, at the least, illustrate where fear is helpful, and where it is detrimental or destructive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the study of anti-nuclear recruiting to raise concern on a possible nuclear holocaust, it is said that the matter about nuclear use is so prevalent these days that common people, when presented with the threat of its use, tend to shrug off the idea and need to be convinced of the danger it poses (Sandman & Valenti, 1986). Why the indifference?   Inspite of the campaigns of nuclear â€Å"Armageddon,† the majority of people still seemed to be apathetic about any threat at all. Perhaps, according to studies, people already get beyond fear to numbness. In the study by Sandman and Valenti, the authors said that this has something to do with what they termed as â€Å"likely occurrence† versus â€Å"horrible consequence.† They cited as an example the success of drunken driving campaigns due to the likelihood of losing one’s driver’s license rather than losing a life (which is an instance of horrible consequence). How is this so? These authors said that to terrify a person who is already afraid will be of no use to that person. The likelihood of a horrible consequence, probably to most people, is not that immediate. The common response is apathy. So the best approach to this situation according to Sandman and Valenti is reassurance-the reinforcement of what they call the four â€Å"antidotes† namely, â€Å"anger, hope, love and action.† This implies simply that fear in this instance is negative in effect. Fear has to be reduced when it comes to scenarios like recruiting people to take up commitment and/or advocacy towards certain important matters of concern like the threat of nuclear war.   To sustain the cause, the four aforementioned agenda will be the likely steps taken rather than inducing fear or â€Å"terrorizing the terrorized with more terror† (Sandman & Valenti, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is also maintained that fear is indispensable and a fact of life. If truth be told, more often, studies would show its efficacy in persuading people to action or to some to change their minds on something or someone. This happens to political campaigns where some PR managers become household names also due to their ability to introduce a virtually unknown person and catapult them to notoriety. This may entail a positive or negative implication, depending on the perceptions of people and the motives or machinations of those wanting to be in the limelight. How will fear appeal be very effective and its use in persuasive communication be ethically and morally right or justified? Here is a scenario: a certain school whose graduating class of 29 students filed a complaint on one of its faculty, citing misconduct unbecoming of someone in authority on the basis of corruption. They submitted a detailed account of what transpired during a semester with this certain professor in their department. When confronted with the dean regarding the response made by the professor, and the possibility of court cases filed against the whole class, the students decided to make a retraction of their complaints. Their lame excuse was that given their naà ¯vetà © or inexperience, the college and the authorities (including the accused professor) then investigating them, should look into the charges they made against the professor as mere questions in need of answers and not as accusatory gestures that are morally and professionally damaging to the concerned professor. They have decided to retract, corporately, because their adviser enlightened them of the repercussions of their written complaint (i.e., possible non-graduation, and a host of other possible consequences). This is a picture of an effective fear appeal. Their retraction did not mean they have changed their prejudiced mind against the professor, rather, their immediate concern is their graduation which is barely two months away, and the possibility of a smeared reputation when time comes they will be applying for work. This illustration gives an example of the kind of fear appeal where the Stage model (Das, 2001) is applied. The students in the illustration responded to this appeal positively, although it was only short term. They responded positively because they had their graduation in mind which is upcoming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Enny Das states it, human beings act the way they do because of underlying motivations (Das, 2001). Fear is an important factor in the way people act and decide. In the first scenario, fear is portrayed as negative in effect to certain cases such as anti nuclear campaigns recruitment. According to social scientists, there are behavioral and attitudinal changes that work temporarily and others permanently or in a considerable length of time. Where the first scenario is concerned, advocates for the awareness of anti-nuclear holocaust and recruitment of activists for their cause have this problem before them: how to convince people from their â€Å"numbness† to action and stay on with it. As Sandman and Valenti proposed it, the procedures they advocated, instead of high dose of fear, a good measure of reassurance based on anger, love, hope and action, (â€Å"4 antidotes of numbness†) should be followed (Sandman, Valenti, 1986). This makes sense according to the Dual-process model, where it is â€Å"postulated that systematic processing of a persuasive message will result in more stable attitudes, intentions, and behavior† (Das, 2001). However, people should perceive a certain degree of possible threat/danger if they are to process the information systematically and hence, maintain a long term coping of that threat/danger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second scenario is best explained based on the Stage model of fear appeals. It assumes that individuals process the information on a â€Å"heuristic processing of subsequently presented recommendation† which is predictably less