Caltron Inc

Over the past ten years the importance of accounting cannot be overemphasized, as we've seen our share of national scandals. In today's society accounting principles and standards are severely important in driving the formation of financial statements. Without principles and standards, financial reporting would not fairly present the financial position of a company. Accounting has changed and evolved vastly over time and continues to change.Because of this I am going to breakdown the way your financial reporting team has been recognizing revenue for the fourth quarter of the current year and assess the implications it may have on your financial statements. I will also take you through the process of how the accounting standards are created to give you a better understanding of what my conclusion is. Revenue Recognition Implications As you know Caltron Computers, Inc. s a publicly held company with a total market capitalization in excess of $450 million, and you have a proposed second ary public stock offering coming in early February 20X2. Therefore the auditors are concerned about the impact of these transactions and want to bring it to your attention before it misrepresents the reported earnings. Caltron reported net revenues from four transactions equal to $1,710,000 in Q4, while cash received only totaled $495,000.The quality of earnings issue surfaces and gives the auditors reasons to question the accounting methods and possibly their honesty and ethics. The company policy for recognizing revenue is when the products are shipped, and because of this, a potential issue has come about relating to some of the transactions. Typically revenues are earned when the earning process is complete and an exchange has taken place. Once this happens the risks of ownership are transferred to the buyer, unless an arrangement for the sale states otherwise.Collectibility of the sales price is questionable for three of these transactions. According to FASB, revenue generally is realized or realizable and earned when all of the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the seller's price to the buyer is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is reasonably assured. (FASB, 2008) Now I will follow this with a breakdown of all the

Memories by Trilokesh Mukherjee Essay

The poem ‘Memories’ is by an Indian poet called Trilokesh Mukherjee. The poet grew up in India and this influences the poem, he brings his culture into the poem by using imagery and senses and other literary devices. Also, he refers to the Gods from the Hindu religion and mythology. Hindu religion, mythology and family are all very important to the Indian people and this is all shown in the poem when they are sitting around the fire at night. The theme of this poem is childhood memories and how they are still strong in the poets mind. The setting of this poem is in the evening/night time and this is shown by the fact that all the creatures that are mentioned are nocturnal like the night owls. â€Å"The meal was shared with all the children.† This shows us that everybody is included, and there is a sense of togetherness in this community. The poet uses senses to help paint a picture in the readers head. He uses smell with â€Å"smelled the smoke of the fire†, â€Å"the food being cooked†, â€Å"the smell of the rice.† This is intended to make the reader feel relaxed and get a home feeling and feel delightful. Next, the poet uses sights. â€Å"Glow worms added golden firework sparks on the dark canvas.† The poet wants the readers to see a magical world through a kids eyes, and the glow worms are like fireworks going on. It is like the poet is bringing his dark canvas to life. Thirdly, Mukherjee uses sounds to give us an idea of what we can hear, the poet uses onomatopoeia and gives us three examples of what the reader can hear.†untiring chirping of the crickets and nightjars†, â€Å"hooting of night owls†, â€Å"howling of distant jackals.† There Are four different animals here and it could be that they are forming like a band, like the sounds of the night. There is also another example that again, makes the reader feel calm and relaxed. It is â€Å"her reassuring voice.† This shows us that Grandmother makes him feel safe and calm. There are many different ideas for tone in this poem. There is fascination, where the poet as child and his friends have heard the stories so many times, yet still want to hear more about it again and again. â€Å"Again and again† is emphasising on the repetition of the story. There is also excitement from the little kids. â€Å"†¦and then, Grandma!† Although, they already know what was going to happen since they have heard the story  before. The poet brings in his culture again, and the reader can tell that culture is very important to the poet and also that he is proud of it. When he uses the adjectives â€Å"valiant† and â€Å"wonderful† to describe the Gods from the Hindu religion/ mythology. Towards the end of the poem, the tone of the poem gets sad, when the poet states â€Å"Grandmother is no more.† But, even though he said that, he says â€Å"I can still hear her voice.† This shows us how strong the poets memories are. There is then comfort when the poet said, â€Å"I need only shut my eyes to hear the whispering.† This shows us that he goes back an remembers the scene/ setting of the poem, which could be his happy place. The main message for the poem is that the importance and power of the memories. When he states â€Å"That’s what the memories are about.† This suggests that Mukherjee uses his childhood memories as a comfort zone. The language of the poem is also important in the way they describe the memories. In line 1-3 you can straight away realise that the poet uses the collective pronoun ‘We’ This draws the reader into the poem, making them feel part of the poem. It shows the memories of all the family being together, almost like an autobiography. The poet used assonance of the ‘I’ sound in â€Å"untiring chirping of crickets† it’s brings the sound alive. Also the metaphor in the third line, it suggests the brightness of the glow worms. It is almost like a child-like description of the magic of the moment. In lines 4-5, the poet again uses senses to remind him of the memories from his childhood with his Grandmother. â€Å"Smelled the smoke.† â€Å"The smell of rice.† The smell of rice reminds him of the warmth of the house since rice is more of an Indian cultured food. Mukherjee uses ellipsis at the end of line 5, like a dramatic pause which takes us to another stage of the memory which is his Grandmother telling stories to the children. In lines 6-9, after the dramatic pause, the poet uses the phrase ‘Much later’, this gives us the impression that the meal and the story telling lasted all night. Grandmothers â€Å"reassuring voice† makes her sound like a comforting and loving figure, which could be why this could be his favourite childhood memory and why he talks about it. There is also a paradox used â€Å"Far away, unknown, yet familiar†, this shows that the stories were extraordinary for the children. In lines 10-13, the children (including the poet) are always hungry to hear the story and are never really satisfied with it. The use of dialogue, exclamation marks and question marks, show the reader the excitement of the children listening to the story. In lines 14-17, Grandmother brought their dreams alive with her wonderful storytelling and this suggests again, why this could be their favourite childhood memory with their Grandmother. In conclusion, the poet brings out the main theme of the poem which is his childhood memories and by doing so, he is influenced by his culture and surroundings. Trilokesh Mukherjee uses imagery (senses mostly) and metaphors to bring his poem alive and it’s in the past and then towards the end its comes back to the present. This shows us that the poet is now back to reality. The poet thinks that memories are important and that they take us back to he things that really matter in life which is true and in this case it would be, taking him back, to when he was a young boy and how he and his friends would sit around the open fire and listen to his Grandmother tell stories after a meal.

On the Waterfront Essay

â€Å"Anybody who sits around and lets it happen and keeps silent about something that knows that happened, shares the guilt.† On the Waterfront demonstrates that evil prospers when good men do nothing. Do you agree? Elia Kazan’s black and white film, On the Waterfront, reveals that unrelenting evil and corruption can overwhelm a community, but there are those who have â€Å"the gift of standing up† in the face of injustice. Terry Malloy, the film’s protagonist, is a seemingly morally weak henchman of Johnny Friendly however he is guided on the path to moral awareness after forming positive relationships. Charley Malloy, Terry’s brother, is a prime example of how power can corrupt can individual, though he is forced to reassess his behaviour when faced with the truth. However, the longshoremen’s failure to act out against Johnny Friendly’s control over the waterfront exemplifies how evil can prevail when there is a lack of action to combat the issue of corruption. Terry Malloy, a former boxer, makes the journey from being a character who is motivated by self-preservation to one who possesses an understanding of greater moral truth. He is initially depicted as a person who lives by the code of â€Å"standing with the right people so you have a little bit of change jinglin’ in your pocket†. Like many of the other longshoremen, he understands the importance of loyalty and adheres to the code of â€Å"D ‘n’ D†. Although he is uncomfortable with the role he played in the murder of Joey Doyle, he is aware of the potential repercussions of defying Johnny Friendly. However, once he starts a relationship with Edie Doyle, his view of â€Å"do it before he does it to you† is challenged. Terry begins to empowers himself with Edie’s principles upon trying on her white glove which emphasizes Terry’s slow transition from moral ambivalence towards a more morally righteous path. Later in the film, Terry we ars Joey’s jacket, a symbol of acting in accordance with the demands of one’s conscience, and vows to testify in the trial against Johnny Friendly. Furthermore, Terry’s mission for justice is illustrated when he says, â€Å"I’m gonna go down there and get my rights† confirms the influence that Edie has had on him. His transformation from being a morally weak character who struggles against his conscience, his triumph in defeating Johnny reveals how that evil can easily be eradicated through the course of action and justice. Charley Malloy presents an example of how the desire for power can inevitably lead to corruption; he manages to achieve redemption through him in releasing Terry and protecting him from the wrath of Johnny Friendly. Due to Charley’s harsh upbringing in the grim environment of the waterfront, he is a person who is motivated by money and seeks out relationships for financial benefits. He encourages Terry not to testify and instead accept a more prestigious job offer in where Terry would not â€Å"have to lift a finger†. However, after Terry blames his brother for taking away his opportunities – â€Å"I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum†¦ it was you, Charley† – Charley is forced to reassess his priorities over the last past few years. He manages to redeem himself when he tells Terry that he would tell Johnny that he will â€Å"tell him that I couldn’t bring you in† as an apology for not â€Å"look[ing ] out† for Terry. Charley is aware of the consequences that his choice will bring and the danger that he is placing himself in, but through his acknowledgement of how he prevented his brother from having the chance to be successful, he achieves the ultimate redemption in where he is crucified for his choice to let Terry go. Charley’s death reinforces the notion that although through corruption and injustice provided Charley with opportunities to make a success out of himself, it is by taking a stand in the face of inequality and redeeming yourself for your past wrongdoing which allows goodness to prevail. Despite Terry and Charley’s stand in the face of injustice, a majority of the workers on the docks exemplify the very notion that profound immorality and wicked deeds will dominate when there is a lack of action taken. Even when Joey is found dead at the hands of Johnny Friendly’s men, a majority of the waterfront workers still continue to submit to the will of Johnny Friendly and his henchmen, including Joey’s own father, Pop. Even Pop Doyle’s son’s death does not dissuade him to stray away from the code of â€Å"deaf and dumb† – instead Pop chooses to bemoan that Joey did not listen to his advice about remaining silent. The arrival of the Waterfront Crime Commission investigating Joey’s death is met with resistance signifying their powerlessness against the corrupt world of the docks. During the  congregation meeting at the church, which comprised of Father Barry and the longshoremen, many of the longshoremen refuse to speak out against the mob, which reveals how fearful they are of standing up for themselves. Father Barry is informed of the code of â€Å"D and D† and that â€Å"no matter how much we hate the torpedoes, we don’t rat†. The silence of the waterfront workers in the face of the crime and corruption infiltrating the longshoremen worker unions display how by through the idleness of the workers unwilling to speak out against injustice, it is easy for depravity and wrongdoing to run rampant when there is silence. The notion that corruption and wrongdoing is rampant when there is inaction from bystanders is reinforced in Elia Kazan’s film, On the Waterfront. However, there are those who have the moral strength to assert their beliefs in the face of injustice, which is evident through the character of Terry. Terry makes the dramatic transformation from being a morally troubled man who lives by a code of self-preservation and is afraid to cause trouble, into a person who embarks on a more morally righteous path, guided by Edie. His brother, Charley, has always seeked out relationships for the comforts and benefits it offers him, thus being a prime example of how power can lead to corruption. However, like Terry, Charley manages to achieve a state of redemption by acknowledging his wrongdoings. Charley and Terry exemplify how although evil is evident in the film, it can be eradicated through the course of action and injustice. However, the inaction of the longshoremen in the face of immora lity and their adherence to the code of deaf and dumb emphasise the very notion that corruption and wrongdoing will always exist, when people stand idly by when something is wrong.

Entrepreneurship & Business Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Entrepreneurship & Business Plan - Term Paper Example The actors on the entrepreneurial stage, whether they own or run a business, know that effective business planning is the key to the long-term success of a company, as well as to its capacity of attracting investments and gathering funds. People knowledgeable in this domain, such as bankers, accountants or academicians have spoken a lot on how to prepare a business plan; therefore the importance of such a plan cannot be underestimated. Yet it seems that the more information there is the more confused people get about what a business plan should include. There is no perfect combination of content, facts and figures. A business plan has to clearly lay out the vision of your business, its achievements (if it is the case) and its potential of development. â€Å"A business plan should tell a compelling story, make an argument and conservatively predict the future, and companies have different stories to tell, different arguments to make and different futures to predict† (Chapter 3: the role your business plan plays.). That is why, when looking to raise capital, the business plan is also a very useful instrument. Still, loaners will mainly look at the financial part of your plan, as they are generally interested to turn profit. Investors, on the other hand, are more susceptible to the idea, the main concept of the business, although they will not invest in something that looks like a bad investment, so the idea has to be very well founded. Business planning has to be understood as a complex process, through which the entrepreneur creates a model of how the business will look like in the future. Also, business planning is a very dynamic process and the target has to be continuously moving, that is, the business has to grow and develop in order to keep the game going. That is why, a business plan is necessary because it represents the road map for the company: it is pointing out the goals, it is

Euthyphro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Euthyphro - Essay Example Because their opinions about holiness are at odds, Socrates who is portrayed by Plato as a person who is eager to engage in discourse with the people on Athens asks Euthyphro what his concept of holiness is so he might learn from how Euthyphro defines it. Says Socrates, â€Å"Tell me then, what is the pious, and what the impious, do you say?† (5e) Initially, this is how the concept of holiness emerges in the dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro and it soon takes a prominent position in the dialogue as it becomes the main topic of their conversation as they wait to be shown into court for their respective cases. In response to Socrates’ question, Euthyphro provides him with three basic definitions by which he thinks holiness is defined. Every time Euthyphro gives Socrates a definition for the concept of holiness, Socrates gives him an argument to refute it and thus Euthyphro is forced to provide another definition. Finally, when Euthyphro gives the third definition an d Socrates refutes it, Euthyphro storms off annoyed with Socrates for disagreeing with all his attempts to define what is holy. First, he says â€Å"I say that the pious is to do what I am doing now, to prosecute the wrongdoer, be it about murder or temple robbery or anything else, whether the wrongdoer is your father or your mother or anyone else; not to prosecute is impious.† (5e) Thus holiness is defined by prosecuting those people who are blasphemous and go against religion. Second, he says â€Å"Well then, what is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious† (7) Thus, holiness is defined by what the gods like and mutually consent. Lastly, Euthyphro tells Socrates that â€Å"I would certainly say that the pious is what all the gods love, and the opposite, what all the gods hate, is the impious.† (9e). Therefore, piety is what lies within the bounds of actions the god’s love and those that the god’s hate, become automatically unholy. Socra tes refutes Euthyphro’s definitions at each stage by providing elaborate counter arguments of his own. To Euthyphro’s first definition that holiness is punishing people who go against religion, Socrates says that this is a definition that excludes a variety of holy things that have nothing to do with persecuting blasphemous people and thus an incomplete definition that doesn’t hold on various counts. To Euthyphro’s second definition that holy things are those that are approved by the gods, Socrates says that this definition is also flawed because the gods are often fighting and there is seldom a time they all agree on one thing, thus no deed is holy according to this definition. He says â€Å"Then according to your argument, my good Euthyphro, different gods consider different things to be just, beautiful, ugly, good, and bad† (7e) and that â€Å"The same things then are loved by the gods and hated by the gods, and would be both god-loved and god- hated†¦ And the same things would be both pious and impious, accord ­ing to this argument?† (8) Euthyphro is disgruntled but has no choice but to agree with Socrates. Lastly, Socrates refutes Euthyphro’s statement by asking him to consider an important statement â€Å"Consider this: Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?† (10) and he asks Euthyphro to run a parallel comparison between the preceding statement and the fact that â€Å"that which is being carried is being carried because someone

To IP and Beyond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

To IP and Beyond - Essay Example Additionally, it is believed to be a biggest success for the reason that it successfully provided a small number of fundamental capabilities and services that everyone required at that time. In this scenario, some of the well-known applications and services that were supported by these protocols included remote logon, file transfer, and electronic mail (email) to a large number of users as well as server systems. In fact, a number of different systems located in a small building or office can employ TCP/IP (in conjunction with additional protocols) on a single local area network (LAN). Basically, this is a combination of two protocols, in which the internet protocol (IP) was established to fulfill a need for consistency of distinctiveness. Hence, the development of this protocol allowed all computers across the earth to share data and information the same way. In fact, it is the most affordable method to make a universal network (The TCP/IP Guide, 2005; Polenin, 2012; Gilbert, 1995). In addition, the IP part of the protocol allows effective routing from one location of a building to the organization’s central network, afterward to provincial networks, and ultimately to the worldwide Internet. As it was developed by DOD so it was intended to be used to provide support and services in battlefield. In view of the fact that on the battleground a communication medium or network will be used to maintain damage, hence the DOD developed TCP/IP to be vigorous and without human intervention recovers from any phone line or terminal breakdown. In this scenario, this design facilitated them to construct a very large network with less central management. Though, due to the computerized processing, there was a chance that a wide variety of network issues can go uncorrected and unidentified for long periods of time. On the other hand, the development of TCP was aimed at providing the connection-oriented communication. In this scenario, the basic purpose of this developm ent was to provide a way for information distribution and communication in which a computer is able to set up an instant link to a server prior to additional communication takes place. However, if a computer does not establish a connection to a server, a server will pay no attention to that computer's request (The TCP/IP Guide, 2005; Polenin, 2012; Gilbert, 1995). The Evolution of TCP/IP In today’s ever-increasing global environment, businesses as well as people heavily rely on the capability to get access to certain data and information and sharing it with others. In fact, this wonderful capability has a serious impact on the advancements of technology and developments of innovations in the world. Without a doubt, governments play a significant role in instigating the development of innovations and latest technologies to improve the quality of communication tools that can support better communication with the intention of speeding up the dispersion of change in the world. In this scenario, the history of TCP/IP can be traced back to the 1960's when a government firm known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was looking for a technology or way for sharing data and information with group mates at remote locations. At that time, their basic aim was to design and implement a technique that

Humerous essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Humerous - Essay Example I waited for the Colonel to go on his walk and then telephoned him. You answered the phone. I kept on talking asking irrelevant questions. Of course you did not know it was me. Your voice, I swear, was sweet. Seeing that you visited the temple, I started visiting too. I developed devotion and started praying devoutly to God almighty to join us in holy wedlock. Whenever you saw me, your eyes used to light up with recognition and respect. I knew you loved me. I was sure. I had no doubt of it whatsoever. I belong to a well-to-do house and we were eight children. I was the eldest, and the others were girls. So I was too busy settling their marriages to think about my own. I was sacrificing my life for them. But I am not sorry about it. My sorrow is that those sisters do not care for me. I am not bothered about that, either. For, now I have you. And you are equal to a thousand sisters. I retired from government service last month. I get a handsome pension and this will be there for my wife too till her death. I am sixty years old. But what of that? I am hale and healthy. I used to play hockey and tennis. And badminton too. They say badminton is the game for pregnant women. So when you are in the family way, you won’t have to look for other pregnant women to play with. You can play with me. You are about 55 unless my eyes deceive me. I had a cataract operation last year, and they generally don’t. You are beautiful. Your strands of white hair, your dark complexion and the mole on your chin add to your beauty. But the thing that clinched the issue was the dimple on your left cheek. Whoever heard of a single dimple? And that dimple I am sure contains the whole universe and will show me everything that Yasoda saw in the Lord’s

English Hmework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English Hmework - Essay Example However, she does not state what a role model is, but we can suggest that a role model might not have a hero’s characteristics. Based on Singer’s views, role models are close to us, and they need to learn something from the heroes. (COLL) In addition, Singer believes we do not have as many heroes today as in the past. Nowadays, heroes are difficult to find. On the other hand, it is not hard to have a role model. Reading ‘Heroes and Role Models’ made me to reflect on my life and thought that my father had helped me grow as an individual. Father is the best example of what a hard worker is. (COLL#2) He told me that he started his business when he was 18 years. He took this step because his family was poor at that time, and he wanted to make life much better by working hard. He did what he thought would help him make money. He worked harder than others as a result his outcome was better. Furthermore, he has had many different jobs. Sometimes he did many jobs o n the same day. For example, in the morning he could go to his company that manufactured boxes and then dealt with the daily routine afterwards. After completing his work, he could go selling a box lunch on the roadside. (PART) During the afternoon, he could send goods. Moreover, he looked for a part-time job that he could do after dinner, in order to make more income. Because of the hard work, father’s family financial situation became much better than before. I have emulated my father by working hard. He worked hard, in order to provide for us. I have made some tremendous improvements in class in the past three semesters. In this semester, I am taking 21 units and I expect to do well by working hard. The fact that I am not a smart girl makes hard work very important. Staying at school to study is my priority because of the conducive learning environment. Making it to a top university will be a dream come true. Hard work is the

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

English - Essay Example In the communication field during the current period, cell phones are widely regarded as the essential and reliable means of communication. The major notable advantage of using a cell phone is the aspect of mobility. A cell phone can be carried in the pocket wherever one goes. This is very important because it allows people to stay connected and cell phones give people the freedom to communicate with their loved ones at any time regardless of geographical locations. Unlike fixed landline phones, cell phones are convenient in various ways. In cases of emergence, it is easy to call for help by simply pulling out the mobile phone from the pocket. There is no need to look around for fixed telephones. When one is involved in an accident, he or she can easily call for help without moving from the scene of the accident. This is a basic necessity in times of emergency or other life threatening situations which would require the services of qualified rescue specialists such as fire services o r ambulance in the event that someone has been seriously injured in an accident. The use of cell phones can be disadvantageous in different ways. Some studies have suggested that the overuse of cell phones can lead to brain and ear damage. ... Other studies have also suggested that cell phone usage can cause male infertility symptoms though nothing of this sort has been proved yet (Pandey 2010). There is need to take safety precautions when it comes to the use of cell phones though no study has directly proved the major disease caused by the use of cell phones. The other major advantage of a mobile phone is that it is a multimedia gadget that lets you enjoy all the comforts in a single device (Markely 2010). Mobile phones are becoming a basic necessity each day in our lives as a result of the new innovations that are characterising the gadget. Indeed, the world will be in your pocket when one is carrying a slim mobile phone with multimedia purpose functions. The latest cell phones during the contemporary period such as smart phones are multi-purpose phones. Apart from making audio calls or text messages, cell phones now have the ability to perform other various functions. Cell phones can support other media such as video, MP3 player, radio, television, internet, games, and calculator among other services. All these features are found in one gadget so there is no need of carrying a camera or an MP3 player separately since these can be found in one device. This is a great advantage in that one does not need to carry a lot of devices but can simply carry a mobile phone. It can also be noted that a cell phone also plays the entertainment function where music as well as videos can be played to avoid boredom. Nowadays, the internet is another medium of communication that is fast gaining popularity than any other form of communication. Latest cell phones have the facility that supports access to the internet and there is no need for someone to have a computer in order to access the internet. This is

Corporate Strategic Review on TESCO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Strategic Review on TESCO - Essay Example In 1964, Tesco's innovativeness was put to a challenge when the British government imposed the Resale Price Maintenance System, a law that mandates all retailers to charge a set price for their products. However, Tesco found a way through it and introduced trading stamps so that it could bring lower prices to its customers. Customers collected these stamps as they purchased groceries and other items. By 1960, Tesco was in control of 212 store chains in north England, and 144 more in 1964 and 1965. By 1970, Tesco was a household name, known for its grocery products at very competitive prices. It was at this time when Tesco decided to broaden its customer base and make its stores more attractive to a wider range of customers. Tesco decided to concentrate on developing bigger superstores at the outskirts of the town, on selling a broader range of goods, and on providing quality shopping environment and customer service. Tesco likewise ventured into selling petrol at very competitive rates in 1974, opening its first filling station at its major sites. These changes earned more customers and greater profits for Tesco, and in 1979, its annual turnover reached 1 billion for the first time. Tesco has built its 100th superstore by 1985, and in 1987, it announced a 500 million plan to build 29 more stores. By 1991, the success of its petrol filling stations earned for the company Britain's biggest independent petrol retailer. In the 1990s, the company built on its success by developing new store concepts and new customer-focused initiatives. Tesco broke new ground in food retailing by introducing, in 1995, the first customer loyalty card, which offered benefits to regular shoppers whilst helping the company discover more about its customers' needs. Other customer services followed, including grocery home shopping, Tesco Direct for catalogue shoppers and the Tesco Babyclub for new parents, as well as the launch of Tesco Personal Finance a joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland. Tesco continued its winning streak in the new millennium. In January 2003 Tesco completed the acquisition of 870 T&S Stores in the UK; 450 of these stores will be converted to Tesco Express in the next three to four years. Moreover, Tesco opened in Taiwan in 2000 and, in May 2002 its first store in Malaysia in a joint venture with Sime Darby Sdn Bhd. In July 2002, Tesco acquired the "HIT" chain of hypermarkets in Poland. This acquisition added 13 hypermarkets to the Polish business, giving it a market leading position. By the end of 2002/03 Tesco had 45 percent of its space overseas, market leadership in 6 of its 10 countries, and was profitable in 8 out of 10 markets. Porter on Tesco Using Porter's Generic Strategies, this approach of Tesco shall be evaluated and assessed. It will also be subjected to the five industry forces such as: Entry Barrier, Buyer Power, Supplier Power, Threats of Substitute and Rivalry. Tesco can be categorized in Porter's Generic Strategies as belonging to the Broad Industry- as it targets an economy of scale whose product line is extensive (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). Moreover, the standard

Describe in detail the set of religious observances known as the Five Essay

Describe in detail the set of religious observances known as the Five Pillars of Islam - Essay Example The five pillars of Islam form the foundation of worship and dedication to the Islamic faith. They are: Shahada, Salat, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj (Ellwood, & McGraw, 2009). Shahadah is a statement of belief that professes monotheism and acceptance of Muhammad as the messenger of God (Allah) (Ellwood, & McGraw, 2009). The creed is customarily recited in Arabic during each call to prayer (Azaan) and when one wishes to convert to Islam. It is also believed that one should also recite the creed when they are about to die. Salat describes the obligatory set of prayers that each Muslim should partake in daily. It consists of five prayers that should be recited each day as defined by the Sunna (Hedayetullah, 2006). The first prayer is the Fajr that is performed at dawn just before the sunrise. The second prayer is the Dhuhr and is performed at noon after the sun has passed its apex. The third prayer is the Ê ¿Aá ¹ £r that is performed in the afternoon before the sun sets. The forth prayer is the Maghrib which is performed in the evening after the sun sets. The final prayer is the Isha which is performed at night. Each of these prayers comprises of a set amount of rakaÊ ¿Ã„ t (prescribed words and movements). All of the prayers are performed while facing the Islamic holy city of Mecca. Before each prayer, Muslims must partake in Wudu (Cleansing), achieved by washing themselves. The third pillar of Islam is fasting (Sawm). According to the Quran, there are three types of fasting that Muslims should partake in. During the month of Ramadan, all Muslims have to partake in ritual fasting. This type of fasting is mandatory and followers of Islam have to refrain from eating, drinking and other worldly pleasures from dawn to dusk during the whole period (Khan, 2006). They are also expected to be particularly attentive of other sins. The other two types of fasting are as compensation to penance and abstinent fasting. Sawm allows believers to

Achieving the American Dream Essay Example for Free

Achieving the American Dream Essay One would think that purchasing your first home would be a very fascinating experience; after all it is one of the most major purchases of your entire life. In America, home ownership ties in with the American Dream and the spirit of working hard to one day earn through hard work a home with a white picket fence. My husband and I felt that it was time for us to reward ourselves for all the hard work we have been putting in over the years by purchasing our first home, which was well overdue. I quickly learned the process of purchasing your first home can be very frustrating and stressful. However, if you survive the home buying process the reward is priceless once you move into your â€Å"American Dream.† Before we started shopping for our home we both agreed it was important for us to have a mortgage loan preapproval. Although I assumed that obtaining a preapproval would be the most challenging part of purchasing a home, it happened to be the easiest part of the entire process. I was able to be preapproved by my bank over the phone in a matter of minutes pending certain guidelines. Acquiring the preapproval was so easy I was sure the remainder of the process would be effortless. I was startled to learn that I would be faced with many obstacles to overcome in order to complete the process of buying our first home. Next, it was time for us to shop for a new home. I was excited and anxious to shop for our first home. Unfortunately, I was unaware that the housing market in Houston, TX was flourishing and it was very competitive. On my quest for the perfect house, I looked at several beautiful homes. I found one in particular that I liked, and it was a foreclosure. I decided to place an offer on the home. However, only a few days later I was informed that I was outbid by another buyer. Since this was the first home I placed an offer on I did not foresee the outbidding being a major issue. We decided that we would continue our search for our â€Å"American Dream.† The next home I fell in love with was a model home; however, I soon learned that it was a short sale. A short sale can take up to six months to be approved, and I did not have time for that ,because, my existing lease had already expired on my rental home. I begin to work with a realtor who was also an investor. She had a lovely home for sale in a beautiful neighborhood. I extended an offer to her on the home, and she said that she would need to talk it over with her husband. She later contacted me to advise me that she had agreed to accept a cash offer on the home. I continued to look for the perfect home and was not having much success. I soon discovered that the realtor had a new house on the market in the same beautiful neighborhood. I contacted her right away and made an offer on the house. Once she accepted my offer we signed and faxed the contract to the bank right away. The realtor and I both agreed on a closing date which was 45 days from the date we signed the contract. At this point, it was time to make sure that we met all of underwriting guidelines. It was not only important for us to meet all of the bank stipulations but the actual house had to meet bank standards in order for the bank to approve the loan. Shortly, after faxing the contract over to the bank I was contacted by my loan processor, her name was Emily. She told me everything that I needed and I emailed Emily the requirements within 24 hours. The only thing that was pending to my knowledge was the appraisal on the house which I had completed within one week. After, I faxed over the appraisal I did not hear from Emily until three days before my 1st closing date. Emily was contacting me to make me aware that the underwriting department was requesting that a 2nd appraisal on the home be completed before we could close on the home. I was very disappointed that three weeks had passed and I heard nothing from her and now three days before closing she was contacting me to relay this information to me. However, I was not about to give up. I got the appraisal and sent it to the bank, only to have Emily contact me a few days later to tell me that the underwriter was now requiring a termite inspection. We were already well past our 1st closing date and quickly approaching our 2nd closing date, I contacted a termite inspector and had the termite inspection performed right away. Emily then informed me that she was sending all of our information over to the title company so they can arrange a closing date. She gave me the title company’s contact information and told me to contact the title company for my closing date. I contacted the title company and was very surprised to discover I could not close on the house until the seller returned from the Bahamas because she needed to sign a release form. The seller returned from the Bahamas two weeks later and I finally got a real closing date which was October 18, 2012. Finally, I said to my husband we have an actual closing date. I was beyond excited. My husband and I went to the title company on October 18, 2012 to finalize our purchase on our home. I can’t explain the feeling we felt as we signed the mortgage papers on our new home. After signing what felt like a million papers we got the keys to our new home. When we got in our car we had to take a moment to give thanks to God, for not only allowing us to purchase our first home but for letting our first home be our dream home. Why was the process so difficult and complicated to purchase my first home? I can imagine it was due to the housing crisis in America. I believe that banks require so much now because they are trying to prevent homebuyers from losing their homes to foreclosure. They are making every effort to make sure that homebuyers are not overpaying for homes and making every attempt to ensure that homebuyers can afford the homes. Although, I was very frustrated I want prospective homebuyers to know that it was worth all of the trouble. I think homeownership is the American dream and encourage everyone to work towards achieving the American dream by not giving up or becoming frustrated. I think it is very important for prospective homebuyers to focus on the final prize-homeownership. Reflections Paragraph The step I found to be the easiest was major revisions. It was easy because I was able to tie in my conclusion with my introductory paragraph. I am hoping that will grab the readers’ attention and keep them more interested in my essay. The step I found the hardest was proofreading. While I was proofreading I noticed that many sentences did not sound correct. I did my best to try and correct the sentences that did not sound correct. I learned that writing by revising your essay allows you the opportunity to make your essay even better. I still have many errors for improvement; however, I am confident that with practice I will become a great writer.

The Assignment Of The Mcdonalds Business Commerce Essay

The Assignment Of The Mcdonalds Business Commerce Essay This assignment based upon a company McDonalds. In todays economic competitive environment business go through structural and occupational changes, some are for the better and other for the worse. In with contract of managing change of McDonalds i am going to discuss history and background of the organisation ,the changes that are being affected by todays economy, swot analysis , pest analysis, comparison of the alternative from of the organisational development, an investigation and evolution of purposed changes, adaptation of appropriate modal for recommended changes and planning of implementation of processes and possible changes. Mcdonalds one of the largest fast food restaurant in all over the world, serving the best food every day. It was 1940 when two brother bother Dick and Mac started their first McDonalds restaurant in California, basically it was a BBQ restaurant. In 1948 they introduced the concept of speedee service system which was the step toward establishment towards the fast food restaurants. Till 1958 ther were 34 restaurants and afterword in late 1959 Kroc had opened 67 new restaurants total of 101. They indroduced world famous Golden arches logo in 1962. In 1961 McDonalds was the number one fast food chain of the country. In 1965 went through publiclization, afterward McDonald opened 1000t restaurants. In 1975 McDonald introduce its first drive. In 1983 McDonald was the second largest retailer of the chicken in the world in 1987 McDonald has opened 600 new restaurants. In 1967 the first foreign restaurant in the British Columbia ,Canada. By 1990 McDonald company had opened more than 3600 in more than 58 countries all over the world some of them were franchised agreements, some wholly owned subsidiaries and some at join venture.and the countries were Great Britain, japan, Canada, Germany, France and Australia. Hapburger university was opened by the corporation in Tokyo in 1971 and in Munich in 1975 and in London in 1982. Most of the growth came outside from the USA and the number of the stores increased from 3600 to 1100 restaurants from 1991 to 1998 and the number of the countries went doubled from 59 to 114 in the late 1998 in all over the world including middle east and some parts of the Asia. In th e urab countries for the restaurant chain they had introduce HAla menu, which is the according to the Islamic rule of preparation of the food. In 1996 they introduced McDonald in the Indian market. In 2004 McDonald had continued ppening new stores and took great consentration at the existing business. The number of stores incteased from 30496 to 32478 from 2004 to 2009. Changes at mcdonalds: Every management system within the organization want to maintain its strength, capability and competencies. Changes most of the time plays the key role in the development of the organisation toward the fulfilment of organisational future goal. It is very important for every single individual of any organisation to be prepare their minds for any upcoming change that are necessary for the future development of that particular organisation. Most of the changes are easily adoptable because of the latest technology. Most of the time changes makes the tasks to be done very easier , to make the life easy. For many organisations managing the change is consider a primary activity in deeply understanding the future objectives and goals for any organisation and even the implementation is consider physical step for the employment of an invention. The awareness of any part within the organisation for the improvement is consider the first step even in the change process. In the case of McDonalds c orporation lots of changes had happened in terms of business management, business strategy, business competition and in term of product and services. Some of the changes are as follows. 1937 Patrick McDonald had opened hamburger stand in California 1940 two brothers Dick and Mac had opened McDonald as BBQ restaurant 1948 introduction of speedee service system 1953 McDonalds first franchisee with Neil 1954 the introduction of entrepreneur and milkshake mix by Ray Kron 1955 introduction of grillman in the store 1958 the sale of 100 millionth hamburgers 1959 beginning of billboard advertisement 1960 company become the McDonalds corporation 1961 Dick and Mac had sell business rights and the opening of hamburger university 1962 the ad in national magazine and introduction of first setting restaurant 1963 500 restaurants were opened 1968 introduction of big Mac 1971 first Asian restaurant in japan 1973 introduction of egg Mc Muffin 1974 McDonalds corporation had opened 3000th restaurant in Woolwich south east London 1976 first cash division 1977 addition of breakfast menu in US 1978 5000th McDonalds restaurant in Japan and the graduation of 15000 students from the hamburger university 1979 the introduction of the happy meal in McDonalds menu 1980 addition in the menu with chicken Mc Nuggets 1984 the main sponsor of summer Olympics 1992 the worlds largest McDonald restaurant in chaina after word in Africa. Saudi Arabia 1996 the first Indian McDonald restaurant in India 1997 Mc Furry by Canadian franchisee 2000 publication of the fast food nation and the opening of the 1000th British restaurants 2002 15th rank in food quality among the hamburger chain 2003 3% fallen in shares in past 5 years 2004 super size option 2006 nutritional information at packaging for all products 2007 42-ounce super size suda 2008 chichen biscuit 2009 three versions of the Angus burger SWOT analysis: Strenth: McDonald had the great history and the achievement throughout its long experience period. Almost 67000 managers were promoted every year from the team members and McDonald is investing $ 1 billion in training employees every years 2008 no.1 food service company in fortune magazine Worlds most famous logos Community oriented and socially responsible organization contributing in care mobile programs in medical and in education of the children and sponsor of the Olympics athlets Multinational corporation operating more than 119 countries all over the world having more than 32000 restaurants Flexible culture adopted organization Excellent food preparation style and food safety Weakness: Failure of competing with fast food pizza chain Expenditure of the more money on training due to high turnover of employees Capitalization to organic food Negative impact between investors relationship due to decreasing ratio Opportunity: It is the great opportunity for the McDonald the introduction of healthy hamburger and it would be the first fast food to sell low fat low calorie hamburger with alternatives with FDA approval McDonald had the opportunity to provide more upscale setting style instead of industrial Formica restaurant setting like they are providing in new York to capture more market share They should add more value box meal in their menu in wide range of verities Breakfast menu, chicken, beverage and other convenience categories like special coffees etc are not only became the reason of the increase the sale in recession period but also is the reason in increase the number of the customers visting the restaurants Threat: Due to cradle to grave marketing they had created negative and criticized impression toward some of the parents of the children especially from some of the advocate parents which they thought is marginally ethical Many times in the past they had sued due to unhealthy food containing additive additives There is a documentary conducted by Michael Sulock super size me in 2004 in which he went through McDonald diet for one month and got cirihosis of the lever.as the result from the documentary McDonald had to remove the super size option from their dive thru window Food supply contamination There is a huge competition among the competitors like burger king, starbucks, taco bell, KFC and Wendys PEST analysis: Political factor: The new governent of UK has recently increased the taxes due to this increment cost of the raw material as well has increased. Most of the trading policies employment lows taxation corporation and the customers are in the favour of McDonald corporation and the companys revenue is also going up as compare to past. Economic factor: In 2009 McDonald had generated the revenue $22.7 billions where the operating profit was $6.8 billion and from the past five years the annual increment is 4.9% while the interest rates are increased and the inflation is going down day by day. The economic growth is going up exchange rates are as well increased and in the business life cycle McDonald is at the maturity level. Technological factor: At this stage of competitor technological environment for the company success full operations technology is the key element because the company needs latest machines and other equipment to provide good and fast customer service satisfaction. Being a worlds no.1 and leading brand for the food service retailer company must need to consider the latest technology for the preparation and serving the food in more efficient way in challenging environment. UK government is spending more at research. Social factor: McDonald is well known brand all over the world and McDonald corporation is very conscious health safety and welfare point of view. In every country they had divided their marketing strategy demographically according to the related culture of that particular region. It differs according to challenging changing life style of different regions of the world. Like m the menu in term of taste and spice is totally different in UK as compare to Asia especially in India. A comparison of the alternative form of the organization development: Every organisation will have to undergo development and changes over the time McDonald had undergo through several changes in the past like in employees related matters in products and srevises vs the current changes or the proposed changes. Now a days the new marketing complain of the McDonald is to adopt the new health conscious sub image that would be the according to latest health awareness trend and the target market would be the children. The main goal of this proposed change is to introduce a new sprate low fat menu for the children. McDonald is aware this kind of strategy will give the awareness to consumers the importance of the health to both parents and children about the nutritional value of the meal and this marketing will introduce new McDonald to public. In order to implement this invention company need a particular departmental tasks to handle the necessary matters related to particular change. It is proved that the changes leve the different conflict before during an d after the implementation. Thus it is the responsibility of the manager to have the ability to understand what need to be changed but also have the effective knowledge to introduce the change. In this situation the resistance can be occur thus might be some employees or customer are in the favour or against the purposed change. If we compare different companies that are the competitors of the McDonald everyone is in huge competition and everyone is adopting the necessary changes tocapture the market share and to fullfill its future organisational goal. http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/04/corporate-leadership-and-change-management.html Stakeholder analysis : Stakeholder are the groups or individuals who have direct or indirect impact upon the organisation. Each stake holder has different interest upon the organisation depending upon his status in that particular organisation one of the McDonald stakeholders is the employees because any change occur in the organisation it directly effect the employees because they want to be the business success full. Other stakeholders are the government ,suppliers, social societies ,NGOs , managers , shareholders , distributer and the local community. Any occurring change in the McDonald corporation leaves the direct effect upon the stakeholders. Change is necessary for the development of the organisation as it is playing in a competitive environment and business as well treat each stakeholder in different way because the business want to do anything they can do in order to win their arguments. Overall we can say most important stakeholder of the McDonald is its valuable customers any change in the corp oration in term of menu in term of product , price ,place and promotion will directly affect them. Customers are the key elements of the business they bring the money to the company and without them the business will be unsuccessful and the company will lose their reputation and soon will have to close down. Effective communication is also plays a valuable role between the stakeholders. To implent the valuable in the organisation effective communication is necessary to understand the proposed changes and to implement it efficiently and effectively. And there should be the feedback and feed forward system. To bring a change there should be alternative course of action for a valid proposed change in the organisation and they should use appropriate control mechanism and the established budget system for the organisation and its stakeholders to implement efficient and effective change in the organisation. An investigation and evaluation of proposed changes: Change is constant and especially in the field of fast food every day people want to taste something new something different from the past that is the big reason why the change is needed in the chosen organisation. McDonald is inverting lots of the money at the reaserch every year to indroduce more healthy and nutritional food to its valuable customers the company is proposing the following changes New products with delicious taste and valuable customer satisfaction New look and image in the customer mind New soft policies and procedures for the stakeholders Locations and logistics New business strategies A senior McDonalds executive said that recent changes to the fast food chains menu were prompted not by a desire to appear socially responsible but by customer demand. The scope of the change in the implementation of the integrated marketing communication (IMC) As the part of the marketing strategy. The main purpose of this change is the promotional compain about the advertisement of the McDonald corporation. Normally these task are to be done by the open sponsorship of offering the products and services and those are all done by using different kind of promotional channels (media) that are use for the promotional compains and advertising. the main focus of this change is on advertising and sale promotion and this change will direct effect to IMC as the part of the marketing strategy of the McDonald. http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=2043 7-S model of change: There are various school of thoughts developed over the years in order to establish the organisation successfully effect the change. 7-S model is the systematic management tool that is design to examine the organizational structure. In this seven key areas of the organization are discussed and their key elements and their internal relationship as well. These 7 are als divided in two categories hard and soft elements. Hard element: Strategy Structure System Soft elements Shared values, skills, style and staff Strategy: In the changing environment the main strategy of the McDonald is the proper rote map planning to attain the competitive advantage and the main aim to capture the more market share by providing then healthy nutritional food at competitive price with efficient service system. Structure: The hierarchy of the McDonald is from top down management any proposed change and its implementation is start from the top level management to the lower level management passing through the middle level. This is the positive point for the McDonald. System: McDonald Corporation is a system within the system every single task and the proposed change is performed in a systematic way. There could be one change that will help the organization to achieve its goal that is the processing system for the preparation of the food and the delivery system need to be simplified in The day to day processes and procedure throughout the company. Shared value: There is strong need of the change in the share value in the McDonald for the effective communication and involvement of each single individual in the organization in order to discuss the core value of the compamy. Style: This is the soft element of the organization as will depend upon which management style the organization style the management the organization is having is either the leadership style or any other one. McDonald corporation have the leadership management style in which any proposed change is discussed inefficient way. Staff: McDonald consider its employees as the to success the business it is taking in consideration their employees and their board abilities regarding the future change. Skills: Skill and compitencies of the employees are consider the soft element for the organisation. McDonald is paying deep intension and investing huge amount of money at training of its employees for providing even batter products to their customers in efficient way to get the require stasfaction from the customers and to full fill the company,s goal. http://www.lmcuk.com/management-tool/the-7-s-model-for-organisational-change kotters 8- step model change: the author of this model is consider guru in leadership and change management, he is the professor at Harvard business school and has introduced eight steps in the change process in his book 1995 Leading change Create urgency The change will happen successfully if every single individual in the organization (whole organization) or out side really want that change . to get the motivational step towards the things to move it is necessary to devepol the sense of urgency needed for that change. For that purpose the McDonald need to identify the potential threat and to do the future forecast. Than have the look at available opportunities. McDonald need to start the honest discussion so that the people can think and talk about that particular change and request for the feedback from all the stakeholders. Form a power full coalition: It is necessary to convince the people about the necessary change for the favourable leadership from the key persons for that McDonald need to identify the true leaders in the organization as for the emotional commitment building the team within its change in coalition and the most important thing is the availability of the staff in different departments at each level of the management require to perform particular task. create the vision for the change: a clear vision will help everyone to understand why when and where these changes these changes need to be done. It describes the value that are the reason for the change. McDonald need to adopt the short summery of the future forecast of the organization and to execute the vision. Communicate the vision Communication plays the key role in the success of the organisation. In McDonald corporation for the proposed changes day to day communication is necessary to discuss the change in the vision and need to tie everything back to vision. 5-Remove the abstracts: Resistance in the change is as well constant in some how. The organization need to identify is there any resistance in the proposed changes for that purpose McDonald need to hire the change leader who plays the main role in developing the change and need to look in the structure of the change and description of the job, establishing reward and remove the business quickly. 6-Create the short terms-win McDonald need to create short term target so that each single targeted change can be achieve easily and need to choose early target that are less expensive and reware the people to help to achieve the targeted goal. 7- build on the change. Quick wins are just the beginning and are lead toward the fulfilment of the main goal of the organization. Every organisation need to consider ever small win in which what they have done and what the improvements are needed. Always keep the idea fresh discuss with the agents and the leaders for the coalition. 8- Anchor the change in corporation culture: Finally for any change stick it should be the part of the organization for this purpose every thing must shown in day to day work sheet. McDonald need to discuss the change ideas and the value when hiring and training new staff and there should be the alternative of replacement of key leaders as the more on and this will be legacy and is not forggtten. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm Therefore, it is concluded that, changes of management is not bad as long as the changes made can really enhance the competitiveness and strength of an organisation.   It is effective, if and only if, a thorough investigation and evaluation of the organizations performance has made. And if the study suggests that there is a need for change, then that is the only time, the organisation should imposed required changes to be done. Because, change of management system is very critical or crucial, one wrong move, the company, might faced its biggest downturn instead of strengthen and expand its business portfolio and survive to the stiff competition in the business arena. It is recommended that McDonald must see to it that the changes are well planned and implemented carefully, because these will the basis for the success and/or failure of any organisation.

What Is Ethnonationalism And Its Political Role Politics Essay

What Is Ethnonationalism And Its Political Role Politics Essay The conclusion of the Cold War in 1991 coincides with the surge of violent civil conflicts and the break of nations based on ethnonationalism. The 1990s witnessed a new surge of violent civil conflicts and the splintering of ethnic wars (graph). Dan Smith, director of the International Peace Research Institution in Oslo (PRIO), has calculated that of the 52 armed conflicts of various sizes that took place in 42 states in 1993, 36, in 30 states, had ethno-national characteristics; that is, at lest one side could be identified as belonging to a distinct ethnic group (Tishkov 2004:72). The term ethnonationalism refers to a politicized group affiliation based on inherent traits ethnicity, race, clan, tribe, cultural heritage or religion that define a group of individuals in the minds of its members. Ethnonationalist violence should not surprise, went the common refrain, as they are based on primordial human emotions and centuries of history. There may be a shift were the individuals pr imary identity and allegiance shifts from the civil state to the ethnonation. This shift may or may not result in violent conflict. As of 2000, fewer than 10% of the worlds 191 nations are ethnically or racially homogeneous (Wright 1973:158). Such conflicts may involve great violence, such as Bosnia and Rwanda; however in other cases there is little violence, such as Northern Ireland. Ethnonationalism violent conflicts also occur within established democracy, for example, the struggle between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland (Slack and Doyon 2001:139). Ethnonationalism The roots of modern nationalism can be found in late eighteenth-century Western Europe and North America, and it subsequently spread to all of Europe and eventually to all parts of the world (Alter 1994:18). Ethnicity is the most central and powerful element in the development of nationalism. Ethnonationalism denotes both the loyalty to a nation deprived of its own state and the loyalty to an ethnic group embodied in a specific state, particularly where the latter is conceived as a nation-state (Connor 1994:?). Ethnonationalist believe nationality is inherent, one can neither acquire it if one does not have it, nor change it if one does; it has nothing to do with individual will, but constitutes a genetic characteristic (Guibernau and Rex 2010:5). Ethnonationalism is rooted in a sense of common origins, primarily ancestral, as manifested in shared linguistic, religious, and racial marker (Riggs 1994:599). Nationalism is defined as an extensive aggregation of individuals closely associated with each other by common descent, language or history, as to form a distinct race or people (Slack Doyon 2001). Nation by the latter definition becomes equivalent to ethnic group. Nation is a matter of self-awareness or self-consciousness (Connor 1978:104). This is precisely why it is so difficult to define nation, because it is a self-defining group. Nationalism arises when the members of a nation demand that the nation be organized into a sovereign state (Slack and Doyon 2001:140). The essence of nationalism is not tangible, but psychological, a matter of attitude rather than fact (Connor 1972:42). MORE ON PAGE 43. Nationalism is likely to be based on ethnic distinctions, rather than the idea that everyone who lives in a country is entitled to the same rights and privileges (Guibernau and Rex 2010:96 Reader). Allegations of ethnic supremacy, along with ethnonationalism and retribution for past in justices, are at the center of much of the ethnic violence (Cozic 1994:93). The causes and implications of ethnic conflict are understood as a dispute about important political, economic, social, cultural or territorial issues between two or more ethnic groups (Guibernau and Rex 2010:90). Ethnicity relates to the identification of individuals by language, religion, geographical location, the sharing of common historical experience, or various other elements. Membership of the group is based on the presumption of a shared trait or traits that can be anything from genealogy to dressing habits (Slack Doyon 2001:140). An ethnic group is therefore defined by a boundary ascribed by the members of the ethnic group or outsider. There is a distinction between primary and secondary ethnic groups (Riggs 1994:592). Riggs asserts that primary ethnic groups tend to function as closed sub-societies within a larger host society, whereas secondary ethnic groups, while maintaining their cultural identity, participate directly in a host society at various levels (1994:592). In modem states members of primary ethnic communities reject the state where they live as a basis for their self-identity, whereas members of secondary ethnic communities accept the state (Riggs 1994:592). Problems arise in both cases but they are different (Riggs 1994:592). Members of a primary ethnic community feel like prisoners and they seek to escape the confines of the state (Riggs 1994:592). This leads them to rebel, to seek autonomy, independence, or unification with another state by boundary changes (Riggs 1994:593). The members epitomize ethnonationalism. By contrast members of a secondary ethnic community often feel that although they ar e unfairly treated by the state, it is possible by peaceful means to secure full equality of status as citizens in all matters involving political, social and economic justice (Riggs 1994:593). Their sense of grievance often leads to political action and non-violent protests or civil disobedience, but not to rebellions (Riggs 1994:593). Conflict tends to emerge when ethnic or national identities are in opposition to each other. Additionally, between 1918 and 1945, nationalism became synonymous with intolerance, inhumanity and violence (Cozic 1994:19). Most ethnic conflicts have a background of domination, injustice or oppression by one ethnic group or another (Wright 1993:158). Although ethnic conflict is viewed as a strife based on religion, economic inequality, political, language, or another tangible element, the conflict is fundamentally based on identity which manifests itself in the us-them syndrome (Connor 1967:46). The ethnic conflict could escalate into ethic genocide. According to Riggs (1994) about 130 million individuals have been slain between 1900 and 1987 as a result of genocide committed by governments on their own people. Many times more people are killed in genocide and mass murder than in all foreign and domestic wars (Riggs 1994:583). While most of the deaths reported by Riggs probably cannot be attributed to ethnonational conflicts, however, it is reasonable to presume that ethnic conflict has been an important factor in many of them. Democracies provide minorities with opportunities for non-violent expression of grievance. Minorities believe they can gain more legitimacy through peaceful political action than by violent rebellions or terrorism. Conversely, in weak authoritarian regimes, where minorities are suppressed and often killed, some will organize rebellions, feeling that only by violence will they gain the autonomy needed to protect their interests. Riggs offers the complementary finding that genocide occurs most often in non-democratic states, whereas democracies are far more non-violent. Among the 169 million victims of democide during the 20th century, Riggs claims that only about 2 million were inflicted on their citizens by democratic states (1994). Of the 167 million, over 110 million took place under communist regimes, about 138 in totalitarian states and well over 28 million under authoritarianism. (Riggs 1994:584). Ethnonational rebellions, therefore, have several dimensions: they often combine r evolt against oppression by hostile but dominate communities with the need to create enclaves of order in a context of disorder (Riggs 1994:584). The Troubles (1968-1998) The conflict of the Troubles dates back the 1600s when Britain began colonizing Ireland, it encouraged Protestants from Scotland and English, to move to Northern Ireland to help maintain and control the Irish Catholics (Healey 2006). The new arrivals began, with the assistance of the English, to own much of the economy, political structures, and land in the northern region of Ireland. The Protestants began to separate themselves from the native Catholics through policies implemented to create separate facilities within the same society for the use of a minority group, similar to Jim Crow segregation in the United States. Difference in laws and customs between Protestants and Catholics were used to reinforce the subordinate position of the Irish Catholics. However, the Irish were not subordinated and attempted to gain their independence through violent rebellions, which ultimately led to their independents. The Eastern Rebellion in 1916, also known as the Proclamation of 1916, led to creation of the Republic of Ireland (Healey 2006). The Republic of Ireland consisted of most of the island, except the providence of Ulster. Now, Northern Ireland consisted of Protestant majority and the Republic of Ireland consisted of Catholic majority, which provided the underlying basis for the Trouble. In Northern Ireland, Catholic and Protestant are terms used to connote two diverse and conflicting cultures (Shivers and Bowmen 1984:3). Distinguishing factors between the two are internal, the way one views oneself. However, Most people in Northern Ireland insist that the civic conflict that occurred was not because of religion but sovereignty: not Protestantism but Loyalism; not Catholicism but Nationalism or Republicanism (Vincent 127). Protestant majority and Catholic minority in Northern Ireland is another way of distinguishing between the two groups. There is no distinct term to explain the minority-majority spilt, but Northern Irish people have use many other terms: Insiders/Outsiders; the haves/the have nots; colonials/natives; Scotch/Gales; Protestant/Catholic; Unionist/Nationalist; Loyalist/Republican; British/Irish; the Orange/the Green (Shivers and Bowmen 1984:4). The attempts by Catholic minority to express through the electoral process their long-standing discontent wit h political rule by a religiously and culturally distinct people, as well as the attempts of the moderate government to move toward equalization of opportunity for the minority, resulted in a series of violent reactions during 1966, and untimely the beginning of the Troubles (Connor 1967:12). The struggle predicated on fundamental differences in national identity. The people of Northern Ireland did not homogeneously consider themselves Irish. In a study conducted in 1968 by the University of Strathcylde, 43 percent considered themselves Irish, 29 percent British, 21 percent Ulster, and 7 percent mixed, uncertain, or mixed (Connor 1967:45). On the basis of ethnic and religious history in Northern Ireland, there is a correlation between those that identify themselves as Irish and Catholicism (Connor 1967:45). McGarry and OLeary (1995) interpret religion as an ethnic marker, a component of ethnonationalism in Northern Ireland, the conflict is about two contesting national identities, Unionist (Protestant) and Nationalist (Catholic). