Would fall under.

This lowering of production costs stems from a procurement strategy called Low-cost country sourcing (LAICS). I The abundance of cheap labor in Thailand gives the country and its businesses an edge, as they are now able to produce their products at a much lower cost and thus be able to gain a comparative advantage against their rivals from other countries like the US. With regards to exporting to Thailand , as the economy is still in its stages of infancy and the people Just beginning to open up to leisure sports such as RollerBalding , Blades may be able to gain the first-mover advantage by venturing In to Thailand at this point In time. In addition, the good relations and ties that Blades may build with some of their Thai suppliers, could help to ease their efforts in to breaking into the Thai market and exporting to Thailand Furthermore with the rising affluence amongst the people in Thailand, it is likely that more individuals would turn to leisure sports such as, roller balding, during their free time.Coupled with youths in Thailand becoming increasingly â€Å"Americanizes†. This trend therefore, poses as an excellent opportunity for Blades to boost sales In Thailand to off-set the falling demand being experienced In the US. Finally, by exporting to Thailand, Blades Is able to diversify their sales and operations overseas. This way, should their business take off in Thailand, the profits from their foreign subsidiary would be able to offset the falling demand for their products in the US to ensure the company's sustainability and also investor confidence.Question 2: In the short run, one of the disadvantages would be facing sales that may fall short of expectations due to the ongoing political conflict In Thailand. This potential fall In sales is a result of country risk. The protests and riots as a result of the political instability in the country could deter Blade's target audience from purchasing their products due to them preferring to stay saf e at home than subject themselves to unnecessary harm whilst shopping. Another disadvantage, would be the exchange rate risk which would come about with the currency fluctuation of the Thai Baht.Blades would be more affected by an appreciation of the Tall baht rather than a appreciation. This Is as when the Thai baht appreciates, the raw materials and production costs would become relatively more expensive as one US dollar is now worth less in Thai Baht. This would then drive up their overall cost of production and without any change in demand or sales, result in lower profits. In the long run, Blades should be aware of the international economic conditions as a recession could be disadvantages to the company. With a recession, sales would be affected as blades would fall under.Another disadvantage in the long run would be the isolations that could be implemented by the governing body after Blades have successfully established their subsidiary. Examples would be changes in the regul ations for Multi-National Corporations (Mans) like Blades in the country and increase in taxes. All these changes would equate to inconvenience for the company and possibly an increase in their operations cost in the case of an increase in taxes. All these disadvantages should be carefully thought through by Ben Holt and his team as they could impact the commercial viability of setting up a subsidiary in Thailand.

Risks of Youth Using Social Media ( Privacy Issues)

Clinical Report: The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, Kathleen Clarke Pediatrics Volume 127, Number 4, April 2011 pp. 800-804 RISKS OF YOUTH USING SOCIAL MEDIA Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that research has shown to benefit children and adolescents by enhancing communication, social connection, and even technical skills. Social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace offer multiple daily opportunities for connecting with friends, classmates, and people with shared interests.During the last 5 years, the number of preadolescents and adolescents using such sites has increased dramatically. Since a large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones, children and adolescents are at some risk as they navigate and experiment with social media, because of their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer press ure. Recent research indicates that there are frequent online expressions of offline behaviors, such as bullying, and sexual experimentation, that have introduced problems such as cyber-bullying, privacy issues, and sexting.Cyber-bullying Cyber-bullying is deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person. It is the most common online risk for all teens and is a peer-to-peer risk. Although â€Å"online harassment† is often used interchangeably with the term â€Å"cyber-bullying,† it is actually a different entity. Current data suggest that online harassment is not as common as offline harassment (Lenhart, 2007), and participation in social networking sites does not put most children at risk of online harassment (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2008).On the other hand, cyber-bullying is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe i solation, and, tragically, suicide (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010). Sexting Sexting can be defined as â€Å"sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images via cell phone, computer, or other digital devices†(Berkshire District Attorney, 2010). Many of these images become distributed rapidly via cell phones or the Internet.This phenomenon does occur among the teen population; a recent survey revealed that 20% of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude photographs or videos of themselves (National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2010). Some teens who have engaged in sexting have been threatened or charged with felony child pornography charges, although some states have started characterizing such behaviors as juvenile-law misdemeanors (Gifford, 2010; Walker, 2010).Additional consequences include school suspension for perpetrators and emotional distress with accompanying mental health conditions for victims. In many circumstanc es, however, the sexting incident is not shared beyond a small peer group or a couple and is not found to be distressing at all (Lenhart, 2009). Facebook Depression Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called â€Å"Facebook depression,† defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression (Davilla et al. 2009; Sturm, 2010). Acceptance by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents. As with offline depression, preadolescents and adolescents who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk for social isolation and sometimes turn to risky Internet sites and blogs for â€Å"help† that may promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.

Art History Rembrandt's Lucretia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art History Rembrandt's Lucretia - Essay Example She made the decision only because of unfortunate circumstances, and she would have lived a happy life but for them. Being the young and virtuous wife of Collantinus she was happy till she was raped by Prince Tarquinius after which she condemns herself to death with enormous historical repercussions where the kingdom ceases to exist. Rembrandt has caught Lucretia in her last highly anguished moments of death invading her body. He has used impasto, palette knife and scoring for further affect. The composition is frontal with triangular balance. Art historians agree that an element of privacy is maintained with the averted gaze and the painting bears a further interpretation that she was pulling the bed curtains around her as she was dying. Rembrandt has chosen the most dramatic event with psychological dimensions and the diagonal lines he has used have enhanced the effect. This work shows the victim on the verge of death, almost at her last moments. With the agony of termination, another point that hits hard is the sense of complete isolation. â€Å"Rembrandt’s Lucretias embody not only suffering and injustice, but what it is to experience these things, to be an individual subject – a point reinforced by their utter isolation in a three quarters view from which every extraneous detail is systematically eliminated† Braider (2004, p. 60). The limpness of her body, deathly pallor of her face with the lights going out of her eyes, the total stillness of the form combined with the powerful all-consuming black background, could not have portrayed the story better. Her high-born and decorative clothes, reflecting her status in life, the nobility of expression despite the overwhelming death, grips the viewer. While the browns in the dress almost merge with the background, the gold stands out creating a breathtaking composition. Lucretia is known for artistic continuity, with her hair merging, colours subdued, and the agony writ large on her pale face.

Abraham lincoln essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Abraham lincoln - Essay Example re was a dire need, the army was very short of work force and soldiers were very badly needed, black soldiers were recruited when the others failed to show interest and there were apprehensions whether these black soldiers would discharge their duty well or not. The doubts became evident questions because the black soldiers were former slaves and some thought that they would intentionally fail because they had been slaves and mistreated in America. The other soldiers and civilians thought that this was a very unwise decision by Lincoln, they also thought that it would never work when put into practice but Lincoln had already done the impossible. He never needed anyone’s approval, he had already successes partially in his aim to eliminate slavery in America. Black soldiers proved everyone wrong and they also proved Lincoln right when they fought valiantly and won several crucial battles, this was certainly a masterstroke by Lincoln and the one that no one saw coming. The battle of Port Hudson was primarily won because of black soldiers and they all worked in unison to win it for the trust that Lincoln had showed in them. The Black soldiers were mistreated when they were captured, they were not treated as prisoners of war but they were treated like slaves and Lincoln had several issues with it. The captured black soldiers were often sold and forced into slavery which did not go down too well with the president. Lincoln wanted the same protection for these African American soldiers as the white soldiers; the white soldiers were never forced into slavery when they were caught and they were always treated like the prisoners of war. Lincoln always wanted parity and he fought for it right till the end. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the recruitment of African American soldiers both are deeply connected, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address stresses the need for parity in America and Lincoln firmly believed that the only way of restoring parity was by giving the

A Framework for Effective Communication Skills Research Paper

A Framework for Effective Communication Skills - Research Paper Example The framework focuses upon the five ‘Is’ such as interaction with the patient, developing the intention of the interaction, planning upon the kinds of intervention techniques used, evaluating the impact of such sorts of intervention and assessing the implication of the information that has been gathered and thus taking actions accordingly (Hamilton & Martin, 2007). The article tries to focus upon the fact that it is significant for the nurses to communicate with the patients by making use of diverse skills in order to ensure the patients that the health care practitioners are there to help the patients both psychologically and physically taking into account the patient’s state of health. The article also tries to identify that the patients must be given chance to express their fears, worries, anxiety, and concerns if any so that the healthcare professionals are able to identify the root cause of the problems prevailing with the patient (Hamilton & Martin, 2007). It is significant for the nurses to identify that providing the patients with information needs to be goal-directed activity. The intentions behind the interaction with the patients need to be identified. If such intentions can be identified by the practitioners then they will be capable of evaluating the efficiency of their contact with the patient.  

Application essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Application - Essay Example Secondly, during the beginning of the last semester, I joined the Emory Volunteer Program. I have learnt a lot through the activities of the program. In addition, we had an opportunity to visit Furkid, an animal shelter that takes care of cats. The event was successful; we touched the lives of a number of animals. Another opportunity arose to visit Atlanta PAWS, a shelter for homeless dogs. We fed and cleaned the dogs while presenting a number of items for them. The management of the center was very pleased with our kindness while applauding the Emory fraternity for the kind-hearted deed. Thirdly, I am a member of the Sunday school of Tzu Ching Emory. This is an internationally recognized humanitarian non-governmental organization; it is the largest of its kind in the Chinese-speaking world. In addition, the NGO has a special consultative status in the UN economic and social council. We meet every Sunday to plan for the activities of the NGO as well as learning about its mandate. The motivation to join the NGO emanated from my strong passion for charity work. Fourthly, The Sight for Unit club attracted my attention while I was still fresh at Emory. This club has offered me a spectacular opportunity to be of help to others. The club’s mandate is to mobilize resources in aid of people that have lost sight and in need of help. Through the club, we have engaged in various money generating activities including selling of bubble tea and frozen yoghurt to the student community. This activity generated some substantial amount of money that we gave to Sight for Unit organization. Finally, this semester I founded the Emory Tea Ceremony club, a dream that came to me late last semester. The essence of having the club was to spread the Asian tea culture to the students at Emory. I am optimistic that the club will facilitate further celebration of cultural diversity at