lasting in a period of time (Das, 2001). Considering that the second scenario, referring to their decision to retract from their complaints only because of an impending graduation which is threatened by the case they filed on the alleged professor, is actually a very unstable decision, and understandably will only weaken in the passing of time (Das, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study of fear and its effects continue to arrest curiosity and interest as well as confusion. There needs to be more studies to discover how the occurrence of attitude and behavioral changes where fear appeals are concerned, affects decision making whether positively, to the advantage of the individual, or negatively, to the detriment or disadvantages of the one paralyzed by fear. It is assumed that scenarios like these will continue to attract both enthusiasts and experts alike in the study of behavior. Explain the role of learning in human motivation. Provide at least three (3) examples that specifically tie learning to human motivation and the reduction of stress, improved happiness, and self-esteem. (Three separate scenarios.) Your explanation should be well developed and the examples should be specific. Cite all references in correct APA style (5th edition).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Motivation is behind every behavior. The principle of cause-effect is apparent in the study of motivation and behavior: motivation is the cause or the â€Å"why†, and behavior is the effect. Thus it is motivation that gives direction and thrust to our behavior. Without motivation, behavior may not occur (Halonen and Santrock, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A common family friend one day told me she wanted my advice, whether she’ll break up with her boyfriend or stay on with him and wait for him to change. Her problem was that whenever they disagree or fight, her boyfriend (we’ll call him â€Å"Raymond†) ends up pinching her to the point that he was actually physically hurting her. It is something very interesting to think about because of all things that a man would do to his sweetheart, pinching her seems strange and extraordinary. I couldn’t help asking her why â€Å"Raymond† is that way. What are the forces behind this seemingly love and hate relationship? What drives Raymond to do this precise act towards his girlfriend? Did he learn it or is it innate?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychology seeks to understand human behavior with the following 4 or 5 goals in mind. These are description, explanation, prediction, control, and improvement (Atkinson et al, 2000). Analyzing the given scenario with my friend, I just was able to describe the event and the occasions that led him to do it. However, it does not suffice to say that just because he is hurt in some ways by his girlfriend that he would resort to doing such a thing as pinching. It would be a lot clearer if we start to examine his behavior in the light of possible reasons basing on the need theory and the learning theory (Halonen and Santrock, 1999). 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Need Theory –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A need is defined as a specific state within the organism that may activate behavior to satisfy the need; they are often related to the depletion of essential body substances; a state or condition which indicates the lack or something vital or desired which the organism will strive to obtain; it can also mean the existence of an unpleasant condition, which has to be relieved or eliminated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the case of â€Å"Raymond,† his pinching behavior can be interpreted as his way of relieving or eliminating an unpleasant feeling or condition (i.e. he has anger management problem that he couldn’t guide his emotions to a more benign and less destructive manner), that unless he gets it off his system, a more violent reaction might occur, so the pinching is for him so minor, that he can do it anytime to his girlfriend. Usually, in cases like Raymond’s behavior, the individual does not possess the skills in channeling strong and powerful emotions and communicating such in the right manner. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Learning Theory – Observational or Social Learning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To explain Raymond’s behavior, I will start by elaborating on the theory by Bandura and alongside illustrating and illuminating the behavior of the pinching individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social learning theorist Albert Bandura has run experiments that show we acquire operants by observing the behavior of others. We may need some practice to refine the skills we acquire by observation. We may choose to allow these skills to lie latent. For example, we may not imitate aggressive behavior unless we are provoked and believe that we are more likely to be rewarded than punished for it. Observational learning may account for most human learning. It is not mechanically acquired through reinforcement. We can learn by observation without engaging in overt responses at all. It appears sufficient to pay attention to the behavior of others. To explain how this occurs, Bandura suggests that four mental processes must be in operation; these processes are necessary for observation learning (Bandura, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Attention.† The observer must pay attention to what the model says or does. In all likelihood, â€Å"Raymond† may have spent his younger days in the hands and example of a mother who actually specifically would pinch him whenever he misbehaves. Probably, those years were for him troublesome, knowing that a mother oftentimes displays this behavior or act out of sheer frustration, at times not because the child actually misbehaves. He was probably doing what every normal child would do that time. His mother could have been laden with so many things to do and lacked the patience or time to understand the needs of her children (Bandura, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Memory.