Buyers Guide On Men Shirts Fashion Essay

Work force ‘s shirts are garments worn by work forces on the upper organic structure. They do non mention to innerwear or outerwear. Shirting cloths can be natural fibres such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, and ramee or man-made fibres such as cellulose xanthate, polyester, nylon, and lyocell. Shirts come in assorted manners of neckbands, arms, organic structure, length, shirt turnups, cervixs and pockets. Types of work forces ‘s shirtsWork force ‘s shirts are available in assorted designs, forms and manners. Some of the most common types of work forces ‘s shirts are:Camp shirts: These shirts are free, cut consecutive, and short sleeved. The neckband is level as is portion of the shirt. The neckband is called â€Å" cantonment neckband † , â€Å" exchangeable neckband † or â€Å" serrate neckband † .Dress shirt: A shirt with long arms and turnups, a neckband and buttons running along a full length opening from the neckband to the bottom hem. Normally worn as formalwear, dress shirts are worn with a tie under suits or jackets. Tapered frock shirts provide a snugger tantrum.Tee shirt: Besides known as Jerseies, these shirts are chiefly insouciant wear. They are normally made of stretchy, finely knit fabric such as cotton or cotton/viscose blends, and have short arms. They can be obviously, printed or with mottos and advertisement. Tee shirts are wor n with a cantonment shirt or by themselves. Types of tee shirts are:Ringer Jerseies: have a neckband and sleeve turnup made out of a different cloth from the chief shirt.One-half shirts: have a high hem, and make merely above the waist go forthing the middle uncovered.Construction shirts ( A-shirt or vest ) : have big armholes and a unit of ammunition cervix hole to let better mobility. Popular amongst jocks and labour workers, these shirts are besides popular manner statements in funk manner.Polo shirt ( tennis shirt or golf shirt ) : This is a short sleeved, collared shirt with a short button placket at the cervix. The forepart is shorter than the dorsum and the cloth is of soft texture. It is really comfy wear for warm yearss. Types of Polo shirts are:Rugby shirt: is a polo shirt with long arms traditionally made of rugged cloth but comes in softer stuffs now.Henley shirt: is a collarless Polo shirt.Baseball shirt ( New Jersey ) : This shirt is characterized by three one-fourth l ength arms, a level waist seam, crew cervix or V-neck, and a squad badge or logo.Sweatshirt: This long sleeved shirt is normally made of somewhat heavy stuff such as knit cotton. It can hold a goon and is available in slipover and zip down manner.Night shirt: Night shirts are loose comfy tantrums suited for kiping. They come in many forms and prints.Work force ‘s shirt parts and their typesWork force ‘s shirts come in a assortment of manners. They are distinguished by the:Neck: The cervix of a shirt can be:Turtleneck: has a high close-fitting neckbandV-shaped: comes with or without collarOpen or tassel cervix: has cords to bind togetherWindsor or spread neckband: is a dressy neckband with infinite for the Windsor knot tie ( formalwear )Tab neckband: comes with two fabric checks that fasten to continue the collar spread under a tieFlying neckband: comes with formal shirts that need a bow tieStraight neckband or point neckband: has a smaller collar spread for half-Windsor knot tiesButton-down neckbands: have buttons that fasten the points of the neckband to the shirtBand neckband: is the lower portion of a regular neckbandTurtleneck neckband: is high and covers most of the cervixBody: The organic structure of a shirt can hold:A perpendicular gap that is fastened with buttons or a nothingno gap – pulled over the caputSleeves: The arms of work forces ‘s shirts can be short ( cap or half ) , full length, sleeveless or three 4th lengths.Cuffs: Full length arms can hold assorted types of turnups:Closed placket turnup: has no buttonsButton turnup: has a individual button or brace along the turnup hemBarrel turnup: has multiple buttons perpendicular to the turnup hemGallic turnup: has four buttons for cufflinks and one half of the turnup folds over the otherLink turnup: has buttons for cufflinks, and the turnup is hemmed to the arm borderLength of shirt: Work force ‘s shirts can be short to bare the middle, waist length, or hip length.Oth er features: Work force ‘s shirts can hold multiple pockets – with or without flaps, buttons or nothings ; and goons. Shirt makers come up with new designs every twenty-four hours. Many shirt designs and cloths are seasonal. Shirts come in assorted colourss and sizes that are measured otherwise across states.