New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market Research Paper

New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market - Research Paper Example The scope of saving energy and the techniques required may vary from place to place but it is regarded switching to more eco-friendly and energy efficient source as it helps in reducing the CO2 emissions by a significant number (CARDWELL, 2014). Adapting to energy efficient sources usually costs more money up-front but in many cases the capital outlay will be paid back in the form of reduced energy costs within a short period of time. This makes switching to energy efficient sources more attractive and budget friendly. In order to conserve and save energy in terms of light bulbs, green lights are the most efficient option available today to save more energy. Incandascent bulbs have been the mainstream bulbs we have known. Incandescent use more electricity during the process of production of heat hence they are short-lived and need constant replacement. Usually homeowners would argue that energy saver lights such as the LED and other energy saver bulbs or energy saver light bulbs are less expensive than ever before and provide superior light quality, and quickly payback in the form of saving energy and reducing replacement costs. LED lights are more affordable and flexible now. These incredibly efficient and technologically advanced lights will be the lights used in future. There are other lights bulbs which are also energy efficient, such as the CFL (compact florescent lights), which have come a long way and can be fitted into the same socket as the incandescent bulbs (smartandgreen.eu, 2014). This is the most common type of lighting in homes, owing to the fact that it is affordable and comes in a vast range of sizes, shapes, and wattages. The drawback of these bulbs, however, is that they are inefficient. They produce light by heating a solid material until that material produces a glow. In the process, much energy is consumed as a result of the heat that is produced. As a

Digital Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Digital Technologies - Essay Example In the United States, it is estimated, that there are 30 million surveillance cameras, which generate over 4 billion hours of footage each week. Nonetheless, that is only an estimate; the numbers are still enormously high. With unmatched audio surveillance capabilities coupled with exceptionally precise as well as accessible video resources and seemingly endless intelligence gathering, analyzing, as well as storing efficiency, I feel that the IC has the infrastructure as well as resources available to give the equivalent amount of attention to each non-traditional threat identified. The evidence so far is compelling and I agree that the intelligence community has the ability and all available resources to afford equal concentration to the non-traditional threats.Asal et al. suggest that in the face of bountiful literature related to the viewpoint of terrorists/non-state actors using chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons, only a small percentage of this literary work is both quantitative in nature as well as universal in scale. What is more, it is only terror groups entrenched in alliances as well as found in authoritarian nation-states with somewhat strong ties to a globalized world, that are more liable to seek to stockpile or obtain CBRN weapons. In light of this, I concur that the United States cannot focus equal analysis on all non-traditional threats facing the American people. There has to be a level of prioritization in the intelligence that is gathered on these threats.

Equality and Diversity Essay Example for Free

Equality and Diversity Essay In this module I am going to discuss about the aspect of equality and diversity within the health sector, about Act and legislations and the role official bodies (CQC and OFSED). Moreover, I am going to define the terminology of equality and diversity. The example of the policies and procedure that I am using is the one from the company that I am currently working for; Positive Community Care (PCC) and the names of the service users has not been mentioned because of data protection Act1998. Equality means being in the same in quantity, size, degree, value or status, evenly or fairly balanced. A good example is two football teams were playing a game and the pitch was slanted in one direction, thus making it an unfair situation for one of the team. It will be unfair for them and they won’t have an equal opportunity of winning. Equal means to have the same value but it does not mean that thing have to be identical, for example one kilogram of rice and one kilogram of flour in weight is the same., but they don’t have the same â€Å" physical characteristics†. In the UK equality means that everyone is valued as individuals. It also means that everyone has equal rights and that there is a balance of power in the county. One good example is democracy where all the citizens living in the UK have the liberty to vote. Furthermore, Health care in the UK is unequally distributed because it is linked to other life factors, namely socio-economic groups. Poverty is one of the major contributions to ill health; the government is trying to implement changes like clean water supplies, efficient sewage works, less overcrowded housing, improved diet in order to minimise inequality among people. Besides, people and children from lower income families are more likely to suffer from infectious and parasitic diseases, poisonings, accidents, respiratory diseases and cancer than those with a higher income groups. â€Å"Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty, et al., 1995).† http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hr022 (accessed on 21.04.12) The National Health Service (NHS) was set up to help to eliminate the worst excesses of ill- Health when people could not afford to seek medical attention but this does not give people the right to health care. The homeless and travellers were not able to have access to General Practitioners (GP) as they didn’t have a permanent address. As hospitals, NHS, GPs and primary care trusts are public organisations; they are required to operate within the law set by the Equality Act 2010, which means they have a duty to promote equal opportunity and not to discriminate on the grounds of protected characteristics. In every study or work place, they are required to have policies and procedures relating to equality and diversity. Codes of conduct are also very important. These are the statements about how an organisation intends to implement the laws that exist and prevent any type of discrimination. In order to protect and maintain equality at work, laws are in place to make sure people is not discriminate on the grounds of race, age, sex (including maternity and pregnancy), Marital status (including civil partnership status), Gender reassignment, Sexual orientation (gay or lesbian), Disability, Religion/ belief, Trade union membership or being a non-member and Employment statues (full-time, part-time or bank). Policies and procedures and codes of conduct are aimed to encourage values and manage diversity and thus, provide equality for all. Moreover, it also creates a work force that is representative of the communities from which employers are recruited and say what is expected of employees regarding equality and diversity. Finally, it is to set out legal rights and responsibilities of employees in relation to equality and diversity. Thompsons PCS Model According to Neil Thompson (2009): It is a model that has been developed by in his work place to enables and guide us to have a better understanding of how discrimination works in society. It explains the features of the model clearly as it help to demonstrate how discrimination is much wider and difficult than the views, attitude and behaviors of the person. Furthermore, it helps us to distinguish how prejudice, stereotyping, labelling and discrimination are surrounded in different part of our society. How does the PCS Model work? P Refers to the personal or psychological level (thoughts, feelings, views, attitudes and actions of the person involved in the decision or case). C Refers to the cultural level, which focuses on shared ways of seeing, thinking and doing (Thompson, 2009). He also defines it as ‘an assumed consensus about what is right and what is normal producing conformity to social norms. For example â€Å"Children should be bought up by mother and father† or â€Å"men are better with manual work than women†. S Refers to the structural level, which Thompson defines as being associated to the network of social divisions that make up society. He argues that oppression and discrimination are institutionalized and thus sewn in to the fabric of society (2009). It is also worth considering how institutions such as the health service, the education sector and other public services might be prone to structural influences, and what impact this may have on certain groups within society. Here is an example of that has been broken down using the Thompsons PCS Model: A severely disabled woman who is confined to her wheelchair and needs help with eating and drinking goes on day out with staff at a theme park. At the restaurant, the manager asks if she would mind eating in a separate room as it is putting the other guests off their food. P Personal: The disabled woman who is witnessing the situation is being subject to direct discrimination due to her disability. It is linked to her thoughts, feeling and the negative attitude of the hotel owner. C Cultural: In our modern society it unbelievable of where do his views come from? What are his assumptions about disability? That disabled people are worthless and has no right to sit down with other people in the dining room (e.g. their right to eat where they want doesnt count)? S Structural: What part do the media play in this? Do the media include the voice of people with a disability? How many disabled people do we commonly see on the television? This means that disabled people remain invisible and â€Å"dehumanized†. On a more positive note the DDA 2005 puts a duty on organizations to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people the DDA would have given the disabled woman who suffered a discrimination redress. The Thompson’s PCS Model is explained using Acts and Legislations: In 1975 and 1976 the Sex Discrimination Act and Race Relations Act came into force. Thirty years later, it was recognized and reinforced because of the inequalities and abuses in societies that continued to occur. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Equality Act 2006 came into force in order to strengthen the Act as inequalities and discrimination continues to prevail on gender and ethnicity. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (following previous legislation in 1995) was amended. â€Å"An advocate should be free from conflicts of interest with those providing services to the person they are working with and should represent the other persons interest as if they were the Advocates own.† http://www.devon.gov.uk/advocacy.htm (accessed 30.04.2012). It helps people to voice their opinion and to be understood. It also gives them support, information, backing, and a service to help them and to make choices. Furthermore, it is cost effective as it is free and is a confidential service which is easily available to everyone.