† The observer must store or remember the information so that it can be retrieved and used later. In Raymond’s case, because he practically grew up in the â€Å"apron strings† of his mother, it’s not surprising that he would manifest many characteristics of his mother. Raymond’s memory would necessarily be traced back to the years he had experienced under her (Bandura, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Imitation.† The observer must be able to use the remembered information to guide his or her own actions and thus imitate the model’s behavior. Although Raymond has now a choice over his acts whenever he felt provoked, he seemed â€Å"tied† to the responses his mother made years ago, thus displaying the same behavior (Bandura, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Motivation.† The observer must have some reason, reinforcement, or incentive to perform the model’s behaviors. Raymond must probably feel that the â€Å"pinching† is justifiable and quite normal because that was what he’d experienced with his mother. When he felt being provoked by the girlfriend, the physical reaction could have been a natural consequence to him (Bandura, 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The major theories presented here have helped us understand the kind of behavior that the person in the scenario was doing towards the girl. Theories have their way of making us comprehend things, situations and behavior better. Because of this, we are able to make necessary adjustments, and lessen potential conflicts at the very least. It allows us also the opportunity to gain insights on the way people behave, what makes them tick, or what sets them off. A key element in Human Motivation involves one’s ability apply existing knowledge to a problem. We call this creativity. Your text actually provides a process of creativity. Your task is to: Delineate a real-life problem associated with your work or something you have experienced. You must define this problem completely. Make yourself a disinterested observer and omit no detail. Synthesize the data. DeBono (1970, 1987) terms this process â€Å"finding redundancies† and calls it lateral thinking. You are going to identify patterns in your scenario. This is the heart of the creative process. Then, you will suspend judgment; leave your opinions of the situation out of the process. Think of this as a game and devise at least three (3) options for your scenario. Last, explain how motivation is linked in each of the options.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The real-life problem that is to be explored here has something to do with two colleagues who play â€Å"serious† parts or roles in the dynamics of office work. Their mutual animosity has exceeded civility that it has engulfed us their co-workers, and even each of our respective families. Whenever they are around, all of us have to make sure that no favoritism is shown to any. Nevertheless, it is precisely this stance that further places the rest of us in trouble. One of the antagonists, let’s call him Troy â€Å"the Rat†, is the senior of the rest of us who are in this department. His archenemy, whom he name-calls as the â€Å"trying-hard to look like tough† guy, we call Bart. Bart is not your typical officemate also. He is not the very outspoken and gregarious, happy-go-lucky person nor the touchy type. But he knows malice if he meets one. Their problem is already more than ten years old. They have had their f irst series of encounters that ended up in lawsuit. Their relationship didn’t improve, expectedly, after that period. This time around, the matter between them was revived and had escalated with another series of lawsuits. I was caught in the middle of this conflict as much as the others in the department. Troy â€Å"the rat† wanted us to take his side to pin Bart down saying that the latter was a malicious person bent on destroying a reputable colleague whose work and influence had made contributions though not as much as that of Troy. Bart, on the other hand, was knowledgeable about the manipulations and tongue wagging unimaginable in the military that Troy had been doing all these years to put Bart outside the â€Å"group,† or the inner circle in the institution where he had been â€Å"first.† In my judgment, though Bart had lapses of his own, I have not encountered nor observed him as a person who had as much malevolence as Troy. Both had wanted anyon e of us in the department to sympathize and rally to either of their â€Å"causes,† and overtly, not one of us showed to the rest of the institution that we had taken sides. However, privately, we had our sympathies for Bart because his clout is not that extensive as Troy; Bart’s fight was just almost always to defend himself in the wake of the accusations that Troy had tried to hurl against him. ~Synthesize the data. DeBono (as cited in Franken, 2007) terms this process â€Å"finding redundancies† and calls it lateral thinking. You are going to identify patterns in your scenario. This is the heart of the creative process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The whole scenario with Troy, Bart and the rest of us in the department embroiled in the dispute reached its peak just a few months ago. Recently, Troy because of his belief that we were not deeply supportive of him, accused the whole department of conspiracy against him. Although he had the appearance of respectability, Troy however, is a very good â€Å"actor,† who plays his part well. Because his accusation of conspiracy was not effective, he tried other ways. Through text messages and sarcasm he began to intimidate each of us personally and privately. He somehow managed to know some important details or weaknesses in each of us to weaken us down. Members of our department were at our lowest point in the working relationship