Saturday, August 31, 2019

Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise, written by Henry Clay, attempted to limit the slavery boundaries; it was later declared unconstitutional and is also considered one of many events that led to the American Civil War. The compromise became a precedent for settling subsequent North and South disagreements over slavery and duty issues, and it remained in effect until rescinded by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The Missouri Compromise eased tensions between the North and the South delaying the civil war The American Civil War.However, it is also considered one of the causes of the civil war because it increased the division of beliefs between the North and SouthThus, the Missouri compromise played an important role in the development of the American Civil War. In February, 1819, the House of Representatives considered a bill authorizing the territory of Missouri to frame a constitution. In the past, territories south of the Mason Dixon Line had been automatically made in to slave states. Most of Missouri is north of that line but many of its citizens were slaveholders.A bill to permit slavery in Missouri on a temporary basis, but prohibiting further entry of slaves, passed the House but was rejected by the Senate. Meanwhile, Alabama had been admitted as a slave state, making the number of slave and free states 11 each. As this would ruin the balance between Slave states and Free states in the Senate, Henry Clay proposed the Missouri compromise. The Missouri compromise was created in order to ease tensions between the northern, anti-slavery states, and southern, pro-slavery, states for equal votes in the House of Representatives.It was used in maintaining balance in power between free and slave states, in an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. Henry Clay of Kentucky is known as the â€Å"Great Compr omiser†. Clay served in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, where he was elected speaker of the house six times. Prior to Clay holding the position, the speaker of the house had a minor role, but Clay shaped the speakership nto a very important and influential job. Clay received his nickname with his masterful negotiation of issues that threatened to tear the relatively new country apart. Henry Clay grew up in Kentucky and represented Kentucky, which was a border state between the South and North, because of this Henry Clay was able to relate to both the North’s and South’s beliefs on slavery. Since Henry Clay knew both sides of slavery he was able to act as an unbiased representative for the senate and was able to create the Missouri compromise without bias.The Missouri compromise included a solution to the dispute caused by Missouri wanting to become a new slave state. Largely through the efforts of Henry Clay the amendment was accepted by the Hou se. Missouri was authorized to submit a proslavery constitution and Maine was admitted to the Union. The Missouri constitution was presented to Congress for approval in 1821. It included a paragraph requiring the legislature to prevent the immigration of free blacks into the state. The antislavery faction in Congress objected to this provision and a compromise bill, often called the Second Missouri Compromise, was passed on March 2, 1821.This measure forbade Missouri to limit the rights guaranteed to all citizens by the federal government, meaning it could not ban the entry of free blacks into the state. Missouri was admitted on August 10, 1821, with the exception of Missouri, this law prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36 ° 30? latitude line. The Missouri compromise was successful for almost 30 years. It provided a short-term solution to the problem and delayed the beginning of the American Civil War.However, conditions in the United States undermined the Missouri compromise and made it difficult to be used. This plan was criticized by many southerners because it would establish a principle that Congress could make laws regarding slavery and the north felt it gave into slavery. In 1854, the Missouri Compromise was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Three years later the Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision, which ruled that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories.It is obvious that the Missouri Compromise could do nothing to prevent the oncoming violence of the Civil War. This shows that although compromise is the preferable option it was not a viable option to prevent the American Civil War. The difference between the North and South were far to numerous and significant to be satisfied by compromise. Sadly in human history it is often results so that it is only possible to resolve conflicts with violence. Missouri Compromise Missouri CompromiseWithin American history, the events leading up to the Civil War tell an interesting story of the mindset of Northerners and Southerners at the time.   One of the most fascinating questions to discuss is why the issue of admitting Missouri to the Union precipitated a major national crisis and why the North and the South each agreed to the terms of the Missouri Compromise.   First, the matter of admitting Missouri to the Union and the major national crisis it stirred.At the time that Missouri was seeking statehood, the number of free and slave states was equally split, and the admission of Missouri as a slave state would tip Congressional advantage in terms of the states toward those that were pro-slavery (Phillips, 2002).   This issue threatened to divide the nation in a radical and violent way, but ultimately, this would not happen for nearly 40 more years and the onset of the Civil War.   This was averted when the North and South each agreed to the terms o f the Missouri Compromise, based on the concession that Missouri made when the soon-to-be state agreed not to violate the federal Constitutional rights of any of its citizens in its state constitution.   While the issue of slavery would eventually come to a boil, the Missouri Compromise held the peace for a time.ReferencesPhillips, C. (2002). â€Å"The Crime against Missouri†: Slavery, Kansas, and the Cant of Southerners in the Border West. Civil War History, 48(1), 60+.

Friday, August 30, 2019

American History 1941 to Present Mormon Fundamentalists

The Mormon presence in America has been historically influential to the nation, but is often overlooked or understated in non-Mormon institutions despite the fact their existence dates back to 1823. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer is a non-fiction historical account of the Mormon religion, from its birth under the prophet Joseph Smith, to present times with the polygamy practicing fundamentalists and the milder mainstream Latter Day Saint church existing with identical core beliefs, but on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of practices.The section of the book regarding the extreme fundamentalists, their history, and their current practices was an interesting look into a very different way of life. The split in the Mormon Church presented itself when the principle of polygamy was retracted by the prophet Wilford Woodruff. Those that accepted this revelation are the mass that is now called The Church of Latter Day Saints.Those that felt the ch urch only banned polygamy to try and gain acceptance by the United States government still felt that it was a divine principle necessary for getting into heaven, and scattered to secluded areas across the North American continent to practice their lifestyle. Several factions of Mormon extremists exist in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The primary reason that so many factions exist is based on one of the basic building blocks of the church. All Mormons followers have a close relationship with God and are able to speak with him.The laws of the church can change as the prophets receive their revelations. Essentially, anyone can declare themselves a prophet, and anyone can receive a revelation. As self proclaimed prophets received divine revelations they would take a group of followers and establish their own settlement to reproduce more members. The most well known of these factions if the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) with approximately 10,000 members located in Colo rado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. The FLDS territory, formerly known as Short Creek, was founded by John Y.Barlow to preserve the sanctity of polygamy. After Barlow’s death Joseph Musser was the next prophet in line of succession. He presided over the sect during the Short Creek Raid of 1953 when Arizona state police officers and the National Guard invaded the compound and arrested every member of the church, regardless of age or gender. Leroy Johnson, or â€Å"Uncle Roy† as he was affectionately called, led the sect from 1954 to 1986. After the death of Johnson in 1986 Rulon Jeffs, also called â€Å"Uncle Rulon† took over as prophet.Uncle Rulon was thought to be â€Å"the one mighty and strong† that would live forever, rule at the end of days, and carry the church to eternal salvation as stated by the book of Mormon. This considered it was a shock to the FLDS community when Uncle Rulon died in 2002 at the age of 92. Warren Jeffs, one of Rulon’ s sons out of an estimated 60-65 children fathered by the late prophet, assumed leadership after his father’s death. He ruled by fear and tyranny. Under his term, the number of young boys thrown out of the church for minor infractions increased exponentially.These â€Å"Lost Boys† would be kicked out for violations such as having a crush on a girl, or wearing a shirt with sleeves that were too short, or if the prophet just decided to deem them unworthy. A church member then drives the teenage boys out of town and dumps them off at the side of the road with no food, money, or place to go. Jeffs started kicking out boys in droves so that he could assign more young girls in the community to middle aged men, including him. He decided that all pets and animals in the compound should be killed, banned children from going to public school, and forbade medical treatment to ailing church members.The FLDS is currently under the leadership of an unknown prophet after Jeffs was se ntenced on November 20, 2007 to 10 years to life in the Utah State Prison on charges of sexual conduct with minors and rape as an accomplice. To this day in Colorado City it is common for cousins, stepfathers and stepdaughters, non-biological uncles and nieces, or fathers and adopted children to marry. Incestuous relationships have caused an unusually high rate of birth defects. Three wives is the minimum for a man to receive the highest level of salvation in the afterlife.The first marriage is considered legal by law. All marriages after are â€Å"celestial marriages† only recognized by the FLDS. The women bound to men by celestial marriage are able to collect welfare for all of their kids because they are single parents. This practice is called â€Å"bleeding the beast† and is encouraged among members. The rules of dress are strictly adhered to: men wear long sleeved shirts and pants in all seasons and women wear ankle length long sleeved dresses. Both sexes clothing is very plain and they must wear long underwear at all times.Under the Banner of Heaven was unbiased and fact based. Krakauer included personal accounts of stories of the religious fanaticism that has led to practices in the FLDS that range from horrifying to intriguing. It was difficult to imagine the level of strength and conviction that motivates members to live out their everyday lives in this community. Krakauer was able to deliver these stories and the historical statistics behind them in a non-judgmental or opinionated manner, which gives the book a genuine and legitimate base.He does not come off as a religion hater or Mormon racist that is condemning the choices made by the prophets or the people. The historical account of the Mormon religion as a whole was detailed and deliberate, which was helpful in understanding how one religion ended up existing in such a multitude of diverse sects. It was an experience to be introduced to a different view of American history; one tha t is definitely not discussed in the standard textbooks. References Krakauer, Jon (2004). Under the Banner of Heaven, A Story of Violent Faith. New York: Random House, Inc..