Descriptive Words Essay Example for Free

Descriptive Words Essay Words Smile, grin, beam, smirk . . . Frown, scowl, glare, glower, grimace . . . Stare, gaze, gape, watch, gawk, ogle, look, examine, leer . . . Flinch, recoil, balk, cringe, shy away, pull back, wince, cower, shrink, tremble . . . Incredulous, disbelieving, skeptical, doubtful, dubious, uncertain, suspicious, questioning, vague . . . Quizzical, questioning, puzzled, surprised, perplexed, inquiring Interested, curious, involved, attentive, concerned, attracted, fascinated, engrossed . . . Sad, gloomy, cheerless, depressing, dark, dull, thick, dreary . . Happy, content, pleased, glad, joyful, cheerful, blissful, exultant, ecstatic, delighted, cheery, jovial . . . Scared, frightened, terrified, petrified, afraid, fearful, nervous, anxious, worried, timid, shy . . . Strong, burly, brawny, strapping, muscular, beefy, tough, fervent, intense, zealous, avid, eager . . . Coy, bashful, timid, modest, reserved, demure . . . Indifferent, apathetic, unresponsive . . . Remote, aloof, detached, distant . . Threatened, intimidated, alarmed, worried, anxious, troubled, upset, distressed, shocked, startled . . . Crash, thud, bump, thump, bang, thunder, smash, explode, roar, shout, scream, screech, shout, whistle, whine, squawk, blare, slam, stomp, stamp, noise, clap, bark, meow, moo, boom, yell, whisper, hum, snap, hiss, crackle . . . Taut, uptight, immobilized, paralyzed, tense, stretched, hollow, alarmed, strong, weak, sweaty, breathless, nauseated, sluggish, weary, tired, alive, feisty . . . Angry, resentful, irritated, enraged, furious, annoyed, inflamed, provoked, infuriated, offended, sullen, indignant, irate, wrathful, cross, sulky, bitter, frustrated, grumpy, boiling, fuming, stubborn, belligerent, confused, awkward, bewildered, empty . . . Angrily, anxiously, brightly, cheerfully, comfortably, curiously, delightfully, eagerly, enormously, excitedly, faintly, falsely, fearfully, foolishly, frightfully, gently, gracefully, gratefully, greedily, grumpily, helplessly, heroically, hungrily, impatiently, joyfully, kindly, luckily, magically, majestically, merrily, remarkably, splendidly, strangely, swiftly, unusually Afraid, fearful, frightened, timid, wishy-washy, shaky, apprehensive, fidgety, terrified, panicky, tragic, hysterical, cautious, shocked, horrified, insecure, impatient, nervous, dependent, anxious, pressured, worried, doubtful, suspicious, hesitant, awed, dismayed, scared, petrified, gutless . . . Bad, worse, poor, terrible, horrible, evil, wicked, corrupt, heinous, inferior, inept, ill, unfortunate , distressful . . . Big, huge, giant, gigantic, monstrous, tremendous , gargantuan , large, wide, important, influential, immense, massive, bulky, heavy, voluminous . . . Eager, keen, earnest, intent, zealous, ardent, avid, anxious, enthusiastic, proud . . . Fearless,, encouraged, courageous, confident, secure, independent, reassured, bold, brave, daring, heroic, hardy, determined, loyal, proud, impulsive . . . Good, excellent, fine, satisfactory , kind, generous, worthy, humane, pure, benign, benevolent , proper, valid, favored . . Happy, brisk, buoyant, calm, carefree, cheerful, cheery, comfortable, complacent, contented, ecstatic, elated, enthusiastic, excited, exhilarated, generous, glad, grateful, hilarious, inspired, jolly, joyous, lighthearted, merry, optimistic, peaceful, playful, pleased, relaxed, restive, satisfied, serene, sparkling, spirited, surprised, vivacious . . Hurt, injured, isolated, offended, distressed, pained, suffering, afflicted, worried, tortured . . Little, small, tiny, micros copic, miniscule, minute, inconsequential, Lilliputian, insignificant, narrow, thin, paltry, modest, slender, slight . . . Looked, gazed, peered, starched , stared, glanced, sighted, regarded , attended , viewed, inspected , directed, followed . . Nice, friendly, helpful, gentle, warm, inspiring, good-natured, kind, generous, cheerful, loving, happy, funny, peppy, relaxed, thoughtful, cooperative . . . Ran, trotted, skipped, hurried, moved, sped, operated, progressed , glided, flowed, traced, pursued, galloped, loped, fled . . . Sad, sorrowful, unhappy, depressed, melancholy, gloomy, somber, dismal, heavy-hearted, mournful, dreadful, dreary, flat, blah, dull, in the dumps, sullen, moody, sulky, out of sorts, low, discontented, discouraged, disappointed, concerned, sympathetic, compassionate, choked up, embarrassed, shameful, ashamed, useless, worthless, ill at ease . . . Said, acknowledged, acquiesced, added, addressed, admitted, admonished, advised, advocated, affirmed, agreed, alleged, allowed, announced, answered, approved, argued, asked, assented, asserted, assumed, assured, attested, avowed, babbled, bantered, bargained, barked, began, begged, bellowed, beseeched, boasted, bragged, brought, called, cautioned, charged, chided, cited, claimed, commanded, comment, commented, complained, conceded, concluded, condescended, confessed, confided, consented, contended, contested, continued, contradicted, counseled, countered, cracked, cried, debated, decided, declared, decreed, demanded, demurred, denied, denounced, described, dictated, directed, disclosed, disrupted, divulged, drawled, droned, elaborated, emphasized, enjoined, entreated, enunciated, estimated, exclaimed, explained, exposed, expressed, faltered, feared, foretold, fumed, giggled, granted, granted, grinned, groaned, growled, grumbled, haggled, hedged, held, hesitated, hinted, howled, impar ted, implied, implored, indicated, inferred, informed, inquired, insinuated, insisted, instructed, nterjected, interrogated, intimated, intimidated, itemized, jested, judged, lamented, laughed, lectured, lied, lisped, listed, made, maintained, mentioned, mimicked, moaned, mumbled, murmured, mused, muttered, nagged, narrated, noted, notified, objected, observed, opined, orated, ordered, petitioned, pleaded, pled, pointed, prayed, predicted, proclaimed, professed, prompted, pronounced, proposed, propounded, protested, proved, publicized, queried, questioned, quibbled, quipped, quoted, rambled, ranted, reaffirmed, reasoned, reassured, reciprocated, recited, recommended, recounted, referred, refuted, regretted, reiterated, rejoiced, rejoined, related, relented, remarked, reminded, remonstrated, repeated, replied, reported, reprimanded, requested, responded, restated, resumed, retorted, returned, revealed, roared, ruled, sanctioned, scoffed, scolded, screamed, shouted, shrieked, snapped, sneered, sobbed, solicited, specified, spoke, sputtered, stammered, stated, stipulated, stormed, stressed, stuttered, suggested, taunted, testified, thought, threatened, told, twitted, unbridled, urged, uttered, vowed, wailed, warned, went, wept, whispered, whistled, whooped, wrangled, yawned, yelled . . . Amazing, Attractive, Authentic, Beautiful, Better, Big, Colorful, Colossal, Complete, Confidential, Enormous, Excellent, Exciting, Exclusive, Expert, Famous, Fascinating, Free, Full, Genuine, Gigantic, Huge, Informative, Instructive, Interesting, Lavishly, Liberally, Mammoth, Professional, Startling, Strange, Strong, Sturdy, Successful, Superior, Surprise . . . Crammed, Delivered, Directed . . . Brave, Angry, Bright, Busy, Clever, Cold, Cozy, Deep, Flat, Foggy, Free, Fresh, Frozen, Gentle, Giant, Glad, Grand, Hollow, Hungry, Hurt, Lucky, Neat, New, Old, Polite, Proud, Rough, Serious, Shiny, Short, Shy, Smooth, Spotted, Strong, Tall, Tough, Weak, Wide, Wild, Wise, Bumpy, Careful, Cheerful, Chilly, Clean, Cloudy, Crisp, Damp, Enormous, Fancy, Flashy, Flowery, Frosty, Fuzzy, Huge, Icy, Kind, Marvelous, Merry, Messy, Mighty, Misty, Moldy, Plaid, Plain, Quiet, Scented, Selfish, Sharp, Slim, Slippery, Sloppy, Sly, Soggy, Spicy, Stormy, Striped, Sweet, Tasty, Thinly, Tiny, Velvety, Twinkling, Weak, Worn, Young . . .