Role Theory

Understanding Intimate Partner Violence through Role Theory: A Concept Paper Introducing Role Theory Role theory is a sociological framework that has been used to explain sets of relational patterns between people across varying contexts. It seeks to explain one of the most important characteristics of human social behavior – the fact that how people act, behave and speak are not separate, unique, disconnected but rather, are reflective of certain patterns and arrangements that depend on the social context and the actors in these contexts (Mangus, 1957; Biddle, 1986). To illustrate, within the context of an intimate relationship such as marriage, violence between partners can be tied to the particular patterns and arrangements of acting, behaving and speaking between partners – such as earning money, rearing children, taking care of the home and initiating sexual relations. Although several versions of the theory have been explicated by scholars, there appears to be agreement that role theory is mainly about three interrelated concepts: (1) patterned and characteristic social behaviors, (2) parts or identities as assumed by social participants, and (3) scripts or expectations for behavior that are understood and followed by actors in a particular social context (Biddle, 1986). For instance, adopting a role theory perspective to understanding intimate partner violence necessitates looking at the patterned and characteristic social behaviors of intimate partners in a relationship, the parts or identities that each partner plays in the relationship, and the scripts or expectations that are interpreted and adhered to by the partners in a particular relational context, specifically in situations of violent encounters. Furthermore, the theory also allows for an understanding of the relationships among the individual, collective and structural levels of society (Turner, 2001), as it deals with the organization and connection of social behavior between the micro, macro and intermediate levels of society. Thus, within role theory, an analysis of intimate partner violence entails looking into the individual behaviors of partners in a violent relationship and tracing the linkages of these behaviors to the social structures that exist in a particular society. Defining Roles Central to role theory is the concept of role. Several definitions have been ascribed to the concept of role in the literature. On a general level, the concept of role includes a description of behaviors, characteristics, norms and values held by a person (Thomas & Biddle, 1966). Another definition identifies role as a cluster of behaviors and attitudes that are understood as belonging together, such that a person is considered as acting consistently when enacting the various components of a single role and variably when he or she fails to do so (Turner, 2001). For instance, the traditional masculine role can be characterized as aggressive, ambitious, dominant, independent and persistent whereas the traditional feminine role can be illustrated as agreeable, courteous, sympathetic, trusting, understanding and warm (Ellington & Marshall, 1997). As such, a partner who plays the masculine role must enact behaviors and attitudes that are typical of this role, such as being aggressive, dominant, independent and agentic. For this partner cast in the masculine role, to be passive, dependent and agreeable implies incompatibility with the traditional masculine role. Specifically, a role may refer to behavior that is expected of people who occupy particular social categories such as statuses (or positions) in both formal and informal systems (Montgomery, 1998 as cited in Lynch, 2007; Biddle & Thomas, 1979 as cited in Lynch, 2007). Roles may also be reflective of the cultural values and norms in a particular society (Zurcher, 1983 as cited in Lynch, 2007). Roles may also be conceptualized as a resource that social actors try to utilize to achieve certain social goals (Callero, 1994). This assumption suggests two things: (1) that human agency is facilitated and expressed through the use of roles as resources, and (2) that roles are employed as tools in the establishment of social structures (Baker & Faulkner, 1991 as cited in Callero, 1994). Most social roles exist in pairs or sets. Thus, roles can be conceptualized as related through distinctive role relationships (Mangus, 1957). As such, there could be no husband role without a wife role and no parent role without a child role. In the context of intimate violence, there exists the perpetrator-victim role set. As organized patterns of social behavior, roles are of several types (Mangus, 1957). Roles may be ascribed to the individual, imposed upon an individual or achieved by the individual (Mangus, 1957). Sex and gender roles are ascribed to or imposed upon an individual (Mangus, 1957). For instance, one has to assume the masculine role if one is male or the feminine role if one is born female. On the other hand, one’s roles in groups and occupational systems, such as leader, mediator or peacemaker, are achieved roles. Roles may also be understood as generic or specific. Some roles may be pervasive, persistent, generalized and highly important to a person’s life while other roles may be limited, subordinate, temporary, isolated and unimportant to a person’s life (Mangus, 1957). To illustrate, in a violent intimate relationship, the roles of perpetrator and victim may be the predominant configuration in the relationship. On the other hand, these roles may also be seen as isolated to particular relational contexts and thus understood as subordinate to other roles such as father, mother, breadwinner and caretaker. Roles may also be highly abstract or they may be concrete (Mangus, 1957). Abstract roles emerge from social systems of statuses and are expressed as generalized moral standards (Mangus, 1957). Examples of abstract roles are evident in universal expectations of honesty and justice. Status roles include rights and duties that emanate from a given position or office (Mangus, 1957). Illustrations of status roles can be seen in the entitlements and obligations that are given to persons of authority, such as managers, leaders or decision-makers. Turner (2001) also identified four broad types of roles: (1) basic roles, (2) position or status roles, (3) functional group roles, and (4) value roles. Basic roles refer to roles that are associated with gender, age and social class (Banton, 1965 as cited in Turner, 2001). These are considered basic roles because they apply to a wide range of situations and because they tend to alter the meaning and taking up of other types of roles. The second type of roles, position or status roles, correspond to positions in organizations or formally organized groups (Turner, 2001). Occupational and family roles may be regarded as examples of position or status roles. Functional group roles are the informal behavior patterns that arise spontaneously as persons take on situational identities during social interactions (Benne & Sheats, 1948 as cited in Turner, 2001). Examples of functional group roles are mediator, coordinator, critic, counselor, leader and follower. Finally, value roles are similar to functional group roles in that both types of roles emerge spontaneously from the social interaction. However, value roles tend to be attached to very positively or negatively valued identities (Turner, 2001). In intimate relationships, examples of value roles can be the roles of hero, villain, saint, sinner, perpetrator or victim. After providing an overview of role theory and the concept of roles, we now turn to explain the two major approaches to understanding role theory. Two Main Approaches to Understanding Roles A review of the related literature identified two main approaches to understanding roles: (1) the traditional structural-functional approach and (2) the interactionist approach. In this section, we highlight the characteristics of each approach as well as provide an explanation of the major assumptions within each perspective. We also provide illustrations as to how each approach can help enlighten our understanding of intimate partner relationships. Finally, we discuss the limitations of each approach. Traditional Structural-Functional Approach The structural-functionalist tradition of role theory focuses on how roles, as fixed components of complex social structures, cultures or social systems, influence the behavior of people (Lynch, 2007). Two related strands of role theory are embedded within this approach – structural role theory and functional role theory. Structural role theory concentrates on social structures, which are understood as stable organizations of sets of persons (called â€Å"social positions† or â€Å"statuses†) who share the same patterned and characteristics behaviors (roles) that are in relation to others sets of persons in the structure (Biddle, 1986). This particular strand of traditional role theory refers to parts of organized groups as â€Å"status† and to the fixed behaviors expected of persons occupying a status as â€Å"roles† Stryker, 2001). Thus, roles may be conceptualized as the dynamic aspect of statuses or social positions, with roles corresponding to rights and duties attached to statuses or social positions (Stryker, 2001). Within this strand, roles are understood as existing prior to the social interaction of people who occupy the statuses or soci al positions, as roles originate from the accumulated experiences of past individuals who have previously occupied a status or social position (Stryker, 2001). The second strand of traditional role theory – functionalist role theory – highlights the characteristic behaviors of persons who occupy social positions within a stable social system (Biddle, 1986). Within this strand, roles are conceptualized as the shared and normative expectations that prescribe and explain these characteristic behaviors (Biddle, 1986). Functional role theorists view the enactment of roles as something that is learned through an understanding of social norms in a society as well as something that accomplishes certain functions in social systems (Biddle, 1986). Both structural and functional strands of the traditional approach to role theory emphasize social structures as antedating roles, such that roles are seen as imposed on the individual (Turner, 2001). Thus, within this approach, the roles of perpetrator and victim can be understood as emanating from social structures such as gender. For instance, the masculine role has often been identified with being the dominant partner, the primary breadwinner, the decision-maker and the enforcer of rules in the household. On the other hand, the feminine role has often been linked with being the subordinate partner, the caretaker of the home and the supporter of the husband and children. Such role configurations may put partner occupying the masculine role at an advantage while setting the partner playing the feminine role at a disadvantage, thus making them