and morale within the workplace. It was a very difficult time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem with these two colleagues did not just start with any one of them as individuals although their idiosyncrasies and even their personal, family or private lives are surely crucial factors in the dynamics of office work. Looking at the whole dilemma from start to the more recent clashes, Troy and Bart’s conflict which now involved us, was firstly, a leadership responsibility. If then, during the early times that those who oversee the department had keen understanding of people’s behavioral inclinations or types, who cared enough to address the early signs of trouble that arises in a specific workplace, and had the decisive facility to impose certain boundaries and discipline either or both of them and those involved then, this was surely a thing of the past. What the person (Troy or Bart) was certainly has bearing in whatever will continue to develop in future relationships, responsibilities, and possible frictions that normally are present in any work setting. ~Then, you will suspend judgment; leave your opinions of the situation out of the process. Think of this as a game and devise at least three (3) options for your scenario. Discipline both Troy and Bart. Impose sanctions for the way the conflict between them had been allowed to escalate. Probably suggest suspension, leave of absence for a definite period of time so the whole office can breathe. Because I am not the department head, a meeting is to occur (or a series of meetings) just for the sole purpose of brainstorming on the viable alternatives to restore the two to a more civil relationship. If they will not acquiesce to what will be decided by the group, then everyone in the department will make a resolution to recommend the two for further investigation by the institution’s disciplinary council and even propose their dismissal should they not accede to the department/institution’s guidelines or decisions. Leave them to fight their battles between them because they are adults and can fend for each of themselves. ~ Last, explain how motivation is linked in each of the options. The implications for option one is that when there is outright or decisive action to make the two answerable for the fiasco will provide a sharp curb to their ongoing hostility. In understanding human nature, when a person’s ego is touched with matters that the case between Troy and Bart will be exposed as behaving like children and needed to be out rightly disciplined, it will unmask their vulnerability to society’s approval and disapproval. This is based on Affiliation motive, and what they will lose is Esprit de corps-the feeling of being part of a sympathetic group, only this time, not just one of them will stand lose it, but the both of them (Morris & Maisto, 1999, p.318) This has something to do with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. What will happen here is to make the threat of losing years of hard work and establishment of a career in one institution to end up in disgrace because then, the two should have been dismissed for the trouble they brought to the whole department. In Maslow’s theory, if everything that mattered to any of them is pulled under them, then they will think deep with how they will have to make compromises in order that their source of livelihood (Maslow’s first level Physiological needs) will be at stake. Secondly, when their sense of esteem is also threatened, then they will be pushed to think through with pulling down not only each other, but also the others in the workplace (Morris & Maisto, 1999, p.317) A sense of acceptance for many pervades whenever clashes between people who seemed to be influential, quite strong and resistive to advices, and who have made up their minds as to the recourse they were taking. It is to understand that people have what psychology calls as Aggression motive. Some experts on human behavior look at this particular trait or behavior as an inherent force within people that is intended to be redirected to more positive or beneficial outcomes (Morris & Maisto, 1999, p.319) Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Essentially, the role of motivation in a person’s life is crucial to the understanding of human activities. Motivation is never static because in life, there always presents a dynamic and changing pattern of needs. Internal and external motivation provides in brief, an astute way of explaining the â€Å"why’s† of people’s behaviors. No wonder then, that in general, educators handle pupils or learners in the light of this ideation.   Bibliography Atkinson, Rita L., Richard C. Atkinson, and Ernest R. Hilgard. 1983. Introduction to Psychology. 8th ed., New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Das, Enny Henrica Helena Johanna . 2001. How fear Appeals Work: motivational biases in the processing of fear-arousing health communications. www.library.uu.nl/digiarchief/dip/diss/1975035/inhoud.htm. Franken, Robert E. Human Motivation, 6th ed. King, N. 1970. Clarification and evaluation of the two-factor theory of job satisfaction. Psychological Bulletin, 74, 18-31. Lazaro, P. M. Palma, BB. Azcona, P. Cardona, N. Chinchilla, 2000. From individual motivation to organizational compensation: the physician’s perspective. Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 2000; 16: 224. Health Services Research Unit, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; International School of Business, Barcelona, Spain. Accessed September 21, 2007 http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/102271882.html Llewellyn, David J. 2003. The Psychology of Risk Taking. Accessed in www.risktaking.co.uk. Marx, Melvin H. 1976. Introduction to Psychology: Problems, Procedures, and Principles. Columbia: Collier MacMillan. Morris, Charles G., Maisto, Albert A., 1999. Understanding Psychology.4th ed., Prentice Hall: New Jersey, pp.315-316. Random House Webster’s Dictionary. 2001. 4th Ed., Ballantine Books, New York. Sandman, Peter M., JoAnn M.Valenti. 1986. Scared Stiff – or Scared into Action..   Ã‚   Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.New York. P.12-16 accessed in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.psandman.com Smith, Ronald E., Sarason, I.G., and Sarason, B.R. 1982. Psychology: The Frontiers of Behavior.2nd Ed. New York: Harper and Row Publishers. ______ . 2007. Employee motivation, the organizational environment and productivity. ACCEL. Accessed Sept. 21, 2007 _______. 2007. Organizational Motivation. Chapter 4.Accessed Sept. 21, 2007.