Women In Agriculture In Palestine Sociology Essay

Women In Agriculture In Palestine Sociology Essay The project has as its principal question, What are the characteristics of women and men working in agriculture in Palestine and the impact on? different agricultural patterns and effect on roles, opportunities and gender relations? Having received financial support, the project has now embarked on its next stage and the development of a research methodology to identify this data from which policy recommendations will be made. To assist the development of this project, this literature review provides an overview of the material that is available on the subject. The approach taken has been both specific and comparative, by identifying previous material written about women in agriculture in Palestine as well as in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and beyond more generally. A broader perspective to the question is valuable in highlighting what work has already been done, including the main features associated with women working in agriculture, the methods taken to examine the issue and the policy recommendations that have been introduced to date. Of particular note across the literature is a seeming paradox regarding women in agriculture. On one hand there is recognition of the previously ignored position of female agricultural labour. As a result there has been growing awareness both in scholarly literature and policy interventions to ensure that women are less marginalised in the sector. On the other hand the greater attention to women in agriculture, both in terms of research and policy recommendations, has largely failed to reduce their marginalisation. This raises key questions about the nature of those policies (such as gender mainstreaming and female participation in their formation, development and implementation) and how the same mistakes are not repeated in the current project. This literature review is divided as follows: General overview of women in agriculture Social dimension of women in agriculture Economic dimension of women in agriculture Technical dimension of women in agriculture Political (and policy) dimension of women in agriculture Suggestions and next steps General overview of women in agriculture globally and in MENA As noted above, there is an underlying paradox at the heart of the literature and analyses of women in agriculture and which appears to hold across the world. On the one hand there is a growing recognition of women and their role in the sector. Among scholars feminist attention to gender issues had tended to focus on urban women during the 1970s. It was not until the mid-1980s that increasing attention was placed on rural women and their involvement in agriculture (Maman and Tate 1996). Among policymakers there was an increasing awareness of the feminisation of agriculture, given the rise of visible female agricultural labour and the disappearance of men, through migration and AIDS for example (Sweetman 1999). On the other hand though, there has been a concurrent oversight, awareness and development of effective strategies to enhance the role of women in agriculture. In practical terms and across the globe, many women have struggled for autonomy in the agricultural sector, facing restriction on land ownership and use, access to inputs and credit and other resources like education and training (Sweetman 1999). Even in locations where women appear to have more access to ownership and control of the land, the denial of that right is arguably the greatest contributor to a gender gap and womens weaker social, economic and political status (Arun 1999, Badr 2010). The use of the term gender has meant that the issue of women in agriculture has become largely subsumed into a broader debate about gender and gender relations. Gender constitutes the socially constructed roles surrounding men and women. In other words, it is not the biological differences between men and women that affect their involvement in human activities, such as agriculture, but rather the way that societies around them shape them. Moreover, gender is seen as increasingly important in development terms. The World Bank (2009) bases it on four main grounds: economic (in terms of enhancing efficiency); equity and distributional; food security and household welfare; and as a basic human right. Globally gender differences are apparent in various ways including access to assets and services, such as land, labour, finance, water, rural infrastructure, technology and other inputs. In MENA, there appear to be two main texts which are especially relevant to the projects focus: Lamia El-Fattels 1996 Women in Agriculture in West Asia and North Africa, and the regional study, Women in Agriculture in the Middle East, edited by Pnina Mozafi-Haller and published nearly a decade later in 2005. To these publications may also be considered the gender-related studies conducted by the PCBS over the same period. El-Fattel provided conducted a broad survey of the subject, ranging across several decades and noting several key points. First, she observed that agriculture in different West Asia and North Africa (WANA) countries shared some common themes. This included the fact that agriculture was primarily rain-fed and more technically advanced compared to other developing countries. While there is a greater use of mechanisation and fertilizers, weeding is still done by hand. Farms tend to be run in a patriarchal fashion and are small; the latter which make it hard to absorb labour outside the family. Second, in reviewing the literature El-Fattal commented noted that there had been relatively little systematic or comparative work done to date (12-14). What material was available tended to focus on single cases, usually at the level of the village or a region within the country rather than at country or regional level. Much of this was reflected in the anthropological or general social science studies nature of the literature. Women in agriculture were generally not the focal point of such studies, but rather as aspect of more specific studies into social dynamics within a community. Third, she summarised the literature as follows: (1) women play important roles in food production in WANA and their involvement is increasing, and (2) the extent of their participation, over space and time, is a function of numerous forces at play. (16) Those factors are both diverse yet inter-related and include land holding size and tenancy (as well as landlessness), the type of farming, the degree of mechanisation, available male labour and a womans social and economic status on both farms and in the community more generally (El Fattel 1996, UN 2001: 10). One of the important aspects of Mozafi-Hallers edited volume was its country and region-based focus. It was the only notable result of a decision in the late 1990s by the Danish governments Regional Agricultural Program to improve agricultural planning and technical assistance between Egypt, Jordan, the PA and Israel. The difficulty of achieving much more with the project was undermined by the second Intifada which reduced the scope for collaboration. Meanwhile, gender had not been initially central to the project, but grew in importance throughout the course of the work (Mozafi-Haller 2005). Of particular relevance to the project is the chapter on Palestinian women in agriculture, which was written by Rema Hammami. It is arguably the most comprehensive study on the subject to date. Given the date of publication, Hammimi makes use of data from the 1990s and early 2000s. She cites a 2000 survey on time use, in which agriculture is not disaggregated from primary production). In addition to this report are two others that make passing reference to women and agriculture: a 1999 survey on female ownership and access to resources (specifically through attitudes regarding female ownership and inheritance) and more recent publications on men and women; the latest of which was published earlier this year and notes that 20.5% of women were employed in agriculture and fishing compared to 9.9% of men (PCBS 1999, 2000, 2010). Beyond these publications the PCBS does publish agricultural statistics on a yearly basis, although the questionnaire is primarily concerned with agricultural products, such as livestock, crops and materials rather than any breakdown of farm labour and women. The only agricultural report that it has produced that has a breakdown by sex is in its 2004/05 Farm Structure Survey, where the issue was raised in its questions concerning land holders (PCBS 2006). Social dimension of women in agriculture Women tend to be marginal actors in agriculture. While women suffer discrimination from a wide range of sources, much of this can be traced back to social and cultural attitudes. In the case of Palestinian and Arab women this is apparent in the public role of women, which has been broadly limited to those of mothers, sisters or wives, or childbearers and childrearers. This is reflected in part by the emphasis towards early and universal marriage and high levels of fertility throughout the region (Salman 1987: 8; Zurayk and Saadeh 1995: 37-38). Such attitudes have persisted, even as Arab women have entered the public sphere (UNDP 2006: 91). Indeed, today Arab women generally have three choices of identity: as a housewife and mother; as a housewife and mother with home-based work; or as a housewife and mother with outside employment. Why females may be subject to such attitudes have been explained in MENA in several ways. This begins early, both within the family home and at school. The use of text books, teachers attitudes and methods, early marriage and high fertility, male dominance in the public sphere and arguably the role of Islam have all been cited in this regard (Rubenburg 2001, UNDP 2006, Posusney and Doumato 2003; El-Mikawy 1999). At the same time, Islam as a constraint does not suffice; Moghadam (1993: 8) claims that it is neither monolithic nor intrinsically patriarchal; at time its adherents have sought to bring women into the public sphere, during times of conflict or national hardship when their participation on the front or in the labour force may be seen as an asset (e.g. Sudan and Saudi Arabia). El-Fattal (1996: 15) notes that Islam has proved an unsatisfying framework to account for the position of women: opposing conclusions have been reached as to whether Islam suppresses or liberates wome n. At the same time there have been changes within Islam, such as Islamic feminism has emerged and which rejects the traditional position of women and promotes their empowerment, including the right to religious education and the use of conservative dress as a means of entering the public sphere even as their attempts to reform family law have largely failed (Posusney and Doumato 2003: 9-11). In the case of Palestine these social attitudes are especially entrenched, with women noting particular political/economic limits, social pressure and familial expectations. This may contribute to some of the rights that women have failed to take up, including to education, work, inheritance, freedom of movement, choice of marriage partner and domestic abuse (Rubenberg 2001: 122-3). The effect if also felt in the generally patriarchal nature of the household and the three main family types that exist: the nuclear (father, mother and unmarried children), the extended or hamula (an economic unit based on several related males and their families headed by the eldest) and a transitional type (which combines elements of the nuclear and extended families) (Manasra 1993: 7), which reflect differences between Palestines modern and traditional sectors and urban, rural and camp settings. Economic dimension of women in agriculture This section considers the experience of women in the formal labour market generally and in the agricultural sector. It begins with a broader perspective on the nature of development in the region and the distinction between the traditional and modern economies. Female labour is largely associated with a modernised economy and the shift from the traditional to the modern economy has posed several obstacles to the inclusion of women in the labour market. The second part outlines those limitations this section provides an overview of the current figures and state of female labour in the Palestinian agricultural sector. However, this section ends with a rider, noting the uncertainty surrounding official figures on female agricultural labour and the steps taken to resolve this, both globally and in Palestine. First, according to Motzafi-Haller (2005), in much of the literature on development there is a strong binary tension between the traditional and the modern, whereby women are discriminated against in the former and included in the latter. In addition, this perception implies a non-efficient traditional economic model versus an efficient, sustainable, just and modern version (Motzafi-Haller 2005). Sweetman (1999) notes the emphasis on efficiency in most rural development interventions, with the result that it largely overlooks notions of justice and equality between the sexes. The focus on efficiency (and modernisation) has meant that the prevailing form of female labour (i.e. informal, domestic) has been undervalued, especially in relation to that done by men. At the same time pressure for women to work both inside and outside the home has risen, especially over the past few decades as structural adjustment has reduced income for the poor and weakened household structures. The result has been a diversification of labour and activities as a means of coping. As a result, agricultural labour is but one form of gaining income (Sweetman 1999). Second, within MENA both the proportion and absolute numbers of women in formal employment have tended to be low. In the literature, various explanations have been put forward, including historic, economic and structural. Historically, the emergence of exploitative labour regimes in the colonial period weakened the role and status of women, especially as the demands of the international economy and wage labour in agricultural and industrial sectors grew. The result was female exclusion from the formal labour force and their unpaid or low-paid work in the informal sector (Shukri 1996: xii). Economically, both globalisation and growth rates have been held to account for poorer female participation. Although MENA is classified as middle-income, it has been subject to slow growth, thereby limiting demand for jobs (which affects women more than men) (UNDP 2006: 91). Structurally, the limited nature of female participation may be attributed to various reasons. First, states ideology and de velopment strategies may affect womens opportunity for employment with more capital-intensive measures benefiting male workers while women have found increased opportunities through subcontracting and home-based work (Moghadam 1995: 18-19, 28). Second, women may experience employment disadvantage as a result of economic failures. This may include the U-shaped nature of economic development, whereby at the initial stage female labour participation decreases as that of men increases, followed by a growing demand for jobs in the sector that are filled by women. At the same time women suffer from externality and common access problems, whereby their labour (especially within the household) is unpaid, freely available and largely misallocated (Vecchio and Roy 1998: 10-13). In the case of the agricultural sector, Razavi (2007) highlights several specific factors that have limited female agricultural labour in MENA. Despite noting the advances in the political and legal rights of women to land, she observes that liberalisation policies (which make it harder for low-income women to access land through the market), the predominant form of small scale farming and its restrictions on achieving access to land mean that agricultural labour can only provide a complementary role in livelihoods alongside other income-generating measures. She also notes the use of customary and decentralised systems of land tenure which can be used by strong interest groups to work against womens rights. In Palestine, women face several social pressures that have economic consequences, both generally and in terms of their full participation in the agricultural sector. Women face greater social restrictions than men, including social stigma following divorce and a weaker right of inheritance (Manasra 1993) although differences do exist between women who pursue their inheritance, with brotherless daughters, widowed mothers and daughters of wealthy households those who most actively advance their claims (Moors 1996: 82). Generally though, Palestinian women (and female heads) face many of the challenges that others in the developing world experience, including restricted property rights and family law constraints on women that persist (Vardhan 1999; Vecchio Roy 1998). In the case of Palestine, access to land is mainly through inheritance and traditionally women tend to waive their rights in favour of their brothers who were expected to reciprocate by looking after their sisters (Hammam i 2005: 69). The rarity of womens ownership of land is apparent in the Palestinian Farm Structure Survey 2004/05, which distinguishes between male and female holders. Female holders vary between 3% in Gaza and the southern West Bank to 5.7% in the northern West Bank (PCBS 2006), although the survey does not provide any data that suggests to what extent female holders exercise control of their land in terms of key decisions. This is reflected in the three main types of female agricultural worker. The first type, male members of the household work off the farm while the women work part of the family land. The second type is women who are full-time farmers. In many cases they are entirely responsible for the farm following the death or abandonment of their husbands. The third type is agricultural labourers who work for others, including both Palestinians and Israelis (Hammami 2005: 61). In terms of figures available on Palestinian female agricultural labour, in 1996 29.1% of women in the labour force worked in agriculture compared to 9.9% of men (although in absolute terms men outnumbered women), highlighting that in terms of employment opportunities, agriculture is much more important for women than men and less connected with pressures from poverty than rising productivity even though the characteristics of such women tended to be older, less educated and lower paid than men in the same sector. The bulk of women in agriculture were based in the West Bank, opportunities being less in Gaza as a result of intensive and irrigated farming and the lack of cultivable land (Hammami 2005). However, by 2009 the same number of men worked in agriculture but the number of women employed in the sector had fallen to 20.5% (PCBS 2010). Third, these official figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt. At the global, regional and national level, numbers regarding womens involvement in the agriculture has been largely underreported. This reflects both womens greater participation at working on their family farms and assumptions by both men and women that their participation is not work (UN 2001: 8). The impact of this underreporting is not only a persistent theme in material related to women in agriculture, but is increasingly being addressed by practitioners. For example, in 2003 the FAO held an international workshop on the subject, recommending that the collection of such data would be best served through the national census in different countries. This meant that greater awareness was needed regarding the concepts associated with agriculture, including: holdings, holders (who makes the primary decisions), legal status of holdings (i.e. public, private and the variations of each), holders household (and the diff erentiated activities that exist within it) and economic activity as a permanent or occasional worker (FAO 2003). In Palestine efforts to get around the problem of underreporting including recognition of the informal nature of agricultural labour and the use of time use surveys as an alternative way of yielding data. This was last done in 1999 and 2000 in which agricultural labour was included under a heading of primary production. According to Hammimi (2005) though, this data was insufficiently disaggregated to provide sufficient data on the issue of agricultural work. Technical dimension of women in agriculture Technical advances in agriculture have created their own challenges. The green revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s involved the modernization of land cultivation and more intensive use of pesticides to increase production and since the 1990s the use of GMOs. The relationship of this development to gender has been notable in two ways. On one hand, it has been the well-off who have largely benefited rather than everyone (Sweetman 1999). Among those who have benefited are men, who largely control technical knowledge. However, such knowledge is imperfect which can lead to adverse results and the mismanagement of various resources in terms of land, water and female labour (Morvaridi 1992). On the other hand, the various factors that have marginalised women in agriculture, including a lack of access to resources, lower educational levels and lower rates of productivity are felt in their inability to manipulate more productive, technically advanced agricultural methods. This keeps them ghettoized in less capital intensive and more labour intensive activities (Hammami 2005: 70-71). At the same time it has placed women at greater risk to their health. While the ILO notes that agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations in health terms, womens lack of technical knowledge is bound to work against them, through the potentially incorrect use of pesticides that can lead to poisoning (Cole 2006). Specifically in the case of Palestine, greater use of technology in agriculture has reduced the burden of work on women but rather increased it while maintaining inequalities in terms of power and income. In many respects it is men that have taken up the more mechanised and productive techniques, with female labour being largely focused at the more time-consuming, labour-intensive end (e.g. planting, transplanting, weeding, harvesting and packaging) (Hammimi 2005: 67). On the other hand, while women generally have been visible in environmental and consumer actions against the green revolutions globally, it is not evident that this is a gender issue rather than a politically-oriented one (Sweetman 1999, Pedersen and Kjà ¦rgà ¥rd 2004). Political (and policy) dimension of women in agriculture The literature review began with a tension at the heart of the topic: that there is growing attention given to women in agriculture but that measures to rectify the gender gap have not worked to date. However, this is not solely limited to the agricultural sector: across MENA there have been general advances in the political and legal rights for women. At the same time, social and economic pressures have worked against womens rights and been institutionalised through the creation of instruments such as personal status laws and officially sanctioned gender discrimination (Badr 2010). In Palestine, a range of political pressures have worked against women in agriculture. First and uniquely there are challenges presented by the occupation, which challenge men as much as women. These include land confiscations, movement restrictions, a lack of an external market and the administrative division and control of the land, all of which was exacerbated even further by the second Intifada, resulting in sieges, invasions, curfews and internal closures. For women, the responses to these processes have involved the search for coping strategies to help support the household (Hammami 2005: 49, 53). Second, compared to women in other MENA countries, those in Palestine appear to be in a more advantageous position relatively. Women are well represented in the education system and in the public sphere, especially through womens organisations and lobby groups. However, at the same time, female involvement in formal institutions is low. This includes both the formal (as opposed to informal) labour force and representation in formal political institutions, such as the legislature and agricultural unions (Hammami 2005: 54-55). The problems faced by Palestinian women (and women more generally) is reflected in the largely failed policy interventions that have resulted in the agricultural sector, which owe much to practitioners world view and failure to implement gender-related solutions effectively. First, Motzafi-Haller (2005: 8-9) draws attention to the concept of paternal feminism and the work of Boutheina Cheriet, an Algerian professor of comparative education. Rather than reducing gender discrimination by including women and modernising the economy, this more critical view maintains women in a submissive position. In the absence of any wider public debate concerning female roles in development, women are either imposed from above or from outside rather than treated as full equals and partners. Second, efforts that aim at gender-mainstreaming have tended to fail, largely because of what Sweetman (1999: 7) notes as a result of mechanistically integrated gender issues in planning and implementation, without [a] commitment to challenging injustice. Moreover, this means not only being gender aware, but also being prepared to tackle all forms of discrimination, from the overt and direct to the less clear and indirect (ILO 2006: 78). In part the absence of accurate data (see above) can mean that development interventions based on them will be undermined (Sweetman 1999). Much of this may be picked up through the use of statistics, surveys, cost-benefit analyses, research and gender-impact analyses (i.e. examine specific activities and their impact on men and women) (UN 2001: 4). This last point emphasises the importance of incorporating men into gender analysis, since the opportunities and constraints facing men and women will be different. El-Fattel (1996: 47) suggests asking spe cific questions of men and women, such as (1) who does what, when and where? (2) who has access to or control over resources? and (3) who benefits from each enterprise? Grace (2004) argues that understanding the roles of men and women means going beyond their sex, to consider other factors such as age, wealth, marital status and stage of their life cycle. Regionally, across MENA the UN has noted different policy measures (2001: 10, 36). In Syria the focus has been on enhancing rural womens status through rural development programmes and reforms in the educational, legal, social, health and economic sectors. In Lebanon attention has been given to income generation and vocational training for rural women and forms of protection in the informal sector. In Jordan the primary aim has been to increase female participation in the labour market. However, in the absence of strong government will to enforce these measures, the position of rural women will remain weak. Globally, awareness of these failures is reflected in the World Banks Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook (2009: 3-4), which provides tools and case studies of practical examples and best practices to incorporate gender into planning processes. The aim of this literature is to support all kinds of practitioners, from those who are aware of gender issues but do not know where to start through to others that require more training and assistance in devising such mechanisms. Specifically, it uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach developed by the British Department for International Development as its conceptual framework for gender-related development. Specifically this has involved drawing attention to assets, markets (for products, labour, finances, land and water), risk and vulnerability, and knowledge, information and organisation related to these issues. For Palestine, a good starting point would be that outlined by Hammami (2005: 74), who notes a current lack of sufficiently gender-specific information. She argues that good intentions and development programs alone will not guarantee an improvement in womens situation in agriculture and hence increase in farm productivity. Among the measures that would need to be addressed include: enhanced opportunities in rural areas (more resources and infrastructure), development programs to strengthen rural peoples role and their participation, more gender-related data in agriculture, adaptive and appropriate research and technologies for women, qualified and professional female extension agents, womens access to land, access to credit and other agricultural inputs, better education (to understand technical information) and more incentives to encourage greater risk and productivity (an aim that is undermined by womens general lack of ownership on the land). That Hammimi highlights these recommendations suggests the relatively unsuccessful efforts to integrate gender awareness to date, despite the formation of a Womens Division within the Palestinian Authoritys Ministry of Agriculture in 2000. Before that date, agricultural support services were largely gender-blind and overlooked the role of women as agricultural workers in their own right. Growing awareness that this needed to be addressed took place with the formation of a Womens Extension Division inside the Directorate of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development in 1998 and a general Womens Division in 2000, even as concern persisted that a specific womens unit might ghettoize gender issues as it appears to have done until now. Suggestions and next steps The review of the literature on women in agriculture generally and in Palestine specifically highlights some common themes. Politically, economically and socially, Palestinian female agricultural workers share similar experiences to those of women working in agriculture in other parts of the word. This includes their relative marginalization and lack of access to resources and inputs, such as training, credit, water, land and others. At the same time though, in contrast to previous decades, the issue of gender has become an increasingly important one in studies on agriculture; even if the status and role of women has been overlooked, there had been plenty of attention given to highlighting the situation along with recommendations to implement greater gender awareness and mainstreaming in policy terms. This is apparent in global efforts to incorporate women into the research and policy design process through participation in development planning. That the situation of women is paradoxical overlooked in practical terms yet increasingly considered in scholarly work and policy recommendations suggests a new path forward is necessary. The coordinators of the current project do not presumably want to produce another analysis and report that will result in additional data and policy recommendations that will fail to combat the discrimination that women in agriculture continue to face. Consequently, as a starting point, in the case of Palestine, this might involve the following: Develop more robust data on the state of women in agriculture This would require both quantitative and qualitative forms of data. In addition to revision of the measures to be addressed in the national census, smaller-scale surveys could be done to include disaggregated data that took account of gender and temporary/permanent labour. In addition qualitative data would include descriptive insights by men and women in the agricultural sector, through i

Easter Uprising in Ireland Essay -- History Historical Irish Essays

Easter Uprising in Ireland On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a force of Irishmen attempted to seize Dublin, with the ultimate intention of eliminating British rule and creating a completely independent Ireland. Their leaders, such as Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, knew that they were destined to die, but saw the importance of independence, thus the rebellion was inevitable. In the eyes of many the rebellion was a complete failure, with the loss of lives and damage of buildings, but in the eyes of many Irish patriots the rebellion was a complete success as it promoted Irish nationalism and ultimately lead to an independent Ireland. The circumstances that lead to the rebellion are of an intense complexity, historical, social, political and psychological, and the rebellion itself has lasting impacts on society today. Since 1603, when Ireland was for the first time effectively united under British rule, Irish history has been dictated by the British, and the poor relationship between Ireland and Britain. The root of the problem was that Ireland was a mainly Roman Catholic country ruled by Protestant foreigners, colonial administrators acting on behalf of a Protestant Government far away. During the 18th century, the Irish Catholics were deprived of all rights, as one English judge brutally put it: â€Å"The law does not suppose any such person to exist as an Irish Roman Catholic.† The Irish could only assume that the English did not regard them as human beings at all, and this was clearly seen in the Great Famine of the 19th century. The Great Famine of 1845-1851 was crucial in shaping Ireland’s attitudes towards British rule and leading to the nationalism that provoked the eventual uprising of 1916. The peasants lived on potatoes, it was their only crop, and when the crop was killed by disease famine struck. The potato was primarily grown because it could produce a relatively high yield with little intensive care. Many though relied on the crop and that is why the famine of 1845-1849 was so catastrophic. Ireland had a population of 8 million before the famine, 1 million died from the famine and another 1-2 million immigrated to America. Ireland’s population, which had grown so strongly throughout the 18th century and early 19th century, had been shattered. The impact that the famine had on 1916 was simple: the English were blamed for the famine. Th... ...ellion can be seen to be an utter failure, but the bigger picture shows that the success of the rebellion can not be undermined, as it resulted in a great revival of nationalism and eventually, the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1948. In the book, The Modern World since 1870, it is said of Pearse: â€Å"Looking back one can see that his death lit a flame which illuminated Ireland’s path to independence†. It must be understood that the Easter Rising was never designed for military victory, it was in the desire of freedom, and in this regard the rebellion can not be seen as a ‘failure’. The Irish Rebellion, stemming from a history of oppression and neglect by the British, was always inevitable. Although the rising was a clear military failure, the legacy of the rising means that it can be seen as a success – it did achieve many of the aims of the leaders. The purpose of the insurrection was not to win the battle, but to leave the legacy to the Irish people that without struggle there is no progress. New nationalism was inspired, and in 1948, with the establishment of the Republic of Ireland, the rising was finally seen as a politically and socially successful movement.