vulnerable to becoming perpetrators and victims of intimate violence (Mihalic & Elliot, 1997). Furthermore, this approach also points to socialization as the process by which persons learn to take on and perform particular roles in society (Stryker, 2002). Thus, when persons in social relationships conform to the expectations that are attached to statuses and supported by social norms, they tend to gain approval from other people who occupy related statuses and adhere to similar norms; such approval then reinforces the learning and enactment of roles (Stryker, 2002). Research has shown that typical school practices tend to create children’s identities as boy and girls (Martin, 1998 as cited in Fox & Murry, 2000). In particular, findings showed that teachers tend to treat boys’ voices as different from girls’ voices, such that the former were allowed to be louder and more as compared to the latter. Presumably, such gender role socialization contributes to the accrual of privileges to the masculine role and the corresponding accrual of disadvantages to the feminine role. In addition, both strands of the traditional structural-functional approach to role theory agree on the assumption that society, social systems and social structures shape individual behaviors (Brookes, Davidson, Daly & Halcomb, 2007). Analysis within this approach also starts from an examination of the social structure (Biddle, 1986). As such, within this approach, an examination of intimate partner violence will proceed from an investigation of the social systems and social structures that influence violent behaviors between partners in an intimate relationship. Furthermore, such an analysis will look into the cultural norms and values that sustain the social systems and social structures implicated in the phenomenon of intimate partner violence. However, several limitations of this approach have been raised in the related literature. According to Lynch (2007), this approach paints roles as relatively inflexible structures that are difficult to combine. Furthermore, by focusing on social structures, the traditional approach to role theory fails to take into account the mental, experiential dimension of role enactment (Lynch, 2007), thus regarding persons as automatons who take on roles mechanically. As such, this approach tends to be limited in its view of intimate partner violence as mechanically carried out by individual persons according to their status or position in the social structure, without taking into account the variability and diversity of experiences related to this phenomenon. Also, as it has difficulty accounting for individual level negotiations where actors may switch or combine roles, this approach also treats the variability and flexibility of roles as problematic (Lynch, 2007). Thus, traditional role theory is unable to address issues elated with non-conformity, social change and social systems that are not well-formed (Biddle, 1986). For instance, given instances of intimate partner violence where both partners inflict violence upon one another, traditional role theory proves to be limited in its explanation of intimate violence as emanating from the social structure. Within this approach, role changes such as when the perpetrator becomes the victim and the victim becomes the perpetrator become problematic and difficult to explain. The traditional structural-functional approach to role theory has also been criticized as advancing a one-sided view of society, with its emphasis on consensus, cooperation and continuity in social life along with its seeming blindness to disagreement, conflict and change (Stryker, 2001). Finally, scholars have also criticized the traditional approach to role theory as rationalizing and reinforcing the existing social order (Stryker, 2001). Interactionist Approach The interactionist approach to role theory arose from the symbolic interactionism perspective in sociology and as such gives importance to the roles of individual actors, the development of roles through social interaction, and the processes through which social actors understand and interpret their own and other people’s behavior (Biddle, 1986). Thus, this approach focuses on how roles emerge in social interactions and how individuals are able to influence behavioral expectations through social negotiation (Lynch, 2007). Within this approach, a role is conceptualized as neither fixed nor prescribed, but rather, something that is continuously negotiated by persons in social interaction (Mead, 1934 as cited in Lynch, 2007; Blumer, 1969 as cited in Lynch, 2007). Using this approach to understand intimate partner violence therefore necessitates looking at how partners in a violent relationship interact with one another as well as how they, negotiate, take on, impose or reject specific roles. In contrast to the traditional approach to role theory which highlights social systems and social structures, the interactionist approach emphasizes social processes such as communication, interpretation and negotiation (Lynch, 2007). Theorizing within this approach assumes that the relationship between personal, behavioral and social variables is reciprocal (Plummer, 1991 as cited in Lynch, 2007). As such, the interactionist role theory approach to xamining intimate partner violence will tend to focus on how partners communicate, interpret and negotiate particular issues in their relationship. As opposed to the traditional approach to role theory that posits the unidirectional influence of social structure on individual action, the interactionist approach opens up the possibility that personal and behavioral variables may influence social structural variables. For interactionist theorists, social actors interpret and enact their own roles by imagining the roles of others actors in t he social interaction (Turner, 2001). Thus, far from being automatons who take on roles mechanically, people are viewed as interpreting, negotiating and shaping their own roles to be able to interact effectively with other people who take on related roles (Turner, 2001). In this approach, analysis starts from an examination of the patterns of social interactions among individuals and groups of individuals (Turner, 2001). As such, research on intimate partner violence using this approach will look at the interpretative, negotiated and dynamic nature of violent interactions between partners. Some challenges to the interactionist approach to role theory have also been raised. One of these challenges criticized the interactionist approach for failing to take into account the influence of social institutions and structural forces on the role enactment process (Lynch, 2007). Thus, little attention is given to the structural constraints that impinge on roles (Biddle, 1986). To illustrate, although intimate partner violence can be analyzed by studying the social interactions where violence occurs, it is also important to trace the occurrence of intimate violence to social structures that impose and influence the roles that people enact. In addition, as the interactionist approach tends to focus on specific instances of social interactions, interactionist theorists sometimes fail to discuss the contextual limits of their assumptions (Biddle, 1986). Also, while the approach acknowledges the reciprocal relationship between personal, behavioral and social variables, it still fails to explain how these relationships feedback and affect succeeding role enactments (Lynch, 2007). Summary of Limitations of Two Main Approaches to Role Theory In his work on proposing an integration between role theory and positioning theory, Henriksen (2008) cited important limitations of the two main approaches to role theory. These limitations represent a summary of the difficulties that are encountered when using the traditional structural-functional approach and the interactionist approach to understanding social phenomena such as intimate partner violence. On the one hand, the traditional structural-functional approach seems to ignore individual action and its influence on social structure (Henriksen, 2008). Furthermore, a structural-functional approach to role theory also appears to be limited in examining the finer grains of social interaction (Harre & van Langenhove, 1999 as cited in Henriksen, 2008; Harre & Moghaddam, 2003 as cited in Henriksen, 2008). On the other hand, the interactionist approach appears to focus on social interactions, without taking into account the influence of social structures on the patterning and stability of such interactions. The interactionist approach has also been criticized for its limited attention to the social span of social interaction (Henriksen, 2008). It is based on these limitations of role theory that we propose an integration of role theory with positioning theory, in view of providing a better understanding of intimate partner violence at the structural, interactional and discursive levels. References Biddle, B. J. (1986). Recent developments in role theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 12, 67-92. Brookes, K. , Davidson, P. M. , Daly, J. , & Halcomb, E. J. (2007). Role theory: A framework to investigate the community nurse role in contemporary health care systems. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 25 (1-2), 146-155. Callero, P. L. (1994). From role-playing to role-using: Understanding role as resource. Social Psychology Quarterly, 57 (3), 228-243. Ellington, J. E. & Marshall, L. L. (1997). Gender role perceptions of women in abusive relationships. Sex Roles, 36 (5/6), 349-369. Fox, G. L. & Murry, V. M. (2000). Gender and families: Feminist perspectives and family research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1160-1172. Henriksen, T. D. (2008). Liquidating roles and crystallizing positioning: Investigating the road between positioning theory and role theory. In F. Moghaddam, R. Harre, and N. Lee (Eds. ), Global conflict resolution through positioning analysis (pp. 41-64). New York: Springer. Lynch, K. D. (2007). Modeling role enactment: Linking role theory and social cognition. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 37 (4), 379-399. Mangus, A. R. (1957). Role theory and marriage counseling. Social Forces, 35 (3), 200-209. Mihalic, S. W. & Elliot, D. (1997). A social learning theory model of violence. Journal of Family Violence, 12 (1), 21-47. Stryker, S. (2001). Traditional symbolic interactionism, role theory and structural symbolic interactionism: The Road to Identity Theory. In J. H. Turner (ed. ), Handbook of Sociological Theory (pp. 211-230). Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. Thomas, E. J. & Biddle, B. J. (1966). Basic concepts for the variables of role phenomena. In B. J. Biddle & E. J. Thomas (Eds. ), Role theory: concepts and research (pp. 51-65). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Turner, R. H. (2001). Role theory. In J. H. Turner (ed. ), Handbook of Sociological Theory (pp. 233-254). Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.

