Friday, November 29, 2019

Basseri Nomads of Iran Essay Example

Basseri Nomads of Iran Paper * The Basseri Nomads of Iran The nomads of the Middle East are a vast and diverse group of people who travel in tribal groups across the lands. The Basseri people of Iran are a nomadic group of people that inhibit the mountainous regions of southern Iran. Like many other nomadic tribes in the Middle East, theirs is a rich history that at times has involved persecution and forced change by foreign invaders, religious rule, domestic oppression. The Basseri are a Persian speaking tribe of tent-dwelling pastoral nomads. They primarily migrate in the steppes and mountains of the Fars province, south, east and north of Shiraz in Iran. They do not â€Å"occupy† any exclusive part of Iran but instead own the right to migrate along a route called â€Å"il rah†. They follow this route, which varies every year due to vegetation maturation cycles, as part of their migratory cycle. This migration is planned, scheduled and approved by the tribes through the tribal chief known as the Khan. The Basseri live in tents with each household occupying their own tent. The tent is the basic family unit in Basseri society. The average household has at least sixty sheep but may have as many as one hundred. During prime migratory seasons as many as forty different tents may make camp together, combine their flocks with several herding units and function as a migratory camp. These larger camps are the primary units of the nomadic society and function similarly to a small village of a sedentary society. When two or more of these larger migratory camps combine they are called an â€Å"Oulad†. An Oulad may share a common lineage and consist of ninety or more families. A level above the Oulad, is the Basseri tribe, which may have a population as large as some 15,000 members. The Oulads have a political allegiance to the Basseri tribal chief. We will write a custom essay sample on Basseri Nomads of Iran specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Basseri Nomads of Iran specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Basseri Nomads of Iran specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Basseri tribe has political allegiance to a powerful tribal chief, with little or no notion of common descent. Their allegiances are that of a purely political allegiance and not allegiances derived from familial ancestry, territory, or religious affiliations. The different Basseri tents or camps are free to move and join other groups within the Oulad at any time. Often, inter-tent or camp quarrels are resolved simply by one tent or camp moving to join other communities. The communities within the Oulad do not view other Basseri communities as any type of threat. The Basseri people are unified under one powerful Basseri tribal chief, or Khan. The Khan has great power and prestige and members of his family are also viewed as the â€Å"elite† within the Basseri communities. The Khan often has substantially greater income than that of the average Basseri, typically collected in the form of taxes from other tribesman and Oulads, personal and tribal investments in land holdings, etc. Because of his great wealth the Khan’s generosity and hospitality is expected to be boundless. The Khan’s main function is to allot land for pasturing the flock, scheduling and coordinating the migrations, and settling disputes. He also has the responsibility of representing the tribe to sedentary authorities and looking out for the tribe’s interests. Camps and Oulads seek out strong chiefs and submit themselves to him seeking his protection and help safeguarding their interests. It is important to remember that for the Basseri people â€Å"a tribe† is a political concept and allegiance and not merely an ethnic concept. The unity of the tribe depends wholly on their loyalty to the chief. To earn his tribe’s trust and loyalty he Khan deals directly with the members of his tribe not the intermediaries. The Basseri tribal people are Muslim. However, they do not self-identify as Muslim first. They are deeply spiritual people known for their focus on shrines, belief in the â€Å"evil eye†, exorcisms, and other supernatural influences. As nomads, much of the structure of the Muslim mosque observances, such as holy days are religious rites, are not often followed. In fact, the Basseri have taken special pride in their lax approach to religion. There is no historical evidence of religious fanaticism, they claim no special piety or favor in the eyes of Allah. The Basseri’s central rite observed is the Spring migration. As pastoral nomads their survival and prosperity is dependent upon the land and nature. Therefore, they feel a need to be in tune with their environment and protect it as many other Muslims would feel about their mosques. The Basseri people value their freedom, both political and religious, in comparison to that of settled communities. 1. 1. Social Change 1. 2. 1. Sedentarism? 1. 2. 2. Education and Western influences 1. 2. 3. Environmental changes 1. 2. 4. Urban sprawl References Amanolahi, S. (2003). Socio-Political Changes among the Basseri of South Iran, Iran the Caucasus, Vol. 7, No. 1/2 (2003), pp. 261-277. Retrieved on September 12, 2011 from http://www. jstor. org/stable/4030980 Barth, Fredrik (1961). Nomads of South Persia. Boston: Little, Brown Co. Retrieved on September 12, 2011 from http://www. archive. org/stream/nomadsofsouthper002252mbp#page/n0/mode/2up No Author (No Date). Persian of Iran. Retrieved on September 12, 2011 from http://www. joshuaproject. net/people-profile. php? peo3=14371rog3=IR ZEIDAN, D. (1995). THE MIDDLE EAST HANDBOOK, INFORMATION ON STATES AND PEOPLE GROUPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, VOLUME 4 NOMADS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. Retrieve on September 12, 2011 from http://www. angelfire. com/az/rescon/MEHBKNMD. html

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on The Digital Divide Theory

