Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay Essay Example

Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay Essay Travelodge is the first budget hotel launched in 1985 in UK. It operates 380 hotels with 26,500 room in the UK. Travelodge is be aftering to turn 1000 more hotels by 2020. It employs above 5500 people and 87 % of the engagement are made online. The UK hotel market is estimated around 700,000 suites ( beginning: Melvyn Gold, Qualification of serviced adjustment supply in UK , December 2007 ) UK hotel market is segmented chiefly into four classs, Brander full service which has 14 % of the market portion, branded budget 12 % branded mid market 62 % and unbranded mugwumps 62 % .the current economic environment has seen addition in bead out of unbranded mugwumps and people prefer to book with branded budget due to web coverage, trade name strength strong balance sheet and distribution. We will write a custom essay sample on Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO, commented: 2008 was another record twelvemonth of growing for the Travelodge trade name with over 19 % gross growing . Room sold increased by 9 per centum to 6 million The growing of Travelodge has been unbelievable but company faced a few challenges and one of the major challenge company is confronting is overbooking. Overbooking is one of the of import gross direction tool in hotels operation direction to run efficaciously and heighten profitableness. Gross Management is seen as an of import technique in the hotels operation and hence to maximise their grosss, hotels are progressively implementing Revenue Management patterns ( Hwang and Wen, 2009 ) . As a effect of implementing such systems, many companies in the service sector such as hotels consistently overbook capacity in order to maximise the gross at one peculiar point in clip ( Wangenheim and Bayon, 2007 ) . If overbooking is non implemented right it can ensue in loss of room gross, loss of hotel repute, decreased client trueness and lessening hotels profitableness. This study discusses the chief features of overbooking and its impact on the company in theoretical and practical prospective. Theoretical penetrations of overbooking One of the cardinal constructs in Revenue Management is overbooking. The pattern of overbooking can be defined as corroborating more reserves than the hotels available physical capacity to supply the service. ( Ivanov, 2006 ; Ivanov, 2007 ; Chiang et Al 2007 ; McGill, new wave Ryzin,1999 ; Kamath, Bhosale, Manjrekar,2008 ) . Hence, the aim of overbooking is to better the expected net income and alternatively of selling each room one time, net income can be increased by selling it several times ( Birkenheuer, 2009 ) . In fact, overbooking as an built-in portion of Revenue Management has received important attending from literature. From a historical position, overbooking is present in the surveies of Falkson ( 1969 ) , Simon ( 1968 ) , Vickrey ( 1972 ) and many others. The major aim of these surveies was to sketch a control pattern for cancellations. Nowadays, overbooking has become an emerging affair in industries with perishable merchandises. It yields considerable impacts on companies public presentation. In footings of the cordial reception industry, the profitableness of hotels is mostly dependent on their use of capacity. Conversely, demand for suites and extensions of stay are really unstable and are difficult to foretell ( new wave Ryzin, 2005 ) . Hoteliers are challenged by how to find the business of suites for clients who are financially unequal and meanwhile maintain a stable rate of demand given the difficult to foretell fortunes ( Okumus, 2004 ) . This is all possible utilizing overbooking, which enables proper allotment of resources and optimisation of gross revenues. However, maximising the figure of sold suites per dark can non be easy accomplished. One of the most ambitious undertakings of the hotel operation direction is to cover with the unpredictable nature of the clients, because non all booked reserves will turn into existent service ingestion ( Lai et al, 2005 ) . To this terminal overbooking may imply a company from the cordial reception industry non being able to function all its clients decently because of lower figure of ab initio expected people that do non look as agreed. In this regard, overbooking may hold both positive and negative impact. On the one manus, it may ensue in refusal to supply a service, but on the other, it can besides take the signifier of compensation for those booking agents, who can non have the value bundle they have agreed on and paid for ( Kimes and Wagner, 2001 ) . From their practical experience directors know that all non engagements confirmed for a peculiar day of the month will be truly used ( Ivanov, 2006 ) . There are several possible scenarios that can do this. Despite of their reserves, because of different fortunes some invitees cancel their stay and end their reserves, some does non call off their engagement but fail to demo up, or other invitees cut down their stay and as a consequence the room remains unsold and therefore capacity non use is lost everlastingly ( Ivanov, 2006, Talluri et Al, 2004 ; Chiang et Al, 2007 ; Hung, 2004 ; Bitran ; Leon, 1989 ) . Therefore hotels adopt overbooking in order to protect against losingss with no-shows and to countervail the consequence of cancellations and shortened corsets ( Hwang and Wen, 2009 ; Kamath et Al, 2008 ; Selmi, 2008 ; Chiang et Al 2007 ; Hung, 2004 ; Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008 ) . Impacts of overbooking on hotels operation direction Apart from the chance of the hotel to minimise the consequence of reserve uncertainnesss there are possibilities the figure of cancellations and no shows to be less so the figure of overbookings, so some of the clients will non be accommodated and should be walked to other hotels ( Ivanov, 2006 ) . Therefore, if a hotel decides to use overbooking in its operations it should pull off carefully non merely the chance cost of the unsold room but besides the overbooking costs for alternate hotel adjustment and transit that the hotel has to pay in order to counterbalance a client in instance of overbooking ( Ivanov, 2006 ; Hung, 2004 ) . Besides the apparent fiscal costs happening in instance of walking a invitee holding already booked, costs the lost hotel s good will and repute and the hazards of dissatisfaction, loss of trust, loss of future client trueness are much more expensive for the hotel ( Selmi, 2007 ) . Overbooking policy and control Harmonizing to Selmi ( 2007 ) , the hazard of client refusal appears if the overbooking is no accomplished exactly . In this respect, Kimes ( 1989 ) emphasized on the importance of a clearly stated overbooking policy within the hotel operation direction. The aim of overbooking policy and control is to happen an optimum overbooking degree to maximise the expected gross and to minimise the possible hazard of denied service ( Chiang et al 2007 ) . Netessine and Shumsky ( 2002 ) as cited by Ivanov ( 2006 ; 2007 ) proposed a basic mathematical theoretical account for ciphering the optimum figure of overbookings and harmonizing to his findings the optimum overbooking degree is reciprocally related to the sum of cancellation charges applied the closer the cancellation charge to the room rate, the lower the lost benefit from the unoccupied room and the less stimuli to overbook . In instance of presence of guaranteed and non-guaranteed engagements, Ivanov ( 2007 ) suggests that the optimum figure of overbookings has to be set individually for each type. Alternatively, harmonizing to Hung ( 2004 ) factors that could be considered while puting overbooking bounds include: chances of cancellation and no-show ; room demand distribution over clip and conditions of length of stay ; stay extension chances influenced by the intended length of stay. Furthermore Hung ( 2004 ) assumes that the proportion of cancellations depends on the client class, intended length of stay, twenty-four hours of hebdomad of first stay over, and clip until first stay over. Impact of overbooking on client behaviour Harmonizing to Talluri et Al ( 2004 ) overbooking is often cited in client ailments and remains the primary beginning of dissatisfaction. Furthermore, consequences of an experiment made by Wangenheim and Bayon ( 2007 ) confirm that the pattern of overbooking is likely to be perceived as unjust by service clients. Wangenheim and Bayon ( 2007 ) analyze behavioural effects of the equity towards overbooking by suggesting and corroborating several hypotheses. Harmonizing to their research the negative effects of service failure originating from overbooking are stronger for the high position client than for the low position clients and hence, hotelkeepers have to carefully overbook its high-values categories . Additionally, Wangenheim and Bayon ( 2007 ) stress on the importance that if a hotel ignores the log-run behaviour effects of overbooking, this may take to negative effects on its operations. One such negative effect is proposed to be a client who faces a denied service due to overbooking and still remains hotels client because of either high fixed exchanging barriers or current trueness rank plans. However, in response to the service failure the client may set its investing into the exchange relationship non merely by diminishing the figure of gross revenues, but besides by seeking to take advantage of price reduction offers or buying lower degree services from the hotel ( Wangenheim and Bayon, 2007 ) . On the other manus, Hwang and Wen ( 2009 ) analyze the consequence of the sensed equity toward hotels overbooking and compensation patterns by analyzing clients reactions toward hotel overbooking. Some of their most critical findings from this survey are that adult females are more likely than work forces to experience that overbooking is unjust , clients perceptual experiences to the equity of overbooking is non affected by other client variables including length of stay, rank position, remunerator beginning, reserve channel, and reserve clip ; participants perceived equity toward the hotel s overbooking and compensation policies were strongly correlated with positive viva-voce promotion. One of the most of import consequences of the research shows that the sensed equity of the participants toward the hotel s compensation policy is related to their trueness. Therefore, Hwang and Wen ( 2009 ) propose that hotels should see planing compensations that help positively influence cli ents perceived fairness toward overbooking and that encourage clients on-going backing and trueness. In a decision, issues like finding the optimum figure of extra reserves, minimising compensation cost, and covering with the negative effects from clients confronting a denied service are considered as the most ambitious countries of the pattern of overbooking and every hotel endeavoring to maximise its profitableness should non undervalue them ( Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008 ) . Practical Deductions of overbooking As the cordial reception industry is germinating, hotel proprietors and hotel directors are invariably seeking to update their attacks in order to accomplish optimum allotment of resources. Novelli, Schmitz and Spencer ( 2006 ) have discovered that hotelkeepers make every attempt to use modern-day engineerings in their concern. By this deduction, hotel directors and proprietors do non merely prolong competitory advantage, but besides create new merchandises and services. In position of this, it can be concluded that execution of new engineerings that create new merchandises is a technological invention ( Evangelista, 1999 ) . On the other manus, the execution of advanced engineerings to a service company can hold a important influence in footings of operational efficiency ( Freeman and Soete, 1997 ) . Additionally, Porter ( 1990 ) supports the latter thesis by foregrounding that the public presentation of a company is extremely dependent on new engineerings. In position of technological inventions today many hotels recognize the importance of overbooking pattern and therefore its execution has become by and large recognized measure toward hotels successful operations. The practical application of Revenue Management and Overbooking incorporates the undermentioned built-in elements ( Vinod, 2004 ) : Figure 1 Revenue Management application Degree centigrades: UsersamadDesktopCapture.JPG Beginning: Vinod, B. ( 2004 ) , Journal of Revenue A ; Pricing Management Market cleavage: Segmenting clients harmonizing to their penchants and disbursement forms is a must to do certain the most appropriate clients with absolutely fitted properties are sold the proper suites that can maximise grosss ( Oliveira, 2003 ) . Specifying rate categories ( stock list pooling ) : Involves making groups of the bing rates that close in footings of value ( Vinod, 2004 ) . Demand prediction: demand prediction is indispensable to find room tenancy. In the context of Revenue Management it is of import as it can command tenancy utilizing the information of length of stay. This can be achieved by possessing informations on rate category demand and continuance of stay ( Vinod, 2004 ) . Supply prediction: earlier and late check-out procedures can besides find room tenancy, which is an component besides involved in Revenue Management. Overbooking control: encompasses gross revenues of suites transcending the maximal available figure of suites to countervail for no shows and cancellations. However, there are some hazards associated with overbooking as it may ensue in grudges from unsated clients who have received an inappropriate room. In such instances hotelkeepers offer compensations and periphery benefits ( Smith, 1982 ) . Harmonizing to Vinod ( 1992 ) Revenue Management can convey 20 % of the entire grosss. Revenue mix control and exclusion processing: involves be aftering of import hereafter day of the months with discretion and fiting them with overbooking degrees ( Vinod, 2004 ) . Performance measuring and direction coverage: closely size uping the Revenue Management processes is indispensable to track down the information quality and future be aftering footing. However, in order to take a hotel into a victorious way, overbooking has to be managed and controlled really carefully. Ivanov ( 2006 ) defines the direction of overbooking as a set of managerial techniques and activities connected with uninterrupted planning, reserve and control and he outlined two chief groups of activities that should be performed in the day-to-day hotel operation. The hotel directors should on one manus, to specify an optimum figure of overbookings for each day of the month and continuously to modify it harmonizing to the market alterations of the hotel and the specific demand and booking spiels and on the other manus, to pull off carefully determinations and operational activities related with walking invitees with overbookings. In this respect, Ivanov ( 2006 ) proposes that factors such as length of stay, suites rates and client position have to be considered by hotel directors while covering with walking a invitee with confirmed reserve. Additionally, Kimes ( 1989 ) analyzes several managerial concerns indispensable for an effectual overbooking pattern and states that top direction can non presume tha t Revenue Management will merely go on, it requires careful planning and preparation . Therefore employees have to be intensively trained in order to clearly understand the purpose and features of overbooking. Furthermore, employees who are straight covering with overbooking determinations have to be sporadically trained how to act in possible client struggles and to take their ain determinations in an unfamiliar state of affairs ( Ivanov, 2006 ) . In order to be minimized the possible client dissatisfaction in instance of overbooking, it is critical for the hotel to set up service recovery programmes with standardised processs and to do employees to be cognizant and follow them ( Ivanov, 2006 ) For a profitable applied overbooking in the cordial reception industry, hotels must understand non merely consumers behaviour but besides to see the impact of competition and the presently economic state of affairs that imposes important supply and demand fluctuations. As hotels compete with each other in order to pull more clients, Revenue Management determinations of one hotel necessarily act upon the demand for other hotels in the same part or country. However, recent tendencies propose that hotels should join forces with is rivals that consequence in increased figure of formed confederations with each other to maximise their gross ( Chiang et al, 2007 ) Revenue Management s challenges in the cordial reception industry As explained before, Revenue Management finds application to two important industries: cordial reception and air hose. The first one, nevertheless, is much more complex in footings of industry impregnation and suites direction. This creates hurdlings for the optimu m operation of Revenue Management techniques. In the hotel industry Revenue Management can be applied either locally or via centralised system. The 2nd one involves garnering informations and taking determinations from a focal site for other belongingss. In pattern merely a limited figure of hotels and hotel ironss are able to pull off centralized informations processing and hence the bulk of participants on the cordial reception industry opt for belongings based Revenue Management. Recommendations for future research Despite of the acknowledged importance of overbooking as one the most effectual successful Revenue Management techniques used in hotel operation and widely discussed subject in research literature, there are no current surveies discoursing the overbooking direction of Bulgarian hotels and its impact on their operation. Therefore, future research may concentrate on the possible application of Revenue Management techniques to the Bulgarian cordial reception industry. Future surveies may besides concentrate on the demand side of Bulgarian touristry as the state has witnessed fluctuating visitant rates during the past two decennaries despite the turning net incomes generated by the peculiar industry. Decisions In order to last in the ferocious competition and to bring forth more gross while utilizing the same sum of resorts it is necessary and critical to the hotels operation direction to utilize efficaciously its reserve stock list and to increase its tenancy rate ( Hung, 2004 ) . Revenue Management techniques and the theoretical accounts of overbooking if applied suitably would maximise the grosss of hotels ( Kamath et al, 2008 ) . However, the possibilities of client dissatisfaction, and hazard of loss of repute because of denied service, force many hotels to avoid the pattern of overbooking. Therefore, before hotel directors to deicide whether or non to implement overbooking they should first see what Birkenheuer ( 2009 ) explained the best appraisal of hazard and chance will supply the best net income . In this survey we have outlined the dynamic nature of service industries and have demonstrated the importance of Revenue Management and most notably one of its most important facets overbooking. We have narrowed the range of this research down to the cordial reception industry and have found major differences in the demand patterns towards such companies in the former industry. Some clients prefer flexible cancellation footings, while others are non much attentive to that. Hoteliers offer differential pricing to their ain advantage to fudge against fluctuating demand. We have besides found that permutation is one of the most effectual method of pull offing overbooking patterns, but yet a cost/benefit analysis must be performed in order to track down the existent effects. Basically, within the current dynamic determination doing state of affairs in the cordial reception industry, overbooking degrees have been found to hold important gross maximising belongingss. In position of this, through this survey we have discovered some of the main direction aims that could be achieved through overbooking in the model of Revenue Management: net income maximization ; capa city allotment ; maximization of mean gross per client ; maximization of net present value ; and minimisation of client grudges. Finally, as cordial reception industry on a planetary graduated table is a aggregate volume-driven concern, overbooking has become an emerging subject as vacant suites do non convey any net incomes. However, possibly even more important remains the job how to pull off client letdown, in instances they can non be relocated to similar hotels as a consequence of overbooking.