Progress report final assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Progress report final assignment - Essay Example The net effect of this nervousness among lenders and creditors is to drive interest rates up in order to partly compensate for the higher risks involved (not getting repaid). Another consequence is people who have money would rather put or park their funds somewhere safe in super-safe Treasury Bills (or T-bills) guaranteed by the government instead of investing them. This lack of confidence in the economy and the future prospects of how well everyone will be doing are putting a squeeze on available credit. The credit crunch has worsened into a credit freeze in which it is now virtually impossible to borrow money. The net effect will be a continued slowing down of the economy and creates a vicious downward cycle in terms of the jobs lost, reduced tax revenues and so on. More ominously, a credit crunch affects everybody alike but the poor and working classes are adversely affected more than anybody. This results in a nation of people with reduced expectations about their standard of li ving. It means people will have to content themselves with less because a credit freeze leads to reduced economic activities which could have helped to spread and re-distribute wealth around. A credit crunch means negative consequences for almost everyone (Herbert, 2011:1). Table of Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......1 Discussion......................................................................................................................3 A. Different ways on how a credit crunch impacts on individuals....†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....................4 A.1. Jobs and Employment Prospects†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....4 A.2. Higher Interest rates for Everything...............................................†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 A.3. Reduced Savings and Pensions...............................................................................5 A. 4. Increasing Number of Home Foreclosures....................................†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 B. Brief Overview of the Asset Price Bubble Phenomenon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......6 C. Failure of the Free Market Economy..........................................†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...6 C. 1. Sudden Price Increases in an Asset Class......................................................†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 C. 2. Central Bank Approaches to Mitigate Asset Bubbles†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....7 D. Preparing for a Credit Crunch†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦................7 D. 1. Gather Enough Savings.................... ..............................†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 D.2. Augment your Regular Income...............................................................................8 D.3. Look for Profitable Investment Ventures................................................................8 D.4. Be Financially Conservative...................................................................................8 D.5. Be Financially Literate............................................................................................9 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......9 Bibliography..............................................................................................................10-12 Discussion Ordinary people may not know much what a credit crunch is about or

The advantages of taking challenging courses Essay

The advantages of taking challenging courses - Essay Example Doing a difficult course is neither preparation nor acceptance to failure. Even with the impending possibility of failure, Challenging course has some advantages. In this paper, I will discuss contemporary benefits of taking a difficult course Taking challenging courses helps one to get used to doing difficult things. Life is not comfortable, and the easy way out is in most cases a wrong way out. Students who are used to doing simple tasks will neither have the courage nor skill of doing most things since almost everything in life is not easy. At some point in life, one will be confronted with a difficult task that has to be done. Challenging courses despite full of struggles make the learner adept and adaptive. College education is expensive and choosing the most challenging courses allows one to get value for money. Avoidance of demanding courses may mean a student is failing to acquire crucial knowledge. Challenging courses have more exposures and engagements. If students choose a simpler cause, such great deal of learning opportunity is missed out. Challenging courses allows the learner to discover new abilities as they push their minds to the limits. Students as everybody else are restricted by their thoughts and engaging in challenging tasks enables the learner to test their capabilities. Easy courses offer a comfort zone that does not challenge the student to explore his or her ability. As much as natural courses are considered to be fun, challenging courses are adventurous, and there is beauty in it as well. Failure in one way or another is an imposter that everyone tries to avoid. When is cannot be avoided, failure may lead to demoralization and low self-esteem. Challenging courses increase the possibility of failure but in turn train the student to deal with failure. Failure, in this case, does not confine to academic endeavors but also entail possible outcome of everything one does. When a student doing a difficult course is successful,

Imposing Quality Models and Performance Management Tools to Help an Essay

Imposing Quality Models and Performance Management Tools to Help an Organization to Innovate - Essay Example Corporate of different sizes, whether engaged in giving any service or producing any specific type of product, should implement one of the given quality models like six sigma, total quality management and ISO 9000 etc. The standard implementation of quality models and performance management techniques can create damage on the company resource & time, since people usually show resilience in implementing them but quality management training and other awareness program can help a lot in changing wrong perceptions. The seven most basic quality management tools known to the world must be there in an organization, serving their intended purposes for improvement. The players in an organization must have some common quality values, they all must follow a structured scheme for doing any project, and all must focus on customer requirements and instincts. Customer requirements and company’s objectives must be clearly identified in an organization; the employees must work as a team with d ecision making based on consensus. There should be a healthy environment to use fish bone diagrams, control charts & Pareto analysis in order to analyze the root cause of any problem. There should be a common habit of using Gantt chart for managing projects, and the organization should be well aware of advance quality management techniques to improve via these where applicable. 2. Quality Models Contribution for Business Excellence There are varieties of quality & management models which can be used for achieving business excellence. A balanced scorecard is a way of determining of the company's routine in opposition to its goals. The elements of a balanced scorecard are enterprise procedures, monetary ins and outs, learning, development and customer happiness. Some merits of utilizing balanced scorecards are that all the statistics are in one place and the manager can observe how he/she is doing at a glimpse. In order to create a balanced scorecard, choose a center business practice . In combination with stakeholders, choose the objectives to follow. Manuscript the present routine and generate an intentional goal. On the scorecard, manuscript the plans executed to assist accomplishment of the goal. Every month, follow progress in the direction of the goal (Ramsey, 1990). Employees are a valuable quality improvement model. They have the acquaintance of the business and comprehend its internal mechanism. Employees are conscious of both in-house and outside quality matters practiced by consumers and co-workers. For procedures that originate unremitting issues, employees have typically made a "workaround" to avoid the trouble. To employ workers as a quality improvement tool, make a questionnaire about those procedures in their sections that generate the main impact. Empower the employees to resolve those troubles that can be simply solved. Give confidence to them to job jointly inside the department and transversely with other departments to apply solutions. Consum ers are essential in quality development. They can be utilized to implement the quality improvement program. Customers can be involved in quality improvement for an organization by conducting customer satisfaction surveys and asking consumers about their perception of the company's products and services, enquiring consumers how healthy the commodities carried out, and what they would get better

Learning Processes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning Processes - Research Paper Example For example, typewriters may not be a good idea for drafting letters in the current world which forced even experienced typewriters to learn computers and its application software. This paper briefly analyses the learning processes, its effects on behavior and thinking. â€Å"Learning is a process leading to relatively permanent behavioral change or potential behavioral change. As we learn, we alter the way we perceive our environment, the way we interpret the incoming stimuli, and therefore the way we behave† (Psychology 101, 2003). Learning is definitely observable. For example, a child who suffers burns while touching the candle flame will never repeat it because of his learning that flames can cause burning and pain. In other words, the child learns to modify his behavior while seeing a candle flame which is observable. In other words learning will help a person to improve or modify his behaviors. It is not necessary that learning always result in improvement; in some cases, learning results in adjustments rather than improvements. For example, most of the people are nowadays complain about the enormous stress they were undergoing. All these stresses are the result of improper adjustments. Through learning, a person will be capable of pr oper adjustments and the release of tension. A fresher will always face different kinds of difficulties while joining an organization. But experience or learning will reduce his difficulty levels while performing later. â€Å"Learning implies the acquisition of knowledge from experience, while thinking involves the conscious processing and use of knowledge† (Learning and thinking: what science tells us about teaching, 2007). Like the way in which behavior is associated with learning, thinking is also related to learning. A person who knows nothing about computers may change his perceptions or thinking about computers once he learned it. Same way, learning helps a person to think differently.