Digital Divide: Why is it an Issue? Digital divide is the perceived gap between those who have access to the latest information technologies and those who do not (Compaine 1). The idea of Digital Divide does not only consist of computers and the internet, but also regular technologies, many of which we may take for granted. One prime example would be the telephone. More than 80% of people in the world have never even heard a dial tone, let alone surfed the Web (Black, par. 2). Many in the world advocate the theory of Digital Divide, and we cannot deny that those who are not aware of today’s technology are truly in some ways disenfranchised. On the other hand those people who do not have access to these technologies do manage to continue living life, and do not require technology to do so. The fact that they do not have access to telephones, computers etc., does somewhat disable them to take advantage of the enormous opportunities that could be accessed. Many question as to why there is a divide; is it co st, inability, ignorance, or rather just a lack of interest? Today’s economically advanced countries are provided with access to the internet by means of personal home computers, libraries, schools, cafà ©s, and Rios 2 many others. These nations can provide their economies with the internet by providing them in public spaces. The LSTA (The Library Services and Technology Act) is a model federal program for funding libraries to increase the visibility and credibility of the public library as the â€Å"information place in their community (Bertot, McClure, and Ryan 3).† Because of such services anyone can access the internet for free. If there are free opportunities for the general public to utilize technological equipment, then why are there still many who don’t use it? According to Henry Louis Gates, black communities don’t find the content on the net of interest to them (Gates 500). He asserts tha... Free Essays on The Digital Divide Theory Free Essays on The Digital Divide Theory Digital Divide: Why is it an Issue? Digital divide is the perceived gap between those who have access to the latest information technologies and those who do not (Compaine 1). The idea of Digital Divide does not only consist of computers and the internet, but also regular technologies, many of which we may take for granted. One prime example would be the telephone. More than 80% of people in the world have never even heard a dial tone, let alone surfed the Web (Black, par. 2). Many in the world advocate the theory of Digital Divide, and we cannot deny that those who are not aware of today’s technology are truly in some ways disenfranchised. On the other hand those people who do not have access to these technologies do manage to continue living life, and do not require technology to do so. The fact that they do not have access to telephones, computers etc., does somewhat disable them to take advantage of the enormous opportunities that could be accessed. Many question as to why there is a divide; is it co st, inability, ignorance, or rather just a lack of interest? Today’s economically advanced countries are provided with access to the internet by means of personal home computers, libraries, schools, cafà ©s, and Rios 2 many others. These nations can provide their economies with the internet by providing them in public spaces. The LSTA (The Library Services and Technology Act) is a model federal program for funding libraries to increase the visibility and credibility of the public library as the â€Å"information place in their community (Bertot, McClure, and Ryan 3).† Because of such services anyone can access the internet for free. If there are free opportunities for the general public to utilize technological equipment, then why are there still many who don’t use it? According to Henry Louis Gates, black communities don’t find the content on the net of interest to them (Gates 500). He asserts tha...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Health care Capstone Discussions week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health care Capstone Discussions week 4 - Essay Example How important is it for human resource to address training and development needs within the workplace? Evaluate and discuss two situations from a health care setting in which one method would be more appropriate vs. the other method. Question 1: Analyze the overall concept of leadership as reflected in the activities of those who may be referred to as â€Å"managers,† â€Å"supervisors,† or others who direct the efforts of people. How do you believe leadership relates to the concepts of authority, power, and influence? In your discussion post, provide examples of leaders from real life to clarify/support your ideas. As reflected in the activities of those who may be referred to as â€Å"managers† and â€Å"supervisors†, the concept of leadership varies among others who direct the efforts of people. Being a manager or supervisor gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization but not the power of being a leader. Managers or supervisors get assigned leadership by position, making them the â€Å"boss† and not the leader who take a lead to influence others in achieving great things. Based upon the reflection, one can see the relevance of leadership to authority, power and influence. Leadership can be formal or informal and is defined as the ability to influence others towards the attainment of a goal (Marshall, 2011, 62); thus, one must have the skill of influencing other to take the role of leadership. Authority is derived from a formal position or endowed ability, accountability, or right to act and make decisions in an organization which extract obedience from others (Marshall, 2011, 62). Having authority corresponds to assigned leadership by position and does not guarantee that influence towards other members despite obedience. On the other hand, power is the ability to exert influence and the key to leadership (Marshall, 2011, 62). Effective leadership comes with power. In general, one must have the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Article analysis about organizational culture Essay

Article analysis about organizational culture - Essay Example At a first level, a brief description of the article should be provided. After being 12 years in the firm, Greg Smith had realized that the behavior of the organization towards its clients was not appropriate. For this reason, Greg decided to leave the firm even if he had no complaints for his treatment as a member of the workforce (Urstadt 2012). The article is based on the experience of Greg, as an employee of the particular organization, and does not include details in regard to the firm’s employment policies. However, the article reveals an important characteristic of the firm: the lack of publicity in regard to the organization’s culture (Urstadt 2012). The article leads the reader to contradictory assumptions: at a first level, Smith had felt that he should terminate his contract with the specific firm as he could not tolerate the way that the firm’s employees had to treat the customers. On the other hand, Smith notes that despite his opposition in regard t o the firm’s practices the benefits that an individual can enjoy by working in the particular organization are significant. The article includes the personal views of the author, Urstadt (2012) in regard to the story of Greg Smith. ... A major firm, like Goldman Sachs, would be expected to have clear rules in regard to the promotion of ethics and fairness across its departments. Still, through the article of Greg it is revealed that well-known firms, such as Goldman Sachs, do not necessarily operate on the basis of a particular cultural framework. Rather, they can continuously alternate their policies, as appropriate, so that the success of their operations is guaranteed. In the context of a multidimensional analysis, the article would be analyzed by using different criteria. The article has been well-structured showing providing primarily a brief description of Greg’s qualities, as an employee, and of his position within the particular organization. Then, reference is made to the organizational practice that led Greg to leave the firm, i.e. the use of an offensive word by managers when discussing for customers (Urstadt 2012). At the next level, the author gives his personal view on Greg’s justificati ons in regard to his decision to terminate his employment contract with Goldman Sacks. Reference is made to the character of Greg, especially of his lack of awareness in regard to his actual capabilities. The benefits that Greg enjoyed as an employee of Goldman Sachs are also presented. In this way, readers are able to evaluate the appropriateness of Greg’s decision and his actual motives. Using the theory related to organizational culture, the following issues would be highlighted: the organizational culture of each firm needs to be clearly stated so that its stakeholders are able to understand their role in relation to the firm’s activities. However, it is possible, under certain terms, that the elements of organizational culture are not made known to the public.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Cost Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cost Control - Essay Example The new methods are based on activity based costing which helps in cost control up to the managerial level. Cost Control and Project Management Cost control has become a very important management tool for construction industry as it does not only helps to make a certain project successful but also gives idea to the construction firm about the most profitable project. The cost control systems can generate data which can be used for progress payment requests and future bidding predictions. Cost Control Systems and Cost Accounts An efficient cost control system is necessary for proper execution of a project. Following are the steps which are mandatory for a successful design and maintenance of a Cost Control System: 1. Determination and allocation of cost accounts is the first step for a cost control system. Proper breakdown of a project into various heads based on type of activity and work is essential. These heads into which the project is divided are known as cost accounts. Establish ing cost accounts helps in maintaining a relationship between the project expenditure and the general accounts of the firm. 2. The formulation of a proper project cost plan is the next step because it helps in setting up a mechanism according to which the actual cost of the project could be compared with the estimated/budgeted cost. Moreover project cost plan also helps in relating costs of the project to the project schedule. 3. Cost Data Collection is the next step in which the actual cost data is collected by various means which include historical data, vendor quotations, supplier catalogs and market surveys. 4. Project Cost Reporting should be done according to the requirement of managerial staff and the Cost Control Engineer should be able to identify the data which is beneficial to the managerial staff. 5. After collecting the data and analyzing it, the final step is selection of Cost Engineering techniques best suited to the project scenario. Cost Coding System and Structure Since the construction projects are of very large magnitude and there is a huge amount of data which has to be organized. Cost coding systems are used for organizing the cost control data so that the required information can be accessed easily. Various organizations like American Road Builders Association, Associated General Contractors and the Construction Specifications Institute have developed cost coding systems and a project manager and cost control engineer can select the appropriate system according to the project under consideration. The cost coding system helps in giving a proper structure to the cost control breakdown of a project. Various cost accounts are given cost codes according to the detail incorporated in them. Cost control codes have various detail levels, the longer is the cost code the higher is the detail present in it. The various details which are present in a cost code are project initiation year, project type, project number, construction type classificatio n, work classification, functional classification etc. This makes project codes as long as 13-digit, but these details can easily be processed in computers and is also understandable as the people working in the cost control department have a very clear idea of these codes. Cost control matrix is another way of controlling cost which traces the overlapping areas between material and work cost accounts. Earned Value Method Earned Value Meth

