Social responsibilities of multinational corporations Essay - 1

Social responsibilities of multinational corporations - Essay Example In order to prove themselves right, and cover up their flaws in living up to their social responsibility, a few multinational companies have taken different steps that reflect adherence to their social responsibility. In this paper, I will argue that most multinational companies have disregarded their obligations to respect human rights of their host countries, and have continued to violate human rights indirectly, as they capitalize on the weaknesses in their host’s government systems, and lack of standard rights, while earning big profits in their host countries. Multinational corporations extend their production and marketing processes into different world regions. In the new business environment, these multinationals have a great political and economic influence on the host countries. These exploit the resources and labour in these countries with an aim of making more profits. It has been argued that the multinational corporations in the developing countries do more harm t han good and function there without a social conscience. Most multinationals have chosen to operate in more developing countries because the business standards and restrictions there are less tight as compared to those in the West (Arnold 156). Some scholars have argued that multinational corporations play an important role in the modernization and globalization processes. This argument bases on the fact that these introduce new technology and capital market in the host countries. If the host countries are developing nations, they benefit from all the western assets that the multinational corporations come with. Although the multinational corporations might appear capitalistic, these serve the needs of the society, while pursuing their own interests. These corporations make maximum use of efficiency and productivity, with global operations, and help in the distribution of goods around the world. Some analysts have therefore argued that since the multinational corporations have a gre at impact in the world, their activities, links to the governments, and their general influence on the international system needs to be known (Arnold 156). Trends in human rights continue to change today, and human rights issues have ceased to become matters of the state only. There are more multinational corporations today, and some of the concerns raised about human rights issues come from these corporations. Today, different multinational corporations have been involved in a number of cases concerning their violation of human rights in the host countries. This is not a new happening, as human rights violations by multinational corporations can be traced back to the eighteenth century. The non-governmental organizations today accuse multinational corporations of causing environmental degradation in the host countries, exploitation of offshore factory workers, and the denying employees their right to association and free speech. However, the multinationals argue that they have a ri ght to influence the public policy of their host country. However, these have a negative influence on the country’s public policy, therefore, failing to fulfil their social responsibility (Arnold 155). According to Donaldson, the rights people take for granted in the United States are greatly violated in some countries, and citizens are denied these rights. For instance, results of an interview conducted in Central America in 1987,

Social Problems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Problems - Research Paper Example It is estimated that more than 70000 women die each year due to post abortion complications, deaths which can be controlled through effective monitoring (Heary, 2009). Abortion occurs under two major scenarios i.e. Therapeutic abortion, which is when it is necessitated by the need to save the mother from harm, usually prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner as well as elective abortion, which is when a pregnant woman decides on her own to request for the procedure (Baumgardner, 2008). This paper is a critical evaluation of abortion as a societal dilemma. Abortion Abortion is a process, which can be dated back to more than 1000 years ago, as it is believed that the first case was documented approximately 1550 BC (Baumgardner, 2008). During this time, the practice was viewed as a normal way of birth control and even the church had not at that time deemed it as totally ungodly as it is in the present. In fact, the only restriction the church and the authorities at that time had w as only if quickening could be felt then abortion was considered as unacceptable. Quickening is a term that refers to the movements of the fetus in the uterus and which can be felt by the pregnant woman. In this context, a woman was not permitted to abort a child if quickening had already taken place. In the early US history, it was considered a normal practice to advertise abortion, before quickening, services. It may be important to note that during this time, industrial revolution had not taken place and therefore, the field of medicine had not developed enough to facilitate surgical operations. As a result, abortion was achieved through primitive means such as administration of strong herbs, performing strenuous activities such as weight lifting as well as other vigorous activities, applying pressure on the abdomen for example by lying on a hot coconut shell among others (Baumgardner, 2008). It was not until late 19th century that the legality of abortion in various states began to receive opposition from medical practitioners, civil societies, and the church among other influential groups in the society. According to Baumgardner (2008), some of these groups were motivated by the assumption that the indigenous populations would be dominated by immigrants, whose rate of child bearing was becoming higher than that of the locals. To avoid this, laws were put in place to control and reduce birth control through abortion, in order to maintain and increase their numbers. Similarly, legal health