Essay What Causes Love at First Sight

Essay What Causes Love at First Sight Essay: What Causes Love at First Sight? The concept of love at first sight is one that continues to be a debatable topic, because of the many controversial issues about love in the present day. A good source of primary information on factors that cause someone to fall in love at first sight is those who profess to have fallen in love with their significant other upon meeting them for the first time. One of the issues these individuals may state is when they first came into their significant others presence, they felt a tingling effect all over their bodies that made them excited to be at the same place as the person they were attracted to and had fallen in love with. The difference with the excitement of falling in love at first sight is that the sensation is stronger than they had experienced before, when they were infatuated with another individual. The whole feeling of falling in love is highly emotional, because couples that have reported falling in love report having a strong emotional connection with their significant other. These couples also report getting to know more about the person they fell in love with in a shorter amount of time than when they got to know their other friends. Falling in love makes people want to know more about a significant other than those who they have spent a very long time knowing. One other interesting thing about falling in love at first sight is the feeling that one gets makes him or her want to profess their love to that individual the very first time they meet. The unwritten rule of love emphasizes that one should profess one’s loves to the other individual after a couple of dates, as well as after both parties feel they have known the other individual enough to be very comfortable around one another. Love at first sight; however, makes one feel like saying he or she loves the other individual even before really getting to know the other individual. When one falls in love at first sight, one gets preoccupied with the other individual just hours after meeting the individual and always wants to spend a significant amount of time with that individual. One may also feel like telling the other individual everything about themselves. When one falls in love with another individual, the relationship with the other individual seems very easy to pursue and one finds it very easy to put up with the individual’s weaknesses. Those who fall in love quickly usually state they get worried or are deeply concerned about their significant other shortly after they have met that individual for the first time. At you can have a great opportunity to fill in the order form and to get a custom essay written from scratch!

Learning German Adjectives and Colors

Learning German Adjectives and Colors German adjectives, like English ones, usually go in front of the noun they modify: der  gute  Mann (the good man), das  große  Haus (the big house/building), die  schà ¶ne  Dame (the pretty lady). Unlike English adjectives, a German adjective in front of a noun has to have an ending (-e  in the examples above). Just what that ending will be depends on several factors, including  gender  (der, die, das) and  case  (nominative, accusative, dative). But most of the time the ending is an -e  or an -en  (in the plural). With  ein-words, the ending varies according to the modified nouns gender (see below). Look at the following table for the adjective endings in the nominative (subject) case: With  definite article  (der, die, das) -  Nominative case Masculineder Femininedie Neuterdas Pluraldie der neu Wagenthe new car die schn Stadtthe beautiful city das alt Autothe old car die neu Bcherthe new books With  indefinite article  (eine, kein, mein) -  Nom. case Masculineein Feminineeine Neuterein Pluralkeine ein neu Wagena new car eine schn Stadta beautiful city ein alt Autoan old car keine neu Bcherno new books Note that with  ein-words, since the article may not tell us the gender of the following noun, the adjective ending often does this instead (-es  Ã‚  das, -er  Ã‚  der; see above). As in English, a German adjective can also come  after  the verb (predicate adjective): Das Haus ist groß. (The house is large.) In such cases, the adjective will have NO ending. Farben (Colors) The German words for colors  usually function as adjectives and take the normal adjective endings (but see exceptions below). In certain situations, colors can also be nouns and are thus capitalized: eine Bluse in  Blau (a blouse in blue); das Blaue  vom Himmel versprechen (to promise heaven and earth, lit., the blue of the heavens). The chart below shows some of the more common colors with sample phrases.  Youll learn that the colors in feeling blue or seeing red may not mean the same thing in German. A black eye in German is blau (blue). Farbe Color Color Phrases with Adjective Endings rot red der rote Wagen (the red car), der Wagen ist rot rosa pink die rosa Rosen (the pink roses)* blau blue ein blaues Auge (a black eye), er ist blau (hes drunk) hell-blau lightblue die hellblaue Bluse (the light blue blouse)** dunkel-blau darkblue die dunkelblaue Bluse (the dark blue blouse) grn green der grne Hut (the green hat) gelb yellow die gelben Seiten (yellow pages), ein gelbes Auto wei white das weie Papier (the white paper) schwarz black der schwarze Koffer (the black suitcase) *Colors ending in -a  (lila, rosa) do not take the normal adjective endings.  Ã‚   **Light or dark colors are preceded by  hell- (light) or  dunkel- (dark), as in  hellgrà ¼n  (light green) or  dunkelgrà ¼n  (dark green).

Visit to the Contemporary Jewish Museum Assignment

Visit to the Contemporary Jewish Museum - Assignment Example e mood of the photograph, the black and white color helps reminiscence the ancient romantic feelings and the chivalry that was practiced those days (London, Upton and Stone 24). The photo is very simple in terms of its composition, the place where it has been taken has helped simplify the picture coupled with the magnificent background has drawn my attention towards the picture. In ancient days, it was generally accepted that some levels of modest should be observed in public but Cassidy and his girlfriend had the courage to defy these conservative expectations of them to go ahead and kiss. However, the disinterest displayed by most of the people in the background of the photo leaves many questions as to whether this was a manipulated scene or the photo was just taken in its natural setting. The photographer, Allen Ginsberg, was not a professional photographer but a poet who had more expertise in poetry as compared to photography. To some extent, he may have been trying to put his poetic intuitions into a pictorial form to combine with his written poetry. In this photo, Allen Ginsberg shows his paternal grandmother in a state of meditation or in deep thought, in front of her is a plate with a meal set on a table with a white surface. Allen paints a somber mood with the picture with his grandmother seemingly sulky and the monotony of colors in the picture that goes to enhance the dull mood. To draw the attention of the viewer to the subject matter of the picture, he has placed the face of the woman at the centre of the photo ensuring that the viewers attention is drawn first to the dull face of the woman and it triggers imagination as to why is the woman dull, is she in prayer or meditating? Is she disgruntled with the food before her? This leaves the viewer in suspense as he tries to look for answers to the above questions. Another attribute that draws a viewer to this picture and to a large extent most of Allen Ginsberg pictures is the simplistic nature