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Kings Contributions To Development Of Thailand History Essay

The Kings Contributions To Development Of Thailand History Essay With the constitutional monarchy belonging to the country, on 9 June, 1946 at the tender age of 18, King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended the throne in the name head of state by not involving to political activities for leading country after the death of his brother, King Ananda. Due to the law of constitution, the king was restricted into a narrow role and segregated from the reign of power; however, with the purpose of developing nation and being capable, the king establish his base of support among Thai people which was the step of his mission. The absence of government support had made the king face to harsh reality in his initial phase of his development effort, but the king still was able to continue his efforts. For over 6 decades of reign, King Bumibol Adulyadej has contributed a number of developments in social, economic and political field to his nation and got more respects from his people constantly. His Majestys contributions to social and economic development The first decade of kings contributions (1946-1955): Mainly focusing on rural development, the king had set up thousands of development projects aiming to promote potential consumption among the Thai rural poor. For instance, in early 1950s, the severe epidemics ravaged the Thai population and caused people loss of life, physical impairment and chronic suffering, as the consequence, the king personally set up the project of promotion of large scale disease control by contributing over 2,000,000 baths, and more importantly, from this project, many constructions of rural hospitals were established to serve public. Besides this project, many agricultural projects were established at the same time in order to accelerate the rural poors living standard. From this flying in northeastern Thailand over Phuphan Mountain in 1955, the king notice the inadequate rainfall to the arable land belonging to farmers; as the result, from this understanding over the facts farmer faced, the king started to set up project of water irrigation to help poor farmer for their cultivation. From this project, the idea of artificial rain introduced by His Majesty was facilitated by technological advances; moreover, fresh water for public consumption was also introduced under this water management project. In the educational sector, His Majesty set up the scholarship fund in 1955under the name of Ananda Mahidol to enable outstanding students to gain more academic knowledge abroad to serve the nation. The second decade of kings contributions (1956-1965): In this second decade of reign, His Majesty still continued to take many actions to broaden his rural development mission. At this time, His Majesty, moreover, started to strengthen the diplomatic tie with other nations with the belief that it is a key to stabilize Thailands security and continue Thailands prosperity. For second decade of his reign, His Majesty had spent most of his time abroad with long-version mission for his country. By mid-1960, His Majesty had embarked on a whirlwind tour of 15 nations in North America and Europe. Between 1961 and 1967, His Majesty visited 13 other countries in Asia, Australia, and made similar visits to Germany, Austria and the US (Bangkok Post, 2006). The visits of His Majesty aimed to establish international diplomatic relationships between Thailand and the globe, and more importantly to express Thailands image on the international stage in order to gain countrys international credibility. Furthermore, seeking Western support in countering the spread of communism which was a threat to Thai national security was considered as the underlining objective of the visit of His Majesty who wanted to strengthen the democratic system in his country for making prosperous living for his Thai people. From this state visiting of His Majesty, Thailand did get huge recognition and acknowledgement from international community; as the result of His Majestys diplomatic efforts, Thailand was considered as the significant actor in the arena of foreign affairs which contributed a significant role in helping to creating ASEAN. In the internal affair of Thailand in 1960, Thailand faced the worst national disaster which a severe typhoon devastated the thirteen provinces in southern of country, and at the same through his Au Sau Radio program, His Majesty raised 11 million baht from the donations of public to emergency help victims affected by natural disasters. Later on, in 1963 many foundat ions were established under the effort of His Majesty with purpose of emergency help and rebuild some infrastructure after getting natural disaster. Besides, His Majesty continued his effort on the agricultural section by conducting many research and experimentation to explore new methods of rice cultivation and dairy farming for his poor farmers and to see his Thai people with fuller stomach. From his hard-working on social development, His Majesty earned and organized his broad-base public support. The third decade of kings contributions (1966-1975): In 1971, artificial rain services were officially offered to the farmer by The Royal Rain-Making Research and Development Project. From this artificial rain services, the serious effects of the dry season to the farmers were reduced and people were able do their cultivation with other water management project efficiently; moreover, His Majesty still contribute his active involvement in this operation of the project till the present day. With the free charge of the Royal Rain provided by His Majesty, Thai farming enjoyed the significant benefit in cultivation even though the highly developed technological base was introduced in country by government. Moreover, from this royal rain services, His Majesty is remained in the heart of Thai people mostly Thai farmers up to nowadays. During the second decade of his reign, many complex problems were faced by Thai society; for this reason, His Majesty set up the approach to every issue with way of wisdom and sensitivity. His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej (December 15, 1970) delivered the speech to public that I dont wish to see anybody succumb to anybody else. I am for democracy. But we must create genuine and appropriate democracy. Democracy without wisdom will turn in chaos. And that Chaos will develop into anarchyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we must respect the dignity of humans, the dignity of individuals. We should think of how to promote peoples dignity. From this valued approach, His Majesty won the hearts of minority group in the Northern Thailand, and His Majesty could hold the hands of both side -the minority group and the government- to a solution over the problem of opium production done by minority group. Later on, His Majesty could convince the minority group to give up their traditional cultivation by planting opium, and to adopt the cash crops cultivation introduced under the royal project set up by His Majesty. Following this new cultivation, the minority group was ab le to enhance their standard of living with the higher income contributed to their budget. As a consequence, the illegal supply of opium from the northern part of country was extremely reduced, and that was considered as a great sign for Thailand to adopt legal market in the country with best obvious approaches to solution contributed by His Majesty. The fourth decade of kings contributions (1976-1985): For this decade of his reign, His Majesty still set up his commitment to rural development. The royal co-operative project was established for the purpose to teach farmer to rely on themselves by cooperating with each other and to help them from the exploitation of middleman merchants, capitalists, and the capital investment; moreover, from this project, His Majesty initiated the first Rice Bank in 1975 and the Cow and Buffalo Bank in 1979. At Thammasat University when visiting for musical performance, His Majesty (March 6, 1971) delivered a speech to farmers over the problem of exploitation from the middleman that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if one wants to solve this problem, the starting point is to coalesce in groups, as a group of consumers have contact with the group of producers. Agreements should be made and there should probably be an establishment of a mill house or negotiations with the mill owner in order to prevent the middleman p rocess. If all rice consumers set up groups, buying paddies and milling paddies themselves or having them milled by an agreed operator, passing through one channel, the producers, the millers and the consumers could solve the question of the middleman. As the result, The Rice Bank was the part of the royal co-operative project and guideline to ensure that the project would get success. From the Rice Bank, farmers have to join together and keep their rice into the bank barn which means that it is the source of reserved food; moreover, the Rice Bank had its committee which practiced as the keeper and decided to give loan with minimum interest rate to farmers for consumption or to be used in their cultivation. From this policy, it helped the poor farmers from exploitation of outsiders. Cows and buffalos were the essential element for farmers to do their cultivation; however, some poor farmers were not able to own cow or buffalo for their cultivation. By understanding this issue, His Ma jesty initiated the Cow and Buffalo Bank to his poor farmer. From the Cow and Buffalo Bank, poor farmers were able to borrow cow or buffalo from the bank to use in any beneficial ways according to the agreement of the bank; moreover, poor farmers could also do long-term purchase installment for cow or buffalo with agricultural purposes. More importantly, the research and development centre was established in 1979 to guarantee that many new development methods and projects would provide to rural development. His Majestys actions were more recognized by public and the government. Shortly after this establishment of centre, in 1981, understanding the sustainable actions of His Majesty to rural development, the government discovered the office of the Royal Development Projects Board (RDPB) matched to His Majestys Royal projects by contributing professional and financial assistance from the appropriate agencies within the government; therefore, from this discovery, it led to have the inc rease of floating fund to the budget, so many other His Majestys initiated projects have increased in number as well. The fifth decade of kings contributions (1986-1995): Again and again, His Majesty showed his commitment in social development which started in the first decade of his reign without support from the government till the fifth decade of his reign with a number of supports from public and the government. Many projects related to water irrigation, preventing soil erosion, building canal, etc were continued with contributions of His Majesty. From 50-year experience engaging in the development practice, His Majesty had revolutionized a new approach called The New Theory which was outlined into three parts to serve as guideline for farmer to get self-sufficient in their life. From this new approach, the farmers have firstly to empower themselves by starting with their individual level, and then they have to strengthen the entire community in order to effectively collaborate with the outside, and the last point is to envision fair and equal partnership between their community and the private sectors. His Majesty strongly believed that if the farmers can adopt this approach, it is clearly sure that they will improve their living standard. The six decade of kings contributions (1996-2006): In the six decade of His Majestys reign, Thailand faced the unexpected and dramatic collapse of its economy caused by financial crisis in 1997. This crisis caused millions of Thai people jobless and seriously affected to the whole country and region. Soon, His Majesty introduced the new approach or theory called Self-Sufficiency Economy to his country. (This point is going to be discussed in economic His Majestys contributions part.) His Majestys contributions to economic crisis There are many causes of the economic crisis in Thailand in 1997; however, one of those causes was the too much expansion of production with no buyer. For Thailand, from this crisis, it is the costly lesson of unbalance and unstable growth which partly due to the situation of economic and social process depending heavily on foreign capital flow and external market. With the understanding of the source of causes of crisis, His Majesty introduced the Self-Sufficiency Economy philosophy to his nation by giving an interesting speech to his people that In fact, I have often saidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to be a tiger is not important. The important thing is for us to have a self-supporting economy. A self-supporting economy means to have enough to survive. From this speech, His Majesty convinced that it was not too much important for Thailand to hold the position as an economic tiger, or be recognized as a newly industrialized country, but what much important is the living in moderation and being s elf-reliant in order to prevent ourselves from the destabilization caused by the external actors in the globe. The main concept of the Sufficiency Economy is to enable Thailand to remain self-reliant, staying in middle path between society at the local level and the market in the global context, reserve of richness of the ecosystems and survival without the necessity of intervention from external factors. From this concept, the government now commonly include in many development project for the country.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