Kurt Cobain: Collection Of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives :: essays research papers

Kurt Cobain: Collection of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives I would like to share some of the memories and perceptions I have concerning this unique, rare and original human being called Kurt Cobain. I knew Kurt during his teen-age years in the period from about 1979 to 1984. I was in my mid-30s and living in and near Montesano. My sister married Kurt's dad, Don, and also lived in Montesano. My grandfather comprehended the intelligence and individuality in Kurt at a time when Kurt was being beaten down mentally and physically. "Gramps" often told me of his respect for Kurt's tenacity and compassion even though he was in emotional pain. Shortly before Gramps died, he had been talking about Kurt. He looked at me and said words to the effect that he could see a nobility about Kurt that he had never seen in anyone in all his 70 years. One time, Gramps invited Kurt along on one of our steelhead fishing trips. We were spread out a few hundred feet apart along the Wynooche River. All of a sudden, we heard this horrendous combination of screaming, warbling and yodeling from Kurt, who was upstream and out of sight. Gramps told me to run up there and help Kurt, who must have hooked a big fish. When I reached Kurt, he didn't even have his line in the water. When I asked him what was going on, he just looked at me with those piercing eyes and huge grin. He said, "Oh, I'm just trying to thicken my vocal chords so I can scream better!" When I went back to Gramps to tell him, he just grinned and said, "It figures, We'll just let him be!" We can now say, "Thank you, Kurt, for thickening your vocal chords!" Kurt didn't fit the general mold of society in a logging town, and so he was beaten upon by people who didn't understand him. One day I heard that he was in a fight a few blocks away. When I ran to the scene, the fight was over. However, I heard from a friend that Kurt was assaulted by a burly, 250-pound logger type. Evidently, Kurt did not even fight; he just presented the bully with the appropriate hand gesture everytime he was knocked down until the bully gave up. To top it all off, Kurt just had that usual grin on his face! A final footnote to this small remembrance of Kurt: A wonderful picture comes to mind of a rare, sunny day when I peeked out the window into the yard. Kurt Cobain: Collection Of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives :: essays research papers Kurt Cobain: Collection of Personal Accounts From Family Relatives I would like to share some of the memories and perceptions I have concerning this unique, rare and original human being called Kurt Cobain. I knew Kurt during his teen-age years in the period from about 1979 to 1984. I was in my mid-30s and living in and near Montesano. My sister married Kurt's dad, Don, and also lived in Montesano. My grandfather comprehended the intelligence and individuality in Kurt at a time when Kurt was being beaten down mentally and physically. "Gramps" often told me of his respect for Kurt's tenacity and compassion even though he was in emotional pain. Shortly before Gramps died, he had been talking about Kurt. He looked at me and said words to the effect that he could see a nobility about Kurt that he had never seen in anyone in all his 70 years. One time, Gramps invited Kurt along on one of our steelhead fishing trips. We were spread out a few hundred feet apart along the Wynooche River. All of a sudden, we heard this horrendous combination of screaming, warbling and yodeling from Kurt, who was upstream and out of sight. Gramps told me to run up there and help Kurt, who must have hooked a big fish. When I reached Kurt, he didn't even have his line in the water. When I asked him what was going on, he just looked at me with those piercing eyes and huge grin. He said, "Oh, I'm just trying to thicken my vocal chords so I can scream better!" When I went back to Gramps to tell him, he just grinned and said, "It figures, We'll just let him be!" We can now say, "Thank you, Kurt, for thickening your vocal chords!" Kurt didn't fit the general mold of society in a logging town, and so he was beaten upon by people who didn't understand him. One day I heard that he was in a fight a few blocks away. When I ran to the scene, the fight was over. However, I heard from a friend that Kurt was assaulted by a burly, 250-pound logger type. Evidently, Kurt did not even fight; he just presented the bully with the appropriate hand gesture everytime he was knocked down until the bully gave up. To top it all off, Kurt just had that usual grin on his face! A final footnote to this small remembrance of Kurt: A wonderful picture comes to mind of a rare, sunny day when I peeked out the window into the yard.

Basic Military Training

Basic Military Training (BMT) is a rite of passage that every 18-year-old male Singaporean must complete. BMT is in fact an organization, within the Ministry of Defence, where young males are required to participate in rigorous exercise routines and armed combat training at Pulau Tekong, an offshore Singapore island. This compulsory training consists of basic soldiering skills, including weapon handling, individual field craft, and bayonet fighting. This military training helps to prepare these young men for battlefield survival, should the need arise.The organization has its own rules and regulations, culture, and principles. As such, we have shared our experience at BMT, and compare some aspects of it to Henri Fayol’s Classical Approach. New recruits are bombarded with information, directives, orders, and instructions from senior ranking officers. For example, we are told â€Å"Lights off at 10pm! † and â€Å"Everywhere you go, you are to get my permission. † A lso, if any of us want to voice a grievance, we must approach our superiors. They are authorized to decide if anything can or should be done to resolve the matter.These superiors are specialists (sergeants) who are directly in charge of new recruits, and the CO(Commanding officers) generally are not involved in these matters. BMT entails a wide variety of tasks and comprehensive military training, Therefore, the recruits face danger, but with every attempt to avoid life-threatening scenarios. Being in BMT is similar to being in a highly sensitive organization. Recruits are not allowed to divulge any army secrets outside the organization, and they must be wary of any statements they make in public.All recruits must take an oath of allegiance and pledge their loyalty and honesty to Singapore. In accordance with Fayol’s principle of â€Å"subordination of individual interest to general interest†, there is no room for the word â€Å"I† in BMT. Accordingly, every rec ruit works together with the team or company that he is assigned to. If an individual recruit makes a mistake or fails to follow an order, the whole company will be punished. For example, during my second week of BMT, all recruits were to report for physical training at 6 a. m.All reported except for one of my bunkmates, who overslept and was late. As a result, not only was he punished, but all the others from that platoon were punished as well. In BMT, recruits do not focus on their individual wants and needs, but instead they work as a team toward the betterment of their organisation. Hence, based on these illustrations, we can clearly state that communication within BMT is indeed task-oriented. In a high-security government organization like this, a formal style of communication is appropriate and required.Ranks differentiate superiors from subordinates, and usually the higher the rank, the more respect and power you command. For instance, ranks of ‘Cpt’ (Captain), à ¢â‚¬ËœLt’ (Lieutenant), and ‘Sgt’ (Sergeant) tend to increase the distance between individuals and hinders familiarity with each other. A recruit who approaches anyone of higher rank will probably feel some apprehension. All new BMT recruits are required to greet not only their company IC (in-charge), but also anyone else of higher rank. Required salutes and greetings include â€Å"Good morning Sir,† and all answers are to be proclaimed with â€Å"Yes Sir!† or â€Å"No Sir! † The word â€Å"Sir† conveys the respect that is required from fresh recruits toward their superiors. After two years in BMT, I came to realise that it is one’s rank, not one’s age, that determines the level and amount of respect that they receive. BMT’s formal approach becomes immediately apparent as new recruits enter the camp’s gate. Slippers, sandals, and t-shirts are forbidden, and shirts must be tucked into pants or jeans. Bermudas and shorts are banned as well. In short, all recruits are expected to wear proper attire.Hence professionalism, respect for superiors, and self-respect are the hallmarks and defining attributes of this bureaucratic and professional organisation. Fairness is another factor that contributes to BMT’s formal culture, and it affects the style of communication. In keeping with Fayol’s â€Å"principle of organisational reward,† all recruits, whether they be a minister’s son or a national sportsman, are awarded identical pay and receive identical treatment. The army does not discriminate against any background.Everyone in this military organisation shares the same facilities and consumes the same food. In addition, monetary rewards are granted to recruits who have done well in their physical fitness test (IPPT Test). Therefore, these examples demonstrate â€Å"remuneration of personnel† and â€Å"equity† in the classical model. While completing tra ining at BMT, officers’ and superiors’ messages and announcements are usually issued in the form of letters and memos. These letters generally begin with the recruit’s rank or with the simple salutation of â€Å"Mr.† and are issued to the recruit’s home address. Less formal notes or a thank you on a â€Å"post-it† are unlikely. Friends of the same rank are virtually helpless to aid peers during their stint at BMT. Hence, all recruits must rely on their superiors. However, this does not mean that there is no horizontal flow of communication or â€Å"gangplank† in the army. Recruits routinely turn to one another for minor favours, consolation, and motivation. Thus, BMT recruits indeed get to mingle around and talk to fellow trainees.In addition to the usual letters, memos, and emails, face-to-face communication does exist in BMT. For instance, in the middle of my training stint at BMT, three of my platoon mates and others from various c ompanies were selected to meet the Captain for a face-to-face chat. During that meeting with our superior, we received some feedback on how we were coping with issues and situations in the Army. In closing, the army may seem like a very authoritative organization, but there are some exceptions that exclude them from being a total role model for the Classical Approach.