Glimpse of Scriptures of Religions of Indian Origin Essay

Glimpse of Scriptures of Religions of Indian Origin - Essay Example This paper illustrates philosophy and beliefs of Sikhism. No other God but one. Same God is for every person and every religion. The soul passes through the phases of birth and death before reaching to human form. The aim of life is to live an exemplary life so that our soul may merge with God. Every follower of Sikh religion should always remember God and practice living a moral and honest life and should maintain a balance between the obligations of temporal and spiritual. The right path to attain salvation and merging with God does not require rejection of the world or abstaining yourselves from any sexual relations, but by leading a life as a householder, living an honest life and stay away from sins and worldly temptations. Both these most influential beliefs have shaped Asian history. Both of these religions have dominated the majority of Asian regions, especially India and China. They have been around thousands of years. Both Buddhism and Daoism are different in many things, y et share the same original confidence in renascence. Both have its own approach to such belief in the same way both emphasize a different way of life. Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Gautama, he belongs to a royal family and was born as a prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini. He was known as Buddha meaning ‘enlightened one’. From the beginning, Buddhism has been embraced to be a philosophy and a religion at the same time. The core values of Buddhism are encapsulated in three things. Daoism (Taoism) was first introduced in China. The main focus of Daoism is on subjects that move around religious and philosophical backgrounds, for example, peace, strength, openness, naturalness, hollowness, the connection between universe and humanity, and inaction or wu wei. Daoism came from the word â€Å"Tao† which means the ‘way’, the power that exists in all life in the world. Therefore the aim of the Daoist’s is to straighten up him with that way.   According to Daoism the soul never dies, it is everlasting and changes to another life till completion of Taoist goals.   