It’s a Hard Knock Life for Them Essay -- Literary Analysis

In both Katherine Porter’s â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall† and Eudora Welty’s â€Å"Why I Live in the P.O.†, the main characters deal with family members they frankly do not like. Due to both of their being jilted by men, they are full of resentment and anger causing these women to leave their families on bad terms. Porter and Welty are presenting through the character’s flashbacks and memories that we should pick our battles wisely when it comes to our families because one day they will be gone and, some of us might miss our deceased loved ones, like Granny from â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall†, or be filled with a hatred towards them, like Sister from â€Å"Why I Live in the P.O.†. Porter and Welty both provide flashbacks and memories in their stories to help the reader see what Granny and Sister’s lives were like before everything fell apart with their families. Porter’s â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall† is packed of the flashbacks and memories of Granny’s past relationships with the only people she loves even though are all dead. She reminisced about her youthful days when she was strong, independent, and with John, the man who stood her up at the altar and died when Granny was young. She still loves him and wants to see him, but â€Å"John would be looking for a young woman with the peaked Spanish comb in her hair and the painted fan,† (Porter 81) she believed he would not recognize her. Granny also lost one of her daughters, Hapsy along with her newborn who also died. When Granny brought those memories to the surface a fog of darkness, clouds reality and she gets lost and recalls that, â€Å"there was the day, the d ay, but a whirl of dark smoke rose and covered it, crept up and over into the bright field where everything was planted so c... ...to be pertinacious like Sister. The flashbacks allow the reader to go back with the characters and see what we missed out on, example; Granny’s happier days, when she had her man and she was strong and young, or Sister’s happier days when she also had her man and was treated respectably by certain members of her family. Furthermore, I believe the point both authors proposed was this, â€Å"Choose battles wisely and forgive or, forever suffer continuous loss.† Works Cited Porter, Katherine. â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.† Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 79-86. Print. Welty, Eudora. â€Å"Why I Live at the P.O.† Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 42-50. Print.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Earth Is Being Harmed by Human Activity

Some people believe that the earth is being harmed by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the earth a better place to live in. What is your opinion ? First, human activity causes many kinds of animals and plants to disaster. Today many species of living beings died or near died out. We only can see some animals in the zoo because in nature they have disappeared. Human beings have been using their brains and machines to remake nature for many thousands of years.We use the habitats of animals and plant. We eat their food and eat them as food, because animals and plants cannot grow fast to satisfy human beings, we cannot see them today. If some animals are delicious, we eat them. No animals can copy with human beings. Secondly, human beings cause pollution to the Earth. I remember when I was young; I drank water from the river and stream. Today, we can only drink bottled water bought from the market, because natural water is polluted by human activities.Air in some cou ntries is polluted very badly, so many people died of lung cancer. I saw some reports that say in London people could not see each other clearly in a short distance in the morning because of smoke and fog. Finally, population on the Earth exacerbate rapidly. Human beings need more food and shelters because of increased population. More food and houses mean more needs from the Earth. Thus people need to cut more trees to build houses.People need to plant more vegetables and feed more cattle, so they demand more lands from the nature. Thus people are destroying more forests and natural lands. The living beings are losing their habitats. Take into account of all factors I think the earth is being harmed by human activity. Today we cannot breathe fresh air and dink natural water. We have not enough places to live. We worry about our heath because of pollution.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Cookies essays

Cookies essays Cookies and doughnuts are both yummy treats, but they also have their advantages and disadvantages. Cookies for instance can be produces with relative ease in any kitchen using flour, water, sugar and eggs. Doughnuts on the other hand are not usually made at home, hence all of the doughnut shops. This is one disadvantage to doughnuts; they are relatively difficult to produce. Doughnuts are made from the same ingredients as cookies, but they also have east in them to give them a more beadlike quality than unleavened cookies. Cookies are traditionally made by combining the ingredients listed and adding something like chocolate or nuts. The cookies are then baked at around 375 degrees for about eight minutes or until they are golden brown. They are then allowed to cool and then they are served. Doughnuts are not as simple as coolies. The dough must be prepared using flour, water, eggs, and then another ingredient; yeast, to add the tiny air pockets that make the dough rise and to make them so edible. After the dough has risen, it can be shaped into the familiar ring shape either by rolling it into snake-like portions or, more commonly, spreading the dough thickly over a flat surface using a device not unlike a cookie cutter. The popular doughnut shop, Krispy Kreme has developed a doughnut extrusion process that results in their distinctive rosette shape with curved vertical ridges on the sides. After the dough is shaped, it is cooked using hot oil or fat. This oil is at a much higher temperature than that used to bake cookies. The dough is then cooked to produce a golden-brown crust on the outside while still maintaining a soft core. Sugar may then be applied. This consists of little more than putting sugar and flavoring on the outside of the doughnut in the form of icing, powered sugar, or a glaze which is which is a shell of sugar coating the doughnut. Cake doughnuts are also produced this way using fewer eggs to give t ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Communism In China