Process Analysis and Capacity Management Essay

1. Dello is a world-class PC company. Management believes that they understand their products and customers better than any outsourcing company; therefore Dello should provide customer service in-house. Ideally, Dello’s customer service department wants to handle all the customer phone calls. During peak hours, however, Dello receives so many customer calls that they ask an outsourcing company, Telemate, to help handle incoming calls. Dello’s switchboard system is programmed in the following way; A customer calls Dello at its 1-800 number. If there are 14 or less callers in the system waiting to speak with one of the customer service representatives, then the call stays within Dello’s system and the customer inquiry will be answered by a Dello customer service representative. If, on the other hand, there are 15 or more calls waiting within Dello’s system, then the incoming call is forwarded to the outsourcer Telemate, and the call will be answered by a Tel emate agent. Draw the process flowchart for Dello’s customer service call handling process. [pic] 2. Getaway is another computer company known for mass customization. Its secret is to always maintain an inventory of base models, and to offer its customers add-on options. The process is as follows: The first step is receiving the order. After receiving an order, the order is checked for add-ons. If needed, add-ons are added to the base model. (Note that base models are held in inventory). Then the computer is packed, and finally shipped. Draw a process flow diagram for the above process. [pic] If you want to be stricter, you can have triangles for add-on parts inventory and work-in-process between packing and shipping. 3. Kate is managing his company’s production facility. Consider the following production process. Note: some triangles may be intentionally omitted. [pic] Raw materials go through machines A, B, and then C, to produce a final product. Capacity, or service rate, of each machine is as follows: Machine A: 200 units per hour Machine B: 180 units per hour Machine C: 120 units per hour (All these numbers are expressed in terms of units of final product.) a) Identify the bottleneck process. Is it A, B, or C? Explain briefly. Machine C, since it’s the slowest process of all. Kate sincerely believes that she must keep high utilization of machines. Every time she sees an operator idle, therefore, she orders the operator to go back to the machine and continue operating. b) What is she doing wrong? What is the most likely result if she manages the factory this way? She doesn’t seem to understand that the bottleneck process defines throughput of the entire system. In other words, the production facility can process just as fast as the bottleneck. If she tells every operator to produce all the time, most likely result is that she will have unnecessarily large WIP built-up between machines. 4. Eastern Coffee follows the flow chart below to serve its customers. Note that some triangles may be omitted intentionally. It takes a worker two minutes to take order and receive payment, two minutes to prepare coffee, and three minutes to clean equipment. Eastern Coffee has two workers: worker A takes order and prepares coffee, while worker B handles the cleaning. a) On average, 10 customers per hour show up and order coffee. What is the utilization rate of worker A? And what is the utilization rate of worker B? Capacity of worker A: 60/(2+2) = 15 customers/hour Capacity of worker B: 60/3 = 20 customers/hour Utilization of A: 10/15 = 0.666 or 66.6†¦% Utilization of B: 10/20 = 0.5 or 50% b) How many customers can Eastern Coffee serve per hour? From the above, Capacity of Eastern Coffee is 15 customers/hour Western Coffee follows the same flow chart above, and each activity takes the same amount of time as Eastern. Western Coffee also has two workers: worker C only takes order and payment, while worker D handles the coffee preparation and cleaning. c) How many customers can Western Coffee serve per hour? Capacity of worker C: 60/2 = 30 customers/hour Capacity of worker D: 60/(2+3) = 12 customers/hour Capacity of Western Coffee is 12 customers/hour d) The manager of Western Coffee notices that cleaning is not a critical activity in the sense that it can be delayed and be finished when there are fewer customers. Therefore, during the peak hour when many customers come in, workers can focus on serving customers and temporarily ignore the cleaning activity. Then how many customers can Western Coffee serve during the peak hour? Capacity of worker D during the peak hour: 60/2 = 30 customers/hour Capacity of Western Coffee is 30 customers/hour 5. At Spotted Cow Coffee Shop, one cashier can take 30 orders per hour and one skilled worker can prepare 20 orders per hour. Assume that the cashier and the worker are not cross-trained. a. Suppose that there are only one cashier and one worker in Spotted Cow. What is the capacity of Spotted Cow? And which resource is the bottleneck? Explain. The worker is the bottleneck as she pushes the smallest amount of job in an hour. The capacity of Spotted Cow is 20 orders per hour, which is decided by the bottleneck. b. Suppose that Spotted Cow hires one more skilled worker who can also prepare 20 orders per hour. What is the capacity of Spotted Cow? And which resource is the bottleneck? Explain. The cashier is the bottleneck as she can take at most 30 orders per hour. While the two workers can prepare in total 40 orders per hour. The capacity of Spotted Cow is 30 orders per hour, which is decided by the bottleneck. 6. Pavich’s Brick Oven Pizza is known for its speedy delivery time of piping hot pizza. Its secret is to always maintain an inventory of uncooked, assembled, cheese pizzas, and to offer its customers only cheese and pepperoni pizza. If a customer orders a cheese pizza, uncooked cheese pizza goes immediately into the oven. If a customer orders a pepperoni pizza, pepperoni is added to the cheese pizza, and then the pizza is cooked, and finally delivered. Draw the process flowchart diagram for Pavich’s Brick Oven Pizza. In your flowchart, use at least two inverted triangles. [pic] You can of course have an arrow from uncooked cheese pizza inventory to cooking process. 7. Campus Credit Union has 5 representatives, 2 of them specialized in business customers and 3 of them specialized in personal customers. On average, each business customer takes 15 minutes, and each personal customer takes 12 minutes to finish the service. During the 4-5pm rush hour, 10 business customers and 10 personal customers show up. a. Does the Credit Union have enough capacity during the rush hour? Each hour, a representative can serve 60/15=4 business customers and 60/12=5 personal customers. During the rush hour, the capacity for business customers is 4*2=810. The Credit Union will have enough capacity for all the customers. 8. The following flow chart describes a simple burger making process. [pic] One stove is available to cook patties. It can cook patties in 3 minutes and holds 40 patties at one time. On average, it takes 45 seconds for a worker to assemble a burger. There are 12 workers available to assemble. The time it takes to deliver can be omitted. Assume that one burger needs only one patty. a. What is the capacity of the cooking stage? What is the capacity of the assembly stage? What is the capacity of the entire process? The stove can cook 40*60/3 = 800 patties per hour. The workers can assemble 12 * 60 / 0.75 = 960 burgers per hour. The stove is the bottleneck. The capacity of the entire process is 800 burgers per hour. b. Suppose that on average 600 burgers per hour are ordered from customers. What is the utilization rate of the stove? What is the utilization rate of the worker, on average? Utilization rate of the stove: 600 per hour / 800 per hour = 75% Utilization rate of the workers, on average: 600 per hour / 960 per hour = 62.5%. 9. A small medical center would like to determine the capacity requirements for the next month. Currently there are 11 doctors working 8 hours a day and 5 days a week. They provide care for three types of patients: patients come for regular check-ups (type A), patients with minor problems (type B), and patients with serious problems (type C). The management had estimated the number of patients for the next four weeks as follows: | |Weekly numbers of patients | | |Week # 1 |Week # 2 |Week # 3 |Week # 4 | |Type A |250 |50 |100 |500 | |Type B |150 |300 |150 |300 | |Type C |200 |150 |250 |150 | All the doctors can provide care for all types of patients. Type A patients require 15 minutes of care, type B patients require 30 minutes of care, and type C patients require 60 minutes of care. a. What are the average utilization rates of the doctors for each of the next 4 weeks? Requirements in # hours | |Number of hours needed | | |Week # 1 |Week # 2 |Week # 3 |Week # 4 | |Type A |62.5 |12.5 |25 |125 | |Type B |75 |150 |75 |150 | |Type C |200 |150 |250 |150 | |Total |337.5 |312.5 |350 |425 | |Utilizations |76.7% |71.0% |79.5% |96.6% | Total available doctors time = 11*8*5 = 440 hours b. Does this medical center have enough capacity? Yes 10. A clothing company produces 5 types of shirts (A, B, C, D, and E). The final manufacturing steps in the shirt production process are to (a) attach a care label to every shirt, and (b) brand the company’s name on every shirt. The company has one machine for attaching care labels, and one machine for branding. For any shirt type, branding requires 8 minutes of processing on the machine. Due to differences between shirt designs, attaching care labels requires the following shirt-dependent processing times (in minutes): Shirt Type Processing Time A 4 B 10 C 5 D 6 E 8 The demand per day for the different shirt types is: Shirt Type Demand A 20 B 5 C 25 D 10 E 15 Assume each machine is available to work 8 hours per day. Does the company have the capacity to satisfy its demand? Explain your answer fully. The demand for the branding machine is: (20 + 5 + 25+ 10 + 15) * 8 = 600 minutes, or 600/60 = 10 hours. There is not enough capacity on the branding machine to satisfy demand. This machine is a bottleneck resource. The demand for the label attaching machine is: 20 * 4 + 5 * 10 + 25 * 5 + 10 * 6 + 15 * 8 = 435 minutes, or 435 / 60 = 7.25 hours. There is enough capacity on the label attaching machine to satisfy demand. 11. InnovB is a call center company. InnovB has a highly sophisticated switchboard system called Virtual Agent that takes customer calls. There are 20 telephone lines and therefore 20 Virtual Agents. Virtual Agent asks a caller some basic questions such as the caller’s preferred language, account number, etc. On average, a customer spends 3 minutes within Virtual Agent system. Depending on the nature of the transaction and customer’s account history, Virtual Agent puts a call through to either a high-skilled or a low-skilled customer service representative (CSR). Virtual Agent is programmed so that all difficult calls are handled by high-skilled CSRs, and all the easy calls are handled by low-skilled CSRs. It takes, on average, 6 minutes for a high-skilled CSR to process a difficult call, and it takes 4 minutes for a low-skilled CSR to take care of an easy call. There are 15 high-skilled and 20 low-skilled CSRs. At the end of the transaction, both difficult and easy cal ls are transferred to the company’s customer satisfaction survey system. It takes on average 2 minutes to take the survey. Since there are 20 telephone lines, there can be up to 20 callers taking the survey at one time. a. Draw the process flowchart diagram for InnovB. Use at least one inverted triangle. Use only one rectangle for the â€Å"survey† process. Use arrows, not lines. Yes No b. Can InnovB handle 125 difficult calls per hour? Explain. Capacity of Virtual Agent= 20*20 = 400 customers/hr Capacity of high skilled = 10*15 = 150 customers/hr Capacity of low skilled = 15*20 = 300 customers/hr Capacity of survey system = 30*20 = 600 customers/hr Yes, 125 is possible. (125

