Domestic Violence and Ethical Dilemma Worksheet Essay

1.What is the ethical issue or problem? Identify the issue succinctly. The ethical issue that the police officers did not visibly see the husband drive his car they only suspect that he did so therefor they cannot arrest him on a DUI 2.What are the most important facts? Which facts have the most bearing on the ethical decision presented? Include any important potential economic, social, or political pressures, and exclude inconsequential facts. The most important facts would be what the police officers observed. The husband staggering up to the door him also is fumbling with his keys the hood of the car being warm. In addition to the husband being visible intoxicated with slurred speech and failing a sobriety test. However the most important factor is officer Nixon’s experience and him being able to provide probable cause for an arrest. 3.Identify each claimant (key actor) who has an interest in the outcome of this ethical issue. From the perspective of the moral agent—the individual contemplating an ethical course of action—what obligation is owed to the claimant? Why? Claimant (key actor)Obligation (owed to the claimant)Perspective (What does the claimant hope will happen?) HusbandJusticesThe husband will try to avoid being arrested and possible prosecuted for domestic violence and driving under the influence. Wife Fidelity May not want her husband being arrested however she would like to feel safe in her own home. In addition, she does not want her husband to hurt someone or kill them while he is driving drunk. Officer NixonFidelity Wants to be able to protect the wife from her abusive husband and the citizens. However in his oath he took he needs to follow the law. Officer RookBeneficenceWould be the same as officer Nixon however with him being new on the job his decision in this situation could affect his future decisions. Citizens of the communityFidelityCitizens want to feel safe in their community.

The Impact of Technology on Music in the 20th Century

Matthew Hugenschmidt LBST 3020-090 Final Paper For centuries man has sought pleasure through music and visual arts. Until the last 100 years or so that required someone to go see a live performance, either locally or possibly to a larger metropolis with concert halls and theaters. The technological advances experienced in the last century have allowed the pairing of the audio and visual media for the masses, and have let them spread much farther than their local roots and changed their influence on society.Though essentially performing the same function, they have gone from merely allowing an escape from everyday life for very limited audiences to affecting American society’s values, view of its own culture, and consumerism. With the advent of the gramophone in 1901 people were able to listen to music inside their own homes, as well as were able to easily transport music from one area to another. (Savage 115) It was these earliest recordings brought with the American troops, o r doughboys, in WWI that brought jazz, blues, and other American musical styles to Europe.These recordings would heavily influence the shape of the European musical landscape after the war, and also increase the overseas demand for American culture and style. The music and associated dances were completely new to Europeans, and combined with the care free attitude of the Americans it showed what was seen as a hopeful way of life that had all but been forgotten in the war ravaged continent. This craving for American culture would have a large effect on the coming European generations, and would help steer the musical course for the bands that started the British Invasion.Almost simultaneously, nickelodeons started to become popular in urban areas of the United States. Named after their admission price, a nickel, these places showed short motion pictures and were usually located in working class districts. (essortment. com) Since the movies of the time were silent, the theaters usuall y had a piano or organ to provide music for the film. This was the first time there was a mass media distribution that included both audio and visual components, though the music played varied a bit from theater to theater. As movie technology improved nickelodeons soon ecame out of date, but they laid the ground work for audio and visual pairings in mass media. The rise of national radio broadcasts in the United States would play a huge part in the spread of music around the country. When the national broadcasts went to clear channel, it signaled the rise of weekly radio shows that became standard nationwide. Because of the limited variety of programming at the time, these programs had a very large audience base. One of these radio shows was Ozzie and Harriet, a family oriented radio show that was based on Ozzie and Harriet Nelson’s family.The show was quite popular on the radio since it portrayed the everyday stereotypical white suburban family. The major leap came when tel evision became the new medium of choice. In 1957 Ozzie and Harriet moved from radio to television, and by this point their son Ricky had also become an integral part of the show. This was during the very beginnings of Rock & Roll, and Ozzie saw an opportunity to cross market his son as both an actor and a singer. At the time the genre was represented primarily by figures like Elvis and Chuck Berry who were by considered risque by the elder suburban white population.Ricky Nelson was marketed as a wholesome alternative singing the same style of music, thereby appealing to both the youth and their parents. This was a major step in defining stars in pop culture since it cemented that the performers image could be more important than their musical ability and gave rise to the teen idol culture. Concurrently, since the national broadcasters had begun to focus on television, the local radio stations no longer had time occupied retransmitting the major station broadcasts. Because of this th ey found it necessary to diversify their offerings to fill the time slots.This allowed them to cater more to their local audience and what they wanted to hear. This heralded the rise of the disc jockey, and because the radio signals reached beyond the immediate locale it broadened the fan base for many musical styles. Programs like Red Hot and Blue in Memphis started playing some more alternative styles, and when it was realized that there was a large demand for this music they became important for the stations and their advertisers. (Miller 35) These shows would play what they pitched as new and â€Å"hot† tracks, thereby pushing their listeners in the directions they wanted.The person that would take this to the next step was Dick Clark with American Bandstand. He very successfully took what these radio shows were doing and applied it to national television. By carefully selecting the performing artists and the kids dancing to the music, he cultivated a very tame and innoce nt atmosphere for the show. This was integral in changing the image of Rock & Roll and its perception by the older generation, and though there had been variety shows for a good number of years, it was the first television show to completely focus on music and giving it a visual component.American Bandstand would go on to be one of the longest running series in television history. Also in the mid-1950s movie industry was becoming more popular than it had ever been, and this was due largely to the trickle down of the post World War II economic boom. Many teens had part time jobs doing things like delivering papers or running errands, and others were given an allowance by their parents. Because they had no bills to pay, all of the income for this demographic was disposable income. This led to almost all of their money being spent on entertainment.This started in the early 1900s with the nickelodeons, and then progressed as the movie industry expanded and technology progressed to allow longer films and include audio. When the movie Blackboard Jungle was released in 1955 it brought out a very interesting revelation. The Bill Haley and His Comets’ song â€Å"(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock† was played over the opening credits, and though it had been released the year before it had not fared well at all on the charts. As soon as it was featured in the movie it immediately shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for eight weeks. Covach 78) Alan Freed, a New York City DJ, immediately saw an opportunity and began making movies such as Rock Around the Clock, Rock Rock Rock, and Mr. Rock and Roll. These movies had very little in the way of plot or story line, but focused on promoting some of the hottest musical acts of the time, including Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They also served to further the career of several new artists such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. (Covach 84) This would mark the beginning of cross marketing musica l stars into movies.The person who is most responsible for the cross genre bridge between music and visual media was Elvis. His start was a humble one, beginning with him paying for his own recording at Sun Records. Sam Phillips thought the he heard something special and signed him. For the first year and a half that after his first Sun recordings, Elvis was primarily known in the south and was relegated to the country charts. It wasn’t until Phillips sold his contract to RCA that Elvis began getting television appearances, starting with Stage Show. Covach 85) The show had poor ratings, but within week of his start there he had become a national phenomenon. This led to his appearances on the Milton Berle show, the Steve Allen show, and culminating in the Ed Sullivan show. With his good looks, sex appeal, and exciting performance style, his television performances rapidly cast him onto the national stage. (Covach 84) This meteoric rise would forever cement the link between ima ge and popularity, and also add to the â€Å"rags to riches† dream which has always been prevalent in lower and middle class households.Once Freed’s movies started coming out and doing well, RCA was quick to pitch their new star as an actor as well, though more as a feature with hip music in it rather than a sort of American Bandstand movie. The movies Elvis did, such as Jailhouse Rock, fared decently well at the box office, and usually had a single by the same name released concurrently, which in turn became a hit. The companies behind the scenes had realized that by doing this they could have their star produce multiple revenue streams for them. This would lead to a slew of movies following the same formula, especially beach movies with surf music.These movies would prove to be very influential to the images of bands and individual singers for years to come. The next level of combining visual arts and music came in the form of marketing for a band, manifested as The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. This movie departed from the Elvis style fictional motion picture that just included songs by the featured artists, which were pretty much standard at the time. Rather, this film portrayed The Beatles roughly as their lives actually were. Though exaggerated, they used The Beatles playing themselves showing their daily lives.The use of irony and satire were prevalent throughout the movie, which makes it an entertaining comedy. Even so, the viewer gets the sense that they are connected to the band and has gotten to know them on a personal level, and they could easily be someone down the street. One of the common themes throughout the film is the manager’s futile attempts at controlling the band members. Whenever he tells the band they need to do something like reply to fan mail or stay in the dressing room the first thing that is done is the opposite.Though the band members are always going against what they are being told to do, they always come through to fulfill their responsibilities, usually at the last possible moment. This appealed to both the youth who appreciated the free spiritedness The Beatles exhibited as well as the adults who cared about the example it set of fulfilling responsibility, thereby successfully cross marketing the band to both demographics. All of these events were heavily intertwined with the boom in consumerism in the 1950s and 60s. In an era of excess, the image of success is what was being sold.The idea of the suburban house with two cars and modern amenities was what the older generation who still remembered the depression was being pushed towards. With the surplus of disposable income in the post WWII economic boom, Americans began replacing items rather than fixing them, which let almost all products to be disposable. This attitude carried over to entertainment as well. Because of the short attention span of the general public it was no longer enough to just make good music. The image of the artist and how they were marketed became in some cases more important than the music itself.Rock & Roll was integral in the shift of America’s values in 1950s to 1960s towards the liberal side, starting with the youth. The music and the image it portrayed meant different things to different people, usually split by generation, but the successful visual marketing done by some key players helped change the image and soften the transition to allow the older generation to become more receptive to the cultural changes. The liberalization of music and image that started in the 60s would grow by leaps and bounds in the 70s.Artists began to take the alter ego route started by the Beatles with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and stepped it up a notch. One of the most notable examples of this was Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper’s lead singer, Vincent Furnier, had noticed that most rock stars of the day were portrayed as heroes, but there were few rock villain s. He created the persona of Alice Cooper as such a villain and also dressed in tattered women’s clothes to add more social controversy. The biggest break and controversy that really launched the band was the infamous â€Å"Chicken Incident†, where at a show a chicken somehow made its way on stage.Thinking chickens could fly Alice Cooper threw the chicken into the air above the audience thinking it would fly away. Unfortunately, the chicken fell into the audience where it was torn apart. This turned into a story of him biting the head off the chicken and drinking its blood, which made national headlines. As had been learned with Elvis, the only bad press is no press, and this rang true for Alice Cooper as well. Following this, their performances were known for being â€Å"dangerous, dark, and irreverent. † (Covach 344) These shows usually ended with some sort of gruesome death for Alice, frequently beheading or electric chair.This goes to show how important and image and show could be to the career of a band. The next major development in visual and music pairing was MTV. This would go on to change the course of pop music and culture from its inception in 1981 all the way through the present day. MTV was modeled after Top 40 radio, focusing on the most popular artists at the time. In the early days they found that their most successful market was mainly the Midwest, so they focused on playing the mainstream rock artists that were usually white as well.At the same time most videos were shot on shoestring budgets since labels weren’t convinced that music videos would pay off in additional sales. (Covach 451) The view of music videos would change with Michael Jackson. In 1983 â€Å"Billie Jean† was rising in the pop charts, but MTV refused to play the video, presumably because it was thought it wouldn’t appeal to their target audience. After a great deal of pressure from Jackson’s label MTV conceded, and the video became very successful. This brought a significant rise in popularity to both the network and artist, and that in turn showed the labels the importance of music videos.After that, videos were major undertakings with major label backing and significant repercussions. It was found that even if the music wasn’t good, if the artist looked good in the video then they could be successful. This really is a continuation of the teen idol phase of the late 1950s, just taken to the next level and across a broader range of styles, which still continues today. Though MTV had become more popular and mainstream, it also had the double edged effect of negative media attention for the content of the videos it played.Applying images to music that was said to be â€Å"a help to the devil† (Gilmore 263) would bring further scrutiny to the content of the music itself. Though rap music was already under attack from the media and PMRC (Parents Music Resource Commission), videos like that of N. W. A. would further widen the gap. The most important technological advancement of the last 20 years or so is the development of the internet. This one creation has done more to connect the globe and share information than anything else in the history of man. The amount of information that is readily available o anyone with an internet connection is almost incomprehensible. This sharing of information has also had a drastic effect on the music industry and artists. According to Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick â€Å"the Internet appears to be the most consequential technology shift for selling music since the 1920s. † (Hiatt & Serpick) Because of the internet, anyone with a microphone or video camera and internet access can publish their music. With the advent of some computer programs like Pro-Tools there isn’t even a need for musicianship. This has greatly changed the landscape for artists and how music is viewed socially.Until an artist becomes successful enough for corporations to heavily invest in, the responsibility for creating an image and fan base has largely moved from the label to the artists themselves. No longer does the label sign a band, make a record, and then produce a formulaic video to try to garner interest. Take Arctic Monkeys for example. Their debut album â€Å"Whatever people Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not† released in 2006 became the fastest selling debut album in British music history. (NME) They did this by recording early demos and giving them away on burned CDs at shows.In the digital age, these songs were immediately shared on the internet as well by their fans, which greatly broadened their popularity. Once their popularity was recognized, they were signed and had a huge debut album. This shows the shift in landscape and how the sharing of information and files on the internet can impact such a major industry. Works Cited Covach, John. What's That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History. Ne w York: W. W. Norton ; Company, 2009. Essortment. com. The Nickelodeon’s History. ; http://www. essortment. com/nickelodeons-history-21268. html;. Gilmore, Mikal.Night Beat: a Shadow History of Rock ; Roll. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Hiatt, Brian and Evan Serpick. â€Å"The Record Industry’s Decline†. Rolling Stone 19 June 2007: n. pag. Web. Miller, James. Flowers In the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock n' Roll 1947-1977. New York: Fireside, 1999. NME. com. â€Å"Susan Boyle beats Leona Lewis, Arctic Monkeys to ‘biggest first week sales for UK debut album’ title†. < http://www. nme. com/news/various-artists/48619> Samuels, David. Only Love Can Break Your Heart. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. Savage, Jon. Teenage: the prehistory of youth culture: 1875-1945. New York: Penguin Books, 2007.

Aos: Power – Lord of the Flies

Related Text â€Å"Lord of the flies† 1. Summarize the main ideas/themes of the text. * The loss of innocence * The invariable corruption of power * Savagery vs. Civilization * The reality of betrayal * ————————————————- The influence fear has on people ————————————————- Power is often a source of violence in  Lord of the Flies. The desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order, causes strife and competition, and governs the actions of many of the boys on the island.Once achieved, power has the ability to either improve or corrupt its holder. Ralph, the more noble of the two leaders on the island, is bettered by his position as chief; whereas Jack, the usurper, abuses his power for personal gain. ————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- There are several themes in â€Å"Lord of the flies†, including innocence, rules and order, fear, power, identity and religion. The text shows the audience to be more self-critical, that the fact not to believe in a good side of a human being and the fight for important values is what separates the human being from animals.The central theme of the text, Lord of the Flies, is power. The different aspects of power shown, is the invariable corruption of power, the reality of betrayal and the influence of fear. In the text, Jack is the antagonist, his like a dictator; he uses fear to control the boys on the island and manipulates them and uses them to his own advantage such as to get food and shelter. Jack uses a story of a non-existent beast to manipulate the other boys to follow his orders/ commands. The reason why the boys follow him and sees him as a leader is because he promised †˜protection from the beast’.A quote in the text that talks about the beast: â€Å"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are? † 2. What does this text tell us about power? ————————————————- Power is often a source of violence in  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lord of the Flies†. In Lord of the Flies the idea of power is expressed this way, imagine a world where there were no rules, no laws, and no government to oversee the running of the country.The desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order, causes strife and competition, and governs the actions of many of the boys on the island. Once achieved, power has the ability to either improve or corrupt its holder. Ralph, the more noble of t he two leaders on the island, is bettered by his position as chief; whereas Jack, the usurper, abuses his power for personal gain. This shows us two different sides of power. ————————————————- Power is often used as a source of violence in the text, â€Å"Lord of the Flies†.The idea of power is expressed differently; imagine a world where there were no rules, no laws, and no government to oversee the running of the country. In â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, to gain power was competitive which meant strife. The desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order. Being the leader meant governing a group of boys on an island. Whenever power is achieved, power was either improved or corrupted on the leader. For example, Ralph and Jack were leaders for separates groups of boys on the island, the boys had their own choice on who they wanted to follow.It was between Ralph, the more noble of the two leaders, who was the more acceptable or bettered as being ‘chief’ (leader) and coordinated the boys to build a miniature civilization on the island, and Jack, the usurper, who used fear and manipulation to abuse his power for personal gain. It was discussed amongst the boys, â€Å"Which is better–to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill? † With one side that showed freedom and equality, the other was a dictatorship, the text showed two very different sides of power. 3.Comment on the film techniques employed by the composer of this text. How do they contribute to the meaning of Power in the text? Brook's film opens with a very creepy montage consisting of pictures of a British boarding school intercut with planes flying over London with a haunting school chorus playing in the background. Brook's use of grainy black-and-white photography, plus the lack of any comprehensive musical score (remember Tom Hanks' â⠂¬Å"Castaway†? ), accentuates the bleakness of its surroundings and feelings of isolation.The movie can hardly be expected to capture fully every single intention of this highly complex novel (most don't), but it does respect Golding's words and captures the very essence of what he wanted to say. For that alone it should be applauded. Brook is able to compose beautiful sad visuals. ***SPOILERS*** These include the kinetic editing during the hunt for Ralph, Simon's dead body floating in the water arranged by the sad school chorus (depressing moment), Piggy's tragic demise that puts the 1990s remake laughable mirrored scene to shame, and the very scary feast that occurs at night followed by the dance.That scene, consisting of quick images, scary close-ups on the savages painted faces ————————————————- It is disturbing, haunting, and visually wonderful. —— ——————————————- In Peter Brook’s film, â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, released in 1963 was a black and white film. Although it was black and white film, it’s underrated and it’s still a classic, this is preferably better than the new remakes of this film. Some scenes are considered as disturbing and haunting but visually wonderful.Brook uses a very creepy montage in the opening scene showing pictures of a British boarding school with planes flying over London and a haunting school chorus playing in the background. Brooke uses grainy black and white photography and emphasizes the bleakness of its surroundings to create a feeling of isolation, which relates to a feeling of savagery vs. civilization. With Brook being able to compose beautiful sad visuals, he is able create the scene of Piggy’s tragedy with quick images, scary closer-up shots on the savages pai nted faces of the hunters (Jack’s tribe).This scene shows influence of fear, the invariable corruption of power/ losing control and a sense of savagery vs. civilization. 4. How does this text relate to your prescribed text i. e. George Orwell’s Animal Farm? Link each text by exploring three common aspects of Power. * well the power in the  lord of the flies  is jack's rise to control and leadership. he leads an army of corrupt boys who carry out his evil orders (set the island on fire, orders to kill ralph, etc. ) * in animal farm, napoleon takes the power from snowball and forms a dictatorship. e also has minions such as the dogs who carry out his tasks and corrupt orders. ————————————————- Ralph represents a democracy while Jack represents a totalitarian form of leadership. lead the boys into savagery   —————— ——————————- Want power, Greed or selfishness bring the destruction of the societies, ————————————————- In Animal Farm the animals hated the humans and were scared that they might take back the farm. Napoleon uses it as an excuse to keep the animals working.In Lord for the Flies the littluns are afraid of the â€Å"beast†. When Jack, Ralph, and Roger went and saw the beast, which is a parachute and a man, the biguns also got scared. ————————————————- The pigs took control and the other animals were in worst condition than they were in when the humans were in control. The boys ended up disagreeing and killing each other ————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- â€Å"Lord of the flies† is very similar to the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. They relate with a common theme of power.However, both are from different context but written for the same reason, â€Å"Lord of the Flies† is a story of humanity from a navy officer, which served in WWII, while Animal Farm is based on the Russian Revolution. The plot, the characters and the symbols are very similar. Three common aspects of power in these texts is the want of power, the control of power, the reality of betrayal. The antagonist in each text, both want power and used a belief to manipulate the others. In Animal Farm Napoleon tells the other animals to hate the humans and they were scared that the humans might take the farm back.Whereas in â€Å"Lord of the flies†, Jack tells the littleuns that there is a ‘beast’ on the island and if they worked for him, he would provide them with protection. A nother aspect is the control of power, in Animal Farm Napoleon takes the power from Snowball and forms a dictatorship. He uses the other animals to work for him, such as the dogs that carry out his tasks and corrupt orders. In â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, Jack rises to control and leadership. He carries out an army of corrupt boys to carry out his evil orders, similar to Animal Farm. Both Napoleon and Jack represent totalitarian forms of leadership.And lastly, the reality of betrayal was common in both texts. In Animal Farm the pigs had started to become like humans, wearing clothes, sleeping in beds, drinking alcohol and playing cards with humans in the farm house. The other animals saw them through a window and couldn’t tell whether they were pigs anymore or humans. In â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, Jack starts his own tribe with his hunters, the littleuns, he went to steal Piggy’s glasses, but Ralph went to look for it, then suddenly Jack stabs Ralph in the ba ck, but luckily Ralph survived.

Curriculum Review Schedule Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Curriculum Review Schedule - Research Paper Example The schedule therefore provides a timeline as outlined in the review cycle of how the same will be implemented. The schedule thus goes a long way to ensuring that whatever was planned for is surely implemented. There are different ways through which one may develop the schedule and the interpretation is equally important. The developers of the schedule thus need to ensure that the implementers will be able to understand the schedule and follow it easily (Boarman & Kirkpatrick, 1995). To show following differences the following schedules are used The first important aspect of the schedule is the time aspect. The time provided for each phase must be; edequate to carry all the activities of the phase, fully observed as there is no extra time allowance and must tally with the allocated time in the review cycle. While carrying out the research, each phase is allocated specific period of time in the various schedules. However, that of the Naperville Community Unit School District 203, the time allowance is too general without specific time limits. This makes it hard to follow on as the time frame is not specified. A look at the Stillwater Area Public Schools schedule shows some differences in the way it is arranged. The various units that are taught within the schools are run at different stages for different course units. For example a look at the 2011-2012, there will a course such as Social Studies which will be in the first stage that is Study, Audit and Alignment while another course such as Math will already be at the implementation and monitoring stages. This shows that the curriculum review needs not to be carried out in the similar phases for all the courses. Another notable difference with the Stillwater Area Public Schools schedule that is different from the other two is on the determination of the various activities that need to be carried out in each stage. While the activities may be outline in the cycle well, the outlay of the various

Analysing Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysing Information System - Essay Example The task at hand is to present a comprehensive requirement analysis and select the most appropriate paradigm(s) for preparing the requirement analysis. The task also aims to be an effective exercise in information gathering. This section targets at presenting various requirement analysis models present in literature. Various models will be scrutinized and the most relevant strategy chosen to proceed towards the analysis development 2. The basic idea of the behavior-oriented approach is to study the behavior, the decision-making style, and the data used by the pertinent personnel to extract information for the development of a critical information framework for the generation of requirement analysis. Background analysis is necessary to understand a particular problem, only then the designer can forward. Backward analysis helps to determine if the personnel were faced with a similar situation earlier in time. This helps to gain an insight into how similar problems had been solved in the past. The top executives are then interviewed to determine the main causes of the new problem prior to gathering of detailed information about the problem and summarizing the problem. This sort of model finds best application while developing an executive information systems or top-level decision-support system. The prime hurdles impeding in the efficiency of this model is the inability to quantify executive behavior and overlooking the needs of over-looking the needs or middle managers, supervisors, and operational personnel because they are usually the primary users of an information system. The information-oriented model approach of specifying the requirement analysis focuses primarily on the information system products that will actually be used by the supervisory and the middle level managers. Investigating the information needs of the management gives a bottom-line compared to

Evaluation of Long-Term Finance Alternatives Article

Evaluation of Long-Term Finance Alternatives - Article Example A firm can opt in for any kind of long-term financing like issue of securities, term loans, internal accruals, suppliers' credit scheme and equipment financing. There are also some additional options of funding like deferred credit, unsecured loans and deposits and venture capital financing. Types of Capital: Three types of capital can be issued by firms namely equity capital, preference capital and Debenture capital. All three of them vary in terms of risk, return and the pattern of ownership. Equity Capital - Equity share holders are the actual owners of the business. They enjoy all the profits of the company that are residual in nature and this is after paying the preference shareholders and all the other creditors, if any. The liability restriction of equity share holders is limited to the amount of share capital contributed by them. The cost of equity capital is higher than all other forms of capital. It is to be noted that equity dividends are not tax-deductible expenses and also the costs of issue is very high. Long term financing is essential for any operating firm. Long term finance are necessary for investments such as modernization or expansion of existing firms and also for working capital management. The funding process should be a trade-off between the cost of funding, the risk factor involved and the expected returns. This is in order to maintain a reasonable spread is maintained for the firm. References: 1. Financial Management for Managers, published by ICFAI center for Management Research, Ref no: FMM - 04200405. Preference Capital - Though similar to equity capital, preference capital has no obligatory payment to the preference shareholders. Even the preference dividend is not tax deductible. An advantage that the preference shareholders have is that they earn a fixed rate of return for their dividend payment. Debenture Capital - Debenture is nothing but a marketable legal contract whereby the company promises to pay its owner, a specified rate of interest for a defined period of time and to repay the principal at the specific date of maturity. These are usually secured b y a charge on the immovable properties of the company. A firm can also raise capital from the primary market by way of issuing securities. Different ways of issuing securities exist. Public Issue: Companies issue securities to the general public in the primary market and thereby get them listed in the stock exchange. These securities are then traded in the secondary market. Rights Issue: When a firm issues additional equity capital. It has to first offer such securities to the existing shareholders on a pro rata basis. Such a method of issuing securities is called as Rights Issue. Private Placement: This method of financing involves direct selling of securities to a limited number of institutional or high net worth investors. The delay in going public and also the expenses involved can be avoided in this case. The major advantages here are the easy access to any company, fewer formalities and lower issue cost.

Effects of Structural Changes in the Economy of United Kingdom and How Essay

Effects of Structural Changes in the Economy of United Kingdom and How the Labor Market is affected - Essay Example This means that the manner in which the human resource departments of various organizations operate under different economic conditions is influenced by the prevailing economic conditions hence affecting the labor market. In other words, changes that occur in the economy have significant effects on the labor markets and practices of human resource entities of many organizations. It is arguably true that the past changes in the economy have a close relationship with what happens today. This is probably brought about by the fact that changes in the economy are caused by interdependent events that take place over time. One of the most conspicuous effects of structural changes of the economy is inequality in the labor markets. This effect is because of different factors that dictate certain labor relates issues at a national, regional or even the global economy level. This paper addresses how structural changes in the economy affect the labor market and subsequently how human resource pr actices are influenced by such changes. A closer analysis of this issue draws much information from the trends observed in United Kingdom and London in particular. This explains various economic causative factors that affect the labor market resulting into inequality as one of the main effects. Understanding the Structure of an Economy and the Structural Changes An economy is analyzed using different factors that can be observed within an economy. Parts called sectors are the principal elements of defining and analyzing an economy. It is difficult to assess an economy without understanding the components that make its structures. Sectors may be defined using groups of industries or even different parts of various industries. Sectors are categorized into primary, secondary or tertiary (Anelore 11). These categories are used to explain different phenomena associated with structural changes of an economy. Primary sector embrace all activities that are directly linked to the use of natu ral resources while secondary sectors include all activities of production of goods (Zoltan 11; Anelore11). The tertiary sector refers to all services in the private sector such as insurance, banking, and finance among others (Unknown Author, 2: Mukesh et al. 38). A combination of primary and secondary sectors is referred to as the goods sector (Smith & Grant 76). The three sectors of the economy that define the structures of an economy are pertinent in highlighting various effects of structural changes of the economy to labor markets. It is obvious that when there are shifts in any of these sectors, there are certain changes that are structural within the economy thus affecting the labor market. This is because employment and employment requirements are influenced by the economy. Although there is a no a consensus over what elements that define structural changes of an economy, there are different theoretical explanations that define these changes. Irrespective of the varied perspe ctives by different intellectuals, structural changes within an economy can be defined as changes that have occurred within an economy causing fundamental shifts in the way an economy is organized to hitherto. This makes it necessary to understand past trends of an economy before embarking on investigating current trends. In relation to the effects of the changes to the labor market, structural change of an economy is the shift from manufacturing-dependent to service based

His 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

His 7 - Essay Example These trading outposts later served the Chinese and Arab markets as well. There were several Indian ports from where large ships sailed towards east to Khruse. In the sixteen and seventeenth century pepper became the main South East Asian cash crop and by 1510 Sumatra and Malaya were producing about 2500 tones of pepper a year in contrast to 3600 tones exported by Kerala in South India (Tarling, 122). As time passed the need for other spices along with pepper kept on increasing. The increase in South East Asian production all went almost to fill the growing demands of Europe, and then the Portuguese intervened via the Indian Ocean. When the English and Dutch arrived South East Asia became the major source of world spices and the centre of competition for Portuguese, English, Dutch, Chinese and Indian buyers. The price levels were high throughout the period. The period since 1570-1630 was a prosperous time for Japan when the country unified and it increased its trade license to a numb er of countries. In order to improve economic activities in the region few associations were formed including Asian Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC) and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has signed different trade agreements in order to boost the South East Asia's economy. As early as 13th century globalization was carried out in South East Asia via the l

IT117 Unit 2 DB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IT117 Unit 2 DB - Research Paper Example This may also include involving potential partners in the site`s account of the corresponding social medias accounts. Uploading videos – brief videos of the organizational activities explaining the products and services the organization is offering can be very helpful to the sites` visitors since some visitors would rather watch other than read what is contained in the site. Competent webmaster – it is of great importance to keep up with the latest internet trends in order to be up to date with others, otherwise the site might look outdated and this will not attract visitors. Considering that this is a non-profit organization, Karina ought to have included some features that would sell out the organization`s agendas to a larger extent. One of the things she omitted is the visitors` platform where the visitors interact. Here they can also leave comments. Secondly, Karina should have included a message from the director or the Chief Executive Officer in a small section of the

LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES - Essay Example Executives of companies consider the long-term objectives before deciding the necessary organizational changes. Since objectives have timelines, they serve as guidelines for the organization to determine the strategies used to achieve them. Executive teams involved in strategic planning should differentiate between value disciplines, generic and grant strategies if they seek to gain competitive advantage. Notably, generic strategies denote the ideas that an organization can use to have an advantage over competitors in the market. Three different generic strategies exist. They include low-cost leadership, differentiation, and focus differentiation (Dye & Sibony, 2007). Low-cost leadership involves the reduction of the cost of production. Since a company registers lower production costs, it can offer standard products at relatively lower prices than competitors can. Differentiation involves the improvement of product features in an effort to add value to the customers. Differentiation may result in premium prices for the products. Focus differentiation targets a specific market segment. Companies that indulge in the focus differentiation design unique products that can satisfy the needs and expectations of an identified target market that can pay premium prices. On the other hand, value disciplines include operational excellence, customer intimacy, and product leadership. Finally, executives should give considerations to grant strategies, which denote the basic directions that they should follow in making strategic decisions (Ali, 2014). Understanding the difference between value disciplines, generic and grant strategies are of critical importance when companies seek to gain competitive

Geology in The United Arab Emirates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geology in The United Arab Emirates - Essay Example Over the response of the plate tectonic movement, the two have behaved as a unit. The begun of the separation of this two from African plate started aver about 25- 30 million years ago with the red sea being the initial opening. The U.A.E ancient story was in some points a rumor. A rock, as per the Precambrian history, does not outcrop in the regions of the UAE also; they are not known information drill. In Saudi Arabia and Sultanate of Oman, the exposure of the Precambrian sedimentary rocks were experienced and from this exposure, it participated in delayed Precambrian glaciations. That in many desperate parts of the today’s world were known due the evidence of geology. A shallow red sea covers not much time after the initial appearance of the abundant fossil stable lifestyles during the Middle Cambrian time, a general region that is in the reach of UAE (The Emirates). Thick accumulation of salt and the early Cambrian sediments of both the Arabian sides being included reveal that the area have been the site of first stage drifting from a larger continent that later formed an ocean basin. At the continental edge, the interpretation would account for the UAE subsequent position. The movements of the Afro-Arabian plate in the period of the Paleozoic caused the pass near the South Pole in the Ordovician period. During this period is when North Africa and UAE became glaciated. During the middle of the Paleozoic, the Afro-Arabian continent became the largest in the southern Gondwana supercontinent. The continent later broke into Permian and Triassic. UAE has remained in the tropical latitudes since the end of Paleozoic. The appearance of the UAE has remained tectonically to stable despite the travels. Rather than local tectonic and climatic fluctuations, the geological history of the country as a whole has been based on the primary legend of the advance and retreat of the sea in response to the global idea. The make that was to become of UAE was through the

Dansk Minox Case Study Essay Example for Free

Dansk Minox Case Study Essay Problem: A/S Dansk Minox is a company based in Copenhagen, which specializes in branded vacuum-packed meat and other food products. Through consumer survey, the company found that there was a large untapped market for a ‘Complete meal’ product which included sliced pork along with a vacuum-sealed bag of red cabbage salad. After long discussions among the marketing and finance departments, the complete meal pack was introduced at a price of $ 8.20 per pack of 1 kg. It sold only 30 tons as against the budgeted sales of 85 tons. The problem facing the company is that whether it has to stop further production of the ‘complete meal’ product or establish a new consumer price of $ 6.85 per pack, in order to boost sales. Considerations and Analysis: In order to decide the course of action we may look at the following facts and considerations. Consumer Price 8.20 6.85 Retailer Price 5.72 4.78 Variable Cost 3.49 3.41 Volume Sales (in kgs) 30000 85000 Advertising Costs 0.3 0.3 Impact on Profit 41,400 90,950 As we can see, impact on profit is higher when 85000 kgs of complete meal is sold at $6.85/kg, rather than selling 30000 kgs at $ 8.20/kg. Now, another point to note is if production expenses are to be revised to $ 1.20/kg, then on a full cost basis, the complete meal would cost. Total unit cost (new) = Total unit cost (old) Production expenses (old) + Production expenses (revised) Total unit cost (new) = 4.64 0.54 + 1.20 = $ 5.30 And Profit per unit would be = Retailer price Total unit cost (new) = 4.78 5.30 = (-0.52) (i.e) there would be a loss of $ 0.52/kg, on a full cost basis, when the ‘complete meal is sold at $ 6.85. Conclusion and Recommendations: The point to be focused here is that though the new product might sell 85Â  tons at a revised price of $ 6.85 per pack, it will incur losses on a full cost basis. Also it is not feasible to lower the production costs anymore because, the resources of A/S Dansk Minox which were specialized for meat processing were now processing Vegetables. This is not their core competency and hence they would incur more costs in performing activities that they do not specialize in. Furthermore, the need for a single package containing sliced pork and red cabbage salad is itself questionable because the same packs are also individually available and these individual packs are of better quality because slice pork is Dansk Minox’s speciality and red cabbage salad is its competitior’s specialty. Hence, it is recommended that Dansk Minox stop further production of ‘complete meal (because red salad is not its core competency) and concentrate on selling its ‘standard packs, which are in fact having a significant boost in their sales or the management can look to collaborate with the best ‘red cabbage salad making company and together give the customers the best quality of ‘complete meal at the best price. The final decision would however be dependent upon managerial discretion and organizational guidelines/objectives.

Ambivalent Attitudes Toward Abortion In A Postmodern Society Religion Essay

Ambivalent Attitudes Toward Abortion In A Postmodern Society Religion Essay The Christian response to abortion in our western culture has been a matter of preserving the sanctity of life. Although it would seem to be cut and dry to a Christian that abortion violates that sanctity of life, it continues to face constitutional evolvement, differing worldviews, the scrutiny of the more liberal medical profession, and school text books for Christians. All of these concerns illustrate a wayward compass, lacking the ability to find true north. Society continues to weigh the simple yet complex definitions of personhood. Abortion is purported to be morally justified by pro-choice advocates in the postmodern culture. The question of what is right or wrong continues to be argued on both sides of the issue. For instance, the religious community cannot reach agreement, cites Rothstein and Williams (1983), on what a person consists of or when a person begins life. This paper will contend that the postmodern attitude towards abortion in a theistic society has been characterized as ambivalent and such that a society, exposed to liberal schools of thought, and changing modern and family values, errs on the side of science and convenience. Further, decision makers on the pro-choice side have used their agenda to further their secular beliefs through education, and a cavalier approach to sex which gives rise to sexual promiscuity. Additionally, there have been declines in moral thresholds, church attendance, theological literacy, and respect for gender roles in the family. Ambivalent Abortion Attitudes in a Postmodern Theistic Society Disputes over abortion are usually very heated due to the involvement of conflicting worldviews. Abortion is going to have difficulty attempting to reside within a Christian worldview, based purely on their opposing logic. Furthermore, abortion can comfortably maintain itself within the worldview of liberal postmodernism. Challengers of abortion are aware that they are supporting the rights of human life even though they may not be cognizant that they are also supporting the Christian worldview. Also, supporters of legal abortions identify that they are securing a womans right to choose even though they may not be completely aware of their support to the postmodern worldview. A worldview adds perspective and helps us identify with the world around us and how we deduce and appraise not only what we see but how we perceive ourselves to our understanding of life. Religion has the ability to hone a persons worldview, which starts to develop and institute moral perspectives. Religion serves as a main source for determining right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust (Durkheim, 1954 p. 43). In order to have a credible understanding of the postmodern view on abortion which will be discussed next, both opposing views must be examined in order to explain why a postmodern view in a theistic society would embrace a pro-abortion stance. This will explain the difficulty in finding a common ground, in regard of the issues of abortion, and why conversion at this point is not viable especially since postmodern tenets lean toward the secular decision making. Comparative analysis of postmodernism and theistic views: Man is a created being and has a composition pre-determined by an intelligent and purposeful design, as opposed to the secular contention where mans indiscriminate evolvement has no predetermined nature or design. Man is an immortal spirit being in which dwells a mortal body, compared to the secular point of view where man is wholly a physical animal and or machine. Moral law governs universally through marriage, sexual activity, and family, while secularism sees morality as culturally and or individually determined. Luker (1984) sites these differing views as conflicting, pro-choice activist women share almost no common premises and very little common language with antiabortion activist women; in particular, the worldviews and conceptions of motherhood held by the two different groups of women are antithetical (p. 2). The cultural war on abortion has many fronts and those who adhere to liberal postmodernism or answer to liberal postmodern ideology are likely to frame lawful abortion as a set of rights or privileges for the women who in many cases become pregnant carelessly. Hauerwas, author of Theologically Understood, says that liberals not Christians in America are tempted to think of issues like abortion primarily in legal terms such as rights. He explains rights as an agreement between members in a society who have nothing in common and in this context the prolife plus prochoice factions. Hauerwas states that within a liberal society such as ours, the law functions as a mediator of such disagreements. He gives an example of our system of law by saying, Why do Christians call abortion, abortion and that is to say why Christians think that abortion is a morally problematic term? (Hauerwas, 1991, p. 5). Hauerwas demystifies years of elusions by calling abortion, abortion which is already an achievement based on principles. Pro-choice is pro-abortion using the phrase termination of pregnancy, the postmodernist has reduced the churchs involvement and reallocated the moral responsibility onto the medical profession. For most of the twentieth century, abortion was removed from public scrutiny by defining it as a question of medical judgment (Emerson, 1996, p. 44). By circumventing the church we can easily foretell any future decision making within a postmodern society towards abortion. By defining that mistake as take God out of anything and it dies as pointed out here by Nietzsche, parable of a madman Do we smell anything yet of Gods decomposition? Isnt this the crux of postmodern wisdom which is inserting Gods insignificance into the minds of our youth? A culture cannot lose its philosophic center without the most serious of consequences, not just to the philosophy on which it was based but to the whole superstructure of culture and even each persons notion of who he or she is. When God dies, both the substance and the value of everything else die too (Sire, 2004, p. 211). This leads to the next point on Postmodernisms thinking on the sanctity of life, which has created a pro-abortion crisis in America. In the United States alone the abortion rates have increased from 898,000 in 1974 to 1,533,000 in 1980. These figures indicate that on an average day in Washington D.C., abortions are outnumbering live births. Twenty-five percent of all pregnancies are terminated in this manner and forty percent among teenagers. Approximately twenty percent of all women in the United States have had a legal abortion. Sixty percent were under twenty-five years of age, and eighty-two percent were unmarried at the time of their abortions. Sixty-nine percent of these individuals were white. This is the latest available information provided by researchers by the Henshaw, Koonin Smith Institute (1991). The above information shows the influential state and the wide acceptance of abortion and its use as a solution rather than as a last resort. Another way we see secular conditioning, is through what we read, which raises the question are we neglecting to effectively provide enough alternatives to abortions, such as adoption? For a number of generations we have been stealth fully preconditioning society by removing God from public education. Here for example a member of the Texas board of education is reported saying There seems to be a misinformed view of religion in American history, that America is somehow founded on Christianity, and Mize said, We just ask that things be historically accurate (Castro, 2010, Â ¶7). That certainly lessens the burden of trying to understand a postmodern view towards the ultimate decision to dismiss life, since a form of preconditioning has shown a dismissive attitude towards abortion. The textbook often provides the central focus and organizing framework for courses, and students, in turn rely on textbooks as their most readily available source of information about the course topics (Geersten, 1977, p. 102). Postmodern theists are also finding difficulty with the abortion issue when it comes to their education as pointed out here, Evangelicals for the most part tend to adhere to their education group rather than their religion with regards to their abortion attitudes (Schmalzbauer, 1993, p. 6). Education will no doubt reconstruct the minds of our youth as pointed out by Evans when he commented on Wuthnow, 1988 education is a more powerful opinion structuring force than religious discourse itself, and most studies find that the more education a respondent has, the more liberal his or her abortion attitudes (Evans, 2002, p. 418). This helps answer why a postmodern society raises and nurtures its most influential citizens into embracing such secular ideas as Humanism, Naturalism, and Theistic Existentialism. Postmodernism is here to stay and to evolve. It is a major paradigm shift that has vast and deep impact on the world. When modernity hits hard on Christianity, many sociologists predict the inevitable demise and even eradication of Christianity by secularism (Bruce Steve, 1996, Â ¶5). Also having the primarily secularists controlling how textbooks are written and studied can only point to the trickling down effect of God within the hearts of men. By the mid-1990s abortion had been legal for two decades, and the population had become more educated and more secular, and other sociodemographic trends found abortion increasingly acceptable (Strickler Danigelis, 1999, p. 188). There should be equal worry over issues which are of immediate concern for all such as poverty, global warming, aids prevention, war, and more. All of these are of equal value and worth investigation and debating, but abortion is not equated with the same balance of equality. Given the recent numbers of elective abortions, 1,533,000 in 1980 as sited earlier tell us that there are many women who continue to share ambivalent feelings toward abortion. I was pregnant, I carried two unborn children and I chose, for completely selfish reasons, to deny them life so that I could better my own (Flodin, 1990, Â ¶3). If we are going to find a way to bring back the sanctity within our society, we must implement formal instructions in morals and principles as an essential component of the public school curriculum. Secularism campaigns alongside ambivalence; in America we become too complicated with our competing convictions? The answer lies in our public school system which according to the first amendment, Public schools may not inculcate nor inhibit religion. They must be places where religion and religious conviction are treated with fairness and respect. Public schools uphold the First Amendment when they protect the religious liberty rights of students of all faiths or none. Schools demonstrate fairness when they ensure that the curriculum includes study about religion, where appropriate (Haynes, 2010, P.1). An upward battle will continue as long as postmodernists maintain a distant relationship with God. Teachers are permitted to wear no obtrusive jewelry, such as a cross or Star of David. But teachers should not wear proselytizing message (e.g., Jesus Saves T-shirt). (Haynes, 1999, p.7). Here is an example of secular reasoning, Attorneys for Kandice Smith, a sixth-grader at Curry Middle School in Walker County, Alabama, filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn what they called an unconstitutional dress code. In August, the school banned cross necklaces as part of its new dress code claiming they are gang symbols. School officials threatened to discipline Smith if she didnt hide the cross under her clothes. (Rock star, 1999, Â ¶4). As long as the cross is reviewed as a gang sign abortion will always be consider as a first option. Postmodern societies lean towards abortion as a first consideration rather than as a last resort because it rests in their understanding of God. The postmodern cultures, bible illiteracy clearly exemplifies the ease in which abortion decisions are made, and how religious freedom can be extrapolated from law to err on the side of the secularist, consequently making the first amendment null and void. In conclusion, how can a Christian in a postmodern society consider abortion not as a viable solution to a complex moral issue? The abortion debate has polarized Americans like no other national problem. The abortion issue has created a vast partitioning across Americas cultural, and religious lines, which is also evident at the individual, political, and ecclesiastical levels. How then can a Christian in a postmodern theistic society protect forty percent of future teenage abortions in a society which is profoundly secular given the tenet that abortion is a right? This certainly points to a valid concern held by many Christians, and alludes to a valid misrepresentation on prolife options within our school textbooks. From 1988 through 1993 sampling 27 textbooks representing 16 publishers covering a period of 6 years (Kathy Shepherd Elaine Hall, 1994, p. 267). They referenced topics such as, abortion and legal cases such as Roe v. Wade, pro-life, birth control, teen pregnancy, and reproduction. Citations for abortion were indexed more than 60 times and adoption citations were indexed under 13 headings. Also with this study acknowledgement to abortion was tendered 4 times more page space than adoption. The Humanist manifesto will continue as long as Gods heritage is denied in public school courses. This is happening all across America, schools are simply not teaching about God, and by leaving out His heritage the significance of abortion will continue to all future generations. A theist in a postmodern society must find a way to respect the law of the land that does not mean they take part in it nor does it mean they have to protest, through legal channels its validity. If we are to be effective on the other side, we ourselves will have to become less modern and more postmodern-not completely of it, of course, but more completely in it. (McLaren, 2000, p. 168).

Global Businesses Cultural Analysis In Japan

Global Businesses Cultural Analysis In Japan This paper is a global business cultural analysis of Japan. The Japanese culture (communication and customs) is very complex. In order to show how the United States should conduct international business with Japan, this paper answers four research questions. First, what are the major elements and dimensions of culture in Japan? The seven major elements and dimensions discussed are communication, languages, religion, ethics, values and attitudes, manners and customs, and social structures. Secondly, how are these elements and dimensions integrated by indigenous people conducting business in Japan? Thirdly, how do these elements compare with United States culture and business? Lastly, what are the implications for United States businesses that wish to conduct business with Japan? If Businesses wish to do business with Japan, they must first understand the major elements and dimensions of Japanese culture along with its impact on how the Japanese conduct their business. If businesses fail to understand and make appropriate adjustments, they may unwittingly offend Japanese sensibilities and fail in their pursuits. Therefore, this paper will discuss these elements and dimensions, along with their impact on Japanese businesses. Furthermore, these critical factors will be compared to the United States business culture and identify appropriate adjustments, which must be made. However, prior to discussing these matters, it is prudent to consider the historical macro-cross-cultural relationships between Japan and the United States. Although Japan has an extensive and interesting history, for the purposes of this paper, the first significant milestone is that the Tokugawa Shogunate brought political stability to Japan in 1603. Subsequently, Japan was not influenced by foreign countries and its culture flourished in isolation. However, when her ports were opened to trade with the United States in 1854, Japan began to modernize and industrialize . Eventually, the country became a regional power. Seeking further domination in the Pacific, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, making United States Japans enemy. Rather than subjugating Japan, after her defeat, the United States helped her rebuild. Therefore, Japan recovered, became an ally of the United States, and remains an economic power today (Japan, 2010). What are the major elements and dimensions of culture in this region? Communication in Japan is very complex. Spoken words can have several meanings; therefore, both verbal and non-verbal communication is important to understand. Context is important part of understanding what the meaning of what is said. Non-verbal communication is important since verbal communication can be interpreted in so many ways. The smallest expression can change the meaning of what is being said. For instance frowning while someone is speaking can be interpreted as disagreement (Japan-Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, 2004). Japan is considered to be a high-context country. This affects the way that the Japanese communicate. Information is conveyed indirectly and silence is considered a mark of maturity (Cooper-Chen Tanaka, 2008). Japanese is the predominate language spoken in Japan. However there are many other languages and dialects spoken in Japan. As the foreign and indigenous minority populations increase, so does the number of other languages spoken. Some of the other major languages spoken are Ainu, Ryukyuan, Chinese, English, and Korean. Ainu and Ryukyuan are indigenous languages that are spoken in different regions of Japan, while the other languages listed are mainly spoken by immigrants (Maher, 1997). English is a secondary language, spoken by many educated Japanese. English is studied in many Japanese secondary schools and in higher education. There are between 40 to 50 international schools in Japan that instruct in English. The historical notion of a language model (usually British or American) has declined considerably in recent years. Multi-accented English, including Asian Englishes, is increasingly acceptable (Maher, 1997). Shinto is the ancient native religion of Japan. The origins of Shinto cannot be traced because it was transmitted orally until writing was introduced by the Chinese in the fifth century. The Japanese worshiped forces and forms of nature. Shinto has many deities with no supreme deity. The Shinto shrine is a simple wooden building that houses an object that is believed to be the dwelling place of the Kami. As Buddhism entered Japan, Shinto was influenced and the shrines became more elaborate. Shinto is still widely practiced in a form that is influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism. The present form of Shinto is less like a traditional religion and more observed in festivals, traditional ceremonies, and customs. The disestablishment of state Shinto came after the countrys defeat in World War II. The present-day Shinto religion has no dogmatic system or any code of morals. The philosophies of newer sects stress world peace and brotherhood (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2009) Another major religion in Japan is Buddhism. Buddhism entered Japan in the 6th century A.D. (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2009). Buddhism originated in India about 2500 years ago. It was started when Siddhartha Gotama, now known as Buddha, was said to be awakened. Buddhisms basic concepts of faith are the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Buddhist do not believe in any deity. The goal of Buddhism is nirvana, which means cessation. Buddhist believe that to become enlightened the human spirit must be free of the struggle to prove our existence to the world and therefore be free of reincarnation (Buddhism, 2010). 84 % of the Japanese citizens claim to be following both Shinto and Buddhism, but many only practice during the New Year, weddings, or funerals (Taylor, 2008, p. 33). Traditionally the Japanese ring out the old year at Buddhist temples. Buddhism in Japan is often called funeral Buddhism, because the Japanese have traditionally held Buddhist funerals. Buddhist priest fear that Buddhism in Japan will soon die out (Onishi, 2008). Japanese ethics is mainly influenced by Shintoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The Japanese believe in an ideal human equality. They respect those who work hard to better the Japanese society as a whole and put a lot of emphasis on the importance of the group. Long-term and give-and-take relationships are important to the Japanese for a harmonious society. It is important to the Japanese to work together and help the fellow man. Each person must learn how to rely on each other and support others (Japan, 2003). Before conducting business in Japan it is important to understand some basic values and attitudes. Since the Japanese culture is considered high-context, even little gestures go a long way. Respect is something that the Japanese highly valuable. Direct eye contact is also not the norm, to lower ones eyes is considered a sign of respect. (Etiquette, 2010). Being on time is very important to the Japanese, as it shows respect for the attendees. However, the Japanese like to take their time making decisions (Japanese Meetings, 2010). As stated earlier the Japanese attitude toward work is that it is the individuals duty to work hard. They view work as a way to better their society and to help their fellow man. There is a big push from the Japanese government for change. However, this is not the attitude of the Japanese people. The Japanese fear that change will have a big impact on their way of life and cause more harm than good (Gaijin at the Gates, 2007). It is easy to see where Japanese manners and customs derive from once basic Japanese values and attitudes are understood. Some manners that derive from Japan being a high-context country are: it is considered inappropriate and even rude to express dramatic gestures especially pointing. When pointing something out the Japanese wave their hand, palm up, towards the object that they are pointing out. Blowing ones nose in public is considered very inappropriate. Bowing with ones hands at their side, is the traditional greeting. Male and female touching in public is considered inappropriate, even among married couples. The Japanese like to observe personal space when having a conversation. The person should go somewhere private and blow their nose with a disposable tissue. To the Japanese, smiling and laughter can be confusing. These forms of expression to the Japanese may convey embarrassment, confusion, shock, or even being upset. Respect also drives some of the manners and customs. To be invited to a persons home is considered a big honor. When entering a Japanese home, it is important to remove ones shoes to show respect (Etiquette, 2010). The modern Japanese society can be divided into six social groups; i.e.,the Imperial Family, Nobility, Upper Middle Class, Lower Middle Class, Industrial Proletariat, and Peasants. The Imperial Family is not a ruling position, but more of a symbolic position. The second highest group is the Nobility group, which is divided into three sub-groups. The highest in the order are descendants of the old court nobility called the Kuge. They also have little political power. Next is the Daimyo group, who are descendants of the dukes and counts that ruled after the seventeenth century. The final nobility group is the New Nobility. These are people who were ennobled since 1868. A large part of this group is the descendants of the Samurai. Many of the people in this group have moved up from lower social groups to this position. Out of all the nobility groups the New Nobility group has the most power in modern Japan. The Upper Middle Class can be divided into two sub-groups, the gentleman group a nd the top-ranking civil servants. The gentleman group mainly consists of those who have graduated from a university. The top-ranking civil servants gain their prestige through being in governmental service. The lower middle class includes people like shopkeepers and white collar workers. The industrial proletariats are from the rural population that came to the city to become industrial workers. The peasants have very little and do not have much social standing. The armed forces are not included in the general social structure. The armed forces provide a way to move up socially in a different social group by ranking up (Levy Jr., 2000, pp. 18-21). Women in modern Japan have the same legal rights as men. When it comes to family life though, women are expected to be house wives and take care of the children (Women in Business in Japan, 2010). How are these elements and dimensions integrated by locals conducting business in the nation? Everyday Japanese communication is also found in communication during business transactions. There is usually an underlying meaning to what the speaker is saying. According to a study done by Emmett, the speaker will present a generalized theme-oriented opinion to persuade, explain, or get approval from the addressee. He states that the addressee will have little room to disagree with the speaker, because the generalized theme-oriented opinion gives the impression that the belief is shared and supported by other people (Emmett, 2003, p. 77). The Japanese are careful in how they communicate, especially in business settings. Japanese is the most common language spoken in Japan and when dealing with local business. The need for the clear and precise use of language is never greater than in such situations (Japanese Communication Styles, 2010, para. 3). Shintoism and Buddhism influence how the Japanese conduct business. Business people who work hard to contribute to the greater cause of their companies are respected by the Japanese. It is widely believed that through sacrifice and diligent work, the individual can connect himself with a greater, pooled life-force and comply with the ethical expectations of Japanese society (Japan, 2003, para. 4). Japanese business ethics reflect their culture and religion. Japanese workers are expected to be subordinate to their companies and the companies in turn are expected to be subordinate to their nation. A sub-group may be ridiculed or punished as an unethical entity if it violates the expectations of the next larger group in the chain. These group ethics only apply to their individual groups or spheres. They are not expected to have the same ethical consideration to other rival corporations or foreigners. Japanese businesses are expected to work diligently to create mutually beneficial transactions. If they fail to do so they will face consequences and even sanctions (Japan, 2003). Integration of values, attitudes, manners, and customs into local business go hand in hand. Politeness, sincerity, and good manners are important to Japanese business etiquette. The way that the Japanese conduct business is very formal. The formality starts in the first meeting, with the presentation of business cards. Business cards should always be presented by holding it with two hands to the most senior member of the Japanese party first. The person presenting it should bow slightly and then present a card down the ranks. The business card should be treated with respect and never written on. It is important to be on time, but if a person is running late they should call at least one hour ahead. It is good to take a lot of notes during a meeting. This shows the company that they are interested in the meeting (Japanese Business Etiquette, 2009). Social classes can also be found in Japanese business. Upper middle class and even new nobility are often members of large corporations and directors. The lower middle class are often the white collar workers and shopkeepers (Levy Jr., 2000, p. 20). Japanese business decision making process is based on consensus and co-operation. This gives the people a feeling of being actively involved and they become committed to their company. Japanese companies, like Japanese society, are hierarchically organized with individuals knowing their position within a group and with regard to each other (Japanese Business Structures, 2010, para. 2). Women take the roles of lower grade tasks and are expected to leave once they marry or have children. Japanese womens annual income is about 50% less than a male co-worker (Women in Business in Japan, 2010, para. 1). How do both of the above items compare with US culture and business? Communication can be one of the biggest dilemmas between US businesses and Japanese businesses. It is important for the Japanese to develop relationships with business partners early on, which is often dependent on the persons ability to read the underlying truth to what is actually spoken. This may be difficult for US business men and women. It is important to ask enough questions in order to ensure a clear understanding (Japanese Communication Styles, 2010). Communication differences can be found between the two countries, because Japan is a high-context country while the US is considered a low-context country. As discussed earlier, the smallest gesture to the Japanese can change the context of what is being said. In low-context cultures, like the US, people rely on what words are being said (Satterlee, 2009, p. 41). This can cause some major miscommunication. Another communication barrier is how American and Japanese business people arrive at an agreement differently. This causes difficulties during the negotiation process. The Japanese are concerned with pursuing social relationship goals during this process. Meanwhile, Americans tend to be individualistic. Americans focus is on the immediate and not the long term relationships that the Japanese look for. This can cause some issues between Japanese and American businesses (Kumar, 1999, p. 63-78). Communication between Japanese and American businesses may be difficult; but, with patience and an understanding of the Japanese, a great business relationship can be formed. Language can be a problem for American and Japanese business meetings. There are few foreigners who can speak Japanese well; therefore, the meetings must be spoken in English. Most levels of English in Japan are patchy. This can cause confusion. Often what is said is either not understood or it is misunderstood (Japanese Communication Styles, 2010). The major professed religion in the United States is Christianity. As of 2007 only 0.7% of Americans claimed to be Buddhist (United States, 2010). This is a drastic comparison to the 84% of Japanese who claim to be following both Buddhism and Shintoism. However, moderation and toleration is becoming a norm in America. Americans are celebrating differences and look down upon those who judge anothers beliefs (Orwin, 2004, pp. 26-27). Buddhism teaches its followers to be tolerant of all beliefs and religions. They agree with moral teachings of other religions (Buddhism, 2010). There should be no conflict dealing with religion in business, because Americans are becoming more tolerant to other beliefs and Buddhism embraces other religious teachings. The Business Ethics Index (BEI) for Japan is very similar to that of the US. There have been a few more incidents of unethical behaviors from Japanese companies than that of the US. Like Enron did in the US, Liverdoor did the same thing in Japan. Some of the other Japanese scandals include Snow Brand Foods and Tokyo Electric Co. Based on the BEI, Japanese and American managers had the same views on corporates responsibility and unethical business practices. Differences in ethics can be found in some areas. For instance, Japanese focus on the group (collectivism). The Japanese have the good-of-the-group mentality while the American mindset is that of the good-of-the-individual (Tsalikis, 2008, pp. 379-385). Since Japanese and American business ethics are very similar, Americans should have little ethical complications when dealing with Japanese businesses. There are differences when it comes to American values and attitudes from those of the Japanese. The major driving force for the differences is the individualism of Americans versus the collectivism of the Japanese. The American dream is to make a name for one self. The Japanese, as stated many times earlier, are concerned with how their actions affect everyone around them. Japanese hierarchy is based on consensus and co-operation rather than the top-down decision making process which often typifies western models of hierarchy (Japanese Business Structures, 2010, para. 3). Respect is important to both Americans and Japanese, but the Japanese have a more formal stance on respect. An example of this would be how Americans find that not looking a person in the eye as disrespectful or even the person is trying to hide something, while the Japanese lower their eyes to show respect. There may be differences when it comes to values and attitudes, but American businesses should have no probl em understanding the Japanese values and attitudes with a little research and study. Whenever someone is dealing with a new culture, there is going to be differences in manners and customs. The typical American greeting is a firm handshake and looking the person in the eyes. The traditional Japanese greeting is a bow with the persons hands at their side and with their eyes lowered. The Japanese are aware of the handshake being the typical Western greeting and they will greet Westerners with a handshake, but it will be often weak. The American dream allows a person to be in a high position in the company based on their education and hard work. This is in contrast to the Japanese, where age equals rank. Both cultures will use professional titles in formal situations. The Japanese word for Mr. or Mrs. is san. The exchange of business cards is common in both cultures. The Japanese, as discussed earlier, take it to another level. American business men and women should have business cards that are printed in English on one side and Japanese on the other side. The person re ceiving the cards should take time to read it. It should never be put in ones back pocket or a wallet. American hosts usually allow everyone to order food and drinks; this is not true for Japanese hosts. The host will order drinks and meals for everyone in the group, because they are responsible for paying the bill. Silence can be uncomfortable for Americans, but this is seen as useful and generative to the Japanese. Dress is important to the Japanese. Americans also take pride in how they dress, but acceptable dress clothes in America may not be appropriate in Japan. Vibrant colors, bold designs, and flashy jewelry should be avoided, as this is not the norm. Women in Japan do not wear revealing clothing in a business setting, full or longer length skirts is acceptable. Learning the differences between American and Japanese manners and customs can lead to a successful business relationship between American and Japanese companies (Etiquette, 2010). The American social structure is different than that of the Japanese. American social classes can be broken down into upper class, upper middle, lower middle, and lower class. The upper class refers to the rich, while the lower class refers to the poor. Unlike the Japanese, there is no royalty or nobility in the United States. CEOs are usually found in the upper class, while the majority of business workers can be found somewhere in the middle class. The American dream allows for a person to move upward through the social classes based on how hard they work and getting a better education. This is where the Japanese and Americans will find contrast. As stated earlier, the Japanese know their place in society and remain there unless they join the armed forces. American women have come a long way in the US. Many American women are found in high ranking positions. There will be difficulties for American women working in Japan. Women in Japan do not hold high positions. American women may encounter difficulties when dealing with Japanese male colleagues. They sometimes are accepted as an honorary man (Women in Business in Japan, 2010). One way to understand the difference in culture between Japan and the United States is using the Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. This study is considered the most comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. Geert Hofsted analyzed a data base of employee values from IBM between 1967 and 1973 which covered more than 70 countries. The dimensions that he included were Power Distance Index, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, and Long-Term Orientation. Japan scored higher in the Power Distance Index. This means that more members of organizations in Japan accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Americans scored higher in the Individualism dimension. As discussed earlier, the Japanese are more concerned with collectivism, while Americans are concerned about individuals. Japan scored higher in the Masculinity dimension. This shows that there is more of a gap in Japan between mens values and womens values. According to Geert research the masculine values are very assertive and competitive, while the feminine values are modest and caring. The Japanese also score higher in the Uncertainty Avoidance Index. The Uncertainty Avoidance Index pertains to a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. The Japanese are uncomfortable in unstructured situations where the outcome is uncertain. Countries with a high Uncertainty Avoidance Index will minimize uncertainty with strict laws and rules. The last dimension is where there is the biggest difference between the two countries. The Japanese scored a lot higher on the Long-Term Orientation dimension. Virtues associated with Long-Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance, while values associated with Short-Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting ones face (Geert Hoftede Cultural Dimensions, 2009). The Geert Hoftede Cultural Dimensions helps international businesses understand how the host countrys cult ure compares with their home culture. To be successful at international business in Japan, a U.S. company should look at the five dimensions and use it to further their understanding of the Japanese culture. What are the implications for US businesses that wish to conduct business in that region? Understanding current U.S. and Japanese relations is important before conducting business in Japan. U.S.-Japan alliance is responsible for the U.S. security role in East Asia. This alliance has helped the with U.S. national security strategy in the region. In return the alliance provides protection from Japans neighbors, particularly China and North Korea (U.S.-Japan Relations, 2009). Japan recently elected a new prime minister, Naoto Kan of the Democratic Party of Japan. Relations between the U.S. and Japan were harmed by the former Prime Minister Mr. Hatoyama. During elections Mr. Hatoyama pledged to reconsider the agreement on the relocation of the US air base on Okinawa. The U.S. pressured Mr. Hatoyama to later reverse his position, which infuriated the inhabitants of Okinawa and many leaders within the Democratic Party of Japan. This was the major factor that lead to his resignation. The new Prime Minister, Mr. Kan, has pledged to implement the original agreement. There are abou t 47,000 U.S. Troops stationed in Japan. More than half of these troops are stationed on the island of Okinawa. This dispute has caused the goodwill between the two countries for the past fifty years to be undermined (Japan: Country Outlook, 2010). Japan is considered one of the United States most important economic partners. Japan is responsible for the second largest source of imports for the U.S. outside of North America. They are also the second largest source of foreign direct investment for the U.S. Japan has helped to finance the U.S. deficit and reduce U.S. interest rates by being the second-largest foreign holders of U.S. treasuries. Even though the two countries are facing tensions over base relocation, they are economically dependent on each other (U.S.-Japan Relations, 2009). The Japanese banned all U.S. beef imports in December 2003, after the discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease. This ban was finally lifted in December 2005, but quickly re-imposed it in January 2006, after finding bone material among the first beef shipments from the U.S. The Japanese lifted the ban in July 2006 on cattle 20 months old or younger. After much pressure from the U.S. in May 27, 2009, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries reportedly were ready to ask the restrictions to be more relaxed allowing U.S. beef imports from cattle younger than 30 months (Federation of American Scientists, 2009). Japan asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) for permission to impose sanctions on U.S. imports on January 2008 for the failure to comply with WTO decision against the U.S. practice of zeroing in antidumping duty determinations. These sanctions on U.S. imports were valued around $250 million. On April 24, 2009 the WTO ruled in favor of Japan stating that the United States was not in compliance with the WTO ruling. The practice of zeroing is where the U.S. Department of Commerce treats prices of imports that are above fair market value as zero dumping margin rather than a negative margin (Federation of American Scientists, 2009). There are many reasons that an American company should consider doing business in Japan. Japan is considered the center of new trends and creativity. Businesses around the world are partnering with Japanese companies. Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) gives ten advantages to investing in Japan (Investing in Japan, 2010). They are listed as follows: Japan has an enormous market that has huge potential. Japanese consumers are early adapters. These consumers like to stay on the cutting edge when it comes to new technologies. Many companies find that Japan is a good test market for new products and services. Japan provides promising markets and industries. Many of Japans industries are globally competitive. Four sectors that are showing potential for future growth are: Information and communication technology, medical and health care, automotive parts, and environment-related markets. Japan is home to many of the worlds top companies. Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be found in Japan like SMEs that possess unique technologies. Partnerships with these types of companies can help foreign companies seeking to enter the Japanese market, boost their technological capacity, and open up markets and sales channels. Japan possesses the ideal conditions to be a center of innovation due to its cooperation between foreign companies, universities and other organizations. Japan is also becoming a gateway to the Asian market. Companies from around the world are using Japan as a location for regional headquarters. There are a number of foreign companies seeking to expand their businesses in Japan. Japan is becoming a destination that offers potential for foreign companies to increase their profits. Japan has a mature investment infrastructure. Japans industrial structure and business environment is similar to U.S. and European environments. Japan has a secure, comfortable living environment. Japan has welcomed many foreign cultures and provides clean and safe urban environments. There are some risks that foreign companies will face when looking into investing into Japan. There is the risk of being scammed by people who will pretend to be experts in various aspects of doing business in Japan and pocket the companys money. Doing business in Japan can be extremely expensive if cost are not properly controlled (Making Japan Work for You, 2009). The Japanese government is trying hard to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). The government has changed its commercial code, making it easier for foreign firms to buy Japanese ones. The government does not desire foreign cash; but it hopes that foreigners can help reform companies and introduce competition. For instance, Starbucks forced other Japanese coffee shops to improve. While this may sound good to foreign companies looking to conduct business in Japan, it has not been very successful. Consumer spending is becoming sluggish and the Japanese population is shrinking. Tax codes make life difficult for foreign fi rms. Many Japanese companies are resisting foreign takeovers. They fear that foreign take over their companies would result in a loss of jobs. Some foreign investors are finding that investing in Japan involves too much effort for a little profit (Gaijin at the Gates, 2007). Despite the risks involved, international business in Japan can be a good investment. Conclusion Japan is home to a rich and vibrant culture that offers much for innovation and investment for businesses. The Japanese are a very complex society from the way they communicate to their many customs. American business men and women can learn a lot from the Japanese. For instance, the Japanese have been very successful in globalization and have avoided an economic crisis. Most importantly, Japanese businesses do a better job of building a relationship with business partners than American businesses do. Oftentimes, Americans are more interested in making money than building relationships American business can be more successful by learning about the people they are doing business with and taking the time to build a relationship with them. Although the Japanese may seem drastically different from Americans, American companies can be successful in doing business in Japan. It will require a lot research and preparation, but the payoff can be great.

Pi Essay -- essays research papers

The area of a circle is one of the first formulas that you learn as a young math student. It is simply taught as, . There is no explanation as to why the area of a circle is this arbitrary formula. As it turns out the area of a circle is not an easy task to figure out by your self. Early mathematicians knew that area was, in general to four sided polygons, length times width. But a circle was different, it could not be simply divided into length and width for it had no sides. As it turns out, finding the measurement to be squared was not difficult as it was the radius of the circle. There was another aspect of the circle though that has led one of the greatest mathematical voyages ever launched, the search of Pi. One of the first ever documented estimates for the area of a circle was found in Egypt on a paper known as the Rhind Papyrus around the time of 1650 BCE. The paper itself was a copy of an older â€Å"book† written between 2000 and 1800 BCE and some of the information contained in that writing might have been handed down by Imhotep, the man who supervised the building of the pyramids. The paper, copied by the scribe named Ahmes, has 84 problems on it and their solutions. On the paper, in problem number 50 he wrote; â€Å"Cut off 1/9 of a diameter and construct a square upon the remainder; this has the same area as a circle.† Given that we already know that the area of a circle is we find that the early Egyptian estimate for the area of a circle was which simplified to or 3.16049†¦ Though, the papyrus does not go into detail as to how Ahmes derived this estimate. This estimate for Pi given by the ancient Egyptians is less than 1% off of the true value of Pi. Given, there was no standard of measurement in that day and they also had no tools to aid them in such calculations such as compasses or measuring tapes, this is an amazingly accurate value for Pi and the area of a circle. Another early attempt at the area of a circle is found in the Bible. In the old testament within the book of Kings Vii.23 and also in Chronicles iv.2 a statement is made that says; â€Å"And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was round all about and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.† From this verse, we come to the conclusion that Pi is 30/10 or simply 3. The book of Kings was edited around the time of 550 BCE. Mu... ...ct, the rest of the mathematical world doesn’t dare question their founding mathematicians, and that they alone, the cyclometer, have discovered the true value of Pi. One circle squarer even went so far as to submit a law in his home state of Indiana that his value of Pi be used as the legal value of Pi. It was passed, but to this day awaits further legislation in regard to its factuality. In the end, there is still an ongoing search for the true area of a Circle in continued research of the number Pi. Scientists today have reached a record number of decimals of Pi to 206,158,430,000 using a Hitachi Supercomputer. The calculation took 37 hours, 21 minutes and 4 seconds. Using the latest calculation for Pi, if you were to assemble a circle a million miles in diameter, the circle would be less than an inch off. But why the pursuit of a solution that will never end? For many, being that there are no perfect circles even in nature, the perfect circle is an unattainable goal to seek. Through the adventure of discovering new aspects about the circle, other insights may be revealed. The mystery of the circle is an endless pursuit, but for mathematicians, it is the pursuit of perfection. Pi Essay -- essays research papers The area of a circle is one of the first formulas that you learn as a young math student. It is simply taught as, . There is no explanation as to why the area of a circle is this arbitrary formula. As it turns out the area of a circle is not an easy task to figure out by your self. Early mathematicians knew that area was, in general to four sided polygons, length times width. But a circle was different, it could not be simply divided into length and width for it had no sides. As it turns out, finding the measurement to be squared was not difficult as it was the radius of the circle. There was another aspect of the circle though that has led one of the greatest mathematical voyages ever launched, the search of Pi. One of the first ever documented estimates for the area of a circle was found in Egypt on a paper known as the Rhind Papyrus around the time of 1650 BCE. The paper itself was a copy of an older â€Å"book† written between 2000 and 1800 BCE and some of the information contained in that writing might have been handed down by Imhotep, the man who supervised the building of the pyramids. The paper, copied by the scribe named Ahmes, has 84 problems on it and their solutions. On the paper, in problem number 50 he wrote; â€Å"Cut off 1/9 of a diameter and construct a square upon the remainder; this has the same area as a circle.† Given that we already know that the area of a circle is we find that the early Egyptian estimate for the area of a circle was which simplified to or 3.16049†¦ Though, the papyrus does not go into detail as to how Ahmes derived this estimate. This estimate for Pi given by the ancient Egyptians is less than 1% off of the true value of Pi. Given, there was no standard of measurement in that day and they also had no tools to aid them in such calculations such as compasses or measuring tapes, this is an amazingly accurate value for Pi and the area of a circle. Another early attempt at the area of a circle is found in the Bible. In the old testament within the book of Kings Vii.23 and also in Chronicles iv.2 a statement is made that says; â€Å"And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was round all about and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.† From this verse, we come to the conclusion that Pi is 30/10 or simply 3. The book of Kings was edited around the time of 550 BCE. Mu... ...ct, the rest of the mathematical world doesn’t dare question their founding mathematicians, and that they alone, the cyclometer, have discovered the true value of Pi. One circle squarer even went so far as to submit a law in his home state of Indiana that his value of Pi be used as the legal value of Pi. It was passed, but to this day awaits further legislation in regard to its factuality. In the end, there is still an ongoing search for the true area of a Circle in continued research of the number Pi. Scientists today have reached a record number of decimals of Pi to 206,158,430,000 using a Hitachi Supercomputer. The calculation took 37 hours, 21 minutes and 4 seconds. Using the latest calculation for Pi, if you were to assemble a circle a million miles in diameter, the circle would be less than an inch off. But why the pursuit of a solution that will never end? For many, being that there are no perfect circles even in nature, the perfect circle is an unattainable goal to seek. Through the adventure of discovering new aspects about the circle, other insights may be revealed. The mystery of the circle is an endless pursuit, but for mathematicians, it is the pursuit of perfection.