Communism In China Free Online Research Papers The Development of Communist China Why were the Communists able to come to power in China? The Communists were able to come to power principally because of the policies and actions used by the Guomindang of which the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) took advantage. However, in addition to this, there were also some substantial factors such as the conditions during the beginning of the twentieth century, and various complications in the republic of China and the Japanese War (1937-45), which led to the vulnerability and insufficiency of the GMD (Ground-based Midcourse Defense) during the Civil War. Their leader, Chiang Kai-shek, lost the support of the majority, mainly peasants and intellectuals, to the CCP, which contributed to their success in war, and he was no longer able to continue dictating China. In combination with GMDs actions, Mao Zedong, the communist leader was able to take over and declare, the by then already united nation, the Peoples Republic of China. The discontent in China was rooted in problems, which arose during the early twentieth century. In addition to this the CCP was able to use the situation in order to give people hope as well as help, which won the majority to the communist side. Until the early twentieth century, Chinas rule was based on dynasties, which followed the Confucian theories. The Chinese thought of their nation as Zhongguo-the center of the world, disclaiming any interest in the west. The Qing dynasty, established in 1644, ruled China over 250 years. Already during the nineteenth century, China had been weakened through foreign trade, war and influence. As the discontentment increased, the people wanted to alter the situation and showed concern about the outcome of the Boxer Rebellion. This Rebellion and its aftermath prompted some reforms in China. However, it was a case of too little, too late. The Qing dynasty was seen to be failing the people of China. It had lost its right to the Mandate from Heaven. In 1908 the Dowager Empress, CiXi, died and her three year-old grand nephew, PuYi, was proclaimed emperor. The discontent grew even further, therefore several groups, such as the Tongmenghui, organized to overthrow the Qing. Surprisingly, the actual uprising developed on 10 October 1911 among a group of plotters in the army, which soon controlled the province of Wuchang. This action inspired others and due to the consequences of the Wuchang Uprising. On 1 January 1912 Sun Yatsen (a member of Tongmenghui) was announced the provincial president of the Republic of China. Still, he was forced to resign from the provisional presidency because of Yuan Shikai, who organized the abdication of the Qing emperor in return for his own appointment as president of the republic. Also in 1912, a new revolutionary party was formed. This party, called the Guomindang, believed in parliamentary democracy and the principle of electing the officials. Because Yuan disagreed with GMDs ideas, he outlawed it in 1913. One year later WWI broke out in Europe and Japan took advantage of the outbreak. By 1915, they invaded Quingdao and confronted Yuan Shikai with a list of twenty one demands, to some extend controlling and influencing the economic situation on China. These demands were not only exceptionally harmful to the economy but they were also seen as extreme humiliations to the Chinese people. In 1916, after Yuans death, Sun Yatsen took over the nation. He promoted modernization and the revolt against obedience. When the First World War ended the Chinese assumed their allies would reward them. Due to rejection of the award, they developed a New Culture movement, which was pro democracy and education, but rejected Confucianism and old ways. Furthermore, they declined the democratic systems of Great Britain and France. In 1919, when at Versailles the allies decided not to reward China, the people were outraged. A rebellion, called the May 4th Movement took place, demanding a more Socialist system . At this stage, the Soviet regimes and their withdrawal from the war started to appear to the Chinese. Two years after the signing of the Treaty, in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was set up in Beijing and Paris, with leaders Mao Zedong and Chou Enlan. In sum, the Chinese had lived in insecure conditions, of which some are due to major problems and disruption after European penetration in early nineteenth century. Therefore, the people were looking for a government, which would bring solutions and put a final end to their struggle. In order for the Communists to come to power, they turned the mistakes of Guomindangs policies and actions into an even more positive view of themselves to the people. At the beginning the GMD sought to bring about a democratic revolution. Their socialist leader, Sun Yatsen, therefore introduced three principles, Nationalism, Democracy and Peoples livelihood. His idea of Nationalism consisted of a strong central government, which would have had to be able to expel foreign influence and restore independence of China. Democracy was suns attempt to secure liberty and equality, in a country, which previously had a long history of imperial dynastic rule. In addition to this he demanded a fair distribution of wealth such as land and reflection of peoples livelihood. It became obvious that there was no harmony in the Chinese society. Mainly the warlords and foreigners increasingly contributed to the division of the country. In addition an opposition established of privileged classes. After Sun Yatsens death in 1925, Chiang Kai-Shek (also a GMD member) took over GMD leadership, confronting his problems in a more aggressive way than Sun did. Chiang, being a general, set priorities, in which he had put the military unification first, whereas any other reforms were regarded of a minor importance. Already after two years of being a president, he dictated a massacre in the city of Shanghai where 6000 communists were ruthlessly killed. By expelling the Communists and left wing GMD members and coalition, of which the government existed, split. Therefore, Chiang organized his own nationalist government at Nanjing, in 1928. He couldnt fulfill Sun Yatsens ideas of nationalism because e didnt prevent the Japanese from invading. He was unable to totally unite China also because of his desire to alienate the CCP and the peasants. He also allied with the landlords and the warlords making the concept of Peoples Livelihood a policy no longer profitable or even possible to be pursued. This was because the landlords and the warlords were cruelly taking advantage of the people, making their life miserable. Democracy, which he never reached, was no issue for Chiang, due to lack of basics in such a political leadership. He never gave the people a right to demand their will, for example. During the Sino- Japanese War of 1937-45, within 3 months Shanghai and Nanjing had fallen, showing GMDs useless leadership skills and lack of tactics and efficient battle experience, against Japanese harsh, better equipped and organized attacks. The retreat of GMDs local officials to Chongqing exposed large areas of China to CCP influence. Chiang, being a military dictator, believed that Chinas unity could only be achieved by force of arms and overthrow of those, who resisted nationalist government, including primarily the communists and only later warlords and finally the Japanese. To make up their economic losses and to lessen the inflation, the Guomindang introduced a system of taxes and credit in the countryside. These were extremely unfair ad they contributed to the increase of discontent among the people. The land rent, which was to be paid by the peasants, made up 45% of their total harvest. If the rent was not paid, farmers were likely to wind up in prison because landlords w ere strongly supported by law. Also, when collecting the land taxes, the tax collector was often free to charge whatever the peasants could afford, because they did not know what the legal rate was. This reflects how distant Chiangs legal and financial and legal system was from the peasants, which made up 90% of the population It can be concluded, that within the GMD government there was no, after Sun, no interest in a social revolution and those reforms were made, had little effect outside larger towns or the welfare of the majority of the population. Thus, initial support for GMD was alienated as the Chinese still looked for a solution not only to their social, political and economic problems but also to the expulsion of the Japanese invaders. A very important factor in determining the success for the CCP was in fact their policies and actions they introduced during the Japanese war and in the areas they controlled. After WWI, the Chinese economy began to experience a crisis. The war time demand for Chinese products, currency manipulations (internationally in the 1920s) as well as the world depression in the 1930s, all contributed to the unbearable situation . Partly because of the weakened unstable central government, which was unable to solve these critical economic problems, the emergence of a signifi cant movement, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was necessary. In 1921, a few young radicals, including Mao Zedong, held the first congress of the CCP. He later said: The communist ideological and social system alone is full of youth and vitality, sweeping the world with the momentum of an avalanche and the force of a thunderbolt.† At that stage, the party was not considered to be able to ever rule China. Three years after their first congress, the Chinese Communists were advised to enter into a cooperative relationship with the GMD, by Michael Bordin a Russian political adviser, who helped in the building up of Sun Yatsens party. By 1924, the CCP and GMD united in order to defeat the warlords, which were still partially ruling Chinese provinces. But after Suns death, Chiang Kai-Shek took over (1925) and he was regarded as a super warlord. This coalition lasted until Chiang Kai-sheks leadership year (1927). By expelling the communists from the government and organizing the anti CCP, Shanghai massacre, Chiang destroyed the CCP-GMD alliance, declaring a rival government at Nanjing. Therefore the communists were forced to set up their Red base areas, from where they could promote their influences into China. In contrast to the conservative GMD, the Communist Party grew rapidly, pushing policies such as land reform and labor unions. These differences made Chiang execute thousands of CCP and union members. Those, who were lucky enough to escape this bloody purge either took the hills or went underground in the cities. They began to abandon their urban preoccupations, because it was in the cities, where Chiang had the greatest power. The communists therefore realized that their opportunity lay in the suffering countryside and the peasantry. By 1930, Mao together with other communist rebels established a rural base area in southeastern province Jiangxi. For success among the peasants they began to work out more equitable land policies, military tactics involving the local peasants and other doctrines. In October 1934 about 100, 000 communists began the Long March, which covered over 6 thousand miles. This gave the communists an important strategic advantage, because although it was in effect a tactical defeat militarily this came with beneficial psychological and organizational effects that included positive involvement of peasants along the route of the march. The CCP proclaimed that they were marching to fight Japan, at a time when people all over China became increasingly disturbed by Japanese incursions in the north. In the public mind, the CCP knew what their problems were and