professionals wanted to drive native doctors out of business so as to protect their own business interests. Consequently, they championed for a legislation to outlaw abortion with the exception of therapeutic abortion, which requires the intervention of a qualified health practitioner. Apparently, traditional doctors and midwives were not considered to be qualified and therefore had to close down or work from the underground. It is after these developments that the issue of abortion became contentious, with women rights activists demanding the withdrawal of these legislations while others demanded the opposite (Heary, 2009). Unlike abortion in the ancient times where there was a societal consensus on its legality, the modern society is divided along numerous issues for example its morality. Ancient societies may be forgiven for they may be considered to have been living in a primitive society, which had no basic structures strong

Genetic Screening :: Science Genes Biology Papers

Genetic Screening What is genetic screening? Health care is becoming more and more of a concern today as the profession is constantly creating new procedures and what we hope are better ways to administer care. How would things be, though, if patients could be told beforehand what diseases they are likely to contract in the future? This is where genetic screening comes into play. Genetic screening is the ability to examine the genetic code for possible defects and the consequences thereof. What is a genetic disease? Professor Kare Berg of the University of Oslo describes genetic diseases as "†¦(including) diseases caused by a mutant gene at a single locus (Mendelian diseases), disorders caused by numerical or structural chromosomal anomalies, and diseases or malformations caused by the action of several genes or by interaction between genes and environmental factors" (1996). How can we test for these defects? Most often, a simple blood test can supply enough DNA to perform a thorough examination. Researchers are also developing new ways to test the genes of the unborn. For example, a new test in Korea extracts eggs from the mother and brings them to maturity. The eggs are then fertilized with the husband’s sperm and allowed to divide once or twice. A cell is then removed from each group and tested for known genetic diseases. University of California at San Francisco professor Yuet Wai Kan has developed a way to test an unborn baby’s blood without the use of amniocentesis. A blood sample is taken from the mother and immature red blood cells from the fetus are separated. Kan’s team can then run tests on these immature red blood cells. The procedure is said to be tedious but does not require expensive equipment or the costly time of an obstetrician, not to mention the pain that can accompany amniocentesis. Social, Economic, and Moral Issues Science is constantly seeking new uses for what we learn from genetics. Not everyone, however, is in favor of such findings. There are many things to consider as we put what we learn about genetics out for the world to see. How and when are these tests to be performed? Should they be performed? Who has the right to see the results of these tests? Who has the right to suggest such testing? Genetic tests and their results can have serious consequences on the lives of people tested and those who surround them. For instance, if employers know of an applicant who is susceptible to a deadly disease, they could most likely refrain from hiring the individual and save themselves trouble down the road. Genetic Screening :: Science Genes Biology Papers Genetic Screening What is genetic screening? Health care is becoming more and more of a concern today as the profession is constantly creating new procedures and what we hope are better ways to administer care. How would things be, though, if patients could be told beforehand what diseases they are likely to contract in the future? This is where genetic screening comes into play. Genetic screening is the ability to examine the genetic code for possible defects and the consequences thereof. What is a genetic disease? Professor Kare Berg of the University of Oslo describes genetic diseases as "†¦(including) diseases caused by a mutant gene at a single locus (Mendelian diseases), disorders caused by numerical or structural chromosomal anomalies, and diseases or malformations caused by the action of several genes or by interaction between genes and environmental factors" (1996). How can we test for these defects? Most often, a simple blood test can supply enough DNA to perform a thorough examination. Researchers are also developing new ways to test the genes of the unborn. For example, a new test in Korea extracts eggs from the mother and brings them to maturity. The eggs are then fertilized with the husband’s sperm and allowed to divide once or twice. A cell is then removed from each group and tested for known genetic diseases. University of California at San Francisco professor Yuet Wai Kan has developed a way to test an unborn baby’s blood without the use of amniocentesis. A blood sample is taken from the mother and immature red blood cells from the fetus are separated. Kan’s team can then run tests on these immature red blood cells. The procedure is said to be tedious but does not require expensive equipment or the costly time of an obstetrician, not to mention the pain that can accompany amniocentesis. Social, Economic, and Moral Issues Science is constantly seeking new uses for what we learn from genetics. Not everyone, however, is in favor of such findings. There are many things to consider as we put what we learn about genetics out for the world to see. How and when are these tests to be performed? Should they be performed? Who has the right to see the results of these tests? Who has the right to suggest such testing? Genetic tests and their results can have serious consequences on the lives of people tested and those who surround them. For instance, if employers know of an applicant who is susceptible to a deadly disease, they could most likely refrain from hiring the individual and save themselves trouble down the road.

History Shows There Is No Such Thing as Absolute Power Essay

‘The undiminished ability to act in a particular way, or direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events’. Immediately one thinks of mighty Alexander, seizing every territory he set his eyes upon, or Joseph Stalin suppressing the entire population of the huge Soviet bloc with an iron fist. There are certainly individuals in history that would be regarded as absolutely powerful. Absolute power covers both being able to suppress and control opposition and support, and being able to achieve one’s aims, as both are interdependent. However, history as a study and analysis of the past through examining evidence, has shown that cultural relativism renders absolute power a much sought-after but unattainable possession; no person or organisation has been perfectly in control of their people since knowledge of other cultures has emerged, although some have attempted to claim to command it; even in the 21st Century, as seen by the North Korean rhetoric about the state’s absolute devotion to the Kim dynasty; for example, informing the population they should be willing to ‘become human bulwarks and human shields’ to defend their new leader Kim Jong-un. Since the Greeks first explored beyond their frontiers and came across cultures and religions which differed from their own, and since King Herodotus tried to pay the Greeks and Callatians to swap their respective burial practises (the Greeks burned their dead- the Callatians ate the corpse of their father) and was refused for any money, cultural relativism has existed as an obstacle to obtaining absolute power. Without cultural relativism, there are potential examples of absolute power being flouted. One that springs to mind is the ancient community who built Stonehenge. A supposedly ‘primitive’ people felt compelled to cut bluestones and transport them from south-west Wales either carrying them across hundreds of miles of mountainous and rugged terrain without technology, or by shipping them gradually over in handmade boats, before assembling them into the neat arrangement we can still see today. One prominent theory as to why this project was undertaken is that the stones are religious monuments designed to be worshipped or designed to intimidate worshippers into fearing their god. Either way, this points to a religious leader who had absolute power over his people, meaning he was able to persuade them to carry out this enormous logistical challenge. However, this essay will argue that cultural relativism has meant that apart from isolated communities such as that which built Stonehenge, no individual or organisation has possessed absolute power. On the other hand, some ancient historians would argue that the great Emperors of ancient times had absolute, autocratic power: the mighty King Darius and his vast Persian Empire, in which every provincial leader answered to him. Alexander the Great conquered almost the entire known world. Julius Caesar and his famous ‘veni, vidi, vici’ quotation, a demonstration of the ease with which he overpowered enemies. King Darius may have theoretically held absolute traditional authority over his Empire, being entitled by tradition to rule over every citizen, but it is clear that he didn’t hold absolute power. The wealthy Greek merchants in their colonies threw out Darius’s Persian provincial governors, and when Darius attempted to punish them by attacking their homeland, he was defeated. Even the fact that he had to resort to military force shows that he didn’t hold absolute power over the Greeks who were meant to answer to him as they were living in his Empire, but furthermore his military failed to preserve his power. This shows that he did not hold absolute power, and the Greek merchants rejected his leadership because they disliked it relative to the culture they were used to. Moreover, although Julius Caesar is and deserves to be recognised as an immensely powerful figure in world history, after emerging as the most successful of the Roman generals and doing the most to promote Roman interests in the further provinces, it is clear that he still didn’t hold absolute power. Absolute means universally valid and without dependence on anything else; Julius Caesar did not have the power to win over everyone, which would have prevented his murder. Evidently his power was dependent on the support of his Senate, which he failed to retain. There were over sixty conspirators involved in his murder, and he did not have the power to stop them- demonstrating that he didn’t hold absolute power over his people, as they found his leadership unacceptable relative to others. An anecdote which supports the claim that Alexander the Great did not hold absolute power is the story of his encounter with Diogenes. Alexander came across the philosopher sunbathing, and asked him if there was any favour which, as leader of the biggest Empire in the world, Alexander could fulfil for Diogenes. The philosopher simply requested that he stop obstructing the sun. After this experience, Alexander is said to have claimed that ‘if I were not Alexander, I should like to be Diogenes’, as he found the philosopher’s complete indifference to the offer of a favour from the world’s most powerful man to be such an incredible phenomenon. This shows that Alexander’s military and material wealth and power didn’t stop him from wishing he could instead be this anti-materialist philosopher. Diogenes had the power to make Alexander feel that he would prefer to be someone else, so that, even momentarily, he scored an emotional victory over him; if Alexander had had absolute power over his Empire, nobody should have been able to defeat him in any way. Throughout the Dark Ages, and the Middle Ages, it could be argued that the church had absolute power in parts of Europe, as the typical image of the ordinary European peasant is one of devout, God-fearing Christianity. However, an interesting and relevant point that Carr made in his book, What is History?, is that, with religious leaders and monks being the only literate people throughout this era, records of this time are written solely from their perspective, and therefore give the impression of a very devoutly religious period in Europe. However, this could be a falsified impression, as the enlightenment and other events such as the atheistic Communist revolution later on in Russia in 1917 demonstrate that the peasants and ordinary working classes of these countries were perhaps not as influenced and submitted to control by the church as first thought. Constantly through these times there were bitter disputes between the Pope and bishops, and the nobility and royalty that ruled over Europe, the most famous of which ended in Henry VIII abandoning the Vatican and establishing the Church of England. These power struggles display that neither the religious authorities nor the monarchies had anything that could be described as absolute power. Perhaps the monarchy were against the idea of Papal consultation, relative to the image they had of rulers before the Common Era who weren’t constrained by religious authorities- but obviously this would have been rejected by their religious subjects. This is another case of cultural relativism undermining absolute power. After the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, with the decline of religious authority and an autocratic hereditary hierarchy in Europe, the power balance alters. Although some areas are still governed by monarchy, for example Russia with the Tsars, other areas see the introduction of parliamentary systems and constitutional monarchy. One key theme of the enlightenment, debatably, was to eliminate even the idea of ‘absolute power’ and absolutist, arbitrary rule by promoting democracy and fair government. For example, in France, with the execution of Louis XVI, a Republic was established. However, the result was far from a fair society in which the government was held to account. Power in France moved between different dictatorial regimes until it was seized by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Consulate. Some would argue that Napoleon held absolute power; he conquered as he willed, and ruled over a large empire autocratically despite the fact that many in Europe now supported the idea of deliberative government. He even had the audacity to declare that he wouldn’t ‘give a fig for a million lives’ in the face of conquering new territories, something that surely only someone with absolute, unassailable power would be able to say without being removed from a position of responsibility. However, on the other hand, it is evident that he failed to retain absolute power. During his rule, there was unrest throughout his territory: from 1808, for example, the Spanish people began an ongoing and constant campaign of resistance against Napoleon’s men, which could not be suppressed despite his best efforts. Then, eventually, he was defeated, and then defeated again, and ended up alone in exile on the Island of St Helen. It is possible that if the people had not had knowledge from foreign sources of more benevolent and successful rulers, they would not have overthrown Napoleon; their ability to relate their experience to other cultures caused them to oppose Napoleon. This Napoleonic style, of attempting to seize absolute, autocratic power and ruling without the security of populism has been demonstrated in dozens of scenarios since Napoleon’s fall, with a myriad of totalitarian dictatorships in Europe and beyond which attempted to suppress and rule with absolute authority. However, each example can be knocked down. Hitler, it could be argued, took power on the merit of his charismatic personality and the appeal of his vision of a strong German people- whether by attracting enough popularity or simply making his thuggish SS a large and strong-willed enough organisation to secure his high position. From then on he suppressed opposition both at home and in German-occupied territory. The way in which he achieved this largely as an individual and then ruled so strongly whilst often ignoring suggestions from his advisors, could be described as holding absolute power over Germany and the territories conquered. Furthermore, some optimists might argue that the instigation of the Holocaust against the Jews and other ‘undesirables’ implies that he had absolute power over people, as ordinary human nature would produce repulsion at the very idea, and yet it was carried out. On the other hand, there is much evidence of resistance within Germany against Hitler’s regime- ranging from political opposition by Catholics and across general German society against the T4 programme (‘euthanasia’ mass murder of disabled people), to the ‘Red Orchestra’ Communists distributing propaganda leaflets, and of course the numerous assassination plots and attempts by Hitler’s own men. The ‘Red Orchestra’ example is very useful to my argument; they had not lived under a Communist system, but had read the teachings of Karl Marx and other Communist writers and therefore felt that relative to the Nazi system, Communism would be the best for Germany. While it is true that none of these were successful as such (except, to some extent, the opposition to T4), they certainly weren’t what Hitler desired and he had not the power to prevent them. Another major dictator of the 20th Century was Josef Stalin; although the Communist state was already in existence, he still needed his skill and slyness to seize power by using his role as party secretary to eliminate potential opponents, and especially by propelling himself ahead of Trotsky in terms of popularity through behaviour such as deceiving him into travelling to an eastern province so that he wasn’t present at Lenin’s funeral. He then purged Russia, the Communist Party and the army in order to ensure absolute control, and this made internal opposition to his regime virtually inexistent in terms of visible or united resistance. His Stalinist ideology also catapulted the USSR very quickly from a backward nation to a major world power, enabling them to withstand the German Operation Barbarossa (consequently, another failure of Hitler’s) and then even to push on until they formed a stand-off with the USA and Britain in Germany. With no opposition to him within his country (and so no possibility of assassination or being toppled), and these incredible achievements, some would infer that he must have had absolute power. Be that as it may, when we explore Stalin’s aims we can see that he was largely unsuccessful. His five-year-plans demanded unattainably high increases in output- such as 200% more iron produced and 335% more electricity. However, there is much evidence that factory owners and officials ‘cooked the books’ and exaggerated production when reporting back to the Party, in order to prevent being punished for failing to keep up. This would mean that Stalin could not achieve all that he wanted. Furthermore, one of his stated aims was to reverse Russia’s backwardness in order to avoid being ‘crushed’ by the developed capitalist powers. While he did generate huge industrialisation which propelled the USSR forwards so that in 1945 it emerged as one of two world superpowers, it was at the expense of over twenty million Russians dead in around two decades, due to famines caused by economic reforms or in the gulags and the purges; this huge cost is a death rate that resembles a backward nation far more than a developed one, and so some would argue that it shows that Stalin also failed in this aim. Finally, his struggle with the Western powers, for example through annexing eastern European countries into the Soviet bloc, although continued to some extent by his successors, was lost in the end. By 1990, the USSR had begun to unravel significantly as former members became independent countries and satellite states such as Ukraine and Estonia, and turned to democracy and the free market, after first breaking the propaganda limitations in order to learn of the other way of life, until Russia formally ended Communism in the year 1991. Stalin’s legacy failed to prevent cultural relativism from reaching into the population of the USSR. On the other hand, it could be argued that although he failed to prevent the future further expansion of the USSR his huge legacy in turning Russia around into the developed nation it is today shows his absolute power. Stalin and his ideology are still popular in modern Russia, as he is seen as a hero by many for seeing off the Nazi German invasion. This legacy, coupled with the extent to which he did manage to prevent notable opposition within his territory and beyond (for example, the assassination of Trotsky in Mexico), make him an individual who was close to achieving the coveted status of having absolute power in his ‘empire’, but still his failure to achieve what he wanted demonstrates that it would be untrue to describe him as such. And now approaching the present in terms of era, an example which was mentioned much earlier on in this essay, the Kim dynasty in North Korea; they make use of the personality cult, controls on education and media, and the secret police which were used to implement Stalin’s leadership in the USSR; however like him, they have been unable to carry out their aims. Kim Jong-Il aimed to make North Koreans the ‘most prosperous people on Earth’, but under his new economic reforms, millions died in a famine and all were affected by a famine which resulted in the army downgrading the height requirements for soldiers to sign up. They have also failed to prevent the black market from flourishing in North Korea and more importantly, they haven’t been able to stop Chinese smugglers from bringing in evidence of the prosperity experienced in South Korea and other countries. Therefore despite not being in particular danger of being overthrown by the people, due to their repressive regime, the Kim dynasty have not had the power to fulfil their plans. The same could be said of the solid Communist Party in China: although they are relatively secure in their position, with legal sovereignty guaranteed over the United Front as stated by the constitution, they have had to open up to imports and exports and allow free market economics, as their Communist planned economy failed. In modern times, nobody has succeeded in fully repressing their people, as defection and resistance has always been possible if not completely successful. Absolute power cannot be attributed to any modern day regimes, because knowledge of outside cultures always finds a way in, and the people learn of their relatively poor situation and rebel. One of the important phenomena to observe over the next few years is that of South Korean DVDs being smuggled into North Korea and allowing the people exposure to other cultures; this could potentially lead to an inability to further repress the people, to combine with the failure to achieve the Kim families’ aims. It is important to consider religion when looking at this question, as we have already conceded that religious authorities in some isolated communities could have held absolute power over their followers. One could argue that especially in the case of the Abrahamic religions, which are characterised by their belief in one single, omnipotent and omniscient God, absolute power is demonstrated by the infallibility of those who represent this one God- for example, the Pope, or the Iranian Ayatollah. In the most devout of communities and times, any religious disagreement could end in death- for example, the burning of Protestants or Catholics at the stake during the European battle between these two ideologies. This can be seen as religious authorities suppressing any opposition to the rule of God. Then, there are many examples of God’s representatives influencing people to act how he would will; for example, the Crusades saw hundreds of rich knights, under the influence of the Pope, leaving the luxury and relative safety of their castles and estates to recover Jerusalem, a city they had never visited. This can be seen as religion and its leaders having the absolute power to control the actions of others. However, for one thing the misuse of the aforementioned tradition of burning religious enemies, by which people would accuse those they disliked or coveted of belonging to the undesirable faith, shows that often people weren’t following the leadership of God but using this phenomenon to their selfish advantage. Another point against religious figures having absolute power is the decline in religious participation and the growth of atheism- this ongoing decline in terms of support of god as a leader demonstrates a decline in power. In times of strife, such as the suffering of the Russians under the Tsar, people lose their faith in religious hierarchies- and in this particular example the atheistic Soviet system was spawned. In addition to this decrease in willingness to submit to religious commands, there is a clear increase in actual opposition to religion- the growth of Humanism and the growing popularity of figures such as Richard Dawkins, who preaches anti-religion and anti-theism, show that God is being undermined as a leader and so can’t have absolute power over humanity as some religious leaders would intend. From exploring all these example of hugely powerful individuals and organisations, ranging from the autocratic emperors of Ancient civilisation, to the absolute monarchies of the middle ages, the Church and the modern totalitarian dictatorships and regimes such as Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, or even the Communist Party in the People’s Republic of China, we can see that although their achievements are often incredible, and required huge amounts of power and ability, none of them have been able to perfectly fit both criteria- full suppression of opposition and the full ability to achieve what they wished. Inability to fulfil their political aims can often be put down to a failure to crush opposition, and the failure to crush opposition was caused by knowledge of other cultures which the people enjoyed the idea of more than they enjoyed their own; cultural relativism. When people get the idea into their heads that there are other systems which would benefit them and make their lives better, it is impossible to fully and permanently extinguish this and continue reigning on without reforming policy (failing to do what you want) or falling from power (failing to protect against the opposition). Therefore, the only time when history can show us absolute power is in isolated communities in which the people had no understanding or conception of an alternative way of life, such as the Ancient Britons who built Stonehenge. Bibliography A Little History of the World- E.H. Gombrich What Is History? – E.H. Carr Nazi Aggression- Planned or Improvised? (The Historian)- Hendrik K. Hogrefe Webography Who Built Stonehenge? Stuart Carter (First Science) http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar_t09.html http://www.e-classics.com/ALEXANDER.htm http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/reps.html (Stalin) http://www.chinacyber.com/china_glance/politics.htm Polak

We re A Republic, By William P. Meyers - 1311 Words

The first article â€Å"We’re a Republic†, states that we the United States of America do indeed have a republic government. People tend to walk around believing that we are a democracy, but that’s only because they think of democracy in a different way. We see democracy as in we the people get the say in what the government does, when in fact true democracy is making decisions through voting or meetings. The Framers never intended for the United States be a democracy. They believed being a democracy was dangerous and not a good idea. The constitution clearly states that we are meant to be a republic, where representatives make the decisions for us. I agree, not only do we pledge to the republic but we also elect officials to speak and make decisions for us, which is basically what a republic consists of. â€Å"We’re a Democracy†, by William P. Meyers, states that we have become a democracy overtime but we are also still a hint of a republic as well . People who are so against democracy only see democracy as a direct democracy. But in reality, there’s also the representative democracy, which is quite similar to a republic. Over the years, with the help of all the amendment changes the U.S. has moved greatly towards a democracy. I actually agree with Meyers, both of these forms of government choose representatives to speak on their behalf, so whose to say we don’t actually have a democracy. In â€Å"We’re a Democracy† by Eugene Volokh, he shows that there is a fine line between being aShow MoreRelatedRp-Us Visiting Forces Agreement12890 Words   |  52 PagesINTRODUCTION The United States and the Republic of the Philippines maintain close ties based upon the U.S.- Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, the period of U.S. colonization, common strategic and economic interests, and shared democratic values. The United States long maintained sizable naval and air forces bases in the country. 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As such, they should provide a useful backbone to a programme of study but could sensibly be supplemented by other material. We have provided a mixture of longer and shorter cases to increase the ï ¬â€šexibility for teachers. Combined with the illustrations and the short case examples at the end of each chapter (in both versions of the book) this increases the reader’s and tutor’sRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesstudies I Harold Kerzner. -- 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-471-75167-0 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-471-75167-7 (pbk.) 1. Project management-Case studies. I. Title. Printed in the United States of America Contents Preface xi 1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES 1 Lakes Automotive 3 Fems Healthcare, Inc. Clark Faucet Company 2 5 7 11 IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT Kombs Engineering 13 Williams Machine Tool Company 15 Wynn ComputerRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesorganizations. Professor Tomas Mà ¼llern, Jà ¶nkà ¶ping International Business School, Sweden . McAuley, Duberley and Johnson’s Organizational Theory takes you on a joyful ride through the developments of one of the great enigmas of our time – How should we understand the organization? Jan Ole Similà ¤, Assistant Professor, Nord-Trà ¸ndelag University College, Norway I really enjoyed this new text and I am sure my students will enjoy it, too. It combines rigorous theoretical argument with application and considerationRead MoreEssay on Walmart16417 Words   |  66 Pagesventures in Germany and South Korea were unsuccessful. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Walmart logo, used since June 30, 2008 Type Traded as Public NYSE: WMT (http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/lcddata.html? ticker=wmt) Dow Jones Industrial Average Component SP 500 Component Industry Founded Founder(s) Retail 1962 Sam Walton Headquarters Bentonville, Arkansas, United States 36 °21!51N 094 °12!59W Number of locations Area served Key people Products 8,970 (2011) Worldwide S. Robson Walton, Chairman Mike DukeRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizational Behavior This page intentionally left blank Organizational Behavior EDITION 15 Stephen P. Robbins —San Diego State University Timothy A. Judge —University of Notre Dame i3iEi35Bj! Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo Editorial Director: Sally Yagan Director of Editorial Services:

Life Cycle of Fireflies and Lightning Bugs

Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, are part of the beetle family (Lampyridae),  in the order Coleoptera. There are about 2,000 species of fireflies worldwide, with over 150 species in the U.S. and Canada.  Like all beetles, fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Egg (Embryonic Stage) The firefly life cycle begins with an egg. In midsummer, mated females will deposit about 100 spherical eggs, singly or in clusters, in the soil or near the soil surface. Fireflies prefer moist soils and will often choose to place their eggs under mulch or leaf litter, where the soil is less likely to dry out. Some fireflies will deposit eggs on vegetation rather than directly in the soil. Firefly eggs usually hatch in three to four weeks. The eggs of some lightning bugs are bioluminescent, and you may see them glowing dimly if youre lucky enough to find them in the soil. Larva (Larval Stage) As with many beetles, lightning bug larvae look somewhat wormlike. The dorsal segments are flattened and extend to the back and sides, like overlapping plates. Firefly larvae produce light and are sometimes called glowworms. Firefly larvae usually live in the soil. At night, they hunt slugs, snails, worms, and other insects. When it captures prey, the larva will inject its unfortunate victim with digestive enzymes to immobilize it and liquefy its remains. Larvae emerge from their eggs in late summer and live through the winter before pupating in the spring. In some species, the larval stage lasts well over a year, with the larvae living through two winters before pupating. As it grows, the larva will repeatedly molt to shed its exoskeleton, replacing it with a larger cuticle each time. Just before pupating, the firefly larva measures about three-quarters of an inch in length. Pupa (Pupal Stage) When the larva is ready to pupate—usually in late spring—it constructs a mud chamber in the soil and settles inside it. In some species, the larva attaches itself to a trees bark, hanging upside down by the hind end, and pupates while suspended (similar to a caterpillar). Regardless of which position the larva assumes for pupation, a remarkable transformation takes place during the pupal stage. In a process called histolysis, the larvas body is broken down, and special groups of transformative cells are activated. These cell groups, called histoblasts, trigger biochemical processes that transform the insect from a larva into its adult form. When the metamorphosis is complete, the adult firefly is ready to emerge, usually about 10 days to several weeks after pupation. Adult (Imaginal Stage) When the adult firefly finally emerges, it has only one real purpose: to reproduce. Fireflies flash to find a mate, using a species-specific pattern to locate compatible individuals of the opposite sex. Typically, the male flies low to the ground, flashing a signal with the light organ on its abdomen, and a female resting on vegetation returns the males communiquà ©. By repeating this exchange, the male homes in on her, after which, they mate. Not all fireflies feed as adults—some simply mate, produce offspring, and die. But when adults do feed, they are usually predacious and hunt other insects. Female fireflies sometimes use a bit of trickery to lure males of other species closer  and then eat them. Not much is known about firefly eating habits, however, and it is thought that some fireflies may feed on pollen or nectar. In some species, the female adult firefly is flightless. She may resemble a firefly larva but have large, compound eyes. Some fireflies dont produce light at all. For example, in the U.S., species found west of Kansas do not glow.

Video Games Should Not Be Classified - 989 Words

Video games should not be classified as â€Å"bad† and if someone classifies them that way then hopefully they have some kind of different outlook after reading this. Where video games get this negative outlook is from the inglorious bastard genre of the â€Å"action† or first person shooter, when in reality, that’s one genre of 10’s if not 100’s of others that are established. Video games do in fact have beneficial attributes even though people think of them as addictive brainwashing mechanisms, and there are means to make video games a learning technique. Six experts on video games collaborated, and this is what they had to say. Daphne Bavelier and Shawn Green stated how video games have beneficial factors to them. They focused their attention on the action genre by saying that, Indeed, playing this type of game results in a wide range of behavioral benefits, including enhancements in low-level vision, visual attention, speed of processing and statistical inference, among others (Bavelier, Green, 2011). Action games deliver high intensity, faced paced decision making and processing; and with this exposure, players begin to harness their skills to judge situations quickly and act upon them. Each game differs from one another even in the same genre, and the ability for a gamer to not only hone in on fast processing and decision skills to support a pleasurable outcome, but it also affects their motor skills. Which is what brought Doug Han to say that, Depending on the type ofShow MoreRelatedDo Violent Video Games Cause People?926 Words   |  4 PagesDo violent video games cause people to act out violently? Some people argue that video games have nothing to do with real life actions of people. 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Second, the use of violent video games is very prevalent amongst soldiers in the U.S. Army being ordered to play these games to keep them in a warriorRead MoreJakob Neilsons 2nd Heuristic1281 Words   |  6 PagesJakob Neilson’s 2nd Heuristic The Jakob Nielson’s 2nd heuristic is the match between system and the real world. The system should speak the user’s language, with words, phrases, and concepts for users, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order (Nielson, 1995). The paper we will introduce three interactive items correlating between the system and the real world. Applying Neilson’s 2nd heuristic with the three interactiveRead MoreImpact of Media on the People of Pakistan1347 Words   |  6 Pageslate 20th Century, mass media could be classified into eight mass media industries: books, newspapers, magazines, recordings, radio, movies, television and the internet. 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Studies express that video games and other devices such as TV can cause children with ADHD to have an additionRead MoreWhat Makes A Video Game Addictive?1537 Words   |  7 Pages Video Game Addiction Caymon Mosquera Leslie Henderson Intro to Mass Communication 1307.87 4/17/2016 â€Æ' What makes a video game addictive? As with any addiction video games are a multi-faceted issue. For starters, video games are made to be addictive. Not â€Å"addictive† in the clinical way, but designers are always looking for ways to make their games more interesting and increase the amount of time people will spend playing them. Consequently, games are designed to be difficult enough to be trulyRead MoreDo Violent Video Games Doom Young Players? Essay1352 Words   |  6 Pagesthe ages of 6 and 16 have gravitated towards video games. As technology has progressed, developers have greatly improved the graphics of video games. As a result, very real portrayals of human beings can be created. However, in many cases, game makers take advantage of this and incorporate realistic violence in the games. Although games such as these are rated for mature players, children have been able to obtain and play these violent types of video games. Due to this trend, many psychologists andRead MoreThe Final Version Of The Track 1469 Words   |  6 Pagesaggressive and fast paced score, â€Å"something with the adrenaline of soaring through the skies†. But again he felt that too fell flat due to the feeling of emotional manipulation. Finally he just decided to compose an abstract idea of what he felt it should be and came up with the final version of the track (Journey). The final version of the track indeed does heighten the player’s emotions of freedom, excitement, and elevation. â€Å"Sound design and music are both enormously effective at eliciting affectiveRead MoreComputer Games : Video Games1229 Words   |  5 PagesComputer Games Personal computer games also known as the computer games demonstrate the video games which are played on a personal computer rather than an arcade machine or a video game console. The most defining features of these games include a higher degree of user control of the gaming software and hardware, absence of central controlling ability. Another most defining characteristic of the games is the increased capacity for input to the pc, processing and consequently the output. The people