Italian Mafia v.s. Russian Mafia in the United States Research Paper

Italian Mafia v.s. Russian Mafia in the United States - Research Paper Example They are known to exist in Europe, Asia and America. Most of these mafias have targeted America. They may have considered the country as a strategic location to extend their operation. Italian, Russian and Asian mafias are considered present in the United States. The Italian and Russian mafias are the ones to have developed a strong alliance with its American members. They have successfully penetrated almost all part of U.S. territory. According to Frank Shanty (2008), the Italian mafias became known to U.S. in 1880. During that period, over five million Italians migrated to the country (Woetzel, 2004). There were various reasons for the immigration. Some were brought to America for their talent. Others were political refugees and escapee from legal issues (Woetzel, 2004). As a consequence, one could find many Italian Americans roaming around the cities (Shanty, 2008). These people of dual citizenship have formed gangs which alarmed the American society. A gang was perceived as a criminal organization. It can be inferred then that the Italians were the pioneer of gangs in America. In 1900, an issue came out that â€Å"a monolithic and corporate-like crime† group was preying on America (Shanty, 2008). This organization was allegedly composed of Italian American members. Nonetheless, investigators have not found any group of such kind. The controversy was then labeled as a misconception. The idea was just bro ught up due to anti-immigrant sentiment and sensation journalism (Shanty, 2008). In the following years, the thinking developed further. Crime fighters have theorized that Italy was behind the organized criminal organization. They specifically described it as an Italian conspiracy (Shanty, 2008). Several articles then were released digging up the history of Italians. An Italian man named Lucky Luciano even came up and made a revelation. He stated that in 1931, an association of younger Italians had murdered almost one hundred Mafioso leaders across the

Virtue Theory, Utilitarianism, and Deontological Ethics Essay

Virtue Theory, Utilitarianism, and Deontological Ethics - Essay Example The central point of virtue ethics entails honesty. Honest persons tend to do the right thing with or without supervision. For example, as a student who is guided by the virtual of honesty I cannot cheat in an exam. Moreover, a person with the right victuals and morals may not steal or cause harm to others. In addition, a person with the virtual of humbleness tends to respect others and act as servant to others despite his higher status in the society. This means that virtual ethics can be utilized to determine the ethics and morality of certain action. For example, virtual ethics may be employed to determine whether a particular action is ethically and morally acceptable or not (Garrett, 2005). Unlike virtual theory which emphasizes on personal inside characters in determining something, Utilitarianism /focuses on the preposition that any think that bring pleasure and happiness to human being is ethically and morally acceptable while anything that bring suffering and pain to the hum an being should be avoided. This means that utilitarianism focuses on the consequences. However, in utilitarianism it tends to be quite difficult to determine the ultimate consequence of a particular action without executing it. In addition, a particular action may be difficult to determine whether it will be morally and ethically acceptable prior executing that act so that the consequences can be raveled. This means that, if the consequences result to pleasure and happiness to the greatest number.

Middle Class Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Middle Class Wars - Essay Example The implications of objectives of American foreign policy is that they have assisted American middle class people understand the important truths about the present world. Those objectives have enabled middle class people to realize what they should try to accomplish when they are abroad. The objectives enhance and safeguard the liberty, prosperity and security of middle class people when they travel to stay overseas. The objectives of the American foreign policy promote global politics by encouraging an international order which is based on human rights, democracy along with free enterprise. The policy continues to extend the degree of prosperity and peace the United States established sometime back that American middle class people living in Europe and other areas of the world enjoy. In other words, the United States had integrated what the rest of the world did not have into a globalized market. Pursuing such a goal is not easy. Creating an international

The Lifestyle Theory by Larry Siegal Research Paper

The Lifestyle Theory by Larry Siegal - Research Paper Example Thus the lifestyle theory brings forth the issue of a rational choice that determines an individual’s involvement in crimes (Johnson, 2011). The present study focuses on an understanding of the lifestyle theory and the vital issues that may be associated with the theory as well as understand the probable solutions to complicated problems related to the theory. The Lifestyle Theory: A Brief Overview: As far as the lifestyle theory is concerned there are three interlocking models that constitute the theory. These are the structural model, the functional model, and the change model. Through a structural model, a lifestyle is defined operationally along with its features. It also explains how the lifestyle fits into a larger system of classification. The functional model delivers the developmental features of a lifestyle with respect to the fears, beliefs and values of a person in a community, distinguishing such factors into initiating ones and maintaining ones. The change model of the theory deals with the focus of change in a lifestyle. This is primarily concerned with the changes that occur naturally in the lifestyle of an individual during a lifetime influencing the behavior of the lifestyle (Walters, 2006, p.1). Vital Issues Associated with the Theory: The most important issue associated with the lifestyle theory is the fact that depending on lifestyles, individuals tend to get victimized and get involved into criminal activities. This has been discussed in several studies. Different individuals have different styles of living their lives. The different activities that individuals are involved may be mandatory or optional, leading to lifestyles being patterned, or customary, or persistent, common or involving routine activities (Robinson, n.d.). It can be discussed here that while there are certain activities that are customary or mandatory for almost all individuals to follow regularly which may be the routine activities of life, the discretionary act ivities are the ones that individuals choose on their own to be involved in. A person having a highly active lifestyle are prone to greater victimization since they tend to mix with greater number of people irrespective of whether they are good or bad, having no proper knowledge of their intentions. Hence victimization may be influenced. However the criminal victimization also depends on the individual’s incapability of not being able to predict the wrongdoers and the incorrect activities that might lead to crimes (Robinson, n.d.). With the active lifestyles of individuals, particularly among the youth, there are greater risks of exposures to offenders in a society. This has been more associated with the assaults and criminal activities from strangers. For example, parental violence might also lead younger individuals to perform crimes. However such activities or crimes cannot be associated with the lifestyle theory. Lifestyle theory discusses about the cases where individual s spend large amounts of time out of their homes, with strangers, even at the time of night and become prone to criminal victimization (Finkelhor & Asdigian, 1996, pp.3-4).

Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare creates Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare creates Essay In the play, Shakespeare creates in his two lead characters, not merely a love based on physical attraction, but, as his choice of language shows, a meeting of minds and souls. Discuss the dramatic effect of this in your choice of key scenes. The play Romeo and Juliet was written in the 16th century. It expresses how two star crossd lovers show that their love is merely more than just a physical relationship, as suggested in the spoken language they are made in heaven a union? The lovers, Romeo, a Montague and Juliet a Capulet come from two house holds both alike in dignity who are powerful feuding families. Both Romeo and Juliet are powerful characters. We first sense Romeos compelling frustration when Shakespeare uses oxymoron O brawling love! O loving hate! this implies that love is a scrap and you are desperately trying to fight against it. The loving hate means that you dont want to fall in love but you cant help it. We discover Juliets quick wit early in the play. It is an honour that I dream not of. This conveys that Juliet knows exactly what she wants and she will not let anybody influence those ideas. Juliet also shows how she can sophistically answer people in a polite manor and not in the typical teenage language. The quote For saints have hand that pilgrims hands do touch, suggests that the language rapidly becomes similar culminating in the beginning. During act 1 scene 1 Romeo again questions the meaning of love with Benvolio love is a smoke with the fume of sighs. In this section Romeo is talking about the sad aspects of love, and smoke implies that love is unclear. Shakespeare uses language that makes Romeo sound clever and intelligent. Not having that which, having makes them short. Here Romeo cleverly and wittingly quips that the possession of something makes a person happy, suddenly makes time run quickly. In the same scene Romeo plays with words and the meaning of love as he speaks with Benvolio. Romeo is a very clever 16 year old, he is mature within his inner feelings, however many people believe he is not mature and clever. Although Juliet doesnt say much in act 1, what she does say is spoken in volume and shows propriety. it is not an honour I dream not of. This implies that Lady Capulet and Juliet are having an in depth conversation about how Juliet is to be married. However Juliet expresses her feelings in a mature and polite manor. During the conversation, Lady Capulet asks the question Speak briefly, can you like of Paris love? Juliet again answers in a mature manor, Ill look to like, if looking liking move. This means that if Juliet likes the look of Paris she will try to like him. It also shows how she can use her language in a sophisticated way. In the prelude before the Capulets feast Mercutio tries to persuade Romeo to dance at the feast, but Romeo insists that he is too love lorn to do anything but hold a torch Give me a torch I will bear the light. this means that he wouldnt do any dancing and wouldnt wear a mask. He is being a party pooper, why? He is depressed and is questing love. In his quote however, he does emphasise the word light. The reason why the word light is enforced is because he sees Juliet as the best and that she represents light. In act 1 scene 4 Rome has a premonition of some doom hanging in the future. I fear too early; for my mind in the stars In this quote Shakespeare shows how Romeo and Juliets language entwines and blends together, this suggests just not how their minds think alike but it is a meeting of minds met by fate. Act 3 scene 5 shows Juliet also has a premonition of the future Me thinks I see thee so low in the bottom of the tomb. Juliets vision is similar to Romeos in act 1 scene 4. Again Juliet is pessimistic and words such as bottom of a tomb confirms this. Elizabethans felt that fate played a vital part in the way people lived because God was very important and people believed that fate was due to this. During the feast in Act 1 scene 5 Romeos speech shows smitten with Juliets beauty. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright. Romeo conveys that her beauty is brighter than the blaze of any torch and that her presence enlightens the whole room. This also means that Juliets beauty is radiant and enriches everything. Romeo says a few more things to enforce her beauty. He then makes his plan. When the dance is over, he will note where she is, then make his way to her and touch her hand. Ill watch her place of stand, and, touching hers, make my rude hand. Romeos speech is a iambic pentameter and it in 5pairs of rhyming couplets: O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiops ear: Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping for crows, As yonder lady oer her fellows shows. The measure done, Ill watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I neer saw true beauty till this night. This poetic speech would have been a grand example of his social position and high breeding, which Elizabethans would understand and appreciate the poetry. During lines 92 109 Romeo and Juliet play the game of blending together and using poetry to portray this. With Tybalts threat still echoing in our ears, we now see Romeo holding Juliets hand and wittily offering to kiss it. He says, If I profane with my unworthiest hand Romeo sounds sharp, but hes not. The popular love poetry of the time often portrayed the lover as one who worshipped his beloved with religious devotion. Romeo is willing to pay the penalty (fine) for touching Juliets hand (this holy shrine) by kissing it. Juliet willingly joins in Romeos game. Showing her own wit, she tells him that theres nothing wrong with his hand and that hes showing proper devotion by holding her hand-a kiss is not required. She adds, For saints have had that pilgrims hands do touch meaning that its allowed to touch the hand of a saint. The grander design of his poetry rushes onto us when Romeo and Juliet meet. The poetic thread of language joins both characters as he says one line and she finishes the next. Theyre both poetically entwined, and Shakespeare does this artistically by adding rhyme, which additionally blends the language together giving movement. The language relates to the couples relationship as Romeo and Juliet both use the same devices and their language mingles. This suggests that the two are growing increasingly closer and stronger as a pair. Act 2 Scene 2 is one of the most important and dramatic scenes in the play. Romeo over hears Juliets thoughts and feelings over him. O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name; Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn of love And Ill no longer be a Capulet. Here Juliet expresses her feelings towards Romeo. She suggests that if he tells her that he loves her she will no longer be a Capulet. She also implies that she is in love with the words. Be but sworn of love. Without this in distraction their romance could not progress as quickly. During this scene there is a lot of dramatic imagery It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. This enforces how powerful Juliets appearance is, pursued by Romeo. As the dramatic imagery and poetic language enfolds between Romeo and Juliet the audience senses that the two star crossd lovers are perfectly matched. Shakespeares language in this scene is shown to be un realistic as it is stage language. The reason for thinking this is because in every day speech the language is not as always expressive, poetical and full of imagery and dramatic irony. Juliet then suggests defiance, an ability to fly in the face of conversation when she calls on him to doff his name. This quote by Juliet, expresses her feelings towards Romeo and she suggests that Romeo can have her and she will be his. Juliet then explains how he is the man she loves, not the name, its only the name that is the enemy and that even if he gets rid of his name, he will still be the same person. I believe that the term the name is the enemy relates to Romeo being a Montague. Shakespeare again uses oxymorons in his language, this time Juliet uses the device in her parting line parting is such sweet sorrow. Shakespeare is finishing a very powerful and dramatic scene with the thought of Romeo and Juliet on the edge of meeting fate. After Act 2 scene 2 the lovers only meet on two further occasions, their wedding and when they part. During these two happenings the mood of the language is changed as it is made precise and compact making each scene seem very short. The reason for this is because if the audience gets confused the whole plot of the play could be lost. Throughout Act 3 scene 5 both, Romeo and Juliet use imagery between themselves. Juliet uses opposites and Romeo starts his replies with personification. Juliet: Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day: It was the nightingale, and not the lark, That piercd the fearful hollow of thine ear; Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree: Believe me, love, it was the nightingale. Romeo: It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Nights candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die. These two quotes show the personification and opposites used by the two lovers. The language is very poetic and has a slight rhythm to it. This allows flow to the language. On the other hand as this section enfolds their language becomes close. The audience can see that Juliet intends to carry on and to compare the music to represent them parting. Their division, which is sweet and the fate, that is to tear them apart. some say the lark makes sweet division this doth not so, for she divideth both. As fate compels the two star crossd lovers they are never to meet again in life. Romeo and Juliets parents are both punished by their beloved childrens death. Yet, fate is seen as a double punishment: through their very words Romeo and Juliet are evidently a perfect union. Some shall be pardond and some punished for never was a story of more woe than this of Romeo and Juliet