were, more importantly, prepared to do something about the situation. Therefore, the Second World War was a useful opportunity, where they showed their efficient guerrilla warfare under Maos firm leadership. More and more peasants became actively resistant, because of the Japanese atrocities. As a result of the weakness or absence of local notables, the communists were able to place themselves at the head of this movement of popular patriotic resistance to the foreign invaders. The CCP also included the status of women into their policies. As Mao said, Women hold up half the sky. With these reforms the communists were able to free women from their husbands and other men, in the same way they freed the peasants form the landlords and the moneylenders. Therefore, it can be said that the communist policies and tactics appealed to the Chinese people, which were desperately searching for solutions. CCP gave different types of society a better status and chance to contribute to the nations development, be it the Japanese war or just social and economic impro vement. For the CCP to replace the GMD, the requirement of masses, especially peasants and intellectuals was required. With more appealing policies and actions, they were able to achieve their aim, establishing the Peoples Republic of China. Peasants, making up the majority of the Chinese population, were facing increasingly harsh conditions. They had to struggle on a limited crop producing area and with a growing population. Also inflation and Great Depression (1929) made their lives unbearable, due to the constantly increasing taxes, interest rates and high land rentals. Although Mao, the communist leader, did not initially believe that peasants could lead the revolution in China, he said later: Peasants will rise like a mighty storm, like a hurricane, a force so swift and violent, that no power, however great, will be able to hold it back. They will smash all the trammels that bind them and rush forward along the road to liberation. They will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officers, local tyrants, and evil gentry into their graves. Indeed, the communists have proven that their ability to take control f the country was a reasonable fact. During the times of peace the key to winning over the peasants was land reforms, lower taxes, the abolition of dept and the creation of local self-government. The Red Army (communist army), during the Japanese war as well as the civil war, proved to be courageous and careful not to offend peasants. They tried to fairly distribute the land, support the women, and encourage the people to join up, valuing education and prestige. Unlike the communists, the GMD had no support for the peasants to offer. They led them (peasants) to an absolute despair, during the quiet time but also used and mistreated them during the times of war. Another important group of society were the intellectuals, whose approval traditionally mattered in China. From the GMD they were already alienated in the 1920s and 1930s, but the CCP found them to be a key class towards the revolution. This can be seen from two points of view. For the communists there was a fear that the intellectuals might not support their ideas. The more positive side was the desire to take advantage of the intellectuals skills. To win these intellectuals, the CCP supported them by arranging the provision of salaries and other facilities. They also organized Party-controlled associations for each intellectual area. This way the CCP was able to see, how their ideas were taken and how they developed. The two key classes, intellectuals and peasants, were convinced by the CCP and considered the communist ideas as a solution to their problems. Thus, the CCP used this situation to persuade the people of China and therefore by receiving the support from the majority the communists were able to come to power. Because of the foreign influences, such as Japanese and Western, the Chinese feared for the safety of their nation. If we do not promote nationalism and weld together these 400 million people into one strong race, China will face the tragedy of being destroyed as a nation and extinct as a race. Even though Chiang tried to unify China he was not able to succeed, due to the control of warlords and also even more significantly, because of constant Japanese interference. Their troops occupied Manchuria in 1931, Chinas rich northeastern region. One year later, the Japanese established a puppet state of Manchuko there, and during the next few years they pushed southward into the provinces around Beijing. By 1937, they mobilized a full-scale invasion, which resulted in Japanese occupation of all the major cities, from Beijing in the north to Canton in the south. With their official slogan Kill all, destroy all, burn all, the Japanese troops behaved with terrible cruelty. Through such brutality the Chinese lost their best troops in the first weeks of the war. The loss of the cities was a major disaster for Chiang, whose economic lifeline was the cities. As he was not only fighting against the Japanese but also he was confronting the Communists. The Japanese are a disease of the skin, but the Communists are a disease of the heart. With this comment, he clearly state the hate he has towards the Communist, which turns out to be greater than the one against the Japanese. Still, to fight both he needed to be able to fund modern armies. Money for these came mostly from taxes. Although, agriculture was the largest sector of the economy, the landowners were not taxed, because GMD needed their political support. However, because of the Japanese occupation, many conservative local leaders fled, removing the direct influence and consequently their usefulness to the GMD. These Nationalists difficulties bought the Communists a chance to prove themselves and take advantage of the situation. They were able to practice guerrilla warfare and Japanese atrocities played into their hands by driving millions of peasants into active resistance. In the Japanese war, the GMD had no chance, because their troops were badly organized and maintained and showed latter respect towards the peasants as well as their own soldiers. This made the people form China realise that in their situation, the Communist regime was the only one at that time, able to lead the nation towards improvement. Therefore it can be said, that the Japanese War was the perfect opportunity for the Communists to get the majority on their side and make them reject the GMD. Another major contribution to Communist takeover of China was the Civil War, which lasted from 1946 to 89. By autumn of 1946 the fighting between the Nationalists and the Communists was out of control. To the majority it appeared as if the GMD was in an appropriate position and therefore had a chance to win the Civil War. This was because they had a big stockpile of US weapons and their army outnumbered the CCPs by 3 to 1. The PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) took control of the countryside, whil e Chiang occupied nearly all cities even Yanan. During the Civil War the Nationalists managed to clear all communist units from central and south China, which did not contribute to the increase of power for their armies. There were three main reasons for this. Firstly, the Communists avoided large-scale battles; therefore the Nationalist advance did not imply the destruction of communist military forces. Secondly, the Nationalists were not able to consolidate their hold on lines of communication, e.g. railways and roads. This way their units had problems with receiving supplies or even being cut off completely. Finally the drastic increase of CCP forces, caused by peasants, which joined to fight on the side of the Communists. When the Civil War began the GMD was advantaged by their military manpower, three times privileged in weaponry. But still, they were unable to convert these into a secure victory, due to their weak leadership qualities and the condition of the rank-and-file soldiers. GMD officers were known to be brutal an unfair, beating their men and swindle them of their pay and food. For families of those soldiers, who had fallen during the Civil War, there was no support scheme, even though they lost their labor and faced harsh economic circumstances. As mentioned above, in contrast, communist armies had major strengths, which compensated for the early disadvantages regarding manpower and equipment. Even their officers were prepared to cooperate in regional strategies, without taking personal advantage. They fairly supplied the army with arms, medical services and food. Unlike the Nationalists, Communists also gave the rank and file regular political training, creating an understanding of the pu rpose of the war as well as the intentions of the party in promotion of reform for conquered areas and in support of their families. Due to their previously learned experience during the Japanese war, the Communists were qualified to fight with flexible tactics against their enemy, which lacked these abilities. The decisive battle took place in Xuzhou, the main defense point for denying the Communists access to the lower Yangzi region from the north. With half a million deaths on each side the battle lasting two months, came to and end with a total Communist victory by 10 January 1949, with over 300 thousand Nationalist troops taken prisoner. Therefore it can be concluded that the Communist victory resulted from their military strengths and socio-political programs, as well as the opposite status and position of their enemy, the military weaknesses and other features of the GMD. Overall, it can be disclosed that the Communists came to power in China mainly because of their useful methods, in which the mistakes of the Guomindang were taken advantage of. Besides, the CCP was able to fight more efficiently in the Civil and Japanese War, protecting the majority instead of ignoring it. The Communist leader, Mao Zedong, was finally able to take over the nation and proclaim it the Peoples Republi c of China. Bibliography  · Buggy T., The Long Revolution, Shakespeare Head Press, Melbourne, 1988  · Chu S.C. et al, Li Hung Chang and Chinas early Modernization, East Gate, New York, 1994  · Clubb O., 20th Century China, Colombia University press, London,1978  · Cowie, H.R., Asia and Australia in World Affairs (vol 3), Nelson, Melbourne, 1987  · Cowie, H.R. ,Obedience or Choice, the major issues of the modern world, Jacaranda Press, Milton, QLD, 1986  · Escherick, J.W., The Origins of the Boxer Uprising, University of California press, London, 1987  · Fairbank J.K., China bound, a fifty year memoir, Harper Colophon Books, New York, 1982  · Fritzgerald C.B., The Birth of Communist China, Penguin, USA, 1971  · Hinton H.C., The Peoples Republic of China 1919-1984, Scholary Resources Inc., New York, 1986  · Hoepper et al, Inquiry 1, Jacaranda , Melbourne, 1996  · Hooper B, China Stands Up, ending the western presence 1948-1950, Allen Unwin, Sydney, 1986  · Hsu I, The Rise of Modern China (fifth edition), Oxford University press, Colorado (Boulder), 1982  · Laffey M., Mao and the Struggle for China, Heinemann, Hong Kong, 1992  · Mackerras C. et al, Dictionary of the Politics of the Peoples Republic of China, WW Norton Co, New York, 1990  · Thornton R.C., Chinas Political History 1917-1980, Westview press, Colorado (Boulder), 1982  · Ward H., China in the Twentieth Century, Heinemann Edu, Hong Kong, 1990 Research Papers on Communism In ChinaDefinition of Export QuotasQuebec and Canada19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Influences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBringing Democracy to AfricaThe Fifth HorsemanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPETSTEL analysis of India