Mandeville Analysis

Defining â€Å"Vice† To understand Mandible's claim that society is vice-driven, one needs to loosely examine The Grumbling Hive which was later included in his larger work, The Fable of the Bees: OR, Private Vices, Public Benefits. Mandible starts off by describing â€Å"A Spacious Hive well stock's with Bees, That lived in Luxury and Ease† (Mandible, 1705, lines 1-2). He states they were a large colony with science and industry and a good government, evidenced by the fact that â€Å"They were not Slaves to Tyranny† (Mandible, 1 705, line 9).The bees worked hard at their trades, which served to make the society (the hive) thrive, but he observes that this was not without consequences. He notes hat although the hive worked hard and â€Å"Millions were employed† (Mandible, 1705, line 35), there was always a separate class or group that worked harder than the rest: â€Å"And some were damned to Scythes and Spades, And all those hard laborious Trades; Where willing Wretches daily sweat, And wear out Strength and Limbs to eat† (Mandible, 1 705, lines 41-44).He also notes that there is always a group of people who will take advantage of those hard workers for their own gain, and that this deceit was wide-spread and affected all groups and trades. As evidence, he points out that people filed needless assists; lawyers would delay hearings and pocket the retaining fees like burglars looking for the best way to break in; physicians valued money and power over the health and well-being of their patients and instead chose to study â€Å"Rules of Art†; the â€Å"Priests of Jove†, although eloquent,† . Al past Muster, that could hide Their Sloth, Lust, Avarice and Pride† (Mandible, 1705, lines 74, 85, 89-90); the Kings were cheated by those who served them, and even Lady Justice dropped her scales so she could grasp her bribe of gold. (Mandible, 1705, line 142). In this description of the flourishing hive, Mandibl e paints us a picture, not of a society flourishing from hard work, sweat, and â€Å"doing the right thing', but of a society getting ahead through tricks, deceit, and greed.This is the entire basis for his concept of ‘Vice†. We do nothing out of pure altruism. In Mandible's eyes, everything is driven by Our own self-interest, our need to fulfill our own wishes, Wants, and desires through selfishness, dishonesty and indulgence on luxury goods. In the Preface of his larger work, The Fable of the Bees: or, Private Vices, PublicBenefits, Mandible clarifies his position further when he states: † so they that examine into the Nature of Man, abstract from Art and Education, may observe, that what renders him a Sociable Animal, consists not in his desire or Company, Good-nature, Pity, Affability, and other Graces of a fair Outside; but that his vilest and most hateful Qualities are the most necessary Accomplishments to fit him for the largest, and, according to the World , the happiest and most flourishing Societies† (Mandible, 1714, p. ). Mandible's views were refuted by Adam Smith in his 1759 work, The Theory f Moral Sentiments when he stated: â€Å"Every thing, according to him, is luxury which exceeds what is absolutely necessary for the support of human nature, so that there is vice even in the use of a clean shirt, or of a convenient habitation† (Smith, 1 759, p. 506). It is Smith's view that there is no vice present or intended when our actions are â€Å"honorable and noble† (Smith, 1759, p. 501).However, even Smith, who was one of Mandible's biggest detractors, later admitted: â€Å"But how destructive sever, this system may appear, it could never have imposed upon so great a number of persons, nor eve occasioned so general an alarm among those who are the friends of better principles, had it not in some respects bordered upon the truth† (Smith, 1 759, p. 508), leaving us to believe that perhaps Mandible's concept (and consequence) of â€Å"vice† is actually true.The Products of â€Å"Vice† In Mandible's hive, the society and it's economy is driven by the vices of the bees. Their wishes, wants, and desires for â€Å"things† drive the production and consumption of these commodities. An increased demand for â€Å"things† will lead to more people working to produce those items, which will lead to a argue supply available to the populace (many times at a lower cost due to mass production), and an increased consumption of those items, which leads us back to higher demand, which equals more work, and so on.Mandible also goes on to say that there is a causal relationship between this â€Å"vice† and the ingenuity of the worker, which leads to prosperity even for the poorest members of the hive (society): â€Å"Thus Vice nursed Ingenuity, Which joined with Time; and Industry Had carry's Life's Conveniences, It's real Pleasures, Comforts, Ease, To such a Height, the very Poor Lived better than the Rich before; And nothing could be added more† (Mandible, 1705, lines 97-103).It is important to pause here a moment and point out that we are not discussing those items required to meet basic, day-to-day needs (food, clothing, and housing). We are discussing those items over and above the basics, I. E. : fine clothing, fancy furniture, and expensive food and drink (what he would call luxury items). This â€Å"conspicuous consumption† (a term first coined by Thorniest Evolve in his 1 899 book entitled, The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of he Evolution of Institutions) still drives our economy today.A large portion of our population lives well above their means. They purchase houses many times larger than they need, drive vehicles marketed to â€Å"upscale† buyers interested in â€Å"brand identification†, and take out second mortgages they can't afford so they can purchase huge Class A motherhood they use on ce a year, or install a pool which sees limited usage, all because of this need to have the â€Å"things† that project a certain image or lifestyle. These luxury items and the markets they drive were huge in our current society, until the bottom fell outOf the market and everything came crashing down. In 2005, Carol Lloyd Of the San Francisco Chronicle noted: â€Å"In the U. S. , a trend in 1 sass toward large houses began, with the average size of a home doubling over the next 50 years. This trend has been compared to the increase in SUB purchases, also often a symbol of conspicuous consumption. People have purchased huge houses even at the expense of the size of their yard, the inability to save funds for retirement, or a greatly increased commute time, up to a couple of hours.Such large homes can also facilitate other forms of consumption, in roving extra storage space for vehicles, clothes, and other objects† (Lloyd, 2005). In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Evolv e argued that social honor was originally based on ownership of private property. In earlier times, wealth was seen as evidence of the instinct of workmanship, but more recently wealth itself is worthy of praise. Originally, the leisure class sought to demonstrate its wealth by not working. But as industrial society evolved, conspicuous consumption became the best way to demonstrate one's wealth.The leisure class is expected to consume the best in food, drink, shelter, argotic, services, ornaments, apparel, amusements, and so on, and because the leisure class stands at the top of this ranking system, it is incumbent on all classes that rank below them to follow their example (Evolve, 1899, Chi. 4). When Vice is Removed So what happens when â€Å"vice† is removed from society? In Mandible's â€Å"hive†, the bees eventually get tired of living in greed and injustice, so they call on Jove to bring virtue to their society. But, Oh ye Gods! What Consternation, How vast and sudden was the Alteration! In half an Hour, the Nation round, Meat fell a Penny in the Pound† (Mandible, 1 705, lines 242-245). Even the lawyers were affected in this new society: â€Å"The Bar was silent from that Day; For now the willing Debtors pay On which, since nothing less can thrive, Than Lawyers in an honest Hive† (Mandible, 1705, lines 250-251 256-257). Justice returned, physicians tended the ill, the clergy ministered, but yet, the hive was still collapsing.Virtue has been restored, but the society begins to self-destruct. With the drive for self-interest gone, economic development dies and the bees become lazy and unmotivated. The bees are now selling off â€Å"Stately Horses by whole sets; And Country Houses to pay Debts† (Mandible, 1705, lines 325-326); they are moving to other trades where they feel they can make a living, only to find that those trades are â€Å"o'er-stocked accordingly† (Mandible, 1 705, lines 342). Their lands and houses aren't worth what they paid for them, work is scarce, all, it seems is lost.So, they resolve to go about everyday life, living as simply as they can to get by: â€Å"And, when they paid the Tavern Score, Resolved to enter it no more† (Mandible, 1705, lines 357-358). The Haughty Chloe has to sell her furniture from the Indies, she goes longer before buying new clothes, and the rare fruits she previously enjoyed are now a thing of the past (Mandible, 1705, lines 367-381). It seems that by seeking honesty and virtue, the society destroyed itself. The bees start to abandon the hive.The few that remain take shelter in â€Å"a hollow tree, Blest with content and Honesty' (Mandible, 1705, lines 407-408), In the last part of the doggerel, Mandible presents ‘The MORAL†: â€Å"Then leave Complaints: Fools only strive To make a Great an honest Hive. Tendon the World's Conveniences, Be Famed in War, yet live in Ease Without great Vices, is a vain Utopia seated in the Brain. Fraud, Luxury, and Pride must live; Whilst we the Benefits receive† (Mandible, 1705, lines 409-416).Mandible commented in the preface to Fable Of the Bees that he wrote The Grumbling Hive â€Å"to show the Vileness of the Ingredients that all together compose the wholesome Mixture of a well-ordered Society†. He further stated that: â€Å"For the main Design of the Fable †¦ Is to she [show] the Impossibility of enjoying all the most elegant Comforts of Life that are to be met with in an industrious, lathe and powerful Nation, and at the same time be bless's with all the Virtue and Innocence that can be wished for in a Golden Age† (Mandible, 1714, p. ). We can apply this notion that vice is the foundation of national prosperity and happiness to the economic mess in the United States today. There came a point in our current economy that people began to realize they were in debt too deep. Many times, applications for credit were â€Å"doctored† so that a consumer could take out more credit than they could really afford. The result was that consumers over-extended and bought multitudes of ‘things† hey did not need and could not pay for in pursuit of â€Å"status†.Once this realization set in, people began to back away from the excesses of the previous decade: they spent less and tried to save more, they started to sell off their expensive purchases, and they tried to cut back, settling for the day- to-day items necessary to sustain life. Some economists say this sudden frugality actually made things worse, because when people stopped spending, the economy shriveled up. The price of land and houses plummeted, new building stopped, workers in all kinds of industries lost their bobs, factories closed, and the unemployment rate skyrocketed.People started defaulting on loans at an alarming rate. The market was flooded with used motor homes and people were stuck with houses they couldn't afford, but couldn't sell. Forec losures were (and still are) at an all-time high. It seems the American dream has vanished. While Mandible believed the ‘Vice† that causes us to buy â€Å"things† in excess is part of the downfall of the hive: â€Å"Great wealth and foreign treasure,† Mandible wrote, â€Å"will ever scorn to come among men unless you'll admit their inseparable companions, avarice and usury: where trade is considerable, fraud will intrude.To be at once well- bred and sincere is no less than a contradiction; and therefore while man advances in knowledge, and his manners are polished, we must expect to see at the same time his desires enlarged, his appetites refined, and his vices increased† (Mandible, 1714, p. 201 it is interesting to note that the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) have remained relatively stable. In these countries â€Å"where many people pay 50% of their income in taxes† to support their high-benefit welfare system, these â⠂¬Å"systems eve been acting as stabilizers to their economies.If you lose your job in Sweden, you can expect to receive of your wages for the first 200 days of inactivity, up to 680 kronor (EYE) per day, dropping to 70% for the following 100 days. If you lose your job in Norway, you will receive 62% of your previous salary for up to two years† (Pouches', 2009). Kristin Halverson, Narrator's finance minister, states: â€Å"In these days, we see that a strong welfare state, together with free education and healthcare, has acted as a buffer that stabilizes the economy† (Pouches', 2009).Perhaps this is why the Scandinavian entries were affected much less than the United States during the recent recession. I doubt it's because Scandinavia is much less prone to Mandible's concept of';CE†. It is much more likely that in a country like the United States where the welfare state has such strong disapproval, the competitive, â€Å"get ahead at all costs† and â€Å"ke ep up with the Joneses† mentality of the American consumer is at fault. It is the â€Å"do anything, say anything† mentality that people are willing to employ to get what they want when they want it, whether they can afford it or not.