Globalization and Regional Strategies Essay

Executive Summary It is clear enough that in today’s era it is extremely critical for firms to adopt global and regional business strategies in order to attain sustainable competitive advantage. But the question arises regarding classification of a MNE (Multinational Enterprise) as a global firm. This essay critically analyses the work on regional strategy as a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino and attempts to cover the following aspects in detail. Notion of Globalization and Global Strategy This section highlights the notion of globalization and way organizations today establish a global presence by adoption of unique business strategies. This part also details the three different kind of global strategies. Regional Strategy Analysis This part analyzes the theory and practice of regional strategy concept of Globalization in particular as a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino (2008). It aims to justify that in today’s era very few global firms exists and secondly that sufficient amount of international business literature and theory is required to draw reflection on regional vs. global MNE’s (Multinational Enterprises) strategy. The Theory of the Regional Strategy This section explains the concept of regional strategy analysis and illustrates the various regional theories as explained by Osegowitsch and Sammartino. Introduction With the concept of globalization and internationalization gaining more and more momentum everyday, this essay attempts to critically analyse the work of Osegowitsch and Sammartino on regional strategy. It starts with explaining the concept of globalisation and global strategy and tries to justify that in today’s era very few global firms exist. Secondly, it tries to establish that significant amount of international business literature and theory is demanded in order to draw conclusion on regional vs. global MNEs strategy by exploring the theory of regional strategy. Notion of Globalization and Global Strategy Globalization can be defined as a complex concept which enables firms to operate in various continents and countries across the globe in order to improve and maximise their profit margins, sustainability, worldwide existence and economies of scale (Blyton et al., 2001). Globalization provides platform not only to consumers but also to organizations to help them satisfy their needs globally. According to Marquardt & Berger (2003), Trade, Travel, Technology and Television are the four major developments that have resulted in Globalization. The four T’s of global development are the outcome of human brain and its creative innovations. These advancements have further encouraged and made possible continuous exchange of ideas, information and knowledge between human resources by breaking the barriers of distance. Moving ahead, Bratton & Gold (2007) state that Globalization is a global process of political convergence, social economies and national sentiments, in which space, time and Government are not given much importance. The paragraph below will now highlight the three different views on â€Å"global strategy†. The First view states that the global strategy is one of the particular and specific forms of Multinational Enterprise (MNE) Strategy. Further, it highlights the fact that Globalization considers all the countries of the world alike (Levitt, 1983). The Second view considers global strategy as â€Å"International Strategic Management† (Bruton et al., 2004) which is no doubt wider concept than â€Å"global strategy† mentioned in the first view. Lastly, the third view describes global strategy in even broader term; The strategy of the firms that exist all over the globe and this can be concluded as the firm’s theory of how to become a successful competitor (Peng, 2006). Having discussed the various forms of global strategies which are adopted by firms today, this essay now moves ahead to analyse the theory and practice of regional strategy concept of Globalization in particular as a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino (2008). It aims to justify that in today’s era very few global firms exists and secondly that sufficient amount of international business literature and theory is required to draw reflection on regional vs global MNE’s (Multinational Enterprises) strategy. The Regional Strategy Theories According to Rugman and Verbeke (2007), recent literature on globalization suggests that a firm is categorised as global if maximum 50% of its total sales are in its home territory (EU) and minimum 20% of sales in each of the NAFTA zone and Asia. He adds to it by bringing to surface the outcome of survey based upon this theory that indicated only nine global firms in Fortune Global 500 and also the orientation of numerous firms towards the home-region. In response to the above mechanism for classifying the firm as global, Osegowitsch and Sammartino (OS) (2008) have provided three basic criteria and comments that can be helpful in future classification of firms according to their geographic sales dispersion. Firstly, OS suggest that it is not appropriate to classify statistical data straightaway. It should be realised that since this is a growing area of research, usage of any kind of classification tool is open to criticisms as it is not simply the categorization