Contribution Of Indian Mathematics History Essay

Contribution Of Indian Mathematics History Essay Mathematics is the study of numbers, and counting, and measuring, but that is only the beginning. Mathematics involves the study of number patterns and relationships, too. It is also a way to communicate ideas, and perhaps more than anything, it is a way of reasoning that is unique to human beings. Mathematics plays a vital role in the modernization of this civilization. It is everywhere and affects the everyday lives of people. Although it is abstract and theoretical knowledge, it emerges from the real world. It is also a way to communicate and analyze ideas, a tool for organizing and interpreting data and above all, perhaps a method of logical reasoning unique to man. Mathematics is a necessary part of other sciences. In the words of Physicist Richard Feynan (2002) Nature talks to us in the language of mathematics that is numbers, mathematical rules and equations help us to make sense of the world around us (The Book of Popular Science). Mathematics in some form or other has been s ince the early age of human civilization. But its use in todays world has assumed great importance, since without its application higher technology cannot be mastered and harnessed for increasing production of goods and services and promoting human welfare. Over the centuries there has been spectacular progress in the development of mathematics as a branch of knowledge. And without the application of mathematics on a wide scale no country can march forward in line with the general progress of human knowledge and thought. Therefore learning of mathematics and promoting the horizons of knowledge by advanced researches in mathematics should be over emphasized. Thus, mathematics is an important and inseparable part of human life. It has been existed and developed since the ancient era and the aim of this article is to give a brief review of a few of the outstanding innovations introduced by Indian mathematics from ancient times to modern as Indias contribution in the field of mathematic s is immense and it should always be studied from a thoughtful perspective. Key Words: INTRODUCTION: India was the motherland of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europes languages. India was the mother of our philosophy, of much of our mathematics, of the ideals embodied in Christianity of self-government and democracy. In many ways, Mother India is the mother of us all. Will Durant, American Historian 1885-1981 Mathematics is an important field of study. Mathematics is vital as it helps in developing lots of practical skills, in fact study of mathematics itself include the concepts related to the routine lives of human. It not only develops mathematical skills and concepts, it also helps in developing the attitudes, interest, and appreciation and provides opportunities to develop ones own thinking. So, mathematics is undoubtedly a discipline which is imperative to know and study. Fig. 1, Importance of MathematicsC:UsersnaveenDesktopUntitled.png Mathematics has played a very significant role in the development of Indian culture for millennia. Mathematical ideas that originated in the Indian subcontinent have had a thoughtful impact on the world. In ancient time, mathematics was mainly used in an auxiliary or applied role. Thus mathematical methods were used to solve problems in architecture and construction (as in the public works of the Harrappan civilization) in astronomy and astrology (as in the Jain mathematicians) and in the construction of Vedic altars (as in the case of the Shulba Sutras of Baudhayana and his successors). By the sixth or fifth century BCE, mathematics was studied for its own sake, as well as for its application in other fields of knowledge. In fact there does not seem to have been a time in Indian history when mathematics was not being developed. Recent work has unearthed many manuscripts, and what were previously regarded as inactive periods in Indian mathematics are now known to have been very activ e. The picture is yet not complete, and it seems that there is much more to do in the field of the history of Indian mathematics. The challenges are twofold. First, there is the task of locating and identifying manuscripts and of translating them into a language that is more familiar to modern scholars. Second there is the task of interpreting the significance of the work that was done. The time is ripe to make a major effort to develop as complete a picture as possible of Indian mathematics. The importance of mathematics in India can be seen by a well-known verse in Sanskrit of VedangJyotish (written 1000 BC) as: This verse means that As the crown on the head of a peacock and as the gem on the hood of a snake, so stands Mathematics crowned above all disciplines of knowledge. This fact was well known to intellectuals of India that is why they gave special importance to the development of mathematics, right from the beginning. Indian mathematicians made great strides in developing arithmetic, algebra, geometry, infinite series expansions and calculus. Indian works, through a variety of translations, have had significant influence throughout the world. Mathematics in ancient times (3000 to 600 BCE) The oldest evidence of mathematical knowledge to Indians is being found in Indus Valley Civilization. The metallic seals found in the excavations of Mohan-Jo-Daro and Harrapan indicates that the people of this civilization had the knowledge of numbers. It is also clear from the pottery and other archaeological remains that they had the knowledge of measurement and geometry even in crude form. The Indus valley civilization is considered to have existed around 3000 BCE. Two of its most famous cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, provide evidence that construction of buildings followed a standardized measurement which was decimal in nature. Here, we see mathematical ideas developed for the purpose of construction. This civilization had an advanced brick-making technology (having invented the kiln). Bricks were used in the construction of buildings and embankments for flood control. The study of astronomy is considered to be even older, and there must have been mathematical theories on which it was based. Even in later times, we find that astronomy motivated considerable mathematical development, especially in the field of trigonometry. Much has been written about the mathematical constructions that are to be found in Vedic literature. In particular, the Shatapatha Brahmana, which is a part of the Shukla Yajur Veda, contains detailed descriptions of the geometric construction of altars for yajnas. Here, the brick-making technology of the Indus valley civilization was put to a new use. Supplementary to the Vedas are the Shulba Sutras. These texts are considered to date from 800 to 200 BCE. Four in number, they are named after their authors: Baudhayana (600 BCE), Manava (750 BCE), Apastamba (600 BCE), and Katyayana (200 BCE). The sutras contain the famous theorem commonly attributed to Pythagoras. The Shulba Sutras introduce the concept of irrational numbers, numbers that are not the ratio of two whole numbers. It is interesting that the mathematics of this period seems to have been developed for solving practical geometric problems, especially the construction of religious altars. However, the study of the series expansion for certain functions already hints at the development of an algebraic perspective. In later times, we find a shift towards algebra, with simplification of algebraic formulate and summation of series acting as catalysts for mathematical discovery. Jain Mathematics (600 BCE to 500 CE) Just as Vedic philosophy and theology inspired the development of certain aspects of mathematics, so too did the rise of Jainism. Jain cosmology led to ideas of the infinite. This in turn, led to the development of the notion of orders of infinity as a mathematical concept. By orders of infinity, we mean a theory by which one set could be deemed to be more infinite than another. In modern language, this corresponds to the notion of cardinality. For a finite set, its cardinality is the number of elements it contains. However, we need a more sophisticated notion to measure the size of an infinite set. In Europe, it was not until Cantors work in the nineteenth century that a proper concept of cardinality was established. Besides the investigations into infinity, this period saw developments in several other fields such as number theory, geometry, computing, with fractions. In particular, the recursion formula for binomial coefficients and the Pascals triangle were already known in this period. The period 600 CE coincides with the rise and dominance of Buddhism. In the Lalitavistara, a biography of the Buddha which may have been written around the first century CE, there is an incident about Gautama being asked to state the name of large powers of 10 starting with 10. He is able to give names to numbers up to 10 (tallaksana). The very fact that such large numbers had names suggests that the mathematicians of the day were comfortable thinking about very large numbers. It is hard to imagine calculating with such numbers without some form of place value system. Brahmi Numerals, The place-value system and Zero No account of Indian mathematics would be complete without a discussion of Indian numerals, the place-value system, and the concept of zero. The numerals that we use even today can be traced to the Brahmi numerals that seem to have made their appearance in 300 BCE. But Brahmi numerals were not part of a place value system. They evolved into the Gupta numerals around 400 CE and subsequently into the Devnagari numerals, which developed slowly between 600 and 1000 CE. By 600 CE, a place-value decimal system was well in use in India. This means that when a number is written down, each symbol that is used has an absolute value, but also a value relative to its position. For example, the numbers 1 and 5 have a value on their own, but also have a value relative to their position in the number 15. The importance of a place-value system need hardly be emphasized. It would suffice to cite an often-quoted remark by La-place: It is India that gave us the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by means of ten symbols, each symbol receiving a value of position as well as an absolute value; a profound and important idea which appears so simple to us now that we ignore its true merit. But its very simplicity and the great ease which it has lent to computations put our arithmetic in the first rank of useful inventions; and we shall appreciate the magnificence of the achievement the more when we remember that it escaped the genius of Archimedes and Apolloniu s, two of the greatest men produced by ancient times. A place-value system of numerals was apparently known in other cultures; for example, the Babylonians used a sexagesimal place-value system as early as 1700 BCE, but the Indian system was the first decimal system. Moreover, until 400 BCE, The Babylonian system had an inherent ambiguity as there was no symbol for zero. Thus it was not a complete place-value system in the way we think of it today. The elevation of zero to the same status as other numbers involved difficulties that many brilliant mathematicians struggled with. The main problem was that the rules of arithmetic had to be formulated so as to include zero. While addition, subtraction, and multiplication with zero were mastered, division was a more subtle question. Today, we know that division by zero is not well-defined and so has to be excluded from the rules of arithmetic. But this understanding did not come all at once, and took the combined efforts of many minds. It is interesting to note that it was not until the seventeenth century that zero was being used in Europe. The Classical Era of Indian Mathematics (500 to 1200 CE) The most famous names of Indian mathematics belong to what is known as the classical era. This includes Aryabhata I (500 CE) Brahmagupta (700 CE), Bhaskara I (900 CE), Mahavira (900 CE), Aryabhatta II (1000 CE) and Bhaskarachrya or Bhaskara II (1200 CE). During this period, two centers of mathematical research emerged, one at Kusumapura near Pataliputra and the other at Ujjain. Aryabhata I was the dominant figure at Kusumapura. One of Aryabhatas discoveries was a method for solving linear equations of the form ax + by = c. Aryabhata devised a general method for solving such equations, and he called it the kuttaka (or pulverizer) method. It should be noted that Aryabhatas studied linear equations because of his interest in astronomy. Amongst other important contributions of Aryabhata is his approximation of Pie to four decimal places (3.14146) and work on trigonometry. The other major centre of mathematical learning during this period was Ujjain, which was home to Varahamihira, Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya. The text Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta by Brahmagupta, published in 628 CE, dealt with arithmetic involving zero and negative numbers. As with Aryabhata, Brahmagupta was an astronomer, and much of his work was motivated by problems that arose in astronomy. He gave the famous formula for a solution to the quadratic equation. Brahmagupta also studied quadratic equation in two variables and sought solutions in whole numbers. This period closes with Bhaskaracharya (1200 CE). In his fundamental work on arithmetic (titled Lilavati) he refined the kuttaka method of Aryabhata and Brahmagupta. The Lilavati is impressive for its originality and diversity of topics. Brahmagupta discovered a method, which he called samasa, by which; given two solutions of the equation a third solution could be found. Brahmaguptas lemma was known one thousand years before it was rediscovered in Europe by Fermat, Legendre, and others. This method appears now in most standard text books and courses in number theory. The name of the equation is a historical accident. Mathematics in South India Mahavira is a mathematician belonging to the ninth century who was most likely from modern day Karnataka. He studied the problem of cubic and quartic equations and solved them for some families of equations. His work had a significant impact on the development of mathematics in South India. His book Ganita- sara- sangraha amplifies the work of Brahmagulpta and provides a very useful reference for the state of mathematics in his day. Another notable mathematician of South India was Madhava from Kerala. Madhava belongs to the fourteenth century. He discovered series expansions for some trigonometric functions such as the sine, cosine and arctangent that were not known in Europe until after Newton. In modern terminology, these expansions are the Taylor series of the functions in question. Madhava gave an approximation to Pie of 3.14159265359, which goes far beyond the four decimal places computed by Aryabhata. Madhavas work with series expansions suggests that he either discovered elements of the differential calculus or nearly did so. Mathematics in the Modern Age In more recent times there have been many important discoveries made by mathematicians of Indian origin. We shall mention the work of three of them: Srinivasa Ramanujan, Harish-Chandra, and Manjul Bhargava. Ramanujan (1887- 1920) is perhaps the most famous of modern Indian mathematicians. Though he produced significant and beautiful results in many aspects of number theory, his most lasting discovery may be the arithmetic theory of modular forms. In an important paper published in 1916, he initiated the study of the Pie function. Ramanujan proved some properties of the function and conjectured many more. As a result of his work, the modern arithmetic theory of modular forms, which occupies a central place in number theory and algebraic geometry, was developed by Hecke. Harish-Chandra (1923- 83) is perhaps the least known Indian mathematician outside of mathematical circles. He began his career as a physicist, working under Dirac. In his thesis, he worked on the representation theory of the group SL2 (C). This work convinced him that he was really a mathematician, and he spent the remainder of his academic life working on the representation theory of semi-simple groups. For most of that period, he was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. His Collected Papers published in four volumes contain more than 2,000 pages. His style is known as meticulous and thorough and his published work tends to treat the most general case at the very outset. This is in contrast to many other mathematicians, whose published work tends to evolve through special cases. Interestingly, the work of Harish-Chandra formed the basis of Langlandss theory of automorphic forms, which are a vast generalization of the modular forms considered by R amanujan. CONCLUSION: The present mathematical knowledge has not dropped as a bolt from the blue, nor a product of some magical tricks. The apparently ready-made knowledge and results have been achieved after centuries of efforts, often painful, by hundreds of mathematicians and historians through the ages. Lots of discoveries and inventers contributed to the fruits, facilities and luxuries which we enjoy today were the contribution of Indian mathematicians. From the notion of zero to the modern concept of computational number theory, their contribution is significant. It is without doubt that mathematics today owes a huge debt to the outstanding contributions made by Indian mathematicians over many hundreds of years. What is quite surprising is that there has been a reluctance to recognize this and one has to conclude that many famous historians of mathematics found what they expected to find, or perhaps even what they hoped to find, rather than to realize what was so clear in front of them. Kim Plofker from Netherland says that Indian mathematical science is extremely important and has a significant effect on the worlds knowledge as it is today. The lack of available resources has kept us under informed about the developments that have taken place in India. It is the need of the hour to carry forward the legacy of great mathematicians so as to encourage and nurture the glorious tradition of the country in mathematics. The ingenious method of expressing every possible number using a set of ten symbols (each symbol having a place value and an absolute value) emerged in India. The idea seems so simple nowadays that its significance and profound importance is no longer appreciated. Its simplicity lies in the way it facilitated calculation and placed arithmetic foremost amongst useful inventions. The importance of this invention is more readily appreciated when one considers that it was beyond the two greatest men of ancient times, Archimedes and Apollonius.