Monday, November 4, 2019

WK4SUBJ Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WK4SUBJ - Assignment Example His diet in the last 24 hours includes corn flakes, milk, three apples, diet soda, rice and chicken. He is currently not on any medication. He takes fluids regularly, at least one liter of clean water daily. His physical exercise involves walking to and from work daily, a total of 4 miles. He spends most of his day standing or walking around the factory. No psychological stress reported. On inspection, the client looks healthy and of normal weight. The current total body weight is 73kg, which has not increased in last three months. The client does not have any problem chewing, walking or in performance of other activities. There is no report of muscular, joints or bone throbbing. Client reports having had a fall in childhood that resulted in a dislocated knee joint. The dislocation was handled, and there was no further problems with the knee. No other problem was reported involving the muscles, joints or bones. The client has completed tetanus and polio immunization schedule. The client has never been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, SLE or sickle cell anemia. The client has regular exercise. He walks to work (4 miles) each day. In cases of muscular pain, the client uses anti-inflammatory balm for relief. The client does not smoke or take alcohol. He likes taking a diet soda on weekends. His typical diet includes milk, bread, rice and beef. He works at a chemical factory where most of his day is spent standing or walking around. He reports normal sexual life and is not stressed. Client reports slight headache that was on and off in the last one week. There is no report of seizure activity accompanying the headache. Bending and strenuous activity exacerbated the headache. There is no report of decreased sensation of taste, smell, hearing or sight. The client has adequate memory and reports no problems with hearing, swallowing or body control. There is a positive history of high blood pressure in the family. The client’s mother is

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Corporate Culture on the Example of AIG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Culture on the Example of AIG - Essay Example Similar happened with American International Group (AIG) - one of the world’s leading insurers. This case analysis is built up at delving deep into corporate culture factors which paved the way for AIG’s doom, conduct of AIG executives worsening the situation and alternative route AIG could have taken to prevent its downfall. Role of AIG’s corporate culture in its downfall Corporate culture of a firm constitutes the environment in which employees work, rules and regulations which mold their working practices and even the leadership under which employees learn to differentiate between right and wrong. AIG’s culture was not up-to-the-mark in terms of true leadership, correct human resource policies and even ways and means to capture and exploit business opportunities. Hank Greenberg, the CEO of AIG was into lobbying and made use of back-door tactics to get hold of contracts and business leads. His ethical philosophy was misleading from the very beginning of his youth when he used to violate rules while he was in army. Activities which were not allowed by senior officials were done by Greenberg silently and he supplied the proof of doing something different to army officials (Jennings 19). This instance makes clear that Greenberg was a man who did not care about ethics. He had his own way of doing things which he himself wished to, and also maintained a pseudo personality ready to pretend that he is abiding by the rules. As such, under his leadership, the employees of AIG too developed this habit of fulfilling their personal interests and supplying wrong information and proof to the outside world that everything is under control. Moreover, culture at AIG was not one that placed greater emphasis on company’s mission. It focused on profits and growth first. Stakeholder wealth management principle came second. This is evident from the fact that AIG employees were paid bonuses and incentives for their excessive and unnecessary risk taking activities. Dazzled by short term gains and exponential growth, the company and top management overlooked what it owes to its investors, shareholders and stakeholders. Before any growth comes the benefit of people whose money is wi th the company. Rewarding system at AIG was crippled as it encouraged unethical risk taking endeavor of its overexcited employees of Financial Products Division. The corporate culture at AIG was developed into a form that had started taking undue advantage of its reputation and standing in the financial market. High-profile joint ventures, global outreach, revolutionizing business concept and astronomical growth in the beginning- all blinded the officials and employees at AIG to move ahead at lightning speed without conforming to the risk management rules and ethical compliance obligation. It did not offer complete disclosure of credit investment information, entered into risky ventures, came up with a host of derivatives and products and get itself engaged in deals and businesses which seemed lucrative superficially. Lack of transparency, complete disclosure and complex jargon of financial market mislead the public at large. This was all attributed to how employees at AIG were lear ning from its leaders, how their compensation plan was devised which did not account for risks but only unaccrued income. Lastly, stakeholder wealth maximization principle was totally lost from the corporate charter of the company. Ethical conduct of AIG executives Jennings (15) highlights multifarious unethical behavioral dimensions which lead to an ethical breach of duty. At AIG, these dimensions were numerous and have reached to a very high level- level which was irreparable and punishable. The executives not only