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Best Practices for Social Science Writing Essay Example for Free

Best Practices for Social Science Writing Essay Practices (24) , social science (10) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints When social scientists write their research papers, they usually discuss the methods that they employed in gathering and analyzing their data and the results that they were able to generate using these methods. They however seldom concentrate on the writing process itself (Cuba, 1997). Writing in the field of social science requires the use of insight and research to better understand and make concrete observations and findings about the various behavioral elements. There are many methods of conducting social science studies namely through observations, interviews, surveys and case studies. However, when one starts writing the research paper that would embody these pertinent findings, the writer usually faces the challenges that many social science writers encounter. These problems include the complexities of achieving clarity, the potential for committing biases, writing in the first-person perspective, the use of quotations and in-text citations to support the analysis, and formatting styles particular to the field of social sciences. When writing one’s own research paper, it is important for a scholar in the field of social science to have a grasp of the basic writing techniques peculiar to social science in order to produce an academic paper that is relevant, informative and worth reading. The prevalence of search engines and the use of the World Wide Web have made it easier for scholars nowadays to conduct their studies and research with ease and in an expeditious manner. The libraries and other academic centers which make available to the public the latest references has also contributed to a great extent to achieving academic quality of various writings. Complexities in Achieving Clarity Like any other field of study, effective writing requires constant practice. This entails continuous process of writing, editing and rewriting ideas and use of words to convey these thoughts clearly to the intended audience (Cuba, 1997). Oftentimes, students of social science put off writing their research paper until they have completed doing all their research and compiled their bibliography. This practice however sometimes leads to insufficient time in writing the paper itself. In order to achieve clarity when writing a social science research paper, Hult (1996) enumerated the two components that must be considered: rhetorical question and organization. The components of a rhetorical situation include 1) the writer’s purpose; 2) the writer’s persona; 3) the potential readers or audience; 4) the subject matter and; 5) the appropriate language or tone (Hult, 1996). In starting the research write-up, the writer must determine the purpose of his paper and he must be able to define it clearly throughout the entire paper. The purpose need not be complex. A simple purpose will do so long as the readers can have a grasp of what the research is all about. Writers in the field of social science must also avoid writing in the first-person persona as this will affect the objectivity of their research. Identifying the intended audience will also help the writer in deciding what specific issues to discuss and what areas to avoid. For example, a person writing in the field of political science will have to consider political analysts as his potential readers. The subject matter is the most important aspect of the rhetorical situation (Hult, 1996). A writer must carefully select his thesis statement and decide from the materials gathered what facts must be included as well as those which need not be discussed. Furthermore, the research writer might also consider providing a glossary of terms when writing on a technical subject in order to make it easier for the readers to understand the language and tone of the research paper. Omitting Biases and Avoiding First Person Writing Style It is not uncommon practice in the field of social science to write using the first person persona. Writing from the first person perspective however indicates subjectivity in arriving at one’s own research findings and this in turn diminishes the objectivity of the research. In order to be more persuasive, the writer must couch his paper from a third person perspective so as to avoid the impression that he is impelled more by his own biases rather than reporting the facts gathered from relevant data. Omitting biases should be the foremost consideration of every social science writer because this field requires objectiveness and keen understanding of the facts and data. Unlike writers in the field of literature who have unbridled discretion to unleash their feelings and emotions in their papers, social science writers are bound by their duty to report the facts as they appear and not as they think it should be. The field of social science is primarily detail-oriented and must be supported by relevant, empirical, and reliable facts. In order to avoid biases, the writer must always dwell on the facts gathered and must use relevant sources to support his findings. Primary and secondary sources play an important role in the persuasiveness of one’s research work because the extent of the credibility of a research paper is to a great extent determined by the depth of research done by the researcher to support his study. The writer must also avoid labeling his chosen population or individual participants to avoid offending the readers. When dealing with a particular ethnic group or race, it is advisable to call them as they would like to be called. In order to avoid language biases, use the terminology applicable in the research itself. For example, when reporting on a study conducted on two types of participants, it is advisable to describe them according to how they were classified in the given study provided the labels are in themselves not offensive per se. Minimizing the Use of Quotations A writer’s source material must be in the form of paraphrases and summaries. However, paraphrased materials must still be properly documented either through in-text citations or footnotes or endnotes. Hult (1996) added that putting source material in your own words will improve the flow of your paper since the paraphrased style will blend with your own writing style and will thus contribute to its consistency. Minimize the use of direct quotations. The use of too many direct quotations distracts the reader and it also minimizes coherence of the writing style. It also leaves the impression that the writer knows little about his topic and is in fact relying heavily on what others have come up with (Hult, 1996). What the writer can do is paraphrase or summarize the portion of the materials used and document it properly. If using direct quotes cannot be avoided, the following principles are helpful in incorporating them smoothly in the research paper. First, when using quotations with four lines or less in length, enclose them with quotation marks and incorporate them in the text. Second, quotes should be introduced using the verb tense which is consistent with the tense of the quoted material. Third, change the capital letter to lower case and vice versa, within the quote if necessary. Fourth, enclosed in brackets the letter or words inserted inside the quoted material to separate them from the quoted material itself. Fifth, use ellipsis to signal that a material has been omitted from the quote. Sixth, punctuate the direct quote as it appears from the original. Seventh, a period or a comma which is part of the quote should be placed inside the quotation marks. Eighth, use a colon to introduce a quote which is more than one sentence or if the introductory material prior to the quoted portion is too long. Ninth, use a comma for short quotes (Hult, 1996). Using In-text Citations to Support Analysis A researcher who intends to make use on in-text citation in his write-up should keep in mind the American Psychological Association (APA) style which requires the use of past tense or present perfect tense when referring to earlier research materials. For example, it is incorrect to say â€Å"Smith (2008) states that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when referring to Smith’s research findings. Instead, the researcher must employ the past or present perfect tense; hence, the in-text citation should appear like this: â€Å"Smith (2008) stated/has stated that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In-text citations must follow the author-date format under the APA citation style, e. g. , (Smith, 2008) and a complete documentation of the source must appear in the reference list. Electronic sources are cited in the same manner as citing a printed document, e. g. , (Purdue University Online Writing Lab, 2008). For sources with no date available, place â€Å"n. d. † (meaning â€Å"no date†) after the author’s last name, e. g. , (Smith, n. d. ). Formatting Expectations A writer must see to it that his paper is professional in appearance. This is not to say however that attention to format should be every social science writer’s foremost consideration. It is also equally important to confer with your instructor as to what should be the appropriate format style for the particular paper. When preparing the paper, it is best to be conservative when it comes to formatting style rather than be ostentatious and vulgar, thus making the paper look less serious and informal. Hence, margin must not be justified on both side of the page but only on the left side only. The American Psychological Association (APA) is the most commonly used citation style format in the field of social sciences. The guidelines provided under the APA provides a useful tool in writing research papers, using in-text citations and reference page and using footnotes or endnotes. Under the APA formatting style, page headers are required to be placed in the upper right-hand of every page. This page header must contain the first two to three words of the title followed by the page number. The title page should already show include the page header. A running head must also appear on the first line of the title page flush-left. On the upper half of the page, centered, the full title of the paper, the name of the writer and university or affiliation must be indicated (Purdue University Online Writing Lab, 2008). Research papers are normally comprised of the title page, the abstract (if appropriate), the main body, the references, and the appendixes (if appropriate). The abstract need not be written for short research papers but for published research reports, an abstract is always required regardless of the length of the paper (Hult, 1996). Appendix may be used to include raw data and other information that need not appear in the main body but is likewise important in the research paper. It is located after the reference page and is labeled sequentially in letters. The reference page must include all the sources used in the research paper. The sources must be in alphabetical order by author’s last name and need not be numbered. Conclusion Writing is a necessary aspect of social research (Cuba, 1997). A good research means that the writer gave great effort in collecting and organizing his data as well as in organizing his findings in a coherent and scholarly manner suitable to the academic community he intends to present his study to. In preparing the research paper, every writer in the field of social science must consider the pertinent style guides applicable. The writing process is an analytic strategy that can only be improved through practice. This necessarily means that every social science researcher preparing his paper must open to revisions. The first draft must not be the final paper. Every writer must be also be willing to take constructive criticism from his colleagues because all too often, a writer cannot see the errors of his own work unless others point them out. Letting others read your research paper will help you in assessing some of the loopholes in your own arguments. Writing in the field of social sciences is an important aspect of the research itself because the manner in which a given study is presented contributes to the persuasiveness of the one’s findings and output. As such, it is important to be familiar with the writing techniques, styles, and formats applicable in your field of research so as to avoid mistakes and errors in presenting your research. The APA citation format style is a helpful tool in the social sciences and every scholar in this field must familiarize himself this formatting to avoid the inconvenience of revising and rewriting the research paper. The social science paper must be formal as to its structure and form and the writer must avoid using first person persona that is usually employed in the literary field. The sentences must be well-crafted and concise and must clearly reflect in a coherent and thorough manner the findings of the researcher without the need of extravagant words or details. Social science research writing is a challenging task for every writer. It requires practice and hard work just like collecting the data itself. It is an inevitable part of every researcher’s academic life and it cannot be avoided. Hence, every researcher must be familiar with the format and style peculiar to this field in order to increase the success of one’s research paper. References Cuba, Lee (1997). Short Guide to Writing About Social Science (4th Ed. ). Addison-United States: Wesley Educational Publishers Inc. Gerring, John, Yesnowitz, Joshua & Bird, Stephen (2004). General Advice on Social Science Writing. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://people. bu. edu/jgerring/documents/Adviceonessaywriting. pdf Hult, Christine (1996). Researching and Writing in the Social Sciences. Boston, Allyn and Bacon. Hess, Diana (2007). From Banished to Brother Outsider, Miss Navajo to An Inconvenient Truth: Documentary Films as Perspective-Laden Narratives. Social Education 71 (4), 194-199. McDonald, Susan, MD. Social Science Writing Guide. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://www. emayzine. com/lectures/writing. htm Mullen, Carol (2006). Best Writing Practices for Graduate Students: Reducing the Discomfort of the Blank Screen. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://cnx. org/content/m14054/latest/ Przeworski, Adam and Salomon, Frank (1995). The Art of Writing Proposals: Some Candid Suggestions to Social Science Research Council Competitions. Social Science Research Council. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://fellowships. ssrc. org/art_of_writing_proposals/ Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (19 June 2008). APA Formatting and Style Guide. Retrieved August 2, 2008 from http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/560/01/http://Web address for OWL resource. Watts, Michael. The Holy Grail: In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal. Institute of International Studies. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved August 1, 2008 from http://globetrotter. berkeley. edu/DissPropWorkshop/process/InPursuitofPhD. pdf Best Practices for Social Science Writing. (2016, Aug 01). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