The Role and Growth of NATO Essay Example for Free

The Role and Growth of NATO Essay From Thucydides onward, moral philosophers, students of international politics, statesmen, and policy makers have been preoccupied and very often troubled by the role of morality in international politics. There has often been a tendency, in the discourse on political morality and the ethical conduct of statecraft, to alternatively exaggerate or deprecate the influence of morality in internationalpolitics, and hence succumb to either self-righteous moralism or cynicism and skepticism. The task of moral reasoning about international politics is neither a simple nor an easy one, and is made more difficult when moralism is confused with morality. Moralism involves the adoption of a single value or principle and applying it indiscriminately without due regard to circumstances, time, or space. Morality, on the other hand, is the endless search for what is right in the midst of sometimes competing, sometimes conflicting, and sometimes incompatible values and principles (Morgenthau 79). The normative form of political realism admonishes us to think morally, not moralistically, and not to confuse self-righteousness with morality. It reminds us that international politics are too complex to resemble a morality play, and that moral choices are never easy. Yet all is not well in Europe. The end of the Cold War and the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union ended the high-intensity threat to the West. Invasion is now implausible. However, the lacuna created by the absence of any high-intensity threat has been filled by low-intensity threats, taking the principal form of chronic instability in the Balkans and the outbreak of ethnic conflict stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia. Indeed, the various Balkan wars are indicative of the fact that â€Å"history† and a particularly nasty and virulent form of nationalism persist quite stubbornly in that corner of Europe. The horrors and atrocities perpetrated in those wars were shocking to people who believed in â€Å"Never Again† and that European civilization had evolved beyond such behavior. This, of course, ought to be a sobering reminder that peace and stability can never be taken for granted, that liberal values are not as triumphant as some would like to believe, and that Locke, Kant, and Smith might have to make room for Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes as we are forced to reengage with history. How exactly are we to reengage with history? In the midst of peace and plenty, we have had the luxury of debating and rethinking our conceptions of security. Traditional state-centric notions of security, which privilege sovereignty over the rights and dignity of the individual, are called increasingly into question. They are deemed relics of the past, fig leaves hiding the intellectual paucity of Cold Warriors unable or unwilling to adapt themselves to an altered security environment. We are witnessing the rise of a rival orthodoxy regarding how we think and act about security, one that is centered on human rights and human security—consonant with our posthistorical values and sensibilities—and allegedly better suited to deal with the problems of intrastate warfare and ethnic conflict. This rival orthodoxy, we are to believe, is morally superior and more evolved than traditional notions of security. After all, what sort of person can be against human rights and human security? On 24 March 1999, NATO began Operation Allied Force, an aerial bombing campaign that was to last seventy-eight days. The Atlantic Alliance, arguably the most powerful and successful politico-military coalition in history, created originally to defend Western Europe against a Soviet onslaught, now went to war for human security. In the subsequent military campaign, NATO won and got what it wanted, and then some. The Alliance triumphed without a single combat casualty. Serbian military and paramilitary forces, looking remarkably unscathed despite the scope and intensity of NATO sorties, evacuated the province. A NATO-led military force moved in, and Kosovar refugees started returning home. Kosovo is now a de facto protectorate of NATO and the United Nations, even if the fiction that the province remains a sovereign and integral part of Yugoslavia is maintained. Kosovars are champing at the bit to cleanse the province ethnically of the remaining Serbian minority, even as we insist that our goal is to reconstitute a multiethnic and multicultural Kosovo. Slobodan Milosevic is gone but the genie of ethnic strife is already out of the bottle, and the Balkans remain as unstable as ever (An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State March 2002). A question mark hangs over an â€Å"ethic of responsibility,† meanwhile, because the jury is still out as to whether we will be able to move toward such an ethic when it comes to future humanitarian interventions or whether â€Å"humanitarian warfare† is, as some argue, â€Å"an idea whose time has come, and gone† (Krauthammer 8). From the Balkans to the Caucasus, the environment remains ripe for massive and violent abuses of human rights—thus opportunities to intervene—even if NATO does not expand any further to the East. The temptation to intervene will be great. If CNN is present, we will have emotional and gut-wrenching scenes of human suffering beamed into our living rooms and there will be a clamor to â€Å"do something† (Hudson and Stanier 256).   And why not do something? The Alliance has already bent, if not broken international law over Kosovo. Surely it will be easier the second time around. Furthermore, NATO now possesses a template for â€Å"immaculate intervention.† The Alliance will not deploy ground troops but can instead rely on precision guided munitions dropped from on high, with little or no risk to its servicemen and women (Burk 53–78). Humanitarian intervention is characterized by motive and ends, the motive to do good, and the goal to put an end to human suffering. This is what is supposed to distinguish â€Å"moral† interventions from â€Å"immoral† ones (Abrams 74). It was said of the Gulf War that the West would not have come to the aid of Kuwait if that country had produced broccoli instead of oil. Kosovo possessed neither oil nor broccoli. Hence, we were told by President Bill Clinton that NATO’s actions were intended to â€Å"enable the Kosovar people to return to their homes with safety and self-government,† or alternatively to â€Å"protect thousands of innocent people in Kosovo from a mounting military offensive.† (Roberts 20) The Alliance’s objectives were thus to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo and/or to prevent a crisis from becoming a catastrophe. Kosovo was to be a new sort of war, one fought in the name of universal values and principles—to uphold human rights and prevent a humanitarian tragedy—rather than for narrow interests (Roberts 20). Yet motives and ends are dangerously unreliable as criteria for moral calculation and judgment. Moral judgment cannot be suspended simply because the motives are pure, the cause just, and the ends good. The decision to enlarge the Atlantic Alliance has opened debate as to whether an expanded alliance will help to sustain global peace or provoke greater tension, if not regional or global wars. International relations theorists are largely divided over the question, and the relationship between alliance enlargement and the question of war or peace is unclear and ambiguous. Alliances in general have often been blamed as one of the major factors helping to generate the fears and suspicions leading to World War I, as well as previous wars in European history, at least since the advent of the formal multipolar â€Å"balance of power† system in the mid-seventeenth century. American foreign policy from George Washington to World War II traditionally eschewed â€Å"entangling alliances.† On the other hand, the lack of strong alliances and of firm American commitments to Britain, France, and to key strategically positioned states such as Poland, for example, has been cited as one of the causes of World War II. Following Soviet retrenchment from eastern Europe after 1989, and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet state in 1991, the Atlantic Alliance has been praised as the most successful alliance in history. Without NATO, it is argued, the peace of Europe could not have been secured throughout the Cold War. Detractors, however, have argued that NATO’s formation in 1949 led to the counterformation of the 1950 Sino-Soviet alliance—and indirectly to the Korean War—in addition to the establishment of the Warsaw Pact following West Germany’s admission to NATO in 1955. These contrasting perspectives do not clarify the relationship between alliances and war in today’s geostrategic circumstances. The question remains as to whether German unification, followed by Soviet implosion, and now by NATO enlargement into east-central Europe, will prove stabilizing. The Alliance has opted to extend its membership to Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary within the former Soviet sphere of influence, raising some fears of a new partition of Europe. At the same time, NATO has promised to consider further enlarging its membership; it has advocated what has been deemed an â€Å"open NATO†Ã¢â‚¬â€in part to prevent a possible new partition between members and nonmembers. Alliance pronouncements promised that Romania and Slovenia would be granted first consideration in a second round, in addition to one or more of the Baltic states. Indeed, NATO has not left out the possibility of Russian membership, but has only taken limited steps in this direction (Kegley and Raymond 275–277). Despite the fact that NATO is one of the most institutionalized alliances ever created, with decades of experience in fostering close ties among its members, the United States chose not to use NATO to organize its response to the attacks. NATO was unable to provide a command structure—or even substantial capabilities—that would override U.S. concerns about using the NATO machinery. European contributions were incorporated on a bilateral basis, but NATO as an organization remained limited to conducting patrols over the United States and deploying ships to the eastern Mediterranean. This U.S. policy choice did not surprise many in the United States. Many U.S. policymakers believed that NATOs war in Kosovo was an unacceptable example of â€Å"war by committee,† where political interference from the alliances 19 members prevented a quick and decisive campaign. The policymakers were determined to retain sole command authority in Afghanistan, so that experience would not be repeated (Daalder and Gordon). The deployment of the NATO AWACS demonstrates this point. The United States did not want to deploy the NATO AWACS directly to Afghanistan, because it did not want to involve the North Atlantic Council in any command decisions. Instead, the NATO AWACS backfilled U.S. assets so the assets could redeploy to Afghanistan. A military official later described the U.S. decision in these terms: â€Å"If you were the US, would you want 18 other nations watering down your military planning?