of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) following particular regional strategy theories. As an example, OS focus on building and having strong position in the region by illustrating that if the EU, NAFTA region and Asia represents 90% of the total world sales output, an absolute division would require all the three regional triads to have 30% sales each and not 33.3% in order to encourage the strategy of lower thresholds. In other words, a firm can be defined as global if it has at least 20% of the total sales in the two host-triad regions and without any kind of imposition on the maximum sales threshold in the home territory (Rugman and Verbeke, 2007). Additionally, it should also be noted that it is not at all relevant to categorize a firm as having strong position in the market if its threshold is lower than 20% of t he total sales. OS even conducted a simulation using threshold value as 10% of the net sales in order to identify a string position in the host region as it would result to USD $1 billion even for the smallest of the Fortune Global 500 firms. But unfortunately, it didn’t present a strong position and can by no means be considered as an essence for strategic decision making in the worlds largest organizations. OS clearly argues that using various thresholds is helpful in assessing the sensitivity of firm’s positions in the classification system but the main function should always be to provide an assessment of the Future Global 500 and to easily track firms whose thresholds are continuously changing from one category of threshold to another. A clear example of this is Nokia which encountered a 4% decline in sales in the year 2002. However, this change in sales pattern reflected a short term failure in inter-regional growth but OS criticizes that it cannot be simply neglected. Movement of Nokia from a global organization in 2001 towards a home based firm in 2001 was a remarkable concern. In one line, it can be stated that having threshold below 20% simply leads to generation of more bi-regional firms and which can’t be regarded as truly global organizations. Moving ahead, the second regional strategy criterion which OS highlights is that the sales variations are highly industry specific. According to OS, industry plays a significant role and all future researched should aim at exploring the regional vs global strategies at the industry specific levels and try to establish the difference. It is truism that a majority of firms are not properly internationalized and their sizes varies across regions but then its some of the world’s biggest MNEs that have constantly been regarded as capable of compens ating for the weaknesses of the other sectors in different regions of the world. The main point to be considered is that our analysis are independent of differential size of numerous industries that exist across the region, as MNEs are able to establish regional markets and to further develop insufficient markets. Lastly, in third comment it is argued that it would be irrelevant to prefer regional strategy over global strategy. Regional strategies come into existence when it becomes very difficult or impossible to adopt conventional global strategies efficiently, or when they fail to function, keeping in mind that global strategies cannot be evaluated in isolation. Further, it can be said that heterogeneous geographic space beyond the home country border is essential for most of the companies now if not all of them. Moving ahead, this section of the essay will now make an attempt to tackle the criticism formed by OS concerning the contribution of regional strategy to the international business theory. According to (Rugman and Verbeke, 2007), the regional strategy is structured around three simple but fundamental empirical observations which demand international business theory to be extended and enhanced. First of all, only a small number of MNEs have a balanced geographical sales distribution pattern across the global market, although it counts towards the risk diversification at the downstream end of the value chain. OS illustrate that a balanced and structured distribution of sales geographically would contribute towards enhanced global acceptance by the customers of the company’s products and services. With only the exception of resource-based industries, the triad comprising the EU, NAFTA region and Asia demonstrates a first cut though not certainly a fixed one mechanism to identify the extent to which an MNEs net sales are distributed worldwide. Further, this triad has gained so much importance as it is the home of world’s most large MNEs as well as the locus for a number of outstanding innovations in most industrial sectors. The triad also demonstrates the world demand pattern for most knowledge intensive services and goods. But it’s unfortunate to mention that only a small number of MNEs in the Fortune Global 500 are capable of performing equally well in each of the three regions of the triad. It is often observed that a strong position in the home-triad region is not supported with an equally strong position in both the other two remaining triad environments. Classification tools are now irrelevant as among the firms with international operations only a small percentage are truly global i.e. may be even less than 5% (Ghemawat and Ghadar, 2006). They further add to it and state that different firms rule in different parts of the world. Second wing of the regional strategy focuses on the fact that several MNEs have regional features in the organizational structure such as geographic divisions and having individual divisions for different regions is supported mainly by the concept of regional heterogeneity demanding idiosyncratic management. In this case, the intra-regional institutional and economic distance is not just smaller but also very different from that of the interregional. It has been observed that for most MNEs, managing operations and work system in EU is very different from functioning system of the NAFTA region or as compared with the work cultural of Asian environment. These differences may further be enhanced if the work unit is further subdivided into smaller units. Fratiannin (2006) states that these differences in work system signal the importance of regional level in the business strategy and structure of MNEs. Today, almost all big firms such as Toyota, General Electric (GE) have embedded regional elements in their business and operational strategies and these companies are often wrongly referred to as global organizations not just because of lack of balanced geographic distribution but also because of their world wide global operations and manufacturing (Ghemawat, 2005). Thirdly, it should be noted that more than fifty percent of the geographic area in terms of sales is normally the main source of the firm’s cash flows and the centre point of most of the firms both tangible and intangible assets. In the coming years, the concept of having more than 50% sales in the home territory would not be significant enough in EU and North America specifically but it would gain momentum in Asian region as intra-regional distance is minimizing and thereby driven by a reduction of investment barriers and trade. Competition among industries would be more prevalent at the regional level instead of the national level. OC highlight that attention should now be laid on the development of classification tool that will help bundle the home country sales with the sales in the remainder of the home territory rather than paying attention separately to the sales in the home region and remaining of the home region especially for MNEs based in Asia and EU. Moving ahead, the above discussed observations and theories clearly demonstrate the need for an extended international business theory. These observations are independent of specific categorization approaches to measure specific home-region vs. rest-of-the-world market position of MNEs. A trend has always been seen that all the MNEs are much stronger in their home regions as compared to that in other triad regions. These top MNE firms have formulated their organizational structures around the regional component and a varying market position in each region raises call for a regional approach rather than a global strategy approach. The paragraph below now will bring to surface the three main components for the extension on mainstream international business theory (Rugman and Verbeke, 2007). Firstly, it is noticed that impact of country border does not provide strong basis for distinguishing between non- location bound (or internationally deployable/exploitable) and location bound. In today’s period of excess regionalization, it is very easy for some companies to exploit and deploy their strengths throughout the home country border. Further, proxies for internationally transferable FSA’s such as firms level predictors of internationalization like firm’s level of R&D do not hold much importance in explaining intra-regional expansion occurring in home region, given the distance gap between the home country and rest of the home region is very less. As a result of well-functioning trans-European transport and logistics networks enabling fast response and just in time strategies covering the whol e continent, the significance of geographic distance has decreased in EU. The EU integration process itself has let to decrease in Institutional distance. Further, Economic distance has lost its relevance because of many reasons such as development of new services and products at par with European level, possibility of cross border shopping made possible by web based searches, continuous attempts made by many companies to gain scale and scope efficiencies at the European level and lastly, increased importance of EU as a geographic space to ascertain company’s conduct, structure and importance. Finally, decreased significance of conventional measures of cultural distance mainly in the business to business area as it is easy to get labour in Europe, considerable increase in use of English as the lingua franca inside the region. On sharp contrast between past and present position of conventional location bound FSAs it can be clearly stated that previously they allowed firm expansion only up to country borders but now it can be easily upgraded, and made deployable and exploitable even beyond the home country borders and also in othe r home region countries. Secondly, there is a need to reconsider the fact that non-location-bound FSAs like technological knowledge or brand can be easily exploited and deployed nationwide. Today also it is necessary to complement existing FSA bundles with an additional FSA bundle in high distance environments which implies distance still plays an important role. According to Ghemawat (2005), there are several ways to differentiate between low and high distance environments, one major distinction being that between home regions and host regions in a triad context. Moreover, it is clear that extension and scope of mainstream international theory is free from any scholars disagreeing with the concept of the triad region as the best proxy to discriminate between low-distance environments (in this case the home-triad region) and high-distance environment (in this case the two host-triad regions). High distance implies to making more substantial investments in order to complement its present FSA bundles, also ena bling maximum and profitable exploitation in the host region environment. Here, the apparent trade off becomes obvious: further the efforts to expand the high-distance environment may not be proved to be as successful and profitable as the expansion of low distance environment, even if it is suggested by macro-level parameters which measure the attractiveness of the high-distance environment that they have strong location advantages. As stated by Nachum and Wymbs (2007) in regard to global cities that FSAs and location advantages are dependent on each other. High distance bundles also has many risk factors along with it like melding the extant FSA bundles with newly developed or accessed resources in the high distance environment may lead to burdened with several operational problems, decreased or disappointing sales, as exemplified by the retreat of some of the world’s largest MNEs from high-distance contexts, for example, Wal-Mart’s exit from Germany and Korea. . Thirdly, the theoretical difference between the two FSAs namely location bound and non-location bound FSAs assume conventionally easy developments and profitable exploitation of FSAs (like brand names or technological knowledge of proprietary) across borders. Moreover, it is very essential to acclimatize the brief contents of these two concepts to the authenticity of regionalization. More particularly, the factors that determine the extent of FSAs are, its distance accompanied by its geographic, institutional, economic and cultural components. The level at which a FSA should be called location-bound vs non-location bound is estimated by decay in value across a space. On the basis of terms like region bound nature of FSAs and the liability of inter regional foreignness it has been highlighted that for international business other geographic borders hold more importance than conventional country borders in our previous study. After studying the concepts and theories of regional strategy, we now try to establish the extent to which Procter & Gamble could be categorized as a global firm in terms of its business and operational strategies. The Case of Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble Co. – One of the worlds leading consumer goods manufacturer such as Tide, Pantene, Ariel etc was established in 1837 from an original candle and soap company. The firm now operates in 180 nations with more than 138,000 employees. According to Lafley, A. G., Chairman of the Board and chief Executive Officer, P&G, the firm has over 171 years of history and has always been driven by creativity and innovation. Additionally, improved sales and long term success have always been the strategic goals of this corporation. And it understands the fact that these goals can be attained by constantly appreciating changing consumer’s needs, innovation, branding and market needs. Depending entirely on skunk work such as acquisitions, internal R&D and selective innovations has proved to be inefficient and insufficient for attaining the business target of $4 billion business in a time period of one year. It can be clearly seen that invent- it-ourselves model along with global research facilities and recruiting and holding of the best talent nationwide attained success till the year 2000 but nowadays satisfying high levels of top line growth has become a big challenge for an organization The approach through which the radical strategy of open innovation helped an organization attain its business mission and goal can be typified in the following lines. To face the challenge, P&G adopted a brand new technique of innovation: Develop and Connect model in the year 2000 which lays great importance on searching good and new ideas and information outside and bringing them in, in order to give internal capabilities a boost and make most out of them. With the perspective of manufacturing improved and relatively cheaper products faster the business strategy involved in this model was to leverage assets of people, products and property available externally and applying it to their respective R&D labs, purchasing, market capabilities and production. The foremost work of this strategy is to recognize top ten preferences and needs of the consumer. Moreover, it is very essential that the customers are fully satisfied by the products manufactured and which will finally result in increased sales and profit. Moving ahead, alike products or related technologies which already exist in the market and occupy good position are recognized. Lastly, analysing the influence of technological acquisition of one area over the other areas. Networking is the backbone of this approach. Along with having business collaborations with open networking companies such as InnoCentive and Ninesigma, the P&G group has long chain of suppliers and technological entrepreneurs worldwide. They play a crucial role by finding solutions to P&G internal problems in the outside world. Thus, by constructing such type of infrastructure P&G has been able to reduce its investment in technology along with achieving stable top line growth and required sustainability. According to Huston and Sakkab (2000), by shifting to Connect and Develop model there has been a remarkable increment in our R&D production by 60% and the progress rate of innovation has undoubtedly doubled. The Procter & Gamble figures out how an organization can maximize its profitability levels by switching to new and innovative The Procter & Gamble examples mirrors the way how switching to new and innovative approaches of using information and technology can help maximise profit margins. It is one of the organisations which has developed enabling infrastructure fabricated around innovation with a huge worldwide network combining human capital, ideas and technology. Conclusion This essay has brought to surface a number of strategies which can help firms to establish strong positions globally like having a threshold of 20% etc. The main aim which was to justify that a firm cannot be simply categorized as global based upon statistical data has been justified. A number of measures have also been illustrated which can help differentiate the firms regional strategy from the global strategy. References Blyton, P., Lucio, M., McGurk, J. and Turnbull, P. (2001) â€Å"Globalization and trade union strategy: industrial restructuring and human resource management in the international civil aviation industry†, International Journal of Human Resource Management, pp. 445-463. Bratton, J. and Gold, J. 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