North Country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

North Country - Essay Example However, an underlying issue in this positive feedback was the equally superb characterization of the other roles, which highlighted the value of the Josey Aimes character. One of the most important of these supporting roles was the character played by Frances McDormand, Glory Dodge. She was Aimes’ best friend and that she was the one who encouraged Josey to work on the mines. In perhaps the best description of Glory, Kyle spoke on her behalf and declared: â€Å"My name is Glory Dodge and I’m not fucking dead yet. I stand with Josey.† Through the other characters, Theron was able to deliver and demonstrate what was called for by her role. There was a requirement to give the character as well as the narrative the compelling human detail. Through Dodge, for example, the director and storyteller were able to depict a believable Josey, one who just wanted a house of her own, sufficient meals and clothes for her children and just enough extra dollars so she could buy her son hockey skates once in a while. Dodge played the proverbial best friend, who was there to highlight the need, frustrations and longings of the leading character. In many instances, she offered the ways out of the mess for Josey. Concerning the mine, it was Glory who told Josey about the mine, about how working for it could mean a decent life for her family. Dodge, besides playing the part of the best friend – the person who is there to help, cheer, scold and be nice to Josey – also reinforced Aimes’ experience as a woman miner. Like Josey, she was a miner and had been subjected to such workplace vicissitudes including being sexually harassed, discriminated upon and treated as someone inferior simply because of her gender. Glory warned that Josey have to be tough and that she should learn to get right back to the men and not to show that her experiences get to her. What is interesting here is that Dodge offered an alternative approach in dealing with

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Project Management Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Management Risk Management - Essay Example It is further argued that the project managers ignore the issues like risk management associated with the projects because they want them to kick start the process as soon as possible ignoring the issues of great importance which can have the powers to seriously hamper the progress of any project. A good project manager would continue to assess what could go wrong with the project and exactly define which of the risks are important and which are not and based on that assessment, clearly identify the strategies to be implemented for guarding against those risks and then continuously monitor those strategies so that an effective control can be maintained over the project. Our proposed risk template identified fifteen (15) risks associated with the project and based on their relative importance have assigned a definite probability or likelihood of occurrence of such risk. These risks are however, identified after taking into account certain assumptions which were based on our historical experience as well as theoretical knowledge. Further to that we have also outlined our response to each of the risk identified. The overall structure of the risk template is simple however it attempted to identify clearly what are the risks that we may face and what will be their impact on the overall project and how project managers can devise their response to the overall risks associated with the project. Following section will discuss the risks identified, their likelihood and a detail summarization of the scores. Risk of vendor being taken over by other firm This risk is important in the sense that a takeover may halt the progress of the project and the project may not be completed timely due to lack of synergy between the two firms. I have assigned a score of 2(May occur) to it because there is a remote possibility of the same. I have to this result because vendor firm, in order to be more competitive can go for the same. In order to safeguard against this risk, firm must improve upon its contract writing and should develop mutually agreed contract which covers the same. Vendor does not have the requisite manpower to perform the tasks This risk is important in the sense that at the procurement stage, project managers may overlook this aspect. Vendors apparently tend to camouflage facts about them and may prove useless for the project once the project actually goes into action. In order to safeguard against this risk, we need to develop our in-house capabilities also. An overall score of 3 (moderate chances of occurrence) has been allotted to this risk. Vendor goes bankrupt It is unlikely that a vendor goes bankrupt however considering this risk, we have assigned a risk rating of 1 ( least likely to occur) to this risk and attempt to meet the risk through our in-house personnel as project managers would be working hand in hand with vendor Unlikely hood of the software being imported in the country It may be possible that the software required for the completion of the project may not be available in the country and due to legal complications; same may not be

Monday, August 26, 2019

Research methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research methodology - Essay Example This method’s main objective is to come up with general rules or principles. Examples of areas in which quantitative methods are applied include numerical methods (mathematical modeling), laboratory experiments, formal methods (econometrics) and surveys. Quantitative methods involve procedures which have to be followed to obtain expected result. First step the researcher collects variables which are then measured. The next step is to obtain the frequency distribution, measure of dispersion and location, get the probability, test the hypothesis and finally conduct statistical tests. Its advantages are that it facilitates for broad study because it involves many subjects. It also avoids bias among researchers and enhances accuracy of results. This is because it applies many cases and few variables in a study hence precise and can be compared. Quantitative method has disadvantages such as leading to wrong presentation where the researcher gives personal views instead of analyzing the data. Its results provide numerical analysis thus limited. When carried out in a laboratory, its results are artificial in contrary to the real world (Bryman, and Cramer, 1999). Qualitative method Qualitative methods emerged from social sciences. They enhance the study of cultural and social phenomena. It analyzes data according to categorization and quality of the given characteristics. Qualitative methods investigate human beings. They explore how individuals experience and see. Unlike quantitative analysis, it emphasizes on words other than quantities in the collection and examination of data. There are different types of qualitative research: interactive interviewing, written descriptions and observation. Each qualitative research is guided by its own approach of investigation. To ensure quality research, there must be maintenance of details. Its advantage is in unfolding a lot of information about people’s lives in depth. It is relatively inexpensive as it deals wit h small groups at a time. Qualitative analysis also uses cheap measurement tools. Its drawbacks are that it is not convenient because it inhibits statistical data collection. More so, this method gives limited information: it collects details from a small, selected group (Hoepfl, 1999). Mixed methods Statisticians prefer the term mixed model to mixed method. They based their argument on the fact that mixing is not just about the methods carried out in a research. Mixed method is a combination qualitative and quantitative research method. It adopts more than one research approach. It involves methods that are flexible hence appropriate for multiple studies. Mixed method may or may not contain a strategy. The method is used in mapping exercises and collection of the nation’s statistics data. Today, mixed method is widely used because of its merits. In that, mixed methods combine many research methods hence offer an extraordinary opportunity for advancement. It also allows for t he enhancement of skills. However, mixed methods can be tedious especially in the application of many research methods (Bazeley, 2003). Action research It is also known as participatory action research. It originated from social psychology. Action research involves a process which is reflective of progressively solving problems led by persons working together as a team. The process entails being actively involved in an organization’

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Joint research and development analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Joint research and development analysis - Essay Example The study has following domains of bio-technology research which have emerged as lucrative domain for strategic alliance between research partners. Research on DNA/RNA In many cases, it has been observed that biotechnology players form strategic alliances in order to conduct research on DNA/RNA amplification, synthesis, sequencing or gene expression profiling in order to develop a new medicine which can cure critical diseases or fillip the scientific development for a particular domain. According to Sherpa Group (2011), almost 64% of bio-tech and Enzyme companies are directly or indirectly related to DNA/RNA research. Research on Proteins Bio-tech companies are also focusing on conducting research on proteomics, engineering or synthesis of proteins and peptides, fabrication of cell receptors etc in order to develop enzymes or medicines for both research and commercial purpose (Sherpa Group, 2011). ... However, Andersson et al (2004) and Vassolo et al (2004) have argued that, strategic alliances between biotechnology companies help them to develop new processes, access to patents and access to knowledge resources but also mutually help both the companies to achieve competitive advantage. This is the reason why research collaboration activities by bio technology companies are growing at constant pace for last few years. To take the discussion forward the study will cite strategic alliances between US company Metabolix and Spanish company Antibioticos S.A which is a renowned Pharmaceutical Active Ingredients manufacture (Seiffert, 2012). Joint Venture between Metabolix and Antibioticos S.A In the year 2012, Metabolix Inc has announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Madrid based Antibioticos S.A for developing biopolymer resin. Both of the company have signed a letter of intent in order to in order to conduct research on biodegradable Mirel which is plant based alte rnatives for non-biodegradable plastics. According to bio technology specialists, bio polymer can act as suitable alternatives of plastics and it has minimum environmental impact due to its recyclable and bio degradable nature. Apart from the environmental benefits, commercial value of bio polymer has also attracted bio-tech companies to invest money on developing it. For example, demand for bio-polymer is growing at double digit growth rate for last consecutive years in both Europe and USA, which is another reason why bio-tech companies are banking on bio polymers as the next big thing (Seiffert, 2012). Metabolix Although strategic partnership with Antibioticos S.A will

Evaluating ways in which carphone warehouse fufill is ethical and Essay

Evaluating ways in which carphone warehouse fufill is ethical and social obligatory - Essay Example Methodology Carphone Warehouse is a large company that's been operating for years, so it is impossible to review its CSR policy in true detail. Nonetheless, a brief overview is illustrative. First, I will summarise and analyse Carphone Warehouse's stated CSR policy. Second, I will examine if past transgressions have occurred, and if so, at what level. Third, I will analyse the way that those events might impugn CPW's CSR policy and determine where the blame is to be put. CSR Policy Carphone Warehouse has an impressive and well thought-out CSR policy (Carphone Warehouse, 2011). It began with an overview to bring in five areas of their business: â€Å"At the Carphone Warehouse we have spent the past 12 months devising a clear CR strategy which focuses on five key areas - Customers, Employees, Community, Charity and Environment† (Carphone Warehouse, 2011). They include their investors, customers, employees and communities as stakeholders. Carphone Warehouse supports several chari ties, as does TalkTalk. It supports Barnardo's and Get Connected, and TalkTalk has its own partner charity, Treehouse (Carphone Warehouse, 2011). ... It also has its own Foundation that it uses to support initiatives floated by employees, and supports Namibia Trek, Helping with Homelessness and others. But the CSR policy is far from simply a charity policy. They have a battery directive to return waste batteries under the 2009 Waste Batteries and Accumulator Regulations, and have a goal to reduce their carbon footprint by 12% by 2012 (Carphone Warehouse, 2011). In addition, they have introduced a 0%-to-landfill policy. Their environmental policy goes beyond merely complying with the law, showing a commitment to â€Å"legal plus†, though they do prominently display their compliance with the law as if it were laudatory. They also funded a study to determine health risks from cell phones. While they had a vested interest in the outcome of this study, they could have avoided funding it at all. The study found that there is no connection between cell phone use and cancer, which matches with other evidence on the topic. They also offer an independent fact sheet, not produced by the company. CPW also has an impressive diversity policy, using totaljobs.com and jobability.com to provide jobs to disabled people and using ethnic magazines to promote to ethnic minorities (Carphone Warehouse, 2011). They have a self-esteem system of both monetary bonuses and intangibles like parties, and have the Pulse survey to monitor their employees. They have invested into training initiatives for laptops. The sign of a good CSR policy is that it goes beyond charity and legal compliance and shows attention to the company's impacts and stakeholders. CPW's meets this bar. Ethical Lapses However, CPW has been associated

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Turkish Foreign Policy since the Ottoman Empire Essay

Turkish Foreign Policy since the Ottoman Empire - Essay Example Since time immemorial,Turkey had been a predominantly a Muslim country that was controlled by the Sultanates of the Ottoman Empire.However,through a nationalist movement led by Musataf Kemal,Turkey was able to establish itself as a prosperous secular state that could assert itself as a force in the Central African region. To establish itself to be the modern day Turkey, it had to employ numerous strategies as the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of the Sultanates was greatly opposed to an independent Turkish state with a distinct language, dress code and run through secular laws. The early leadership of Abdulhamid II (1876-1909) that laid claim that the Ottoman Sultan was the universal leader of the Muslims used propaganda and counter-propaganda. However, he did not anticipate that opposition could come from an Islamic perspective. This Sunni idea was largely opposed by the Shiite Iran who did not recognize the Ottoman Empire as it occupied what was traditionally land owned by the Arabs, due to endless persecution, the As Shiites and the Sunnis waged an endless war depending on which side they supported.1 As a method to re-engineer the state towards attaining legitimacy, the Ottoman Empire bought about education through the imposition of uniform religious values through primary and secondary education. This has however been proved to have been the Ottoman Empire’s way of propaganda to educate the ills of the Shiites to the Iraqi population which was perceived to be a moral duty. Finally, it was proved that the attempts of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire fell flat on its face but formed the basis of the republican Turkish nation building, which has been a success. This historical heritage of past concepts and conflicts explains the current geopolitical occurrences in the Middle East and Central Asia.2 As at the imminent collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the sultanate became only limited to the plateau at Anatolia. The implementation of the Treaty of Ser ves weakened the empire as it lost its geopolitical positioning that deprived it of its most important resources. This led to the formation of nationalist movements under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, which culminated in the National Pact of Ankara of January 1920 that resolved to claim those parts of the empire occupied by Turkish populations that laid the basis for the Kemal foreign policy that focused on national unity buttressed by economic and political independence. Through nationalist uprisings and rebellions, the forces led by Kemal were able to crush the Armenian Republic as well as defeating the Greeks. In the process, it was able to negotiate itself into occupying Asia Minor and East Thrace. The Lausanne Treaty set the stage for the Kemalist foreign relation policy especially Greek-Turkish relations marked with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of Turkey under Kemal. This marked the proclamation of Turkey as a republic after the Sultan had been driven aw ay and recognition of Turkey as a secular state.3 Thereafter the Kemal regime focused on pursuing a foreign policy of maintaining peace as Turkey had been involved in a conflict for almost a decade. To achieve this, even when there was the First World War and the upheavals in South Eastern Europe, Turkey adopted a neutral stand. For example, Turkey signed a treaty with Russia known as the Turco-Soviet Treaty of Neutrality and Non-Agression that emphasized its neutrality and no acts of aggression in whatever circumstances. What was integral to Turkey then was the securing of its borders through emphasis on territorial integrity as well as the independence of Turkey as republic.4 Later Turkey forged a common foreign policy with Russia to the extent of refusing to be members of the League of Nations due to the suspicion of the Western powers, Turkey was also apprehensive of some articles in the treaty forming the League of Nations. After the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Unio n

Friday, August 23, 2019

Business , Government and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business , Government and Society - Essay Example The article mainly discussed how US regulatory bodies have put in place the most business friendly policies. The business environment views government policies in terms of the regulatory burden and property rights protection that affects them on their day-to-day activities. The article discusses how the US government still currently ranks among the top countries with regards business-friendly policies, despite the issuance of new regulations as counteractive measures to financial crisis. There had also been numerous deregulatory policies of previous governments, and thus the current government has undertaken to put in place business friendly measures. However, there have been complaints among congressmen, business people, and trade representatives that a significant percentage of unemployment has resulted from overregulation of the business environment by the government. The article shows that the World Bank ranking has also not included a number of critical factors such as skills of the workforce, the size of the market and macroeconomic conditions. Nevertheless, African countries have been reported to have the most unfriendly business environment characterized by numerous regulations.   Major Stake Holders and Their Interests Major stakeholders of macroeconomic policies include the governments’ political class, the society, and investors in the business environment. ... Concerning changes in governance, the political class alters these guidelines and rules thus affecting the day-to-day operations of businesses. The government plays key role in to the economy of a country as a whole and thus needs to put in place economic policies that would bring economic developments. The governments’ political class being a major stakeholder to macroeconomics, it has continuously interfered with operations of the economy through the construction of public corporations. However, public corporations have been privatized by many governments in a bid to stimulate economic developments through the sale of underpriced shares to private members of the society. Privatization program has been used by nations as an economic reform programs. Stimulation of economic developments has been possible in many economies by coming up with business environments that are more competitive through privatization of public corporations (Rajan & Asher 95). Macroeconomics Theory and Concepts Macroeconomic theory is not the only aspect used by the government to ensure the business environment is favorable for entrepreneurs and for economic growth. Sustained economic growth in most cases depend on structural performance such as government regulations, public sector privatization, favorable policies, liberalization of trade and efficiency of the banking sector. Economic growth that focuses on distributional and progressive improvement has a positive impact of both the interest of the society and the businesspersons. Macroeconomic theories can be complemented by government policies that seek to improve income distribution in the society. Such policies may include reforms with regards to land tenure, access to financial services at affordable rates

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Conflicts Are Important Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Conflicts Are Important Worksheet Essay 1. Pseudo conflicts: A pseudo conflict is where two people are arguing on the same thing only because of their own misunderstandings and misperceptions of what the other person is saying they are arguing on the same side without realizing. In truth they are arguing for the same side they just cant realize it because of their own misconceptions. A pseudo conflict can be easily resolved by people just understanding one another better. 2. Fact conflicts: Fact conflicts are caused by being misinformed, not having enough information to make good decisions and determining what data is relevant. Conflict can also arise when there is disagreement on information collection and communication. 3. Ego conflicts: An ego conflict is where one person goes around picking on and teasing everyone else. They think that they are better than them in every way shape or form, these conflicts can easily be avoided by not thinking your better than everyone else. Everyone is equal whether they like it or not. No one is better than anyone else. It just happens that some people think they are better than other people and so ego conflicts arise. 4. Value conflicts: Value conflicts arise from two different people or groups with different views on something, Such as world views. Or a common one is two groups with different views on good and bad. One group may be stricter than the other on whats good and whats bad, it will then clash with the other group who is less strict. 5. Need conflicts: A need conflict arises when someone starts acting so that they can get one need and it is contradictory to how they need to act to get another need and it presents a major conflict. This conflict can be resolved by getting both needs one at a time but humans by nature want all needs at once and this makes a conflict. Part 2: The Five Conflict Management Styles Describe each of the five conflict management styles and explain the strengths and weaknesses of each. Use paragraph form. 1. Avoiders: The avoider style of managing is not actually thought as a management style at all by many but it reality it is. It arises when someone runs from a conflict or ignores it. Someone may use the avoider style out of outright fear or sometimes many other concerns that can come from an unresolved conflict. With the avoider style it doesnt solve anything and very often makes things worse the people do not understand why the avoider refuses to face the conflict at hand and the avoider cannot understand the problem or the other side’s views. 2. Accommodators: The Accommodator is much the same as the avoiders only slightly different in the way that he just agrees to everything, avoids solving the actual problem to placate the other side. If forced to face the problem an accommodator will back off and just follow in the footsteps dictated by the other side, they will be in total denial of any personal needs in favor of meeting the other sides personal desires. The unfortunate downfall of this solution is that problems continue or grow worse or new problems may arise from it. Imagine a mother who gives her daughter whatever she wants whenever she wants simply to keep conflicts from arising. Yes it stops her daughter from whining and complaining. 3. Forcers: The very opposite of an accommodator would be a forcers also known as the competitor. With the forcer they drive to win the argument/battle at all costs even if it means ending a relationship. The competition style can be healthy when it is focused solely on the issue at hand and not on the people around the issue. Such as when someone starts in on each other it can be friendly banter until someones mother is brought into it. Fights between two people often happen during the forcers style but never is it healthy. 4. Compromisers: With the compromiser style it is used to try and meet some of the demands of both sides. Unfortunately with this style everyone wins a little but also they lose a little. Like with two teenagers fighting over the remote to a TV the mother comes in and takes away the remote all together. It resolves the situation but no one is happy with it. It leaves the solution gone but no one happy. People who use compromise are actually making a lazy halfhearted attempt at collaboration. 5. Collaborators: With the collaborating style it gets all parties in the conflict together to come up with a peaceful solution that leaves each party happy. In this type everyone is heard, everyone is happy, and above all relationships are preserved, whether they are relationships between a man and a woman or a relationship between friends or business people. The collaborative style takes a while to plan and execute. While the problem may become worse as time goes on it always leaves everyone happy. Part 3: Collaborative Communication List two methods of collaborative communication and describe how using them can help you avoid conflicts. Two methods of collaboration communication are Boards and Huddles. With Boards its good to have something for the all to see besides hand outs when you have the group all together. That is where white boards or chalk boards come in major handy. That way you can right now main ideas and topics for all to see. This will help stop conflicts because everyone is seeing the same thing so they cant say that their not or say that some are getting more details then they are. The second method is called huddles. Huddles means when you get your group together to brainstorm or think about something make it small little focused groups. Having it in small focused groups will cut down on misunderstandings and confusion which will then help you prosper and fewer arguments may break out.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Effects on Vietnams economy: Hospitality and tourism

Effects on Vietnams economy: Hospitality and tourism Tourism which plays an important part in the economy of Vietnam creates lots of jobs and export value. Nevertheless, there are still many difficulties that Vietnam has to overcome in order to make our dream becoming one of countries which is famous for tourism come true. Vietnam is one of members of Southeast Asia, which has a lot of exciting economic activities in general and tourism in particular. Vietnam has a lot of advantages to develop tourism. Therefore, to make Vietnam an ideal tourism destination, our country should have specific strategies for this goal. First, one strategy for Vietnam tourism development is international cooperation. In order to stimulate sustainable tourism growth, the Vietnam government should increase the cooperation with many countries around the world, especially Asian ones. For example, many events were held for the friendship and solidarity of Vietnam and Laos in 2012. To mark the 50-year anniversary of 2 countries’ diplomatic relations and the 35-year signing of friendship and cooperation treaty, Vietnam organized the third Vietnam-Laos friendship festival. In addition, Vietnam has cooperated with Japan tourism authority and will receive 1 million Japanese arrivals to Vietnam in 2015. The 40th day of remembrance of bilateral relationship between Viet Nam and Japan in 2013 in culture, sports and tourism activities is an important landmark for the bilateral tourism cooperation. From these examples, we can see that to improve tourist industry, Vietnam should boost international tourism cooperation with o ther countries and international organizations, and links our tourism market with regional and world tourism ones. Moreover, Vietnam should expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation relationship to gain the support of other countries and international organizations, accelerate Vietnam’s tourism development and integration, and increase the image and status of Vietnam’s tourism in the international arena. The second strategy to improve tourism industry is infrastructure development in line with environmental protection. For a sustainable tourism development, it is extremely necessary that the tourism infrastructure system should be invested appropriately. Vietnam opened its door to the world in 1994. Vietnam has a lot of tourism potentials. Vietnam is changing to make tourism better. Vietnam should pay attention to the number of air transport of passengers when the country becomes the favorite destination for international visitors. We should upgrade and expand the system of international airports, increase the well-equipped planes, open new routes to many cities in the world, and increase the quality of the flights to meet the needs of tourists. For example, Vietnam is planning to build Long Thanh international airport with a large amount of capital investment to serve more foreign tourists. In recent years, Vung Tau has been a specific example of developing infrastructure in line wi th environmental protection. Vung Tau city has measures to conserve the environment. Many hotels in Vung Tau have met criteria on the environmental protection and contributed to saving energy. Furthermore, many tourism areas and hotels in Vietnam should focus attention on investing in standard systems of treating sewage and garbage, clearing beaches, cultivating trees, looking after gardens, and creatingclean environment and beautiful scenery to serve tourists. The next is human resource development for tourism. Vietnam needs to have some plans to develop human resources for tourism industry both in terms of quality and quantity. The tourism human resources in Vietnam should learn occupational skills and knowledge. They are directly influencing service’s quality, tourist’s satisfaction and the professionalism of the tourism sector. Schools and universities specializing in tourism should develop a network of strong tourism training establishments with modern technical and teaching equipment. The purpose of this training is to build the professional tourism labor force having practical skills and experience to please the tourists coming to Vietnam. Vietnam should diversify tourism professions that will help to increase the tourism workforce and competition with other countries. Reinforcing foreign language for people who work in tourism is a necessary factor to help Vietnam integrate with the world’s tourism industry. In the past, many tour guides couldn’t speak English and other languages, or they only used body language with simple words to express what they wanted to talk about. In a competing environment with other countries, Vietnam should invest in training labor force with ability of communicating with foreigners fluently. Our countries should have many programs about sponsoring the excellent or well-qualified students to study overseas to widen their mind about tourism, which is very helpful for Vietnam. After they have experience of tourism business from many countries, they will contribute what they learn to the construction of nation. According to the travel recommendation, Vietnam is facing many challenges, fierce competition with countries in the region such as Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia. On the other hand, the neighbors have very huge marketing investment campaigns in order to increase the attractiveness of tourism market, so the ability to attract tourists in Vietnam becomes more difficult. On July 11th 2012, group of international experts came to Vietnam to assist our country make a tourism marketing scheme and a plan for tourism growth in the future. The experts aided the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to develop advertising schemes in 3 terms: short, medium, and long. In addition, they helped VNAT analyze information from 7 important markets. From experts’ report on trademark concepts, communication channels, marketing instruments and action strategies. Vietnam acknowledged that advertisement was a key point in developing tourism and increasing the competition in international ar ena. Vietnam’s tourism industry should have a strategy and clear developing target for marketing activities, and effectively advertise about the diversity of tourism products offered and main tourism areas, prolong the time of visitors’ temporary residence to attract tourists back. Moreover, we should have tourism websites introducing destinations, and expand the system of foreign travel offices to make the marketing better. Vietnam pressingly needs to use many new trademarks and contemporary advertising tools to highlight its tourism image. With the coastline of over 3000 km, 2700 small and large islands, many beautiful beaches and famous bays, Vietnam has a lot of opportunities for sea tourism development such as Vung Tau, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ha Long, Phu Quoc, Phan Thiet†¦ From now then on, Vietnam should push beach-island tourism effectively. Sea tourism is considered as a scheme and a strong point in Vietnam tourism. One of well-known destinations that attracts a large number of international tourists is Ha Long bay belonging to Quang Ninh province, and widely known by the beautiful landscape of limestone. Besides, Nha Trang and Da Nang are places having charming beaches on the world. The sea tourism industry attracts approximately 70% of international visitors, 50% of domestic tourists annually, and accounts for 70% of turnovers for the whole tourism. Moreover, Vietnam should focus on building many standardized hotels in coastal regions. It is necessary to organize the sea tourism fair at national and internat ional levels to develop brand and affirm position of Viet Nam sea tourism. Organization of the Viet Nam international sea tourism fair will contribute to promotion of sea tourism in Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa in particular and Viet Nam in general. The growth of sea tourism not only helps people living near the beaches have jobs but also stimulates economic development. In addition, sea tourism of Vietnam should connect with national protection, security, and establish marine tourism areas to be able to compete with other countries. In the past, Vietnam was a nation having a long period of time in preventing invasion from strong enemy such as China, French, USA; therefore, nowadays, it becomes an interesting places which foreign visitors are curious to discover about its people, custom and culture. This is a good opportunity for Vietnam to develop cultural tourism. We should open many tours to famous destinations that still keep historic landmarks (Cu Chi tunnel, palace of independence) or cities having ancient features ( Hanoi capital, Thang Long citadel, Hue old capital). In addition, many traditional festivals should be encouraged to contribute to introducing the beauty of friendly culture to international friends. In conclusion, it is forecasted that in the next 10 years, Vietnam tourism industry will continue to grow rapidly. Nevertheless, to encourage the tourism potential of the country, we should know to take advantage of development chances and make good our shortcomings in coming years, which makes tourism play an important part in the national economy. .

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Labor Market For University Graduates Economics Essay

Labor Market For University Graduates Economics Essay For quite some time, Egypt has suffered chronic unemployment with the unemployment rates hovering during the past decade well above 9 percent. Like several other developing countries, the unemployment problem in Egypt is prevalent among university graduates. In 2008, almost 17 percent of Egypts labor force had a university degree. University graduates, however, represented approximately one third of the unemployed labor versus 2% of illiterates (CAPMAS 2008). The noticeably high unemployment rates among university graduates represent a heavy drain on the countrys scarce human and financial resources. Those distortions in the graduates labor market in terms of skills needed by employers and those offered by workers are mainly the outcome of prolonged policies that failed to promote economic growth and increase employment. Although, Egypt took a concrete steps and adopted active labor market policies towards the youth, the mismatch problem still exists. Gobbi (2005) diagnosed this phenomenon as follows: the existence of poor data on the labor demand needs, it is difficult to cope with dynamics of the labor market, only 5% received guidance from the authority to training centers and finally the low quality of the training due to lack of funds, shortage of competent trainers, scarcity of modern equipment and innovative methods, and insufficient course duration. Those distortions highlights the need to understand the status and imbalances in the university graduates labor markets and identify appropriate strategies to reduce unemployment and improve the well being and opportunities of the university graduates. Although individual welfare in Egypt is correlated with university graduation,[1] the labor markets for university graduates has not been sufficiently efficient. The inefficiencies are an outcome of the particular structure and features of those markets on both the demand and suplly sides. There is an extensive body of research literature that examines the main features of the labor markets for university graduates in Egypt. The research suggests that the field of study— classified according to academic department—has a significant effect on the labor market for the university graduates. For instance, it is likely that the medical school, pharmacy and engineering graduates may—on average—achieve better labor market outcomes in comparison with the holders of Bachelor of Arts degrees. Moreover, the nature of the university ownership (public, private or foreign) may affect its graduates labor market opportunities and expected lifetime incomes. Further, there is an increasing tendency towards recruiting graduates from foreign universities/sections. Hence, graduates from Arabic sections in commerce and law —for example— dont have the opportunity to penetrate the labor market. The same applies to faculties that do not generate the re quired skilled labor for the society like humanities and agriculture (OECD and IBRD-The World Bank 2010). Gender-specific differences—particularly on the demand side—have been observed to influence the labor market decisions and potentials for the university graduates leading to unequivocal male dominance. This is manifested by the staggering 71 percent representation of males in the total number of employed university graduates. Other personal, demographic, spatial and household characteristics influence the graduates labor market decisions importantly, marital status and location of residence. According to the 1998 and 2006 Egyptian Labor Market Surveys, unmarried women experienced faster transition from university-to-work vis-à  -vis married women. Alternatively, university graduates in urban areas represent almost 70 percent of the total number of employed university graduates owing to the low number of job opportunities suitable for their skills in the rural region. The rural university graduates access to employment and wage potentials is further curtailed by the hig h economic costs of migration across the rural urban divide generally because of the higher costs of urban reallocation. The above characteristics imply that the university graduates labor markets in Egypt are highly segmented. They are also influenced by non-competitive forces, which act as barriers to equitable access to employment opportunities and to fair wage compensations. Hence, personal, clan- and family-based connections and networks, communal norms and opportunistic rent-seeking behavior can pay for having a good job and raise the probability of accessing the labor market. As in many developing countries, there is a mismatch between Egyptian university graduates labor market realities and its institutions. Moreover, Employment Guarantee Scheme established in the 1960s lead to lowering the quality of education at all levels, and the growing number of graduates led to queuing for government jobs (Birdsall and OConnell 1999). Examining the characteristics of informal workers in 1998 and 2006 marked the increase in the share of youth (20-29 years old) among informal workers. Moreover, the share of university graduates has increased slightly over this period suggesting that more university graduates are informally employed in 2006 than in 1998 (Wahba 2009). Based on what shown above the Egyptian educational expansion is not translated into higher productivity and income for graduates, instead it induces diminishing returns. The reasons behind that are the shortage of Egypts education policy to efficient-enhancing discipline necessary for enhancing the graduated workers competitiveness in the export market, and the labor market regime and regulations that leads to an increase in the cost of labor and rigidities in the labor market (Birdsall and OConnell 1999). Therefore, it is of paramount interest that all players in the graduates labor market- the government, the university system administrators, employers and graduates themselves- must endeavor to put an end to this vicious circle. The main object of this research is to analyze the structure of the labor market for university graduates in Egypt and suggest pragmatic strategies to increase its efficiency. Because of the statistical deficiencies of the labor market data in Egypt, the proposed research will be based on a new stylized dataset for the supply and demand for university graduates. The remainder of this proposal is divided as follows. II. Objective The proposed research aims at informing the Egyptian decision makers in addressing fundamental policy issues concerning the supply and demand of university graduates and their movements in the labor markets. Consequently, the analysis should be able to improve the decision makers understanding of the different factors driving unemployment not only among university graduates but also in the overall economy via studying the processes and market and non-market institutions involved in the flow of university graduates in and out of establishments, university graduates (mis)match with jobs and the distribution of university graduates across sectors. Importantly, the study will consider the determination of the wage structure and the relationship of vacancies and unemployment cross different sectors and year of graduation. Specifically, the research will cover the following main issues. 1. Analysis of the structure of the Egyptian university graduates labor markets. This includes an overview of the relative wage/earnings structure (including all types of benefits) and the sources of wage inequality by type of employment, job, gender, enterprise, demographic characteristics, region, etc. The study will aim at examining the university graduates labor supply and demand sides. Hence, the study shall explore the different dimensions of the incentives that graduates have—including the various factors that affect their reservation wages—to provide labor services and to offer a specific number of hours of work per week and per year. The study shall differentiate between the incentives facing men and women separately, which determine the observed choices for the uses of time including the role of wages and job characteristics (stability, private/government, etc.), years of experience, family status, wage differentials by sex, informality, paid/nonpaid jobs, fam ily/personal income, type of enterprise, marital status and other households, community environment, firms and sectoral characteristics. 2. The main object of study shall aim at providing a detailed taxonomy of the structure of the demand for Egyptian university graduates. The study will generally aim at identifying the incentives of different firms and enterprises to hire graduates and the factors that influence job openings hires. In addition, different elasticities shall be estimated to evaluate the firms years of experience/skill graduates demand mix considering the prevailing relative wage, costs of production and market and non market institutional arrangements. Particular emphasis will be given to government and public sector demand for graduates that is influenced by both socioeconomic and political considerations. Finally, the study shall evaluate whether too much education is being produced relative to the needs of the different employers and whether there is a mismatch between the job characteristics and the graduates qualifications. 3. The study will examine the effect and role that grades have to play in the Egyptian university graduates labor market by type and spatial allocation of university and by type of employment private/public/government, formal/informal, temporary/tenured/seasonal, etc. The study shall consider the effect of grades on job and career prospects when entering the labor market. It will also examine whether or not these effects are transitory and whether they change (positively/negatively) over time. The study, therefore, shall test and analyze the relation between grades and annual wages—per formal and per actual hours of work—at different time intervals (years) after graduation to capture the age impact of the university graduates final grades. 4. The study shall examine the effect of minimum wage on the number of hours worked and on the structure of the wage distribution across sectors in Egypt focusing on university graduates. The study will determine the discrepancies in the length of the period needed for the youngest inexperienced vs. the older workers to decide exiting the minimum wage and identify graduates who would be most probably affected. The study shall extend the employment and wage effects of adopting the minimum wage policy on both the formal and informal sectors. This should provide the decision makers with guidelines for the design of an appropriate minimum wage policy that takes into consideration the profile of minimum wage employees and their productivity. 5. The study aims at measuring the intergenerational economic and social mobility among university graduates in Egypt by measuring the degree to which the graduates circumstances at birth, family background and ties with and membership in different communities can affect their employment and wage level. In addition, the study will probe into how status in the social hierarchy system changes throughout the course of the graduates career based on their own effort. The findings of the study will be employed to analyze the linkages between key socioeconomic variables including education attainment, persons skill and quality of performance, wage rate, job security and stability and equitable access to opportunities. Differences in opportunities—owing to the individuals own rank within the family/community, place of residence e.g., urban/rural, upper/lower and other relevant socioeconomic and demographic characteristics—will be identified. 6. Policy evaluation—based on the findings derived from the studies 1-5—to formulate policy informative guiding principles and design doable strategies for reducing unemployment and incidence of joblessness among Egyptian university graduates, increasing their earning potentials and employment opportunities and promising them better access to the labor markets both at the present time and in the future. The strategies shall be cast within an amenable format that can be easily implemented by the decision makers. III. Data Sources Graduate survey Survey on the labor market outcomes of graduates from the higher education system in Egypt, data will be collected through a multistage stratified random sample. The strata are all the academic departments and the graduation year. There will be an oversampling for the private schools to deal with their absent in the past. The questionnaire will study some demographic characteristics ,the job situation of graduates, type of the job and duties characteristics, educational requirements for the job, the match between their studies and their graduate job (education-job match), past jobs (jobs history). They were also asked whether they had taken any postgraduate studies or any training programs (training purpose, type of training and the corresponding cost), and if they had any experience with mobility. To study the effect and role that grades have to play in the Egyptian university graduates labor market, the questionnaire should have question about the cumulative grade that the graduate got on the final year of school. For some cases, when the GPA will be available, the graduate score will be converted to have the same grade system. Specific section with detailed questions for graduates who were unemployed and some other questions about the communities surround the graduates. This survey will be conducte d quarterly to capture the seasonality effect. Establishment survey The survey sample should represent all establishments in all economy sectors. Multistage stratified sample will be conducted. Some establishment characteristics will be taken into consideration such as the geographic region, public or private establishment and establishment size. Some specific sub surveys could be conducted: informal survey and micro-survey for enterprise that has less than 5 employees. The questionnaire will study all things that encourage different establishments to hire graduates, all the socioeconomic and political considerations that are related to hiring new employees. Some establishments require special training programs, so there will be some questions about the purpose of the training program, the cost, and the places that provide such training. It is important also to ask about the factors that influence new job openings. There will be also questions about the annual wages, working days, formal and actual working hours, cost of production and full- and part-time workers who are paid a wage or salary and some other questions about the communities surround the establishments. The survey will be conducted at the end of the fiscal year. To test the design and check its feasibility, a pilot study will be conducted for each of the two surveys. IV. Expected Budget Level Estimate US $ Overall Project Costs Human Resources Lead Economist Economic Expert(S) Statistics Expert(s) Economic Researchers Statisticians Conducting the survey Software and Equipments Workshops and Eeminars Bibliography Amer, M. 2007.Transition from Education to Work. Egypt Country Report. European Training Foundation (ETF) Working document. Birdsall, Nancy and Lesley OConnell. 1999. Putting Education to Work in Egypt. Central Agency for Public Mobilization And Statistics (CAPMAS). 2008. Labor force Sample Survey. www.capmas.gov.eg Chen, M.and J. Vanek. 2005. Informal employment: rethinking workforce development. In Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs Labor Markets and Informal Work in Egypt, El Salvador, India, Russia, and South Africa. Ed. By Avirgan, T., L. Josh Bivens and Sarah Gammage. Global Policy Network. Economic Policy Institute. El Zannaty and Associates. 2007. School-to-work Transition: Evidence from Egypt. Employment Policy Papers; 2007/2. Employment Policy Department, ILO. El-Haddad, A. 2009. Labor Market Gender Discrimination under Structural Adjustment: The Case of Egypt. Working Paper #003, SRC/CIDA Research Program on Gender and Work. Social Research Center, The American University in Cairo and the Canadian International Development Agency. El-Mahdi, A. and M. Amer. 2005. Egypt: Growing Informality, 1990-2003. Chapter 1 in Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs Labor Markets and Informal Work in Egypt, El Salvador, India, Russia, and South Africa. Ed. By Avirgan, T., L. Josh Bivens and Sarah Gammage. Global Policy Network. Economic Policy Institute. Galal, Ahmed. 2002. The Paradox of Education and Unemployment in Egypt Working. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). Paper No. 67. Gobbi, M. 2007. Flexibility and security in labour markets of developing countries. In search of decent work for all Employment. Paper No. 2007/6 Policy Papers Employment Policy Department, ILO, Geneva. Gobbi, M. and N. Alena. 2005. Towards a New Balance between Labour Market Flexibility and Employment Security for Egypt. ILO. National Tripartite Symposium on Employment Policy in Egypt (16-17 January 2005, Cairo). Kenawy, Ezzat Molouk. 2006. University Education and its Relation to Development in Egypt. Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 2(12): 1270-1284. OECD and World Bank. 2010.Reviews of National Policies for Education: Higher Education in Egypt. Pauw, Kalie, Mornà © Oosthuizen, and Carlene van der Westhuizen. 2006. Graduate Unemployment in the Face of Skills Shortages: A Labour Market Paradox. Development Policy Research Unit. DPRU Working Paper 06/114. Radwan, Samir. 2002. Employment and Unemployment in Egypt: Conventional Problems, Unconventional Remedies. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). Working Paper No. 70. Wahba, J. 2009. Informality in Egypt: a Stepping Stone or a Dead End? Economic Research Forum Working Paper No. 456.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Kants Formalism Theory Essay -- essays research papers fc

Kant's Formalism Theory The theories of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, have had an impact on the formulation and shaping of ethics today. Immanuel Kant graced this earth from 1724 to 1804. During his eighty year life time, he formulated many interesting ideas regarding ethical conduct and motivation. Kant is strictly a non-consequentialist philosopher, which means that he believes that a person's choices should have nothing to do with the desired outcome, but instead mankind simply goes about doing good because it is morally correct. Kant theorizes that moral reasoning is not based on factual knowledge and that reason by itself can reveal the basic principles of morality. Ideas contemplated and developed and theorized by Kant include the concepts of good will, the categorical imperative, universal acceptability, and humanity as an end rather than a means. These non-consequential concepts have made a remarkable impression on current ethical views. According to Kant, the only good thing in the world is "good will." Other things might be desirable, but their ethical merit is only measured by an individual's good will. (Shaw, 65) As used by Kant, the term "will" is referred to as in individual's ability to act from principle. For example, if an individual performs a good deed motivated by anything other than the simple goodness of the deed, the individual is not ... Kants Formalism Theory Essay -- essays research papers fc Kant's Formalism Theory The theories of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, have had an impact on the formulation and shaping of ethics today. Immanuel Kant graced this earth from 1724 to 1804. During his eighty year life time, he formulated many interesting ideas regarding ethical conduct and motivation. Kant is strictly a non-consequentialist philosopher, which means that he believes that a person's choices should have nothing to do with the desired outcome, but instead mankind simply goes about doing good because it is morally correct. Kant theorizes that moral reasoning is not based on factual knowledge and that reason by itself can reveal the basic principles of morality. Ideas contemplated and developed and theorized by Kant include the concepts of good will, the categorical imperative, universal acceptability, and humanity as an end rather than a means. These non-consequential concepts have made a remarkable impression on current ethical views. According to Kant, the only good thing in the world is "good will." Other things might be desirable, but their ethical merit is only measured by an individual's good will. (Shaw, 65) As used by Kant, the term "will" is referred to as in individual's ability to act from principle. For example, if an individual performs a good deed motivated by anything other than the simple goodness of the deed, the individual is not ...

Hamlet: Act 2 Scene 2 :: Shakespeare Hamlet

Hamlet: Act 2 Scene 2 - Compare Hamlet's Reaction to Arrival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and To the Players Compare Hamlet's reaction to the arrival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with his reaction to the arrival of the Playyers. Account for his reactions.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By comparing Hamlet's reaction to the arrival of   Rosencrantz and Guildenstern  Ã‚   with his reaction to the arrival of the Players, we can observe the different perspectives of Hamlet's character. His reaction to the arrival of his old friends is similar to his reaction to the arrival of the Players in as he is happy to see them all and he reveals his sanity to them all. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet is overjoyed to see his   "excellent good friends" (2.2.227) with whom he grew up. Hamlet is also delighted to meet with the Players. But this is where all the similarities end. In his conversations with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet becomes suspicious of the purpose of his old friends' visit and he is perceptive enough to see through the outer disguise into the interior motives. He forces them to reveal that they have been sent by the King to find out what is causing Hamlet's "transformation" ( 2.2.5). Hamlet admits his sanity by telling his good friends that his "uncle- father and aunt mother are deceived." (2.2.348)   Why does Hamlet admit his sanity to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Is it an another attempt to at deception, or is it to implant a sense of trust between Hamlet and his old friends? Hamlet could possibly be furthering his plans for revenge by admitting his sanity. Hamlet's friends would relay the message to the King and Claudius may think that Hamlet really is mad for admitting that he was supposedly feigning madness. On the other hand, at the conversation with the Players, his behavior is spontaneous. He welcomes his "good friends" (2.2.431) and it seems that he is "glad" (2.2.430) to see them again. He is friendly, funny and very open in his communication with the Players. Hamlet notices that one of the young players who plays female roles has grown a beard and he makes a joke about it. It also indicates that Hamlet has known them for a long time. The young Prince Hamlet also demonstrates his sanity when meeting with the Players. Hamlet shows that he is still capable of reasonable thought when he recites the lines to a play that he has heard only once. Hamlet reestablishes his friendship with the Players and shows his sanity to the Players so that he can further his plan for revenge.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Eudaimonia :: essays research papers

The Term 'Eudaimonia': 'Flourishing' or 'Happiness'? I have a number of very roughly-formulated things to say about eudaimonia in this essay. I hope that focusing later on other specific aspects of NE will help me to pull all this together better. I think the problems my sources discuss are the products of contrived readings; all of those sources recognized this fact, and cleared up the confusions accordingly. At the level at which I have so far studied, the Nicomachean Ethics seems unproblematic, though demanding in the sense that Aristotle seems to find so many of his connections too obvious to explain. I mention this by way of partial explanation of the naive way that I fill out the connections that Aristotle leaves for us to make on our own. A good place to start is with Ackrill's brief characterization of eudaimonia: eudaimonia "is doing well, not the result of doing well" (Ackrill, p. 13). Even though Irwin translates 'eudaimonia' as 'happiness', I will use Cooper's translation 'flourishing' instead. The reason for my choice comes mainly from Book X, where Aristotle tells us that eudaimonia is a process and not a state (1176b5). It is easier to keep this in mind if the word 'flourishing' is used, since 'happiness' names a state, rather than a process, in English. Furthermore, there is popular prejudice, especially among philosophers, against the idea that being happy is consistent with being virtuous. Hence, the use of the word 'happiness' psychologically weights the case against the credibility of Aristotle's doctrine, since he does think that eudaimonia is virtuous action (1176b5). His doctrine is at least rendered more worthy of consideration by such critics if they are first appeased by the more neutral term. Ackrill has different reasons for thinking that 'happiness' is not the proper translation. eudaimonia is the final end. While many things may be final ends, only eudaimonia is the most final end--the "one final good that all men seek" is happiness.(Ackrill, p. 12). This is where he sees the difference; what is true of happiness is not true of eudaimonia. Happiness may be renounced in favor of some other goal, but eudaimonia may not. In suffering in order to do the right thing, one sees one's life fall short of eudaimonia. But it is comfort that is renounced (Ackrill, p. 12). If this is true, then the idea of equating happiness with eudaimonia makes nonsense of Aristotle's discussions of the virtues.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Hannibal and the Battle of Cannae

HANNIBAL AND THE BATTLE OF CANNAE The battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War near the town of Cannae, an ancient village in southern part of Italy. The battle took place between the outnumbered Carthaginian army under Hannibal against the Romans under the command of Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. For the most part, the Romans were overpowered by the undermanned Carthaginian forces. Many historians agree that the battle of Cannae is one of the greatest strategic victories in military history.Numerous historians have examined the possible route Hannibal took from New Carthage to the Pyrenees and then over the Alps to Rome. Along with using scientific data, these historians and scientists allege that there are three possible routes Hannibal may have taken from New Carthage in Iberia across Europe to get to Italy. Scientists and historians do disagree on which route is most accurate do to the fact that the only historical accounts of Hannibal†™s journey are that of Livy and Polybius. Neither historian leaves a very detailed account of the surroundings for Hannibal and his troops.Through paleobotanical reconstruction, attempts have been made to more clearly identify if the places noted by Livy and Polybius resemble any of these places today1. Hannibal came from the very well-known Carthaginian Barca family. His father, Hamilcar Barca was the military leader of Carthage during the first Punic War. At the conclusion of the First Punic War, Carthage's mercenaries revolted and Rome took advantage of her rival's distraction and, in spite of the recent peace agreement, took control of Sardinia and Corsica and forced Carthage to pay a large indemnity2.Carthage finally won the mercenary war, but the loss of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica left her economic empire crippled and reduced the area from which she could hire troops. After regaining control, the Carthaginians were forced to major war concessions. Of those concessions, Car thage was to pay a war indemnity to Rome and could no longer recruit Italian sailors. Carthage also sent Hamilcar Barca to Iberia to eliminate the Spaniards and build an empire in Spain. Unfortunately, Barca was killed in an ambush at Helice in 229 B. C. E. but not until after he had been able to take over control of the Iberian southern coast.In 226 BC, Hasdrubal reached an agreement with Rome that recognized the Ebro River in northeastern Spain as the northern limit of Carthaginian interest in the area. Five years later, Hasdrubal was assassinated, and Hamilcar's son Hannibal became the leader. At about that time, Rome began involving itself in the affairs of Saguntum, a city on the Mediterranean coast of Spain well south of the Ebro and therefore presumably in Carthaginian territory3. Hannibal viewed the Roman moves as an intervention similar to the ones that had touched off the first war.Hannibal laid siege to the town, which fell after eight months. Hannibal's strategic insight now became evident4. When Hannibal came to the head of the Carthaginian army he took it upon himself to rebuild Carthaginian fortunes by occupying Spain. The Romans had aligned themselves with Saguntum in an attempt to show strength and power against Carthage. Since Carthage's fleet was no longer a match for Rome's, the invasion of Italy would need to occur by land. To that end, Hannibal did his best to speak with tribes in his line of march well in advance of the arrival of conflicts.He also established alliances with various north Italian Celtic tribes that were traditional enemies of Rome. Hannibal's forces were the first civilized army to cross the Alps5. Exposure, desertion, accidents and fierce resistance by mountain tribes reduced his army from 40,000 to 26,000 during the trip, and most of the elephants accompanying the remarkable host also perished. Fortunately, once Italy was reached, the Celtic alliances provided replacements that brought the army back to its original str ength. The Carthaginian troops endured great hardship and suffered serious casualties.Shortly thereafter, Hannibal fought two battles that demonstrated his resolve as a field commander and his determination to destroy rather than merely defeat his enemy. At the Trebia River, only 10,000 Romans escaped an ambush out of 40,000 involved, and at Lake Trasimene, nearly an entire Roman force of 25,000 was killed or captured. From then on, the Romans were hesitant to fight a large-scale engagement. Hannibal was careful to treat prisoners from Rome's allied cities courteously, often freeing them without ransom to encourage dissatisfaction with Rome's cause6.Captured Roman citizens, on the other hand, were held for ransom used to pay Hannibal's men or were often sold into slavery. The Carthaginian army lived off the land causing as much damage to the economy as possible. After victory at Lake Trasimene, Hannibal moved his army to southern Italy in order to recruit additional troops7. This mo ving of troops by Hannibal and their subsequent looting forced the Romans to become more aggressive. Two now consuls, Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paulus, were given command of the combined legions of Rome with orders to make an end to the feared Carthaginian.Normally, the two consuls would have independent commands but, when their forces were combined, command of the whole alternated daily. Hannibal's effective intelligence organization soon informed him that Varro was the more rash and impulsive of his opponents, and so Hannibal decided to force an action on a day that Varro was in command of the Roman forces8. Hannibal seized a grain depot to lure the Romans to the site he had chosen for battle. The depot was located at the small village of Cannae, south of Rome.Dawn of that August morning in 216 BC found Hannibal, commander of Carthage's army in Italy, looking down at the plain separating his vantage point from the waters of the Adriatic Sea about three miles away9. The Roman enemy was already advancing with an army of more than 85,000 men, aligned in the standard offensive formation of the dreaded legions. Hannibal's force, some 56,000 in number, faced long odds. The Roman force available for battle was large by the standards of the day. Eight full legions of infantry, some 40,000 men, were improved by 40,000 allied infantrymen.About 2,000 Roman cavalry and 4,000 allied horses completed the army, for a total strength of 86,00010. In battle, the Roman infantry usually advanced on a wide front, with cavalry on the flank. The heavy infantry was led by skirmishers, who opened the fighting with the throwing of javelins. They would then fall to the rear of the formation and were able to pass through the Roman formation because deliberate gaps were left in each line. The basic fighting unit of the heavy infantry was the maniple of about 160 men divided into two centuries.Rather than forming a constant line, the two centuries were deployed one behind the other, leaving the gaps used by the skirmishers. At the point of attack or when in a defensive position, the rear centuries could be moved up to fill the gaps11. The Hastati made up the first line of heavy infantry of the Roman army. They were equipped with a heavy shield, a helmet, light and heavy javelins and a short, straight sword. The Princeps were the second line of heavy infantry. Although armed like the Hastati, the Princeps were omewhat older and more experienced and formed behind those of the Hastati, but were offset to block the gaps in the Hastati line. The third line, made up of the old veteran troops known as the Tritarii, had its centuries form behind the gaps in the second line, giving an overall checkerboard result to the formation. The Tritarii had a thrusting spear in place of the javelin of the first two lines12. In the hands of an experienced commander, the flexibility possible with this formation was useful, particularly against older military formation su ch as the phalanx.Unfortunately, the Roman method of appointing new consuls each year and rotating command daily made it unlikely that the top military talent would be allowed to pursue a logical plan. Roman courage, discipline and patriotism were rarely lacking, but the coming battle of Cannae would highlight the need for changes in the selection and responsibilities of army commander13. Aside from the top leaders, very few Carthaginians were present in Hannibal's army. His army at Cannae consisted of North African, Spanish and Celtic personnel. Perhaps the soundest foot soldiers available to Hannibal were the Libyan-Phoenician heavy infantry.The Phoenicians living in Libya were subject to Carthaginian military service and cleared themselves well. Originally armed like Greek hoplites, they now began equipping with Roman arms captured at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene. In addition to the infantry, 2,000 Spanish cavalry were at Hannibal’s disposal. They were heavily armed and u sed as heavy cavalry, but the outstanding quality of their horses allowed them to rival the speed of the Numidian cavalry14. About 25,000 Celtic infantry and 5,000 Celtic cavalry made up the remainder of Hannibal's force.These people lived for war, but without the guidance of a commander like Hannibal, their absence of discipline made them unpredictable. At the time of Cannae, Hannibal was arming these men with captured Roman weapons. He liked to use the Celts as troops that would cause disruption in enemy ranks prior to sending in his African infantry. At Cannae, the Romans were determined to crush Hannibal's center. They formed deep battle lines in order to bring pressure to stand against the middle of the Carthaginian line. On the Roman right, the legion cavalry, some 2,400 strong, faced Hannibal's Spaniards and Celts, totaling 7,000.The mismatch would prove a decisive element in the battle's surprising outcome. On the Roman left, the 4,000 allied cavalry faced an equal number of Numidians. Hannibal aligned his infantry in an unusual manner. The center of his position was curved, facing outward toward the advancing Romans. The flanks bent backward from the center. Alternating units of Spanish and Celtic swordsmen held this line, and they were greatly outnumbered by the approaching Romans. Hannibal positioned himself at the left end of the line, and his youngest brother Mago, held the right.Each end of the line was anchored by a dense square of African infantry, the location of which guaranteed that they would not be engaged until long after those at the center15. As the Romans advanced, a hot west wind blew dust in their faces and obscured their vision. At a range of about 35 yards, the Romans hurled their light javelins, causing casualties among the Spaniard and Celts. These javelins often caused problems even if they only pierced a man's shield, because the shaft was difficult to remove and weighed the shield down, making the man vulnerable to an onrushin g legionary.At closer range, the heavy javelin was thrown, and then the infantry lines collided, the swift Celts and athletic Spaniards against the disciplined Roman masses. In time, the weight of the Roman assault began to take effect on Hannibal's troops, and the center of the Carthaginian line retreated. As Hannibal's men were forced back, they found themselves slowly backing up a slope Due to the nature of the terrain, the Romans fought uphill as they advanced and at the same time were restricted into a narrowing front as their mass of men entered the ‘V. Although the Roman infantrymen did not know it, their fate was all but sealed by this time. Hannibal had planned for his cavalry to strike the decisive blows while his infantry fought a large-scale delay. As the battle opened, Hannibal launched the Spanish and Celtic cavalry on his left against the outnumbered Roman cavalry16. The consul Aemilius accompanied these cavalrymen but they could not endure the Carthaginian assa ult. Aemilius was wounded and the bulk of the Roman cavalry was driven from the field, exposing that flank of the Roman army.While this occurred on the Carthaginian left, the Numidians on the right had been engaged with the horsemen of Rome's allies17. The Carthaginian cavalry commander on the left, reorganized his units and proceeded to ride behind the Roman infantry to the far side of the battlefield, where the stalemated cavalry fight continued between the Numidians and Rome's allies. The allied horsemen now were taken by surprise and caught between the two Carthaginian forces. The allied cavalry fled the field, taking the consul Varro with them.At this point, Aemilius was dead or dying, and Varro, the other commander, no longer was with the Roman army. The Roman and allied cavalrymen had been killed, captured or driven from the field18. By that time, the Roman infantry had fought its way up the slope and into the enclosed end of the ‘V,' the point. As the men became more t ightly packed into a confined space, fewer of them could use their weapons effectively. Romans in the rear ranks continued to push forward, but found they had little room to maneuver.Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s younger brother, assaulted the Roman rear with his heavy cavalry, assisted by the Carthaginian light infantry. The encirclement was complete. Many Romans first discovered the danger when they realized they were being cut down and hamstrung by the Carthaginian troops. Historians have estimated that the fighting continued until evening and that approximately 600 Romans died per minute of the battle. Cannae represented the apex of Hannibal's career, although he has been criticized for not attempting to end the war by sacking Rome itself at that point.Hannibal remained in Italy for 13 more years, but the determination of the Romans to fight on, regardless of losses, eventually gave them the opportunity to defeat the great Carthaginian. The failure of Carthage to rebuild its flee t in order to challenge that of the Romans made Hannibal's task extremely tough. He attempted to reduce Rome's naval advantage by occupying the Italian coastal cities. If Hannibal had been able to hold them, the odds against the Carthaginian fleet would have improved, but his limited number of troops made it difficult for him to isolate enough garrisons to prevent Roman recapture of the port cities.For 15 years in all, from 218 to 203 BC, Hannibal occupied large areas of Italy. He fought and defeated the Romans on numerous occasions but could not break their spirit19. After Cannae, the Romans again became cautious about entering into full-scale battle against Hannibal, but their command of the sea and the decision to invade Spain, made reinforcement of Hannibal's army difficult. Slowly, the troops who had crossed the Alps with Hannibal decreased in number an in age. But Carthage's absence of naval power prevented Hannibal's alliances with Syracuse and Macedonia from becoming fruitfu l.The Roman navy captured a treaty between Hannibal and Philip V of Macedonia, and by the time the second received a copy and acted on it, the Roman fleet barred his troops from crossing to Italy. In spite of all the complications, Hannibal proved to be a gifted leader able to get the very best from his men. His army was made up of of mercenaries with no real obligation to the Carthaginian cause however no record shows any mutiny during the 5 years in Italy. The army did not more than just survive it maintained a high level of morale and fighting spirit.Spain was taken from Carthage and the Barcid family after Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal repeated a crossing of the Alps with a reinforcement that gave the Romans in Spain a free hand. Hasdrubal was incapable of uniting with Hannibal before being opposed by a strong Roman army in 207 BC. In the ensuing battle, Hasdrubal was defeated and killed20. In October of 203 BC, Publius Cornelius Scipio, the conqueror of Spain, invaded North Afri ca and forced Hannibal to defend Carthage. Hannibal's defeat at Zama at the hands of Scipio in the following spring, caused mostly because of a shortage of cavalry strength, ended the Second Punic War.Hannibal rose to the position of prominence in Carthage after the war and took steps that helped Carthage recover economically from the conflict. Rome viewed Carthage's revival with suspicion, and Hannibal was forced to flee to the east, where he committed suicide in 183 BC rather than fall into Roman hands. Hannibal Barca was one of history’s greatest generals and Rome’s greatest enemy. Although later Roman tradition belittled him, it respected his prowess as a great military commander. Had Hannibal not underestimated the strength of the Romans, he might have rewritten European history.NOTES Mahaney, M. C. ,â€Å"Hannibal’s Invasion Route: An Age-Old Question Revisited within a Geoarchaeological and Palaeobotanical Context. † (Archaeometry vol. 52 (6/2010), 1097 Marcel Le Glay, et al. ,A History of Rome. (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), 74 Ibid, 75 John Peddie, Hannibal’s War. (Gloucechesershire: Sutton, 1997), 9 Ibid, 21-26 G. P. Baker, Hannibal. (New York: Barnes & Nobles, Inc. , 1967), 101-104 Ibid, 100 Le Glay, A History of Rome Adrian Goldsworthy, Cannae, (London: Cassel & Co, 2001), 77-81 Ibid, 95Dexter Hoyos, Hannibal Rome’s Greatest Enemy, (Exeter, Bristol Phoenix Press, 2008), 57-59 Goldsworthy, Cannae, 96-99 Hoyos, Hannibal Rome’s Greatest Enemy, 60 Goldsworthy, Cannae, 108-109 Ibid, 111 Peddie, Hannibal’s War, 92-93 Ibid, 94 Theodore Ayrault Dodge, Hannibal, (Boston, Da Capo Press, 1891), 372 Le Glay, A History of Rome, 77 Dodge, Hannibal, 556 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ancient Greece & Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students, vol. 2. Hannibal Baker, G. P. Hannibal. New York: Barnes & Nobles, Inc. , 1967 Dodge, Theodore Ayrault. Hannibal.Boston: DaCapo Press, 1891 Goldsworthy, Adrian. Cannae. London: Cassel & C o, 2001 Hoyos, Dexter. Hannibal Rome’s Greatest Enemy. Exeter: Bristol Phoenix Press, 2008 Le Glay, et al. A History of Rome. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009 Mahaney, M. C. â€Å"Hannibal’s Invasion Route: An Age-Old Question Revisited within a Geoarchaeological and Palaeobotanical Context. † Archaeometry vol. 52 (6/2010): 1096-1109. Peddie, John. Hannibal’s War. Gloucechesershire: Sutton, 1997 Radice, Betty. Livy The War with Hannibal. Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. Baltimore: Penguin, 1965