† (Fiorenza 22) However, many Europeans were dissatisfied with the small role that the alliance played in the response to the September 11 attacks and attributed it to U.S. unilateralism and arrogance. While they understood the need to ensure effective command and control, they felt that they had given the United States unconditional political support through the invocation of Article 5 and that they should at least be consulted about the direction of the military campaign. In part, these frustrations resulted from the fact that the military campaign did not fit the model all had come to expect during the Cold War— that an invocation of Article 5 would lead the alliance members to join together and defeat a common enemy (Kitfield). But these frustrations also reflected a fear that the U.S. decision to pursue the war on its own after invoking Article 5 would irrevocably weaken the core alliance principle of collective defense. To uncover a possible answer to the question as to whether an extended NATO alliance will prove stabilizing, I seek to explicate the views of international relations theorist, George Liska. Even though he was well known in the 1960s for his classic definition of alliances, Liska’s later comparative geohistorical perspective of the 1970s and 1980s has often been overlooked or not fully appreciated (Kegley). Although generally pessimistic, Liska argues that major power or systemic war is not inevitable and can be averted, yet only given a long-term strategy of cooptation of potential rivals into the interstate system. For Liska, alliances are neither inherently stabilizing or destabilizing. Like armaments, they do not in themselves cause war, but they can set the preconditions for generalized conflict depending on the manner and circumstances in which they are formed and depending on which specific states are included. Moreover, the expansion of an alliance formation is less likely to provoke major power war when the predominant states of a particular historical period are either overtly or tacitly included. Generalized wars, however, are more likely to occur when the predominant powers cannot participate in the key decision-making processes that affect their perceived vital interests, and thus cannot formulate truly concerted policies. Global conflict has largely stemmed from the apparently recurrent failures of the major contending states to forge long-term entente, or full-fledged alliance, relationships. Since 1991 the world has seen a new opportunities, but the weight of the millennial past continues to burden the present (Liska 17). Although the U.S.-Soviet wartime alliance against Germany, 1941–1945, collapsed after World War II, the superpowers were by contrast able to maintain a general state of peace, though not without intense regional conflicts often fought through surrogates. The ensuing struggle for control of former German spheres of influence, the quarantine of East Germany and other Soviet-bloc states, the formation of NATO, Soviet/Russian fears of a U.S./NATO alliance with the flanking states of Japan and the People’s Republic of China, collectively resemble the 477 to 461 B.C. phase of Athenian-Spartan relations, following the breakdown of their alignment against Persia. Throughout the Cold War, Washington and Moscow sustained a tacit multidimensional â€Å"double containment† of Germany and Japan, as well as other significant regional powers, including China, that helped to prevent open conflict between them. Yet it is precisely the Soviet/Russian role in this multidimensional double containment that has virtually disappeared following German unification (Gardner 7-9). The collapse of the Soviet Empire and its spheres of security parallel the instability that confronted Sparta. Continuing fears of national uprisings and Russian disaggregation, coupled with recurrent wars in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Afghanistan, recall the threats posed by the Helot revolution and the Third Messenian War. The United States and NATO now bid for control over former Soviet and Russian spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe much as Athens penetrated Sparta’s sphere in the Aegean and then the Ionian seas. Disputes over power and burden sharing within NATO, considered together with differences over the financing of the 1990 Persian Gulf war and the conduct wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, are reminiscent of Athenian efforts to sustain preeminence over its Delian league allies, regardless of the diminished Persian threat. Moreover, Pericles’ decision to forge a new â€Å"defensive† alliance with the insular power bears similarities to NATO’s decision to extend its alliance with Western Europe into Central Europe, a change depicted as defensive, involving no nuclear weapons or additional troops to be deployed on the territory of new NATO members (Gardner 20–26). Most crucially, should the United States and Russia not be able to reach a compromise over the question of the modalities of NATO enlargement into East-Central Europe, the two powers risk losing their tacit post-World War II alliance against Germany and Japan altogether. This would parallel the Athenian decision to drop entirely its deteriorating ties with Sparta after the new Athenian democratic leadership expelled Cimon. Moreover, American proposals to build a ballistic missile defense in possible violation of the ABM treaty could be interpreted by Russia in much the same way that Sparta interpreted the Athenian decision to build defensive walls around the city of Athens. In a word, the United States is presently poised either to renew its relations with Moscow or else let them sour to an even greater extent, thus risking another round of mutual imprecations that could degenerate into a wider conflict. Turning to another episode involving an essentially bipolar land/sea schism, namely the clash between Rome and Carthage over spheres of influence in Spain, Sicily, and the Mediterranean, raises additional questions about Soviet collapse and NATO enlargement. Much as the Peloponnesian wars can be viewed as a result of the breakdown of the Athenian-Spartan wartime alliance, the First Punic War can likewise be interpreted as a product of the termination of the 279–278 B.C. Roman-Carthaginian wartime alliance against Tarentum and Pyrrhus of Epirus. The alliance between Rome and Carthage followed the classic â€Å"Pyrrhic victory† at Ausculum that opened Sicily up to Greek conquest. The deterioration of that alliance was provoked by the Roman decision to assist the Mamertines against Syracuse in 264 B.C. and to take Messana under Roman protection. This unexpected action led Carthage to support Syracuse in response. This in turn represented a reversal in alliances equally unanticipated by Rome, as Carthage and Syracuse had traditionally been enemies (Harris 187). Carthage subsequently accused Rome of a violation of its previous agreements, which, according to Carthaginian sources, forbade the Romans to cross into Sicily and the Carthaginians to cross into Roman spheres. In fact, Rome and Carthage did sign three treaties in 510–509, 348, and 306 B.C., designed to sustain Carthagian spheres of influence over Western Sicily, Sardinia, Libya, and the Iberian peninsula, but there was no agreement addressing specifically the changing status of a divided Sicily. The 510–509 B.C. treaty, signed in the year that marks the formation of the Roman Republic, sought to affirm Roman agreement to abide by the historically positive relations between Carthage and Etrusca. In the 306 B.C. treaty, Rome vowed not to cross the Straits of Messina in exchange for a Carthagian concession to permit Rome full liberty of maneuver in the Italian peninsula. Moreover, even if there was no formal treaty in 279–278 B.C., there may have been a tacit understanding involving a vague mutual recognition of respective military and commercial spheres of influence that was at least proposed during the 279–278 B.C. wartime alliance against Pyrrhus (Eckstein 79). Whether a formal treaty actually existed is really secondary to the point that Carthage at least operated under the assumption that some type of accord existed in order to justify its previous alliance relationship, and it jealously guarded Western Sicily as the central strategic keystone to its insular defense. On the other hand, Roman expansion to Calabria diminished the size of the buffer region between the two states. As an expanding continental power seeking amphibious status, Rome began to regard the Carthagian presence on Sicily as a potential â€Å"encirclement.† Carthage was regarded as threatening Rome’s maritime trade from ports on the Ionian Sea and in the Gulf of Tarante. The charge that a tacit agreement was violated is not unlike the debate between the United States and Russia, as to whether Washington affirmed absolutely in 1989–1990 that it would not extend NATO into East-Central Europe. Moscow has argued that the decision to enlarge NATO into what it has considered its central strategic region of continental defense contravenes the spirit of the â€Å"two plus four† treaty on German unification not to permit NATO forces into the territory of the former East Germany, as well as the â€Å"gentleman’s agreement† made between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 against NATO expansion. As a rising land power seeking amphibious status, Rome expanded into Calabria and thereby diminished the historic buffer between Etrucsa/Rome and Carthage, a power in relative decline. In contemporary geopolitics, NATO enlargement into former Soviet and historic Russian spheres of influence similarly risks undermining the post-1945 security buffer between the United States and its German ally and a Russia now in a state of near absolute collapse. Works Cited Abrams, Elliott. â€Å"To Fight the Good Fight.† National Interest 59 (spring 2000): 74. Burk, James. â€Å"Public Support for Peacekeeping in Lebanon and Somalia: Assessing the Casualties Hypothesis.† Political Science Quarterly 114, no. 1 (2003): 53–78. Eckstein, Arthur M. â€Å"Senate and General.† Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987, p. 79. Fiorenza, Nicholas. â€Å"Alliance Solidarity,† Armed Forces Journal International, December 2004, p. 22. Daalder, Ivo H. and Gordon, Philip R. â€Å"Euro-Trashing,† Washington Post, May 29, 2002. Retrieved July 9, 2007 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-361506.html. Gardner, Hall. â€Å"Central and Southeastern Europe in Transition.†Ã‚   Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. Harris, William V. â€Å"War and Imperialism in Republican Rome, 327–70 BC.† Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1979, p. 187. Hudson, Miles and Stanier, John. â€Å"War and the Media: A Random Searchlight.† New York: New York University Press, 2003, p. 256. Kegley, Charles W. Jr. and Raymond, Gregory A. â€Å"Alliances and the Preservation of the Postwar Peace: Weighing the Contribution† in The Long Postwar Peace, ed. Charles W.Kegley Jr. (New York: HarperCollins, 2003), pp. 275–277. Kitfield, James. â€Å"Divided We Fall.† National Journal. April 7, 2006 Retrieved July 7, 2007 from nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0407nj1.htm Krauthammer, Charles. â€Å"The Short, Unhappy Life of Humanitarian Warfare.† National Interest 57 (fall 2004): 8. Liska, George. â€Å"Russia and the Road to Appeasement.† Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1982. Morgenthau, Hans J. â€Å"The Twilight of International Morality,† Ethics 58, no. 2 (1948): 79. â€Å"NATO In The 21ST Century — The Road Ahead†. An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State March 2002. Retrieved July 7, 2007 from www.italy.usembassy.gov/pdf/ej/ijpe0302.pdf Roberts, Adam. â€Å"NATO’s ‘Humanitarian War’ Over Kosovo,† Survival 41, no. 3 (2004): 20.