Factors in Organisational Behaviour

Factors in Organisational Behaviour Organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge of how people and groups of people act in an organization. An organization thrives on the vision set, management philosophies, values and the leadership. The culture of a specific organization determines the type of leadership, communication, group dynamics and human capital. Good leadership is vital for a business to survive in this digital age. Leadership is about coping with change. Leadership is the ability to influence a group of people towards the achievement of set goals. Effective leadership is owed to initiation where a leader is likely to define the structure of his role and those under him, as well as consideration for all by having mutual trust and respect. Communicating in any organization leads to maximum utilization of opportunities and also serves as an eliminator of all threats that can lead to the failure of an organization. A good communication system leads to improved relationships between the players hence a good working environment is created. In an organization where the working environment is available, the personnel comes together in teams to discuss the organizations goals and also team work is applied in the realization of goals. Human capital is the stock of competences, knowledge, habits and personality attributes. The concept of human capital recognizes that not all the workers in an organization are the same. It is the knowledge that the attributes of each person can be used productively in a commercial context. In the place that is the organization, with human capital and communication to direct the organization, self-assessment is imperative.If done properly can benefit an organization a whole lot more. Self-evaluat ion is important to performance appraisal to a company hence very profitable to human capital as well as organization leadership. Self evaluation gives leaders broader perspective. A manager receives better insight into an employee’s performance and their general perceptions and believes regarding a job. Manager’s work closely with their employees but it is not enough to understand all the factors that affect them. Through self assessments, managers get a closer look at factors that affect employees their performance and their motivation. These evaluations help the employees communicate their needs, strengths and weakness to their leaders’ thus increasing efficiency at the work place. Self evaluation promotes communication in regards to performance. A self assessment is a communication tool that leaders use to spark discussion between them and their employees. An employee provides relevant background information in his assessment which serves as an opportunity for their employer to know them better. Effective organizational management requires communication to flow both ways between the leader and the led. Employees are able to bring to light their priorities, challenges faced and general discussions about performance. Self evaluations are also beneficial in helping an organization revise their communication ways from top down to a two way dialogue which if includes in the organizations culture can prove very crucial. Self evaluation aids in solving issues before the review meeting. The assessment enables employees to flag their in perception of their performance before the review meeting is held. The self appraisal enables a manger to be ready for the review meeting thus making it easier to have a fruitful discussion and fair performance ratings. The assessment is really important in the review meeting considering a leader can use to assess the employee by either guiding his perception through, or redirecting his assessment. Engaging employees in the managerial process is crucial as it gives one a sense of belonging and responsibility. The self appraisal is beneficial as it enables participatory management. Good leadership allows participation in major decision making by employees. This active participation is beneficial in engaging both the employee and managers in performance and conclusive review processes and discussions. Diversity means the differences in people(. Some people let diversity get in the way of their relationships in the place of work which in turn affects performance. Successful organizations encourage employees to embrace diversity in the workplace by applying team work in different jobs given to them. Organizations encourage team work as peoples differences can be used to boost the quality of work. As Abraham Lincoln suggest united we stand, divided we fall, it is a good practice to have oneness in an organization. Sometimes diversity is not an easy situation to deal with. Sometimes individuals have enmity or no relationship at all. This is where diversity management comes in. Diversity sometimes leads to prejudice in a working space. Prejudice is blatant negative stereotyping of some people due to their different way of approaching things. Prejudice might be due to personal traits and sometimes social learning (Al-amki 2002). In both cases it can be prevented and curbed not to affect business. Prejudice can be reduced through some basic approaches such as persuasive communication, education contact and therapy According to Farley (2000) persuasive communication is any form of communication written, verbal or visual. As studied in organizational behavior, communication is vital in joining different groups of people in achieving the set organizational goal. Communication therefore becomes fundamental in the reduction of prejudice. Using assertiveness as a way of communicating our needs, wants and desires known to others can be used to reduce or rather eliminate prejudice. Assertiveness is defined as the power we use to make other people aware of our needs, wants and desires (AL-amki2002) Different people express themselves differently hence it’s next to impossible to change people’s level of assertiveness. Communication is used to make sure that two different people with different levels of assertiveness can discuss their opinions and express their points by adjusting their level of assertiveness to meet each others’. For two people who have different views and believes about something, prejudice is likely to crop up. For this to be eliminated one could send out a message with credible sources about the topic in question in an attempt to bring about a change in attitude to the highly prejudiced individuals (Cox Blake 1991). Though communication is crucial in dealing with diversity and prejudice, sometimes it does not work because highly prejudiced people tend to hold onto their belief and do not like them to be challenged. To ensure communication is effective in solving prejudice, ensure your message is clear and easy to understand and that a highly regarded person conveys the message. Prejudice can also be solved through education. Education is beneficial in reducing prejudice when it is not in an advanced stage and if personal disorders are not dominant (Farley, 2000). Farley further suggests that if a person is not prejudiced due to social learning, education can be successful in reducing prejudice. The act of imparting knowledge to an individual is in itself good enough a chance to make people as part of the process of change. One of the best methods of solving the issue of prejudice in an organization is through intergroup contact. Intergroup hypothesis suggests that the contact has to be superficial (Farley 2000). If people have casual contact, they should not expect to end prejudice. For prejudice to end, the people involved should be in contact with each other and therefore in the same environment. The reason why intergroup contact is better than education and communication is because, it is practice, is voluntary and does not involve intermediaries (Cox Bl ake1991). It is more of influencing each other to do the right thing. Therapy is also used in an attempt to reduce prejudice when prejudiced people have personality problems. If it is a personality issue, resolve the issue that led to prejudice and then try talking the person into dealing with one’s insecurities without blaming prejudice. According to Farley, people should stop blaming prejudice for all the problems they face. Organizational behaviour studies the actions of people in an organization in relation to achievement of goals. Self appraisal, as discussed in this write up is beneficial to a company that seeks to grow and have a good human capital that relates well with its leadership. The leadership of an organization must foster good communication to ensure all the personnel participate in the management of the team hence achievement of both personal and organizational goals. The management is also responsible for communicating with its employees to understand diversity hence reducing diversity in the working environment. Stereotyping is a bad vice that can lead to deteriorating working conditions hence reducing efficiency in the place of work. Diversity like all other differences should spark creativity in leaders by allowing them to use the different attributes of every personnel to create a unique organization hence reducing prejudice. In conclusion organizations should embrace self evaluation to improve on appraisal strategies and at the same time reduce prejudice since in this digital era; diverse employees find themselves in the same working place. BIBLIOGRAPHY Al-Lamki S. M. (2002). Orientation: The essential ingredient in cross-cultural management, International Journal of Management, 19, 568. Cox T. H., Blake S (1991). Managing cultural diversity: Implications for organizational competitiveness. Academy of Management Executive, 5, 45-56 Farley S. 2000 Minority studies: reducing prejudice: how achievable? How important? Knippenberg D. V de Dreu C. K. W., Homan A. C. (2004). Work group diversity and group Performance: An integrative model and research agenda. Journal of Applied Psychology,

A Thousand Voices :: Thousand Voices Essays

A Thousand Voices I cannot speak for the rest of the world, consisting of girly girls and manly men, but I can speak for myself. Virginia Woolf is right on target in saying that every human being has a male half and a female half-I believe this because I am a living example; I think we all are. Julie always gives me scornful looks when I come to lunch from from gym with a red face, and an exhausted yet satisfied expression. "You've been playing floor hockey again, haven't you!?" she belligerently but playfully accuses. I then proceed to disgust her with my tales of how I almost scored a goal, got hit in the ribs by a speeding puck (and boy was it great!), knocked over a guy, stopped the puck mid-air. She rolls her eyes for two reasons: one, because I actually participate in gym period, and two, because floor hockey is generally a "guy thing." Now, before I go any further, I want to cover myself. I'm not saying that the aggression and rough and tumble of floor hockey is an exclusively masculine trait, and that I , a girl, would be exploring my "male half" by partaking in the game. It is society that chooses which qualities may be dubbed male and which are female, and it is society that makes Julie and most of my other friends, and even the other guys down at the gym think it strange for a woman to enjoy such a brute sport. Virginia Woolf may be forced to call things either male or female in order to speak society's language. I think she's on to something in that there is a little everything residing in all of us-it's just a matter of whether or not we choose to embrace it all. I'm not a brute force all the time (although some would beg to differ), but I bring that side of me out whenever I go for the puck, or whenever I spar in martial arts. Maybe it's not "the man" in me, it's just the fighter; maybe Virginia Woolf says male and female half when she really means all-encompassing human whole. Another conflict that results from this manifestation of all human qualities within me also deals with male and female stereotypes.

Sex Education: Determining Teenage Lives Essay -- Educational Issues

A parent’s main concern has always been --and always will be--what is best for their child. Parents attempt to raise their children so that they can learn to make the best possible decisions in any given situation. However, is blatantly avoiding the topic of sex, simply because it may be awkward, the best choice that parents’ make for their children? The controversial issue of sex education in public schools has been a main concern in communities throughout the United States. There has been increasingly more discussion about sexual education programs and whether or not they should be included in the school’s curriculum. The truth is, if sex education is avoided in schools, teenagers—many of whom already lack expertise in the sexual education field—are being denied the knowledge of possible diseases, outcomes, and opportunities that sexual education has to offer. Without sex education, teenagers would be unaware of the harmful consequences of their a ctions, thus it should be implemented in every educational curriculum. Without proper sexual education, many teenage girls are at a high risk of pregnancy. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 409,840 infants were born to teenagers that were between the ages of 15 and 19 (About Teen Pregnancy). These unknowledgeable teens must be plunged from their youths in order to take responsibility for their children, which not only affects their families, but also their newborn children. This epidemic has grown so much that statistics show that every three out of ten teenage girls will be pregnant before they reach the age of 20 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In order to decrease the rate of teen pregnancy, schools need to proactively promote sex education, such... ...ld Give Kids Free Contraceptives.† Bloomsberg Business week: n. pag. www.businessweek.com. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Sex education for five-year-olds to be made compulsory in schools.† http://m.guardian.co.uk/. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"Sex Education That Works.† www.avert.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"U.S. Campaign to Promote Abstinence Begins.† Washinton Post: n. pag. /www.washingtonpost.com. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. . www.medindia.net. Sex Education For Teens, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .

Urban Legend of Vanishing Hitchhiker in Pakistan Essay -- Urban Legend

The Vanishing Hitchhiker in Pakistan During my search for stories, I met a sophomore, nineteen year old male student who is majoring in Chemistry and Math. His parents are from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Currently, he lives in Maryland. His father is a cardiologist and his mother is a housewife. His parents immigrated to the United States in the 1970's. The source says this story is known by almost three quarters of the people living in Pakistan. His uncle initially told him the story when he went back to Pakistan for the first time. The story takes place in the mountainous regions of Pakistan that are fairly remote from civilization. However, other versions take place in a middle of small towns. One day, a man is driving along a road that is often surrounded by repetitive landscape, such as continuous mountains and plains. Upon driving for quite some time, he spots a silhouette of a woman a kilometer down the road. As he gets closer, he realizes that it is a young woman wearing a slender white dress, and from her expression, he deduces that she has lost her way and needs to get home. From a quick glimpse at her face, he realizes that she is very beautiful. Confused, but being the caring gentleman that he is, he offers her a ride back to her home. She meekly nods as she slowly enters the car and sits in the passenger seat. He begins talking to her, and the subject matter often varies in different variations, but the consensus is that it is small talk. From the moment she speaks, he is astonished by her beautiful voice. Before long, the man actually becomes attracted to her. They continue talking as he continues driving. At one point in their conversation, he reaches to the right to get his drink by his sid... ...s of society will not recognize one in an encounter either. This reflects the fear that one cannot distinguish the real world from the supernatural world. Works Cited Bennett, Gillian. The Vanishing Hitchhiker at Forty-Five. Long Beach: Western States Folklore Society, 1998. Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981. Littlejohn, Carol. "Urban Legends and Other Scary Stories." Unknown journal.15.2 (1996): 27-31. Okonowicz, Ed. Baltimore Ghosts: History, Mystery, Legends, and Lore. Elkton: Myst and Lace Publishing, 2004. Turetsky, Rita. Ghosts and Evil Spirits. Publication information unknown. Wilson, Michael. "The Point of Horror: The Relationship Between Teenage Popular Horror Fiction and the Oral Repertoire." Children's Literature in Education 31.1 (2000): 31-40.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama, made history when he became the first African-American President of the most powerful country in the world at the young age of 47. He overcame powerful competition from extremely popular political heavyweights of the likes of Hillary Clinton and John McCain and enumerable obstacles to win convincingly. A brief background : Obama was born as Barack Hussein Obama on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. , a Kenyan and Ann Dunham, a native of Chicago. They were both students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.However, by the time he became two years old, they had separated and later divorced. His mother got married to a fellow student, Lolo Soetoro. As Seatoro was from Indonesia, the family shifted to Jakarta later. After four years of schooling in Indonesian schools, Obama returned to live with his maternal grand parents in Hawaii and joined Punahou Academy from which he graduated with honors in 1979. His first experience with racism happened in this pe riod because he was one of just three African American students. Obama completed his degree in political science from Columbia University in New York, 1983.After gaining a few years of work experience he moved to Chicago in 1985 where he worked as a community organizer. (A&E Television Networks, 2008, p. 1) Opting for a career in law, he joined Harvard Law School in 1988. There he created history by becoming the first African American to be elected as the editor of Harvard Law Review. With the law degree in hand, Obama returned to Chicago and worked in a law firm while teaching at the Chicago Law school simultaneously. Meanwhile in 1992, Obama married Michelle Robinson, also a law graduate. 1992 was an important year in Obama’s career as a politician also.He was an active member in Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign organizing a hugely successful voter registration drive. He wrote an autobiographical book called â€Å"Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inher itance† in 1995. (p. 2) Obama was instrumental in drafting several legislation in ethics, income-tax credit for the poor, health care, education and law enforcement in this period. In 1996, People of Hyde Park elected Obama into the Illinois State Senate. He was also elected the chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee. Post 9/11, Obama was noted as one of the first prominent opponent of President George W.Bush’s strategy to go to war with Iraq. He warned about the costs involved in such a war in terms of lives, hardships and impact on economy. His predictions came true as it turned out to be a very messy affair in the end. In 2004, Obama got in the fray for the U. S. Senate seat held by Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. Voters soon took a liking to Obama and he was able to defeat the multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes. Obama entered the national politics when he gave a stunning performance as the keynote speaker at the 2004 De mocratic National Convention in Boston.In the general election, Obama defeated the republican candidate Alan Keyes, who was also an African-American, in a record landslide victory in Illinois. Obama was very active as a senator with several successful campaigns on wide variety of matters such as transparency on federal spending, elimination of weapons of mass destructions in Europe and Russia, threat of avian flu, rehabilitation of Hurrican Katrina victims, alternative energy initiatives and so on. (p. 3) Obama published his second book, â€Å" The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream† in 2006.In February 2007, he decided to run for American Presidency and became the democratic nominee against a tough competition from the former first lady Hillary Clinton. After running a very systematic and well- organized campaign lasting more than 2 years, Obama became 44th president of the United States by beating republican presidential nominee John McCain. Obama i s blessed with two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Obstacles Obama had to face in his run upto the presidency : 1) His African American origin- The biggest obstacle in his path to presidency was that people of his origin has always found it difficult to get ahead in national politics.Obama was only the fifth African American Senator in U. S. history and just the third to have been popularly elected. 2) His seemingly apparent lack of experience as a leader or executive – The opponents and the media alleged that Obama was not experienced enough to lead the country. But he was successful in establishing that his years of experience as community organizer is as valuable as any other leadership stint. 3) Tough Competition – When Obama announced his campaign in February 2007, it seemed that Sen.Hillary Clinton was the favorite for the Democratic nomination and was touted as the most anticipated presidential candidate in a generation. But in a systematic manner Obama went about h is campaign and step by step his charisma took his popularity ahead and in front of the competition. 4) White Voters, the overwhelming influence on the outcome of the US presidential elections, were not expected to support Obama as several studies and history suggested. 5) Even among the African American community, Obama had trouble with his perceived strongest base.It was only after his victory in Iowa that the black sentiment turned in his favour. There was also Obama’s perceived lack a shared background with the minority population that suffered centuries of social abuse. 6) Obama also had to carefully handle the allegation on his backgrounds, past life, friends or any glitch on his biography that the opposition could use against him. (Sheng, 2008) 8. Exit polls reported from several areas pointed to the fact that one in five white voters would prefer to vote for a white candidate, which meant that Obama’s opponent would get these votes no matter what other consider ations were.9. Obama also had to handle the seemingly ludicrous but highly influencing allegations on his muslim background. A Pew Research Center survey found that 13 percent of registered voters stated that Sen. Obama was a Muslim, which was proof that ignorance of voters could be a big factor that Obama had to deal with. 10. Obama also had to deal with a concerted effort to paint Obama as an outsider that did not belong in the US scheme of things. His mixed family background and alleged muslim connections added to these campaigns. (Bryjak, 2008) Obama’s Leadership QualitiesBarack Obama’s leadership qualities that leaves the people around him to emulate are the qualities that every efficient leader should posses. Intelligence, Good Communition Skills, a wide range of experience, a multicultural background, and an affinity for change. Intelligence -. Obama has shown tremendous intelligence difficulties to find logical solutions to tough problems. His views and thought s of multiple ways to improve the American life shows his application of intelligence. Good communication skills – Obama has been successful in expressing his feelings in their entirety to his audience.His speeches are highly affective and he takes the crowd in his hands. He also used the emerging media such as social networking sites on the internet to fundraise and communicate messages. Experience – 7 years of work in Illinois Senate and his work as a community organizer gives Obama the professional experience to fight through the problems. And his multicultural faceted and varied experience on a personal level gives him the edge over others. Change – Obama has already taken several key decisions with far reaching consequences to affect the change that he has promised so much and so far.( Fu, 2008) As Madore in his article puts it â€Å"Obama’s ideas are fresh with relevant information. He supplies us competent Organization, with well-executed plans. H is Word Choice is measured, precise and powerful. His Voice is honest, inspiring, and credible. His Fluency rings rhythmic and fine-tuned. And finally, his Conventions are clean and polished, showing evidence of following the rules† (Madore, 2008) A study conducted by NextNationalCEO. com. reports that Insightful judgment, vision and trustworthiness top the list of important leadership characteristics for the U. S. presidential candidates.The following leadership traits were given for ranking to the visitors to NextNationalCEO. com with respect to each of presidential candidates, it was found that Obama was placed ahead of the other candidates almost all of these characteristics. They are, â€Å" — #1: Insightful Judgment — #2: Visionary — #3: Trustworthy — #4: Gets Things Done — #5: Inspires Others — #6: Good Judge of People — #7: Influences Others — #8: Courageous — #9: Confident — #10: Energetic† ( Reutors, 2008) Barack Obama’s leadership characteristics could be summed up as follows,Obama is ambitious, strong, bold and determined to achieve his goals. He uses the resources available to him and innovates new ways to do things. For example, the way he used the social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and MySpace to raise funds and to build a strong influence among the youth. Obama promises a fresh look at everything without pre-conceived notions. His consensus building approach is likely to win friends off enemies. Obama believes in leading by example which was showcased when his stand that high salary levels need to be checked and revised was immediately put into action among the white house staff.Obama has shown tremendous judgment and conviction to take action when he took seemingly complex and controversial decisions such as the closure of Guantanamo prison, withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, getting Congress to pass an $800 billion-plus stimulus package to revive the economy etc. No matter what the occasion, Obama has shown tremendous ability to remain calm and collected. He hardly looses his cool and is not afraid to admit his mistakes. ( Khan, 2009) References Khan, S. (2009, February 15). Obama Leadership – 8 Ways to Lead in the 21st Century.Retrieved May 8, 2009, from http://ezinearticles. com/? Obama-Leadership—8-Ways-to-Lead-in-the-21st-Century&id=1997850 Reuters, (2008,Apr 9). Which Leadership Traits are Most Important to Public in Presidential Candidates? , Retrieved May 8, 2009, from http://www. reuters. com/article/pressRelease/idUS133960+09-Apr-2008+PRN20080409 Madore, R. (2008, Mar 7). Six winning traits of Barack Obama's leadership style! , Retrieved May 8, 2009, http://my. barackobama. com/page/community/post/rolandmadore/gGB3Gs Fu, Bow ( 2008, Mar 22) Barack Obama and Leadership, Retrieved May 8, 2009, http://newsflavor.com/opinions/barack-obama-and-leadership/ Bryjak, J. G. ( 2008, Oct 19), Ob ama's obstacles, Retrieved May 8, 2009, http://www. copleynews. com/uniontrib/20081019/news_lz1e19bryjak. html Sheng, R. ( 2008, Nov 5), Obama overcomes obstacles to become first black president, Retrieved May 8, 2009, http://www. dailytargum. com/news/obama-overcomes-obstacles-to-become-first-black-president-1. 895980 A&E Television Networks, ( 2008) Barack Obama, ( pp 1-3) Retrieved May 8, 2009 http://www. biography. com/featured-biography/barack-obama/bio3. jsp