Animal Farm – Corruption of Power

Jonathan Garcia Ms. Abasta English 9, Period 3 March 12, 2009 Corruption Of Power Can power really corrupt a person? Power can corrupt anybody who steps up as a leader, especially when power is unchecked. In Animal Farm, by George Orwell, Snowball and Napoleon fight for the top spot as leader, but on the way they become corrupted. As the animals discover new things and obtain them the pigs cunningly keep it for themselves. Even do Snowball also became corrupted Napoleon showed cruel force and intimidation to the animals to keep his position. Snowball became corrupt at some point during his time in power, but he always had the best interest for the farm. â€Å"Without halting for an instant, Snowball flung his fifteen stone against Jone’s leg (p. 37). † Even do Snowball was injured by Jone’s gun he got up and fought for the farm, animals, and freedom. His bravery in the war showed his true intentions for the animals, while Napoleon just hid and stayed behind. â€Å"At the meetings Snowball often won over the majority by his brilliant speeches (p. 43). † Snowball usually is able to persuade the vote to go his way with intelligence and peeches rather than through cruelty and fear. Snowball usually came up or sided with ideas that benefited the farm in a positive way like the windmill. In the end Snowball benefited the farm in a positive way for the animals, and not abusing his power. Unlike Snowball, Napoleon showed his authority through fear and intimidation. â€Å"When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess (p. 75). † Demanding the animals to confess a crime they never had done with force, then illing them puts fear in the rest of the animals causing them to not act out against Napoleon. Also this fear and intimidation puts down the animals making them feel feeble. â€Å"Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gamboling round him (p. 117). † Himself standing up on two feet giving arrogant looks, he puts himself above all others showing he has more power and authority then anyone. Also the dogs surrounding him shows that no one can touch him putting more animals down again. So it shows that Napoleon is able to maintain his ower by putting others below him and putting fear into them. Napoleon was able to keep his power by fear and eliminating the competition, while Snowball used his intelligence and speeches to only have good for the animals he still lost his power. It shows that even do fear and intimidation keep your power its wrong and corrupted. It’s better to have the most sincere interests for the people, and not to put others below you. Snowball seems to be a better candidate as a leader compared to Napoleon’s cruelty. Even the best of people can become corrupted with power and abuse it.

General Translation Theories Essay

While not everyone who drives an automobile needs to understand the theory behind the internal combustion engine, someone does need to know this theory. I may be able to drive my Pontiac without any knowledge of internal combustion engines, until the Pontiac breaks down. Then, I must find someone (presumably a mechanic) who does in fact know enough theory to get the Pontiac running again. The same is true of translation theory. It is not necessary for everyone to know translation theory, nor is it even necessary for pastors and teachers to know everything about translation theory. It is necessary for pastors and teachers in the American church at the end of the twentieth century to know something about translation theory, for two reasons. First, it will affect the way we interpret the Bible for our people. If we are completely unaware of translation theory, we may unwittingly mislead our brothers and sisters in our interpretation. Second, there are so many English translations available, that no contemporary pastor will be able to escape the inevitable questions about which translations are superior. It is not my intention to provide anything like an exhaustive approach to either translation theory or semantic theory (relax, I’ll define this word later). Rather, I intend to discuss briefly the more important observations, which may be useful to the pastoral ministry. 1. Communication has three parties. Translation theory shares a number of concerns with what is commonly called communication theory. Perhaps the most important observation which the communication theorists have produced for translators is the recognition that every act of communication has three dimensions: Speaker (or author), Message, and Audience. The more we can know about the original author, the actual message produced by that author, and the original audience, the better acquainted we will be with that particular act of communication. An awareness of this tri-partite character of communication can be very useful for interpreters. Assuming that an act of communication is right now taking place, as you read what I wrote, there are three dimensions to this particular act of communication: myself, and what I am intending to communicate; the actual words which are on this page; and what you  understand me to be saying. When the three dimensions converge, the communication has been efficient. If we know, perhaps from another source, what an individual author’s circumstances are, this may help us understand the actual message produced. Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘s â€Å"Letters from Prison† are better understood by someone who knows the circumstances under which they were written rather than by someone who is oblivious to mid-20th century American history. If we know information about the author’s audience, this may also help us to understand the message itself. John Kennedy’s famous, â€Å"Ich bin ein Berliner† speech is better understood if one understands the apprehensions which many West German citizens had about American foreign policy during the early 1960s (and, knowing the audience was German may help explain why he did not speak this sentence in English! ). Recognizing that in addition to the message itself, there are the two other components of author and audience, the interpreter attempts to uncover as much information as possible about the author and audience. This is why biblical scholars spend so much time attempting to locate the circumstances of a given epistle; they are trying to discover information about author and audience, which will help complete the understanding of the particular act of communication represented by the message. At this point, an important warning needs to be expressed. For students of literature whose original audience and author are not present (i. e. , dead), we only have direct access to one of the three parties in the communicative process: the message itself. Whereas we would be profited by having direct access to author and audience (â€Å"Paul, what in the world did you mean about baptizing for the dead? â€Å"; or, â€Å"How did it hit you Galatians when Paul said he wished his troublers would castrate themselves? â€Å"), it would be incorrect to suggest that we must have such access for any understanding to take place. Frequently one encounters the extravagant statement to the effect that â€Å"one cannot understand a biblical book unless one understands the author’s (or audience’s) circumstances. â€Å"The problem with such statements is that they imply that we can have no understanding without access to information which simply does not always exist. We haven’t any idea who wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, or why, other than what may be indicated in the letter itself. Does this mean that we can’t understand it in any sense? I think not. We just have to recognize that information, which would assist the act of interpretation, is, in this case, missing. Related to this warning is a second. For Protestants, scripture itself is authoritative. Our reconstructions, often highly conjectural of the historical circumstances under which a given biblical work was written and read, are not authoritative, by my understanding of Protestant theology. Those reconstructions may assist our understanding of the biblical text, but they are not, in and of themselves, of any religious authority. Finally, we might add that the essential error of many exegetical theories is their exclusion of one or more of these three parties from consideration. While many important debates are continuing to influence interpretive theory, our evaluation of these debates would do well to retain a role for each of the three above-mentioned dimensions. 2. Formal and Dynamic Equivalence One of the ongoing debates about translations revolves around the question of whether, and in what degree, the translation should reflect the syntax, or form, of the original language. All translators agree that the translation should reflect faithfully the message of the original, but all are not agreed on whether the translation should adhere closely to the grammatical forms of the original language. Translations can be located on a spectrum, which would have, at one extreme, rigid adherence to the form of the original language (formal equivalence), and at the other extreme, complete disregard for the form (not the message) of the original language (dynamic equivalence). An interlinear would come the closest to the first extreme, followed by the NASB. At the other extreme would be the NEB and TEV. In between would be the RSV and NIV, with the RSV leaning more toward a formal equivalence, and the NIV leaning more toward a dynamic equivalence. It is probably fair to say that most contemporary linguists favor the dynamic equivalence approach in theory, though they might be disappointed in the various attempts at producing one. The reason for preferring to reproduce the thought of the original without attempting to conform to its form is that all languages have their own syntax. While the syntax of one language may be similar to the syntax of other languages, it is also dissimilar as well. Thus, if we attempt to adhere to the formal syntax of another language, we reproduce forms which are abnormal or confusing, if not downright distracting in the target language. For example, Greek tends to have very long sentences, whose various clauses are arranged in a logically hierarchical fashion. That is, there will be a number of dependent clauses connected to an independent clause. This type of sentence structure, perfectly normal in Greek, is called hypotactic (clauses are arranged logically under one another). English, by contrast, is not so comfortable with long sentences, and does not provide any easy way of indicating which clauses are dependent upon others. Our sentence structure is called paratactic (clauses are arranged logically alongside of one another). If we attempt to reproduce, in English, sentences of the same length as the Greek original, our audience will not be able to follow our translation. Ephesians 1:3-14, for instance, is one sentence in Greek, with well-defined subordinate clauses. If we attempt to reproduce a sentence of this length in English, the result will be so awkward that few, if any, English readers would be able to follow it. Consequently, translators must break the longer Greek sentences into shorter English sentences. For the pastor and teacher, it is important to be able to recognize the hypotactic structure of the original language, because it is frequently of theological and ethical significance. For instance, there is only one imperative (independent clause) in the Great Commission — â€Å"make disciples. † All the other verbs are dependent. The other clauses help to describe what the commandment means. Most English translations, however, obscure this matter by translating the Great Commission as though it were a string of equivalent imperatives. What’s worse, they tend to treat one of the dependent clauses as though it were the major (independent) clause (â€Å"Go†). So the teacher or pastor needs to be able to understand what is going on in the structure of the original language, without necessarily trying to reproduce it in an English translation. There are other differences between the two languages. Greek typically uses passive verbs; English prefers active verbs. Greek typically makes nouns out of verbs (making â€Å"redemption† as common as â€Å"redeem†). Speakers of English are not as comfortable with these abstractions; we are happier with verbs. A dynamic equivalence translation will commonly reproduce the meaning of the Greek in a more natural manner in English. In 2 Thess 2:13, for instance, pistei aletheias, is translated â€Å"belief in the truth† (formal equivalence) by the RSV, but â€Å"the truth that you believe† (dynamic equivalence) by the NEB. The latter, while not any more accurate than the former, is a little more natural, and thus more easily understood. A classic example of the difference between English and Greek syntax is evidenced by the difference in their respective employment of the participle. First, the Greek participle is much more common than the English. But the Greek participle is also used differently than the English participle. Greek commonly employs the participle in an attributive fashion, as a verbal adjective. This is very rare in English. James Taylor does sing about the â€Å"The Walking Man,† but this is rare outside of artistic expression. We would normally produce a relative clause, â€Å"the man who walks. † Because of the differences in the way the two languages use their respective participles, we simply cannot translate a Greek participle with an English participle in many cases, without being obscure or ambiguous. Dikaiothentes in Romans 5:1 should not be translated, â€Å"having been justified† (NASB: formal equivalence), but, â€Å"since we are justified† (RSV: dynamic equivalence). There are problems, however, with dynamic equivalence translations. Since the translator is â€Å"freer† from the grammatical forms of the original language he is more likely to exceed the bounds of an accurate translation, in an effort to speak naturally in the native language. That is, the dynamic equivalence translations are capable of being more natural and more precise than are formal equivalence translations, but they are also more capable of being precisely wrong. For instance, in Romans 8:3, Paul uses the phrase: dia tes sarkos. A formal equivalent translation, the RSV, renders this â€Å"by the flesh,† which is faithful to the original but somewhat ambiguous in English. The NIV renders this much more precisely, by the phrase, â€Å"by the sinful nature. † Unfortunately, the NIV is precisely wrong here, because Paul is not talking about a lower nature, or a sinful nature at all. In fact, he is not speaking anthropologically, but redemptive-historically. In this particular case, I believe we would be better off with the ambiguous â€Å"flesh,† and have to ask what, ‘flesh’ means for Paul, than to have the more precise but utterly un-Pauline â€Å"sinful nature. † Another problem associated with dynamic equivalence translations is related to their use as study Bibles. Since a given word may have a number of meanings, it is frequently impossible, and more frequently confusing, to attempt to translate a given Greek word with the same English word in every case. Consequently, the dynamic equivalence translation can give a more specific rendering in English, being unbound by an attempt to reproduce the same Greek word in the same English manner. This produces better understanding, frequently, of individual sentences or clauses. However, it does not permit the English reader to know when the same Greek word lay behind two different English words. Since the only way to know what a word means is by first examining its full range of uses, there is no way for the English reader to know what words are behind the English words found. For instance, when Paul says he could not address the Corinthians as pneumatikoi, but rather as sarkinoi (1 Cor 3), he employs the adjectival forms of what we normally translate â€Å"Spirit† and â€Å"flesh. † And, in Romans 8 (as well as elsewhere), it is clear that life in the Spirit is redeemed life; whereas life in the flesh is unredeemed life. If the adjectives in 1 Cor are translated â€Å"spiritual,† and â€Å"fleshly,† the reader can see the correspondence to other Pauline passages, and understand that Paul is saying, in effect, â€Å"I could not address you as redeemed people, but as unredeemed people. † But the NIV construes sarx as â€Å"sinful nature† in Rom 8, and sarkinos as â€Å"worldly† in 1 Cor 3, with the result that the reader of this translation is not aware that in the original the same root form was employed. The conclusion of this is that the dynamic equivalence translation, when done well, renders in more precise and more vivid English particular expressions. However, it makes it more difficult to compare individual passages with parallel passages elsewhere. In any given congregation, a variety of translations will be present. The teachers in the church must have the competence to discern which one represents the original most accurately in English in any circumstance. In my judgment, none of the contemporary translations is manifestly superior to the others. Each is a blend of strengths and weaknesses, due to the difficulty of the task. From the pulpit, of course, some versions can be excluded rather easily. Paraphrases, while useful to illustrate a point, should never be used as the basic sermon text, because they reflect so thoroughly the opinions of the paraphraser. Also, children’s Bibles, such as the Good News, and, to a lesser degree, the NIV should not be used as the basis of a sermon directed toward the entire congregation. The NASB should not be used, simply because its English is atrocious. Its rigid adherence to the formal equivalence principle, while making it highly useful in the study, renders it completely inappropriate in a setting where communication is important. The NIV should not be used from the pulpit, in my judgment, because it is a sectarian translation. It is a self-confessedly â€Å"evangelical† translation, which excluded non-evangelicals from the translation process. It is therefore ecclesiastically unacceptable (it excludes from the outset people who don’t call themselves â€Å"evangelical,† just as the Kingdom Translation excludes people who don’t call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses). In fact, even for study purposes, one will have to be cautious about the evangelical bias reflected in this translation, whereby the weaknesses, as well as the strengths, of evangelicalism have not been offset by a more â€Å"inclusive† committee. Specifically, the NIV shows many signs of being individualistic, experientialist, and revivalistic (I am speaking about the NIV New Testament; I haven’t evaluated the NIV Old Testament thoroughly yet). At the same time, the NIV ought to be in the minister’s study because it is a good illustration of the demands of a dynamic equivalence translation, and it is also very successful at many points. The RSV, reflecting the breadth of the church, a high style of English, and a reasonably accurate representation of the original text, is perhaps the preferred text for pulpit use. 3.  Translation is a theological task It has become increasingly clear that translation cannot really be performed in a theological vacuum. When a variety of linguistic options present themselves, theological factors can influence the decision to choose one option over the other. In fact, such factors should influence the translation. The resolution of the translation question about how to translate telos in Romans 10:4 is resolved in large part by resolving larger questions about Paul’s theology; how he understands the relation between the older testament and the Christ event, etc. Since theology is to be determined by the Bible, and since translating the Bible is determined, at least in part, by theological considerations, it is easy to see that there is something of a circle here. Fortunately, it is not a vicious cycle, because if one is willing to entertain sympathetically a variety of options, one can grow in the confidence with which one evaluates a given translation. One must never pretend, however, that translation is a step of â€Å"pre-exegesis† or â€Å"pre-interpretation. † The first step of interpretation is  translation. This step will influence all other steps, so it must be approached with the entire arsenal of theological tools. Semantic Theory It is appropriate now to move to some consideration of dealing with the meaning of individual words (commonly called lexical semantics). A lexicon in the hands of an over-imaginative preacher may be the deadliest of all human instruments. In terms of sheer percentages, more pulpit nonsense may be attributable to a misunderstanding of how words communicate meaning than any other interpretive error. Since the technical study of linguistics began in the early nineteenth century, a number of very valuable insights have been discovered by the linguists. What follows is an attempt at providing some of their most useful insights for those who want to teach and preach faithfully. 1. Semantic Field and Context Most words can mean a number of things. Take the English word, â€Å"run. † It can appear in the following (and many more) contexts: The athlete is running. Her nose is running. We scored a run in the sixth inning. I have a run in my stocking. Does your car run? My computer runs on Windows. For how long is the movie running? You want to run that by me again? His sermons seem to run on forever. She’s running the flag up the pole. Jackson is running for President. Who left the water running? Enough, already. It is obvious that most words can mean a number of different things. How do we know what a word means in a given circumstance? Well, we don’t just choose the one we prefer. In fact there are two components to meaning: semantic field and semantic context. By semantic field, we mean the full range of ways the word has and can be used (an example is the above, partial semantic field for â€Å"run†). By examining the â€Å"field† of possible meanings, we begin to narrow the options. Normally, there are still too many options, so we have to take another step. The second step is to determine the semantic context. If â€Å"run,† for instance, can refer to rapid, bipedal locomotion in some contexts, we can eliminate that option in contexts where there are no legs or feet. If â€Å"run† can mean â€Å"flow,† or â€Å"drip,† it is a possible way of understanding it where noses and faucets appear, but not where liquids do not appear. In everyday speech, we do this kind of comparison to semantic context so rapidly and unreflectively that we are not normally aware of doing it. But we do it nevertheless, and normally with great accuracy. It is imperative that we do this with biblical literature as well. No word brings its full semantic field with it into any given context. Yet many fanciful pulpit statements are due to the attempt to do this very thing. 2. â€Å"Root† Meanings Many people speak of â€Å"root meanings. † Many people speak of ghosts. Neither exists. Apparently, when people speak of â€Å"root† meanings of words, they are attempting to find the distilled essence, or the common semantic range of the word in each of its contexts. This may, by dumb luck, work in some circumstances, but it won’t work in most. What common â€Å"root† meaning is there in the word â€Å"run† which can account for the variety of uses listed above? Is it motion? Perhaps, for the athlete, the flag, even the nose (which doesn’t move itself, but its contents do). But is there any â€Å"motion† involved in the statement that a person is running for an office? Is any motion taking place when a movie â€Å"runs† for six weeks? Is a â€Å"run† in a stocking a movement of some sort? I fail to see how there is, without redefining the word â€Å"motion† to include virtually everything. And if we do this, then we aren’t learning anything specific about the term in question (This is the practical deficiency of the Componential Analysis approach to Semantics; if one finds an element common enough to be related to all the various uses, it isn’t specific enough to be any real help in any given context). In actual fact, we don’t really know why people use terms in such a broad range of ways as they do. But the answer certainly doesn’t lie in the fact of some alleged â€Å"root† meaning, common to all uses. Thus, for interpretation’s sake, it is better not to speak of â€Å"root† meanings at all. Just look at the entire semantic field, and then limit that field by the contextual considerations. This doesn’t mean that there are no similarities in the variety of a term’s uses. If we return to â€Å"run,† we can determine several â€Å"sub†-fields. We can see â€Å"run† used of liquids, to indicate they are flowing. We can see â€Å"run† used with machines to indicate that they are operating as they should. We can see it used in reference to putting one foot ahead of another repeatedly, in rapid succession, which would embrace the athlete, and, by extension, the â€Å"runs† in a baseball game (which are a short-hand reference to someone â€Å"running† around the bases). But these fields do not appear to be related to each other, and worse, these fields do not account for the stocking or the flag. Perhaps we ought to just bring â€Å"root† meanings out once a year, on October 31st, and then put them back for the rest of the year. 3. Etymologies and Semantic Change Etymology is a perfectly valid field of study. Etymology is the study of the history of a word’s usage. It has the historical benefit of demonstrating to us what a word might have meant in a given period. One thing etymologists have discovered, of course, is that words change over time. That is, people apparently use terms in an increasing variety of ways, extending known usages, and coining new usages. Thus, the history of a word’s usage is not necessarily any help in determining its meaning in a particular context. And certainly it is not the case that the â€Å"earliest† known meaning is the â€Å"true,† â€Å"real,† or, need I say it, â€Å"root† meaning. â€Å"Gay,† for instance, might well have meant â€Å"happy† or â€Å"carefree† in certain places in certain times. It most emphatically does not mean that today in San Francisco. Do not be misled; a â€Å"happy† hour at a â€Å"gay† bar may be a very miserable experience for a heterosexual teetotaler. The biblical interpreter is not particularly interested in what a term may have meant several centuries prior to the time in question. Rather, the biblical interpreter wants to know what range of meaning a term had in the period in question. Etymology is not particularly helpful as a guide to the meaning of a term in any given context. Semantic context is the more reliable guide. 4. Polyvalency You may run across (oops, another use of â€Å"run†) this term from time to time, so you may as well know what it means. â€Å"Polyvalency† refers to the ability of a given term to have a number of meanings in any given historical period. â€Å"Run† is polyvalent. It is important for the interpreter to be aware of the full range of possible meanings of a given word, before determining what it means in its given context. 5. Words and Concepts For the sake of clarity, it is helpful to distinguish between a word and a concept. Most words can be employed to denote a number of concepts, and most concepts can be addressed by using a range of terms. Thus, charis is a word; grace is a concept which can be labeled in a variety of ways. So, if you want to study, â€Å"The Grace of God in the New Testament,† you would certainly include not only a word study of charis, but also passages which refer to God’s gracious activity without employing that particular term. For instance, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard reflects God’s gracious character, as those who come along late in the day receive equal recompense with those who have labored all day. God graciously gives the kingdom not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, who come on the scene a bit late, redemptive-historically speaking. 6. Semantic â€Å"Minimalism† One of the best axioms to apply when attempting to discover the meaning of any given word was first coined by Ferdinand de Saussure and his followers. The best meaning of a given term is the meaning which contributes the least to the overall meaning of the sentence. In most communication acts, we do not â€Å"load up† a given word with a lot of meaning. Rather, we speak in paragraphs and sentences — the individual words have little meaning in and of themselves, but much meaning when tied to one another. Many seminarians and preachers seem to be unaware of this, for they frequently interpret the Bible as though its individual words were almost magical, possessing great truths and mysteries in six or seven letters. There are very few technical terms in any language, which are more heavily â€Å"loaded† than most words. Concluding Observations If one were to state briefly the results of linguistic study in the last few generations, one would certainly have to refer to the importance of context. Linguistics has made us repeatedly aware of the fact that the fundamental communicative unit is the sentence, not the word. Individual words, removed from the context of a sentence, rarely communicate effectively. Words strung together, mutually supporting and interpreting one another, can communicate very effectively. For biblical students, this means that we must look at the larger unites of communication (the sentence and paragraph) at least as seriously as we look at individual words. We must be aware of the fact that a given word can signify a number of different things in a number of different contexts. Personally, I would like to see more sermons on whole chapters of scripture, and even on entire books, and fewer sermons on a verse here or there. If a person can produce a single 20-minute distillation of Romans 1-11, he can certainly handle Romans 6:3 when it shows up. If the contextual emphasis of contemporary linguistics can help us see the â€Å"forest† of a biblical book, as opposed to merely the â€Å"trees† of individual words, it will have done us and God’s kingdom a great service. ________________________________________ Dr. T. David Gordon, a native of Richmond, VA, is currently Professor of Religion and Greek at Grove City College in Grove City, PA, where he has served since 1999. Previously, he had taught for thirteen years at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. ________________________________________ TRANSLATION METHODS ‘ WORD FOR WORD translation: The SL word order is preserved and the words translated by their most common meanings. Cultural words are translated literally. The main use of this method is either to understand the mechanics of the source language or to construe a difficult text as pre-translation process. ‘ LITERAL translation: The SL grammatical constructions are converted to their nearest TL equivalents but the lexical items are again translated out of context. As pre-translation process, it indicates problems to be solved. ‘ FAITHFUL translation: It attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original within the constraints of the TL grammatical structures. It transfers cultural words and preserves the degree of grammatical and lexical deviation from SL norms. It attempts to be completely faithful to the intentions and the text-realisation of the SL writer. ‘ SEMANTIC translation: It differs from faithful translation only in as far as it must take more account of the aesthetic value of the SL text, compromising on meaning where appropriate so that no assonance, word play or repetition jars in the finished version. It does not rely on cultural equivalence and makes very small concessions to the readership. While `faithful’ translation is dogmatic, semantic translation is more flexible. ‘ COMMUNICATIVE translation: It attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original in such a way that both language and content are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. IDIOMATIC translation: It reproduces the message of the original but tends to distort nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms. ‘ FREE translation: It reproduces the matter without the manner, or the content without the form of the original. Usually it is a paraphrase much longer than the original. ‘ ADAPTATION: This is the freest form of translation mainly used for plays and poetry: themes, characters, plots preserved, SL culture converted to TL culture and text is rewritten. From A Textbook of Translation by P. Newmark

Demography and Bioethics

Demography is the statistical study of human populations. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space. Populations can change through three processes: fertility, mortality, and migration. Fertility involves the number of children that women have and is to be contrasted with fecundity Bioethics is the study of moral issues in fields of medical treatment and research, brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy. Overpopulation is too many people in one space, is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. Once we recognize the fact that overpopulation is a problem and that increasing standards of living around the world will add to our resource-use and pollution-management challenges, it's tempting to start thinking that disease, poverty, and premature death are unfortunate but necessary. We must resist any such temptation and work toward better solutions. We should: * continue to strive to reduce suffering by combating disease and poverty around the world; * continue to improve resource efficiency and pollution control so that standards of living can rise without negative impact; and * Keep human population to numbers that are sustainable. On the population front, that means: * making sure people around the world have access to family planning services; * empowering women in developing countries economically, socially, and legally in a manner that results in them having an equal say (with their husbands) in reproductive decisions; * modifying school curricula to include information on population levels and implications for the future; * Reforming tax laws in a way that encourages couples to have no more than two children. (They would still be able to have as many kids as they want, but the tax code would no longer subsidize more than two.) People are a good thing, but population growth without limit is not. The US and all developed countries should reinvigorate their international efforts to slow population growth. The future of the world depends on it!

Statistical Analyses of Research Question Statistics Project

Statistical Analyses of Research Question - Statistics Project Example Regulation takes two broad forms: formal (constitutes regulation by authorities to prevent society from falling into some ungovernable state; for instance, employment of sanctions by law enforcement authorities) and informal (which involves an adaptation process triggered by socialization – the process of transforming persons with a potentially wide range of behavioral traits to conform to a narrower set of values accepted within the society they are adapting to (Warner, Leukefeld & Kraman, 2003). Yet transforming to an extent of fully conforming to the set social and legal standards that govern a group of individuals is not easy. This not only affects individuals who are new to a locality but it also forms a basis for social and legal strife among members of all ranks. Notably, the transformation process has been associated with challenges, including engagement in drug abuse and alcoholism, burglary among other antisocial behaviors (Fulkerson, Pasch, Perry & Komro, 2008). Research into the effects of informal social control is largely confined within the principles of the social control theory. The theory proposes four types of control: internal, indirect, direct, and control through satisfaction (Pratt, Gau & Franklin, 2011). Informal social control is of specific importance since it involves aspects of the individual’s ability to interact and socialize effectively in order to conform to the desired socio-legal model. Warner, Leukefeld and Kraman (2003) noted that the influence of social ties in mediating conformity to set social standards is unclear. For instance, ghetto-related behaviors tend to mutilate community values, and the resulting community is characterized by ambiguity in value adoption; with a section of the population drifting towards the larger community’s ideals and the remaining section adapting to ideals

Terrorism Hazards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terrorism Hazards - Essay Example erefore just as it is important to be informed about the imminent threats it is equally important to have an informed viewpoint towards the information. In this article we will examine how this be done as a service to the public. John Tierney, in his article in the New York times talks about how Sept 11 attacks on America as â€Å"the start of a new age of international terrorism in America, but you wouldn’t know it from the six quiet years on the home front since then.† (2008). But these six years have been injected with many instances of terror scares that for some people the feeling of peace is a bit far removed. Any unusual act of aggression is viewed as terrorism. Therefore if we were to design a terrorist awareness program, the following initial measures will need to be taken to involve the community as a whole in the process. The first task would be to educate the people on terrorism from more of an international point of view and help define the history of terrorism in their minds. Research shows that people as a community come together more during natural disasters than during technological or terror attacks. The reason for this can be attributed towards a heightened fear of individual safety. Therefore it is necessary to gather the community to act as a whole and come together as a whole. There is a need for many counselling cells for individual and group session where people can share their insecurities and fear and gain more insight by communicating with people with similar thoughts and fears. Trained psychologists will serve as moderators for he group session. Special attention will be given to children and elder members of the community who feel a bit more helpless. Once people are educated on what constitutes terrorism and begin to appreciate the fact that the various stringent measures taken by the government to check future attacks has resulted in the prolonged period of peace after the initial storm. Whilst doing this we will also instil

Managing people in the work environment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Managing people in the work environment 2 - Essay Example 2007 for the introduction of a Single Equality Act for Great Britain with main focus of achieving a harmonious set of guidelines that can define laws of equality such as disability discrimination and harmonisation of legal definitions of disability discrimination and indirect discrimination. Other objectives of the law review include equal pay and multiple discrimination cases, individual remedies, public sector duties, procurement, and positive action (Malik, 2007). Equality Act 2010 is included in the fifth generation of the equality legislation in Britain which is a product of the struggles of different groups and ideologies, thus, its establishment is based on the need of the people. The establishment of the Act is a product of generations’ need for a single unified law on equality. The main purpose of Equality Act 2010 then is ‘harmonisation, simplification and modernisation of equality law. Included in the main strengths of the legislation are elimination of discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other prohibited conduct; advancement of equality in opportunities regardless of the relevance of an applicant to the job or not; and the encouragement of good relationship within a group or institution (Hepple, 2010). The Equality Act 2010 covers employment guidelines to ensure the rights of both the employer and the employees. It includes guidelines for recruitment; working hours, flexible working and time off; pay and benefits; career development such as training, promotion and transfer; managing workers; dismissal, redundancy, retirement and after a worker has left; equality policies, training, and monitoring; responsibility in the company; disability provisions, etc. (Williamson, n.p.). The Act explored 3 factors in general namely the rights of all human beings, the equal protection from discrimination, and the obligation for full effect of implementation of the provisions (Hepple, 2010). There are different examples of cases related to

How did Roman authors choose to portray barbarians (particularly Gauls Essay

How did Roman authors choose to portray barbarians (particularly Gauls and Germans) How realistic can we expect these portraits - Essay Example The Romans enjoyed a culture based on fine arts and literature, superior technologies and advanced training techniques for their military campaigns. As the empire extended ever further, there was increasing contact with those â€Å"other† tribes and nations and the Roman historians recorded their impressions from this rather one-sided perspective of the conqueror. This paper examines the way that two Roman authors, Julius Caesar and Tacitus, portray the barbarians and examines the very different motivations of these two writers and the consequent limitations of their respective approaches. The early account of the Germans which is given by Julius Caesar (100-44BC) in Book VI of De Bello Gallico [Gallic War] is presented as a contrast to the way that he perceives the Gauls. It is interesting that this great Roman leader comments first on religious matters and war, pointing out that the Germans do not have druids and sacrifices, like the Gauls, but instead have their own gods wh om they can see and who help them in their warlike lifestyle.1 It is quite clear that Caesar accepts the different gods of these two barbarian peoples as actors in the battles that occur, and he accepts also their direct link with the sun, sky and natural world of groves and springs that go with these gods. There is no attempt to layer Roman ideas into these practices, but there is an implicit assumption that Roman ways are better. Caesar appears impressed by their dependence on animal products, rather than agriculture, and the way that leaders ensure loyalty by organising a rotation of lands and a focus on plundering neighboring tribes, since in his view this keeps them always ready for war.2 It is striking that Caesar notes also the generosity of the Germans in offering protection hospitality and food to those who visit them, because this reveals a fair-minded appreciation of German moral standards. He does not demonize his enemies, but seeks to portray them in a sympathetic light . One reason for this may be that his experience on campaigns and in the battlefields has taught him how difficult it is to maintain fitness and commitment in his fighting troops. Roman troops were motivated by monetary rewards and the promise of a happy retirement back in the warmer climes of their homeland, while the German warriors appear less materialistic and better trained for a life of fighting. For a general this must have seemed like a far better underpinning for the provision of fighting forces. When it comes to the Gauls, Julius Caesar reflects a common classical notion that those who are located furthest from the centre of the Empire in Rome are the most valiant and the greatest of the barbarians: â€Å"For Caesar this distance, combined with the Belgae’s close proximity and daily confrontations with the Germans, both offensively and defensively, had made them the bravest of the Gauls.†3 This traditional wisdom could not fail to have influenced his percepti on of the peoples that he encountered on his exploratory travels throughout the vast regions of Gaul. There is a strong possibility that he actually seeks out evidence to support these theories, and to stress that he values the barbarians more, the further away from Rome they are, thus at the same time extolling their powerful image but minimizing any possibility

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example Considering the above two aspects cyber system is believed to be highly vulnerable for attack. Indeed, it is also being believed that cyber security is difficult to accomplish as cyber-attacks regularly overthrow the cyber defense system. The study aims to discuss the intervention of government for improving the cyber security. The objective of the study is to recognize the methods through which government intervene to enhance cyber security. The study also describes certain arguments on the aspect of government intervention (Rosenzweig, 2011). How Can Government Justify Telling Private Industry How To Set Up Or Improve Their Cyber Security? Nowadays, cyber security has become a national authoritative and governmental priority. Improved cyber security assists in protecting people and organizations, certifying the accessibility of critical structures on which the national economy as well as security depends. Therefore, government of any country can help private organizations and industry to set up and improve the aspect of cyber security. Cyber security solutions which assist organizations and industry on governmental and technological instructions can enhance the defensive power of information system. Self-defense provisions in laws have made the network and communication organizations to share information with the government regarding any kind of incident about cyber-attacks (Nojeim, 2010). Socio-Political Reasons In present days, almost every surface of life is related with internet. People and organizations both are at risk to the inexhaustible threats which impact on the networking activities. Hackers can travel thro ugh internet and can be benefitted from lack of security between autonomous network owners. This low coordination among public and private organizations makes internet defenseless, where hackers can easily enter on their network and access private information. Accordingly, it can hamper the confidence of public on organizations. Laws and regulations can be levied by government for improving the security. However, such government intervention is complicated as in reality, internet is a global network and government, businesses and people can be impacted by such governmental interventions in terms of negative market reactions, liability disclosures and undesirable discharge of private information. In every circumstance, the role of government must be prudently demarcated by law, regulation and practice so that public interest is fulfilled without the obligation of heavy burdens (Intelligence and National Security Alliance, 2009). Motivation Government can play an indirect role in fost ering cyber security by motivating organizations through several incentives. Government can provide tax recognitions, research and development supports, procurement control and implementation of prevailing regulations as a part of security motivations for organizations. As it is difficult for government to intervene in the work process of private organizat

Ch (9) Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ch (9) Education - Assignment Example De Facto segregation is constitutional and comes as a result of some residential housing patterns being segregated from others. There is no de facto segregation of residences in San Antonio (Lesson 9). Title VI means that the law does not allow the use of national origin, race or color as a basis of discrimination or denial of benefits when it comes to federal programs. Title VII is a law created to eliminate discrimination of people at work based on their racial differences among others. It is a principle requirement or the 14th amendment in a constitution stating that if a citizen is not granted the life, liberty or property interests by the federal government, he or she has to get a notice and the chance to be heard (Lesson 9). The principle is more formal when it comes to the dismissal of teachers than in cases where the students get suspended. Exempt employees do not have FLSA protection, hence not entitled to get overtime payments (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). Non-exempt employees have to get the minimum wage and payment for overtime if working 40 hours in a

Econ exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Econ exam - Essay Example Furthermore, HR managers and supervisors are blamed for gender inequality practices, even when the job is suitable for professionals from both genders, mostly because of personal beliefs and the ‘glass ceiling’ effect. Even though such incidences are much more common within second or third world countries, where the position of women is mostly confined to domestic chores, the media in the US is more active on this issue. The economic impacts have been better in the case of US as well as other developed economies, especially after the recent recession, which forced many otherwise homemakers to pursue employment, and thus utilizing their unharnessed talents for economic gains; while creating a healthy competition in the job market. Moreover, even though media has been frenzy about racial and gender discrimination in the workplace (especially within the HR department), such incidences are much more common within developing and under-developed countries. As far as racial differences are concerned, the election of a President with African-American descent is evidence of the fact that the beliefs of the American populace are changing for the better. The economic influence of such events will be advantageous and profitable. Undoubtedly the most obvious and terrible social effect is that some of these couples are treated as outcasts by their own family and community members. Along with this, generation gaps cause even more negative social impacts towards the issue, especially if the cultures and beliefs amongst the couple’s culture differ substantially. Nevertheless, there is a silver lining [†¦] a social significance of interracial marriages, it is the fact that the couple will leave behind a lesson for their next generation, which is to remain indifferent towards racial differences. For something that is considered a taboo in the US, interracial marriages encompass an imperative economic

Social Questions and Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Social Questions and Answers - Essay Example From this paper it i clear that the U.S. society would collapse due to the different cultures mixed together. Marx felt the Capitalism would fall a long time ago. Weber would feel that because the United States has differing opinions that it would fall, as would Durkheim. What each individual did not take into account was the American system is not rigid. It is flexible to change, so if something does not work the citizens can change it. The American culture grows and reinvents itself everyday. That is why it has lasted so long.This study outlines that Marx had a Conflict Theory. He believed that the workers would turn on the richer class in the capitalist society. Marx thought the poor people would revolt against the rich people. What he did not take into account is everybody has a fair chance to become rich, so the poor does not focus on the rich, but how to get rich. Durkheim used Functionalism. He believed that a society was a single essence. The society was driven on differences and similarities. The society can be more than just a single part, but the single parts make up the whole. Once again Durkheim thought America would collapse upon itself because of too many different parts. That is what makes it work though. Max Weber had the Interpretive Theory. He believed societies worked through intentional and unintentional actions. Weber thought that the interaction in America had too much conflict.

Learning Team Reflection Summary Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Reflection Summary Essay The following we will discuss what as a class we have learned as well what can be applicable to our workplace or in our personal life. Also how our knowledge has increased as a result of what we experienced through the learning activities in the previous week. Our group decided to emphasize on Herb’s concoction and Martha’s Dilemma: The Case of the Deadly Fertilizer. We enjoyed as a group that the class read this dilemma and between the groups everyone got to discuss their opinion. The story about how Martha Wang who worked as a Consumer Affairs Department of a company called Herb’s Garden Products. Also was relatively new to the company and everyone else has been there for years. One day she gets a call from a dissatisfied customer who complained that Herb’s Special Fertilizer Mix killed her beloved dog. There after Martha takes down the consumer name and number and goes to her boss with the information. Her boss who happens to be Herb’s nephew brushes her off by laughing about the matter. Then to make matter worst she gets a call from Herb himself and which whispered to her that Herb’s special fertilizer is our best seller, and not to let them down. At the end of the story everyone had to answer the decision that Martha had to face and challenges? As well what we would recommendation we had for the company facing this situation? Our group felt that Martha’s dilemma has one way or another happen to each and one of us in some sort a way. As per the class discussion it seemed that everyone had at least once had this dilemma. In our group we had mix feeling about it for example some of us believed Martha should just leave the matter alone if she wanted to continue with her job. The rest of us believed there were a better ways of handling the situation than just ignoring it and that would be by investigating the situation further. Our thoughts were to ask her boss to permit Martha to follow an investigation on the matter to support the company’s good name; of course we all agreed that with the company’s permission of course. We discussed that if Martha persuades her company that the investigation would be for the company’s best of interest. That she would try to prove that the incident with this costumer was not caused by the company’s product, therefore any future complaints the company would have an answer which would help them defended them self’s. As per the company we discussed that they as well should support Martha and give her the tools need to back up the company. As a example given by one of our team members that his company has a full staff created to investigate any complaints from a consumer making sure there were any bad batch sent out to the customer and if so to recall that batch. It was interesting for our group to see we were not the only ones feeling both ways and that there were other groups with the similar opinions on the subject matter. We heard other explain their personal experience and that leaving the matter alone was the best way to handle it. As well those who took the lost the dog very personal and believed that an explanation or investigation would be much needed or ethical. This class has increased a least our group knowledge by discussing different types of situations and listening to other people’s point of views on the matter. We have learned a lot on planning, ethics, innovation, diversity, technology and how it affects all us in the business world, especially how to approach certain situation or other ways to handle them. One thing is for certain we are all egger to see what our next three weeks would be like.

Global Recession: US Responses

Global Recession: US Responses LCB/2356 Explain the predictions that the OECD have made concerning the US economy, making sure that you define the terms â€Å"Budget Deficit† and â€Å"Debt† in your solution. A budget deficit is when the nations is spending more then their revenue received. This would mean that expenditure exceeds tax revenue resulting to a budget deficit. The term â€Å"Budget Deficit† is usually used to refer the government expenditure rather than businesses. A debt is an amount of money that is owed to another person or organizations. A debt is usually repaid after a certain amount of time given or when is able too depending on the situation. A debt is a method that is used for some corporation or businesses for making a large purchase of something that they cant afford. The prediction made by the OECD with the budget deficit of 2011 being tacked at 10% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the American debt increasing to 101.1% of GDP. This helps prove the fact that the American government is spending way more than its actually receiving in revenue. This would also help us assume that the American government is putting into effect on the fiscal policy which means that the government increases their spending and decreases taxation. This would lead to budget deficit as expenditure surpasses revenue. There are two schools of thought on how the US government should deal with its current economic problems Deficit Reduction As for the Greek and Irish Governments, Deficit reduction entails a fiscal policy where it decrease the governments spending and increases the taxation rates in order to increase revenue. The objective of a deficit reduction is to make sure that the revenue that the nation is getting are greater than the expenditure that they are doing. Therefore reducing the deficit and possibly bringing about a surplus in budget. A budget surplus would help the nation pay its debts therefore giving the government a capable of developing without having have to repay theirs debts in long term which will also ease up the political tensions with other nations economically. Contractionary fiscal policy, while the budget deficit is reduced and also decreasing the national’s debt, it also has a lot of disadvantages to it. As it decreases the expenditure, aggregate demand would decrease because it is Consumption + Investment + government Spending + (Export – Imports) (C+I+G+(X-M). As increasing the taxes it would reduce the aggregate demand therefore it may cause disincentives to work therefore it would affect the productivity, However this would not effect is the income is really high and balances out with the higher tax. As the government’s spending decreases this would also lead to increase in unemployment which would lead to decrease in consumption because there is no money to be spent by the general population. As shown in the graph above of a contractionary fiscal policy. The decrease in the amount of government spending, G in C+I+G+(X-M) leads to the Aggregate Demand Curve shifting inwards from the AD to AD1. Therefore this will decrease the price level which is an indication of inflation in the economy as shown from PL to PL1. This would also lead to the Real Domestic Output to be decrease from RDO to RDO1. We have to consider the long term affects of Contractionary Fiscal Policy that while it allows a decrease in debt, decrease in spending and increased revenue which reduces the budget deficit. The problem that arises from this as unemployment and decrease in government spending will result in low economic growth and giving it slow progression. Fiscal Stimulus and Progressive Taxation Another school of thought regarding the plan of action to deal with the ongoing American economic crisis is to implement a Keynesian stimulus package with the reform of the tax system in order to make it more progressive. A Keynesian stimulus package is when the government puts in more money in the economy in order the strengthen the economy and preventing a recession by boosting employment and spending, this is also known as a expansionary fiscal policy. A Expansionary Fiscal Policy seeks to expand the money supply in order to have a higher economic growth. The long term effects of expansionary fiscal policy would also have to be considered, Constant economic growth, more job employments, and also more consumption which helps with the economy. However, As the economic grows the inflation rates does too, it also leads to an increase of budget deficit as the expenditure is higher than the revenue gained and increasing the debt that the government would borrow, which eventually would h ave to be repaid. Therefore as for the government to spend more they would have to increase the taxation to balance out the revenue and expenditure. A progressive tax system is when the taxable base amount increase, the tax rates would too. This refers to the more money the person or the organizations makes, the more tax they are charged and the less they are making the less tax they would have to pay. This aims to allow the lower tax payers to be able to keep more money in order for them to continue consuming while increasing the tax revenue. However, people in the higher tax bracket would find this unfair because they would rather everyone pay the same amount therefore implementing this system would make it hard. One of the main goal of the progressive income tax is to make it a tool for redistributing income from the upper class to the lower and middle class, this would help keep the income gap from growing between the rich and the poor. It would also give more revenue to the government because they are collecting more money from the higher incomer earners. This is make the government collect more money from the tax payers rat her than if everyone had to pay the same amount or percentage. As a result, this would help the government develop or provide more programs and services that benefit the society. However progressive tax system also has some disadvantages for it, One would be that some businesses would be discouraged to expand or invest as additional profit is taxed at higher prices. It would also make people feel discrimination as I said before the higher tax earners would see it unfair to them because this system doesn’t promote equality amongst individuals. As shown in the graph above, Its showing the effects of the expansionary fiscal policy, when the government spendings are increased leading to an increase in aggregate demand from AD to AD1 as G in C+I+G+(X-M) making the Aggregate Damand curve to shift inwards. This would also mean that the increase in Price Level, Which is from PL to PL1 and an increase in Real Domestic Output, Which is from RDO to RDO1. Explain in broad terms the background to the â€Å"Credit Crunch† and how this impacted on the real economies of both the USA and the UK The â€Å"Credit Crunch† also known as the financial crisis of 2007 to 2008 is the worst global financial crisis since the â€Å"Great Depression† of the 1930s with its after effects still being considered still as shown by the Euro Crisis. There may be a number of reasons which may include of the credit crunch but its not limited to; the burst of the housing bubble in America, Lack of banking regulation, however the biggest cause would be the encouraged risk of taking from years of stable economic growth and low inflation rates which makes the borrowing and purchasing of bad securities and properties. The housing bubble of America started earlier in 2006 as the house prices were all risen up more than 100%, this is beause of the ease of attaining mortgages at that time. This led to people deciding to take loan and acquire additional property in order to take advantage of the higher value in properties, in other words to buy and resell properties to make a profit. Regardless of that, people in the end are not able to pay their loans because of predatory lending, which is when the loans are advertised at a low interest rate but are switch out to adjustable rate mortgages where the interest charged would be higher amount of the interest paid. This then led to people having have to lose their properties and also leading to a huge decrease in property prices. Therefore this would lead up to a liquidity issue however banks had no liquid assests and leading to the decline and eventually bankruptcy of many banks. The collapse of the mortgage repayment was considered the start of the financial crisis. Another reason would be that the lack of financial regulation and supervision of financial institution who were involved in the risky investments, excessive borrowing and lack of transparency. The borrowing of money made by many banks in order to invest in their project usually ended up being a failure resulting of the bank investing on something that they cant make profit off therefore giving them the inability to repay their debts. The fact that this happened in a very large scale in cooperating many different banks linking each other, it led to the bankruptcy of both borrowers and lenders giving them no more or insufficient money to function. References http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/expansionary_policy.asp (Accessed 20.11.14 [Online]) http://www.econport.org/content/handbook/ADandS/AD/Shift.html (Accessed 20.11.14 [Online]) http://www.sparknotes.com/economics/macro/aggregatedemand/section1.rhtml (Accessed 20.11.14 [Online]) http://www.ehow.com/info_7742308_pros-cons-budget-deficit.html (Accessed 20.11.14 [Online]) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stimulus-package.asp (Accessed 22.11.14 [Online]) http://www.economicshelp.org/macroeconomics/fiscal-policy/fiscal_policy_criticism/ (Accessed 22.11.14 [Online]) http://hubpages.com/hub/Flat-Tax-vs-Progressive-Tax-Pros-and-Cons-for-the-US (Accessed 23.11.14 [Online]) http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/progressive-tax-system-definition-pros-cons.html (Accessed 23.11.14 [Online]) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/creditcrunch.asp (Accessed 26.11.14 [Online]) http://www.investopedia.com/university/credit-crisis/credit-crisis4.asp (Accessed 26.11.14 [Online])

Business and marketing strategies for Citibank

Business and marketing strategies for Citibank Introduction Citibank engages in consumer, corporate banking and financial services and it is part of the Conglomerate giant Citigroup. The bank was established in 1812 and was known as City Bank of New York and after that, it was named First National City Bank of New York. The company was later changed to Citigroup and Citibank became an arm of the banking and financial services Unit of the company (Wikipedia, 2010). As at June 2009, Citigroup is the fourth largest bank in the United States through domestic deposit and the top three banks are Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America (Data monitor report, 2009). This made Citibank an international financial bank with consumer, corporate and investment banking and also rendering insurance services. Citibank operates in over 100 countries globally and it is one of the most successful banks in the world. The economic crisis of 1990 caused by the Gulf war and other financial crises in many Asia countries affected the banks performance (Timme rs, P. (2009). This made the bank to change it corporate, business and marketing strategies in order to ensure sustainability of the bank and also to beat its competitors. It also engaged in the introduction of e-commerce and e-business strategies to introduce new products into the markets and it also expanded its operations to other areas such as wealth management, stock broking and financial trading services 1.2 The new strategies of Citibank The bank extended its banking operations to other areas such as wealth management, assets management, insurance, financial trading etc (data monitor,2009) The bank initiated better organisational vision and mission statements to a broader, goal oriented gaols and objectives in order to beat the competition from other big financial players and rivals such as Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Barclays Bank etc Adoption of new e- business and e-commerce marketing strategies through new marketing development systems such as online internet services Based on Porter (1980) generic strategies Citibank adopted the differentiation strategy by building its international business strategies through implementation of new technological and communication systems such as Information technology systems, tools and equipment in order to enhance its business operations, The formation of techniques and structures that will make the bank to be able to compete in e-business environment. 1.3 The outline of the strategy formulation technique available for Citibank in order to compete in e-business environment Due to the growing competitive financial environment, and the need to respond to the new technological changes for faster business operations, Citibanks new vision is to become the worlds leading e-business enabler. Its core main e-business strategy is to connect with customers through the internet (web), transform the Citibanks capabilities to deliver integrated solutions and extend by reaching new markets, new customers and new products. However, Citi bank has strategy formulation techniques for competing in the e-business environment and these will be discussed below. Creation of Citibanks E-business Vision The first step of Citibank strategy formulation was the initiation of the E-business Idea and creation of an e-business vision and mission statements which forms the outline of achieving its business objectives (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). This e-business strategy was reiterated by Caroline Wong, head of e-business Group (cash trade), Hong Kong stating the banks commitment to enter the e-business in order to bring transformational reforms that will increase clients satisfaction. Citibanks vision is to become the leading enabler of e-business through empowerment of local, regional and global customers and business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) (Tawfik Jelassi et al, 2008). EXTEND Reach new markets, new customers and new products CONNECT Web-enable its core services to connect with its customers TRANSFORM Draw the full range of Citibanks capabilities to deliver integrated solutions Figure 1: Citibanks E-business strategy This vision and the business strategy serves as a fundamental framework for the Citibanks E-business structure thus giving directions, goals, aims and objectives. The mission includes the management of the overall costs of its Information (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). Technology (IT) investments, optimal usage of the existing and new technologies, and standardisation of its application and development processes. All these are driven towards increasing operational efficiencies and lower the costs of operational while achieving on time delivery to customers. All these goals, aims, objectives created a fundamental framework in which Citibank was operating to achieve a sustainable E-business in the competitive markets so as to gain market leadership in the banking and financial markets operations. -The Formation of the Internet group In 1999, Citibank launched a CitiDirect Online Banking which was the e first Citibanks multi-product in a multi-geographic Internet banking system. Citibank e-business unit was formed in year 2000 with the managements group decision to aggressively develop Internet-based products. The e-business solution was continuously developed and researched through 2001 and 2002 and Jose Bermudez , the executive vice president and head of global cash and trade business who consolidated the Citibanks business structure and by holding meetings with all regions, developing and combining goals in all areas and consolidated bureaucracies across the regions of the banks operations (Timmers, P. 2009). This initiative by Jose Bermudez created a cooperate commitment to achieving and sustaining the Citibanks e-business strategy. During this period, the then CEO, John Reed was thoroughly concerned about meeting the demand for internet banking and he started the E-Citi initiative for exploring the Internet opportunities (Tawfik Jelassi et al, 2008. -Strategies implementation for its e-business environment Jose Bermudez led the e-business unit that was responsible e for developing internet software for the corporate clients setting up B2B (Business -to-Business) electronic commerce exchanges while the new high level committees coordinated and the strategies through benchmarking of other banks (Tawfik Jelassi et al, 2008. The e-business environment was conceived as a solution business for customers to create new and complex online banking products to meet the customers need. It built internet platform and E-structure services such as clearing, trading, and collections which allowed customers to acquire information rapidly than the traditional paper base processes. This was evident when the Global transaction services created the Citibanks markets and banking systems in order to integrate Cash , Trade and Treasury services and Global Securities Services. Its core objectives was to assist corporate customers to gain greater control over financial positions locally and internationally while increasing business efficiencies and reducing costs. Citibank created a global online investment that was secured, and web-based which allowed customers to access a variety of short-term investments using the award-winning , web based electronic banking platform. An example was the replacement of the CitiDirect Online banking with Treasury vision which created an easier management of short-term investment portfolios by the managers. Creation of culture and values of multidisciplinary teams One of the strategy formulation techniques of Citibank was the creation of multi-dimensional structure of teams that is totally focused on the E-business initiatives and they broke the old bureaucratic culture that existed. Timmers, P. (2009) stated that some other managers were hired from outside the ban and they had the following dimensions: Following through on commitment through forming collaborative infrastructures and they worked by coordinating themselves so as to fulfil the objectives of the e-commerce goals Shared understanding and knowledge- The multi-dimensional teams work through sharing of knowledge and resources in applying best practises in the implementation of e-commerce strategies Creation of forums as channels for effective communication Citibank Alliance strategies Prior to 2000, all forms of e-business strategies implemented by Citibank had failed because the huge investments in areas of software development, systems development and front end service could not meet up with the dynamic technological changes then. From 2000, the bank then focused on creating strategic alliances with the use of their partners competitive strengths. The bank formed partnerships with companies that had strong technologies, systems and infrastructures with good access to the markets .The companies that Citibank partnered with are the major technology leaders such as oracle, Commerce One Inc, SAP AG, Wisdom Technologies and Bolero.Net. the major breakthrough of the partnership was the Citibanks alliance with four IT technological companies to form Financial Settlement Matrix.com, which connected buyers and sellers in e-market places with payment processing, credit and other services through conduct of businesses with banks and other financial service companies Acquisitions of Information Technology and Electronics Company Another strategy which Citibank adopted was the acquisition of some It and electronics company in order to enter and breakthrough the existing e-commerce marketplaces (Tawfik Jelassi et al, 2008). Citibank acquired Lava Trading, which was a leader of electronic execution and sell-side management. This was to enhance Citibanks existing infrastructures and platforms and it was able to integrate a robust electronic trading systems in its services complemented with the technologies of the acquisitions (Data monitor report, 2009). -Commitment to engage in continuous technology development The objective and promise to engage in continuous technology development was a good strategy formulation which sustained the Citibanks E-business environment (Data monitor report, 2009). Since the new commitment and success recorded in 2000, Citibank has been active in engaging in the continuous development of the IT and e-business sector so as to gain maximum customer satisfaction and gain market leadership through the optimisation of Information technological systems and structures (Timmers, P. 2009). Citibank offered an array of integrated investment options through multiple channels including automatic orders, branch services, and online services. Creation of sound business model and practises The creation of good business model and strategies which its operations are based on is the strength of its ability to compete in the e-business environment. The connect which promoted the use of internet as Web-enable its core services to connect with its customers is an indication of the growth of the e-business environment. The other excellent objective by Citibank is transform the bank through the use of the banks integrated capabilities while reaching out to new and emerging markets. SECTION 2: The appraisal of the Citibank current existing strategies in relation to e-business and information systems and their relevance in meeting the corporate objectives. Based on Michael Porters competitive generic strategy, Citibank adopted a differentiation strategy for its banking service by using the e-business strategies of effective internet banking and relevant banking functionalities that give customers full access to their accounts, trading, and management (Data monitor report, 2009). These strategies are in line with its vision and mission to become the leading provider of e-financial services by becoming a trusted, consistent and premier e-business enabler for all its customers globally. Citibank differentiates its e-business product from its competitors through application of e-business strategies and improving their customer services functions (Timmers, P. 2009). Citibank offered internet services, telephone banking, and customer relations managers gave individual attention to customers and service experts. Citibank committed to its e-business strategy-Connect, Transform and Extend-was to web enable its core services, develop integrated solutions and reach new markets. The use of consolidated e-business organisational structure One of the core strategies of Citibanks current success in relation to its e-business and information systems in the banking operation and services was the use of consolidated e-business structure that was formed in March, 2000 called the internet operation group that was responsible for the internet activities between e-Citi and all other business units. After this in April, 2000, Citibank established the e-consumer and e-business segments that was initiated and designed infuse the Internet into all customer and corporate banking services and operations. The following month, May, 2000, Citibank included e-Capital markets and e-Assets Management (Data monitor report, 2009). The e-business units were developing the software required to set up clients with the electronic business accounts while utilising business, resources and Information Technology (IT) people as well. The lessons learned from previous failures when Citibank indulged in managing all aspects of e-business themselves made them to focus on partnering with strong IT companies in order to realise their goals. b) Partnerships and alliance with other companies Citibank formed strategic partnerships with reputable information technology and e-solutions provider companies such as Oracle, Commerce One Inc., SAP AG, Wisdom Technologies and Bolero.net in order to improve and consolidate its e-business strategies. These partnerships have helped Citibanks e-business to be stronger and very competitive by providing integrated cash management services, fund services, securities services and internet banking services. c) Citibanks implementation of sophisticated and effective e-banking business tools, infrastructures and e-systems Citibank introduced some good e-business systems that enhance its banking operations through the development of solutions to address the three core process areas such as accounts process management, accounts payable process management and liquidity management (Data monitor report, 2009). The banks cash management products includes web enable payments, receivable solutions, vendor financing, commercial card solutions and liquidity products which have helped the customers reduce financing costs and achieve better returns on investment capital. The world link payment services payment have been introduced for over 20 years and it has improved payments systems of cash, cross-border Automated Clearing House (ACH), cheques and electronic transfers all protected by sophisticated encryption technologies, access restrictions and authentication procedures. This provided more confidence for the customers in terms of security of the banking transactions made. Also, QuickRemit service provided a r obust framework for global distribution process to transfer money both-in-branch and for web-based (Timmers, P. 2009). The customers payment receiving has been boosted by web-based through automated recurring payment initiation and this provided while the fast telephone banking systems enhanced the customers services and allowed payment initiation possible. The introduction of the Advanced Information Technology (IT) helped to guarantee security and integrity of data and transactions and Citibank commercial cards granted many web-based management tools that streamlined payments, reporting, spend analysis and global data acquisition and other vital day-to-day activities. This made it possible to have access to many banking products and could transact business from all parts of the world (Timmers, P. 2009). The customers benefited immensely from good e-business products, delivery and services and these products were clearly different from the ones other banks offered and this made Citibank to gain more competitive advantages over its other competitors in the domestic and global markets. Citibanks online services is global, secure and web-based system which gave more benefits to the customers also offered an array of integrated investment and this was applicable in other parts of the world such as Asia countries. The online web-based electronic banking platform, CitiDirect Online banking was replaced by Treasury Vision that provided a more superior cash management system for global investment network. d) The development of new services Citibank developed new e-technological products to meet the corporate objectives and to fulfil the Citibanks business strategies and to gain competitive advantages in the global financial markets, CitiBank established the Global technology Group whose role includes leading information technology projects and culture into the firm. It is important to evaluate the e-strategies used in all its banking and corporate services Improvement of Cash Management through e-services Citibanks main focus is to assists customers to have effective movement of their money throughout the world while also meeting their expectations and requirements (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). The cash management e- solutions includes web-enabled payments and receivable solutions, vendor financing, commercial card solution. The implementation of WorldLink Payment solutions and liquidity products reduces financing costs and achieve greater returns on assets (ROA). World Link services enable cash payments to be made in more than 135 countries through the cross-border Automated Clearing House (ACH), cheques and electronic funds transfer. The use of new QuikRemit Service offers a more flexible software platform (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). e) Citibank e-strategies involves the use of information technologies to provide more secured online banking services in all its global banking operations which gave the customers more confidence about the web-based services (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). Citibank has an initiative known as security architecture which provides security systems even for next generations of web based solutions. Other projects are the new touch screens automated teller machines (ATM), cash acceptance machines as well as quick deposit machines which gives receipts when deposits are made and this reduced queues in the banks (Ali Farhoomand, 2008) and this made the Citibank services better and quicker and has improved the quality of services Citibank offer. f) Ali Farhoomand (2008) stated that Citibank uses the cross-functional teams in the development and implementation of new services and this involves staff from different sections and department combine to maximise the transfer of information and technical skills. The staffs are encouraged and motivated to join special task forces around new IT projects that will transform the companys operations to lend their skills and expertise (Timmers, P. 2009). The end-users are also involved in the early in the development process to ensure proper configurations of equipment. This has improved quality, development time and costs. Strategies of Citibank in Political Environment for its operations Most of Citibanks operations have been globalise due to its massive operations in more than 150 countries around the world (Citigroup report, 2009). The bank has been able to adjust to various political environments due to its ability to adapt to different policies and banking systems that are set up by those countries (Data monitor, 2008). The continuous investment in new technologies has also made it possible for it to gain competitive advantages over other competitors in the local and international markets. Citibank has been successful in the Middle East in places such as Dubai and other United Arab Emirates countries. Citibank is also highly successful in most countries of Asia, Europe, and USA and in the United Kingdom (Timmers, P. 2009). Strategies for social environmental factors- Implementation of National cultures in many countries The formation of many multi-disciplinary and functional teams for different E-business strategies implementation has caused the implementation of national cultures in many countries of their operations (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). This made Citibank to implement team working in all departments and groups for the IT strategies in order to gain competitive advantages. This also made Citibank to be able to form local alliances with other banks in order to quickly to the national cultures of such country of operations. The elements of national cultures include adaptability, consistency, team working, cooperation, tolerance etc . There is growing emphasis on the Internet in business and consumer applications led to increasing demand for their products to be integrated with more general information technology solutions of Citibank. This has given Citibank more focus and stability and great vision to explore new and emerging markets Figure 1: The elements of national culture implementation Source: http://www.denisonconsulting.com/dc/Portals/0/Docs/Paper_Asia.pdf (Accessed online on 22/06/2010) SECTION 3 The analysis of the current situation of Citibank and the assessment of their specific strategic options available to the bank to enhance its future e-business structure Citibank is highly committed to continuous improvement in technological developments and it is also customer driven so as to fulfil its mission. The use of Information technology improves its banking and trading operations and enhances the work of over 268,000 employees located in over 100 countries and their focus was to embed their services into the everyday lives of the local population (Citigroup report, 2009). Therefore, in addition to enhancing the commitment to its employees and customers globally, Citibank has strong brand recognition and that it why it is driven towards new technologies to gain competitive advantages in existing, new and emerging markets (Data monitor,2008). The analysis of the current situation and the strategic options available to Citibank in order to maintain its global leadership in its e-business services are listed below Consolidating the formation of Alliances The current alliances practises with major Information and communication technology players especially with reputable firms such as Oracle, Commerce One, Inc., SAP AG, Wisdom Technologies and Bolero.net has helped the company transform its company to an e-business model. This made Citibank form the Financial Settlement Matrix.com which is a company dedicated to connecting buyers and sellers in e-market places with payment services, credit services through multiple and financial services (Citigroup report,2009). This caused growths in other banking operations of the company and made the company to develop greatly and Citibank has used the opportunity to align itself with the partners so as to maintain high competitive advantages in the markets (Timmers, P. 2009). Citibank must consolidate its alliances so as to keep gaining the strategic advantages needed in the marketplaces by engaging in stronger relationships with the Information Technology and communication companies and total customer focus must be the strategic intent of all parties of the alliances. This makes Citibank to work towards balancing the strategic needs of the E-business with the security of the online banking/ e-banking services and to also improve the accessibility of information that is required to leverage the robust e-banking and e-business that is available within the banking group (Citigroup report,2009) . Therefore, it is important for Citibank to improve its business models of value stream, revenue stream and logistics stream through consolidation of the alliances. This will also make Citibank to meet the current and future challenges of the e-business and to improve the internal logistics are aligned towards continuous improvement of Information and communication t echnology (ICT). The previous investments in ICT have led to an increase in revenue and increase in customer base. Customer focused products The continuous introduction of new banking products such as smart banking cards, telephone banking services, online accounts accessibility and other new products has made the bank to gain competitive and strategic advantages over other banks. The bank is wholly committed to new products introduction and this can be possible through continuous improvements in IT and e-business. Improvement of Citibanks legal framework Since, the beginning of 2007, most of the banking corporations had begun using the new legal model framework for assessing the SWIFTNet. . This utilises the use of the SCORE model for laying down rule for messages (Ali farhoomand, 2008). Therefore, the introduction of the SCORE model will enable the corporate bank to reduce risks and therefore there is need to improve and build this model so as to gain strategic advantages over other banks and other competitors. Therefore risk management and legal compliance were introduced as priorities in year 2008 for all the banks and Citibank adjusted its banking operations so as to reduce all the operational risks across its banking operations. The banks now introduce and develop integrated information systems for consolidating the existing structures to reduce the risks and to avoid the breach of any data transfer. Transformation of Citibanks e-Business strategy New improvements in the banking and trading operations are necessary so as to maintain the vision of Citibank. Operations such as Transactions processing such as cash management, trade finances, and derivatives must be maintained through the adoption of new strategies which are very important for the corporate customers and other customers Improvement in new competitive infrastructures to develop and sustain new products Citibank enhances its new product development through Information and communication Technology by investing in millions of dollars for new infrastructures(Ali Farhoomand, 2008) and also for new products development of different ranges and to improve its customer service functions (Tawfik Jelassi et al, 2008) . The use of e-payment by Citibank customers has improved its banking operations and the bank must sustain this by adopting latest technologies while engaging in costs reduction services that will reduce all operational costs and maintain high profitability within the firm. Better Internal management processes It is very important for Citibank to introduce and implement better internal management processes in order to remain competitive and sustain global leadership in the area of e-business operations in the banking industry (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). The internal management that must be implemented should include continuous development programme for employees, better and faster internal information sharing through e-mails, use of video conferencing foe meetings across the regions in order to save costs and time (Ali Farhoomand, 2008). There should also be better work-group information flow and communication must be enhanced so as to prevent resistance in the formulation and implementation of new policies, ideas and new systems that could enhance the growth of the company through e-business applications. This will make the internal management very strong and competent in the use of any latest technologies due to their continuous development and training which would have acquaint them with al l new technologies The other strategies that could enhance the operations of Citibank current and future strategies include the use of M-commerce (Mobile commerce) and it can be applied in following ways: -Financial services Mobile banking should be improved and promoted by Citibank and this includes the use of hand held devices to access accounts, monitor accounts and pay bills. Trading and Brokerage services (where stock quotes can be easily displayed and trading conducted from the same hand held devices). This will create faster banking and trading services and it has improved Citibanks operations -Telecommunications- The use of telephone banking has been successful in the e-business applications of Citibank through the one-touch telephone banking that was introduced. However, new telecommunication systems such as the hand-help mobile phones should be digitalised and be able to connect to the banking telephone customer services in order to get access to accounts and other banking products but however, this should come with good security systems Improvement of information services- Information delivery to customers should be made through e-mails to save time and costs. It should also be done in prints journals, for old customers who cannot operate computers and promotions about new products should be advertised online and in television also so as to reach a wider audience of customers globally. The implementation of social corporate responsibility (CSR) for Citibank Due to the continuous growth of Citibank especially in the existing, new and corporate markets, it is important that the bank be engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) as it has always practised in many countries such as assisting in building social infrastructures in many countries such as Malaysia, China, Singapore, India, and United Arab Emirates (UAE), Japan etc. In other areas of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Citibank has a long standing commitment to make the communities where they operate better places to live and work. Citibank has employed good initiatives geared towards improving the lives of members of the communities and countries where they operate. The Citibank s CSR raises the quality of life , families and institutions and thus strengthening the communities. Citibank promotes educations, youth education and social entrepreneurship and employee volunteerism Adherence to political environments in all areas of establishments For Citibank to keep up with its competitiveness, it must adhere to the financial laws and regulations in different political environments. Most developing countries wants the banks to invest in their countries in order to provide employments for their citizens and they also want the banks and other Multinational companies (MNCs) to apply their corporate social responsibility so that their communities can benefits from the investors gain Comparison of other financial institutions e-strategies Case study: Barclays Bank Plc Barclays Bank is one of the third largest financial institutions in the United Kingdom and the seventh global bank with high capitalisation, customer base, and good geographical positioning in the world. The implementation of e-business technologies has advanced the bank to become the top five global banks with strategies implementations of web based applications. In 2004, Barclays bank was the first bank in the united Kingdom to launch an online banking system where customers can have access to their accounts, manage the accounts while also paying and receiving money. Since 2004, it has applied continuous improvement and new development in its Informati

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

The Crucible was based in 1692 in and around the town of Salem, Massachusetts, USA. The Salem witch-hunt was view as one of the strangest and most horrendous chapters in the human history. People that were prosecuted were all innocent and their deaths were all due to false accusation of people’s ridiculous belief in superstition and their paranoia. The Puritans in those times were very strict in personal habits and morality; swearing, drunkenness and gambling would be punished. The people of Salem believed in the devil and thought that witchcraft should be hunted out. The play can be seen as a general statement on the effects that fear and fanaticism can have on human beings and how one person can cause such catastrophe. It is a purely a controversial play, so why write a play knowing the danger you were putting yourself in? Arthur Miller wrote the play because he was accused of being a communist; Miller attended meetings between communist writers. He was fined and given a suspended prison sentence. When he wrote the play, he focused on a series of true events, which took place in and around the town of Salem. As Miller saw what was happening around him at the time, he realised that he himself could not take any direct action, or speak out against the act of McCarthyism because he could put himself in danger. He did, however, realise that he could make other Americans see how they were acting towards each other and how paranoia were the main cause to this widespread hysteria. Realising that he has to prevent this hysteria from developing further was to write a play, in hope that the audience would see what the hidden meaning and message he was trying to portray, instead of being 'just a play'. Many thi... ...s and McCarthyism have similar beginnings and similar results. Such hysteria came about because of the excessive suspicion that was planted in the people's minds, by Parris and McCarthy. Despite this, it was Parris and McCarthy who primarily rise the hysteria that occurred. Such hysteria may occur today, dealing with the issue on terrorism. Racial profiling and accusations may be prominent in our country once again! If the right events and the right people trigger such a scare, our country could be in a state of mass hysteria as it was two times already. Despite the age of The Crucible there are many issues included in it that are still very relevant in the modern world to day. Due to Miller’s clever plot and distinctive techniques, he was able to bring the history to life. This play turned out to be one of the most relevant plays of the past and of today.