New Age Voting :: Voting Government Essays

New Age Voting The government of the United States of America is founded upon the Constitution, written by our forefathers to create a working democracy incapable of transforming into a monarchy. Basic human rights were established, and power, although little, was given to each individual. The power given to the people can also be referred to as a voice, and in the election system we use, we call this voice a vote. This country fought for and gained its independence from injustices placed upon our ancestors’ lives. Our leaders made sure that these injustices would not occur again, and that by speaking out, by voting, the people could be appeased in the best way possible. Why is it that so many young adults between the ages of 18 and 29, those who apparently have so much to complain about, aren’t using their voices? As a whole, only about half of the population eligible to vote does so. In the election of our forty-third president, fifty one percent of those eligible voted. The young adult age group, 18-29, makes up the smallest part of that group. Seventeen percent of eligible voters between this age group voted (Lewis). In the latest presidential election, 30 million 18-30 year olds did not vote (Anthony, Skaags). Only a small percentage of voters came out of this age group-the smallest; however, it is not uncommon to see members of the group participating in protests or other complaint oriented activities with the intent of making change. Change is able to come easier than most people think. We have a say in everything we do. That â€Å"say† does not always come from our lips; it comes from the ballot. This is important because the government plays an integral role in everything we do. It may not seem like it, and directly, it really isn’t that important to the little everyday things we do, but indirectly, we encounter it all the time. That extra weekend spending money: tax returns. The helpful financial boost that allowed you to open your own small business: government loans. The money needed for important schooling or research: grants. The government also gives back to us by attempting to improve the economy, creating more jobs for the unemployed, and creating programs for general interest.

Gender Roles and relationships within families Essay

Gender Roles and relationships within families. Different sociologists have had different views to whether conjugal roles have become equal. Researchers have measured different aspects of equality in conjugal roles. Some have focused on the division of labour in the home. They have examined the allocation of responsibility for housework between husband and wife and the amount of time spent by spouses on particular tasks. Others have tried to measure the distribution of power within marriage. Willmott and Young, and Gillian Dunne are amongst those who have argued that conjugal roles are equal. However many sociologists such as Ann Oakley, have carried out research into the area of conjugal roles and have found little evidence that couples share equal division of domestic tasks. Willmott and Young tend to agree that conjugal roles have become more equal. During the 70’s they announced the arrival of the symmetrical family, a family where husbands and wives were similar in their roles. In the home the couple ‘shared their work and shared their time’. Husbands were thought to be helping with the housework, childcare and decision making more often. Willmott and Young discovered that 72% of husbands helped with these household tasks. They thought that the change from separate to joint roles resulted mainly from the withdrawal of the wife from her relationships with female kin, and the drawing of the husband into the family circle. Ann Oakley is one sociologist who criticises this view of Willmott and Young. In 1974 Oakley pointed out that included in this 72% figure were husbands who did very little, only had to perform one household chore a week. During the 1970’s she collected information on 40 married women who had one child or more under the age of 5 and were themselves aged between 20 and 30. Half of her sample was working class and half was middle class. She found greater equality for domestic tasks in the middle class than in the working class. However in both classes few men had a high level of participation in housework and childcare. She found that most wives saw these jobs as their own responsibility, where only 15% of men in marriages participated in them at a high level. Sociologists such as Ann Oakley have argued that women have increasingly been taking on a dual burden: they have retained primary responsibility for household tasks while also being expected to have paid employment. Jonathan Gershuny agrees with Ann Oakley and disagrees with the statement that conjugal roles have become equal. He points out that dual burden could lead to increased inequality between husbands and wives as a rising proportion of women suffer from it. He believes that dual burden is a result of lagged adaptation where there is a time lag between women taking up paid employment and men adapting to this by increasing their contribution to domestic labour. In 1992 Gershuny studied the changes in hours worked by men and women over time, analysing data from 1974/5 to 1987. It showed a gradual increase in the amount of domestic labour performed by men. This increase was greatest when wives were in full-time employment. Husbands whose wives worked full time doubled the amount of time they spent cooking and cleaning. Gershuny concluded that though women still bear the main burden of domestic labour, there is a gradual trend towards greater equality. However it is still a long way off from becoming equal. In conclusion from the evidence presented it is clear that there is little support to Willmott and Young’s study that conjugal roles have become equal. Gillian Dunne however suggests that household tasks and childcare in single sex relationships have become equal, but haven’t in heterosexual relationships. There is though a trend towards greater equality. Gershuny’s research into childcare all suggests this trend. Therefore it appears that conjugal roles have not become equal, but evidence shows they are becoming more equal.

Beauty Contest: Do they serve any purpose in society? Essay

A. Beauty contest almost xxxx refers to contest for women xxxx is usually for both genders; however for men are are mainly body building contest. Most contest are designed for women. Beauty contest compels especially women to conform to certain type of fantasy or unrealistic form of beauty. B. This topic is important because beauty contest affect women of all ages around the world on so many levels. It affects how women perceive themselves against other women. Most of all it affects women self confident and self-esteem and how beauty is defined in general. C. Beauty contest or pageants have been in existence since 1857 but became popular in 1920’s. The first beauty pageant was in 1854 but was protested against so much that the contest had to be put on hold for a while. In 1888 , the first ever beauty queen was crowned in Spa-Belgium in 192. The 16 year old Margaret Gorman was crowned as the first Miss America. Since then many countries have followed; especially Germany and USA. D. Beauty contest is a competition which mainly focuses on physical beauty the participants usually women are judged on their attractiveness with a prize and often a title awarded to the winner. E. There has always been divided opinions when it comes to the topic of beauty contest and how important it is. There have been argument for and against the purposes of beauty contest in society especially today. In my opinion beauty contest does not serve any purpose in our society today. Beauty content were first introduced in the USA in 1854 and was put on hold due to the intense criticizes made by the general public. The very first beauty queen crowned ever was crowned in Spa in Belgium in 1888 followed by many countries especially Germany and USA. 16 years old Margaret Gorman was the first Miss America crowned in 1921. In 1922 and 1923 one person xxx after which the rules changed so no one person can win the title more than ones. Originally Miss America was called the National Beauty Tournament and  then the organizers decided to call it Miss America as presently known. When the Miss America pageant started as a way to improve tourism on the New Jersey coast in Atlanta City. At the first beauty pageant contestants were asked to send pictures from which 21 were selected to appear before a panel of judges. Currently there are four main big international pageants; Miss World founded in 1951, Miss Universe founded in 1952, Miss International in 1960 and Miss Earth in 2001. In 2004 Brazil won all four beauty pageants. The purpose of beauty pageant in society has always been a controversial topic because women from all over the world are judged by the same standard of beauty present by these pageants. There is the argument that beauty pageants promotes women empowerment because part of the goal of the organizers of Miss America was to empower young women to achieve their personal goals while providing a forum in which to express their opinion, talent and intelligence. This may be true to some extend ; afterall there is xxxx. Where contestants are required to enter with a platform a course to advocate during their one yearlong reign. Time to persue her own cause is limited at best-per Amanda Angelotti in confessions of a â€Å"beauty pageant drop out† published in campus progress. Secondly, how it’s looking good and attractive for men whether through beauty pageant or cosmetic surgery real empowerment. Moreover as observed by Prof. Stoeltyle â€Å"that is to say that women should continue to be seductive and to be governed by the powers. In view of all the above reasons, beauty pageants obviously does more harm than good to the women and the society as a whole. Women need to learn the true meaning of beauty that their unique personality and inner beauty is what makes a phenomenal woman. Women need to be educated and to understand that it is not acceptable to be judged by other people’s perspective; being beauty or otherwise. Courtney E. Martine author of â€Å"Perfect Girls† starring daughters describe how the quest of perfection is having young women. â€Å"Beauty pageants must die..!. I would rather live in a world where those same girls don’t have to learn hours to walk in high heels to afford college. Lately there has been a tremendous increase in child beauty pageant and the age keep dropping. Putting the same kind of pressure on being evaluated solely on the looks on children who don’t even understand the make of their bodies yet. If the harmful results of beauty pageants are not highlited enough and women are educated to accept themselves just as they are more and more women both young and old will continue to search for this unatainable ideal beauty which is only a fantasy resulting in more young women suffering from various dietry disorders and more. The buttom line is that, â€Å"beauty is an organic process not a contest. Women deserves better says Courtney E. Martin; in her article to New York Times â€Å"Beauty Pageant Should Die†.

Jeffrey Dahmer Essays

Jeffrey Dahmer Essays Jeffrey Dahmer Essay Jeffrey Dahmer Essay Most crimes that are committed during the normal daily activities of peoples lives is indicative of the Routine Activities Theory that gives Insight onto how Jeffrey Dammed was so successful In luring, raping, and murdering unsuspecting men from the local gay nightclubs in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Dammed had willingness and the ability to commit such heinous predatory crimes. He was motivated by a strong sexual desire for sexual gratification that deviated from the norm, evident by his method of killings and the amount of times these acts occurred. Dammed never used aggression in the omission of his crimes but rather a method of attack that would con his victims into lowering their guard making them mall targets for him. Dampers primary targets were drifters, locals, and prostitutes often exchanging alcohol and money for sexual favors. This can be the sole reason why so many men became Dampers victim because he targeted individuals who would voluntarily leave with him. As stated in the biography Dampers hot-spot for possible targets revolved around the gay-night clubs depicted in the film catered to Dampers sexual preferences. Typically in the eight-club scenario possible targets for violence are typically females making males not likely to be subjective to violence and as an onlooker In a club setting It Is difficult to differentiate the victim from the assailant in a gay male couple. Dampers character towards his victims was very routine and cunning making his victims typically prostitutes and locals susceptible to his method of persuasion. His targets were individuals who were easily persuaded by money and their non-awareness towards a possible harmful target made them even more likely to become one of his any victims. It Is reasonable to Infer that an Individual could have decreased their chances of factorization If they were more self- conscious and aware of the situation they were putting themselves into and not so trustworthy of a complete stranger. Jeffrey Dammed did not receive any monetary or emotional gain from his murders but rather a psychological gratification from the deviant acts of raping and murdering his victims while placing them in the submissive state his sexual urges craved for. Dammed lived a hedonistic lifestyle feeding Into his sexual urges despite the potential uniqueness for his actions as portrayed In the biography. Jeffrey Dammed did not Include the thought of government authoresses or the possibility of disappointing his family in his motive but rather focused on the comfort he found gaining power and control over his victims typical of most serial killers. The biography portrays the fact that after the murder of Steve Tommie, Dammed made the choice to completely give into his urges and pursue his deviant sexual pleasures of raping, murdering, and dismembering his victims. As Dampers sexual urges grew so did his appetite to kill and this was the driving factor that fueled his murders. Dampers ultimate goal was to have a completely submissive victim that would never leave him but naturally his human victims were prone to decay. It is reasonable to infer that his sadistic conquest for the perfect submissive victim lead him to new experiments like injecting acid into his victims brain along with differing forms of necrophilia and cannibalism. Dampers Intense sexual urges along with his inability to satisfy them led him awards the choice of hedonism which Is what drove him to continually commit these plant sexual acts. ) A criminologist Trot ten Classical cocoons would Touch on ten decisions Dammed made before his murders and whether he utilized his decision- making skills and if his murders were of his free-will. While a criminologist from the Positive school would believe that his acts of violence were not that of free-will but that it originated from a physiological predisposition internally that caused him to engage in these criminal acts. However, both schools ca n agree that Dampers bad rental upbringing was flawed evident by their numerous arguments throughout their marriage leading up to their divorce. Jeffrey Dammed is quoted in an interview stating l decided I wasnt going to get married because I never wanted to go through anything like that. Clearly Dampers parents inadvertently affected their sons behavior possibly contributing to his murders. I believe the Classical School of thought explains Dampers behavior more in-depth because it states that an offender will choose to commit crimes based on hedonistic decisions maximizing their leisure and minimizing their pain. Clearly stated in the film Jeffrey Dammed admits that his sexual urges completely dominated his life and as his sexual appetite evolved, it became detrimental to his lifestyle because of his inability to satisfy his urges. Also Jeffrey Dampers prosecutor Michael McCann states in the film that he realized the consequences of his actions and knew the difference of right from wrong in turn giving evidence that Dammed willingly made the rational decision to engage in the commission of these criminal acts. ) The argument of nature vs.. Return is a hotly debated topic and in the case of Jeffrey Dammed there is no clear distinction whether his criminal acts stemmed from either the Nature theory of a genetic predisposition that altered his behavior or the Nurture theory that he behaves a certain way in accordance to his upbringing. It is not definite what triggered Dampers motivations to kill but it can be inferred that a genetic defect of some sort could have caused his introverted behavior along with his intense fascination of road kill as a child. As stated in the film Jeffrey Dampers mother was hospitalized and treated for anxiety but prior to this diagnosis Joyce relied on many medications prior to Jeffrey birth because it was reported she had a very difficult pregnancy with Jeffrey. Difficult pregnancies have been correlated with difficulty bonding between a mother and newborn. It can be reasonable to infer that the medications she was prescribed and the difficult pregnancy she underwent could have inadvertently caused a genetic predisposition in his behavior. However, Jeffrey Dammed like many aerial killers in most cases shows detectable characteristics of murderers before puberty. Dampers intense fascination with dead animals was a clear sign but was misinterpreted by his parents who also contributed to his behavior by openly arguing and quarreling in front of him on numerous occasions. Dampers parents marital arguments scarred and inadvertently contributed to his introverted behavior, as stated in the film that he would retreat to the woods during his parents confrontations.

Cause and Effect of Sleep deprivation

I am a firm believer that many factors such as our culture, our upbringing, and beliefs that we were introduced to all affects what we do, how we live and even what we eat! People in China, Vietnam and Switzerland have been known to eat dogs for thousands of year, some as a source of survival during war and famine while others eat it as a cuisine meaning it is a part of their regular diet! I’ve even read somewhere that people in China have been known to say that a huge reason they consume dog meat is to keep them warm in the harsh winters! Have they heard of a jacket and hot coco? They don’t see it any different from eating cows and pigs, but someone like me thinks that is disgusting! I see people all the time whose treat their dog as their best friend, I’ve heard that when you begin to grow attached to your dog you soon see them as people. I could never imagine it being okay to eat a dog! Functionalism has a lot to do with this also when you come to think of it. This tradition has been the norm in these places for years! It wasn’t until recently that proposed laws have been presented to implement a law that bans the eating of cats and dogs. Americans are truly the people of the land of the free and are strong believers that a dog is a mans best friend, in my opinion. Beating, not feeding, and mistreating dogs are all violations of the law, neglect, and animal abuse! I could not even imagine hearing a story of someone eating one! It is common knowledge here that dogs are like people and should be treated as such and so they are not put on a dinner plate, at least the way I view things. I strongly feel that our individual believes and knowledge is the reason we eat what we eat, they are culturally relative in more ways that one. This definitely is a beautiful thing as everyone can be their own person and act how they feel but this causes cultural diversity conflict all the time! Take this scenario for instance; two people are meeting for a blind date and obviously know nothing about one another. It becomes time to order and the woman is disgusted by the menu because everything is meat and fat of the meat from some type of animal, see, she’s vegetarian. The woman loves animals and does not believe in eating them and this sparks a conversation. Do you think it’s a good one as her date has already ordered the number four, which is the half slab of baby back ribs with chicken shish kabobs, and a side of pork rings? I can imagine that she stormed out of there after giving him a good lecture. Though her actions are understandable they aren’t quite right. Ethnocentrism would be the perfect would to explain that situation! The woman thinks that he beliefs are the right ones and that the man is wrong for eating what he loves to eat! Ethnocentrism is when you believe that your culture, your beliefs are better than everyone else’s and only yours make sense! This is a big reason there is conflict within cultures. Instead of using cultural relativism and trying to understand others point of view or even just accepting it as their choice we fight for what we think is the right way, the only way. Interactionism helps us understand that our mind plays a role in our how what our body does including why we eat or don’t eat what we eat. I love dogs, so I would vomit at the thought of eating one. However, once again this doesn’t mean I should hate someone that eats it as a dish at home. Being open and understanding can truly help because just as the conflict theory states that there is a power struggle between cultures, these cultures have the power to become knowledgeable of one another and ultimately obtain culture relativism.

Exam 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exam 2 - Coursework Example A targets previous cash flows are typically an accurate indicator of future cash flows, especially when the targets cash flows would have to be converted into the acquirers home currency as they are remitted to the parent. An international acquisition may be preferable to the establishment of a new subsidiary because the firm can immediately expand its international business and benefit from existing customer relationships. Assume a U.S. firm initiates direct foreign investment in the U.K. If the British pound is expected to appreciate against the dollar, the dollar value of earnings remitted to the parent should ____. The parent may request that the subsidiary ____ in order to benefit from the expectation about the pound. Consider Firm A and Firm B that both produce the same product. Firm A would more likely have more stable cash flows if its percentage of foreign sales were ____ and the number of foreign countries it sold products to was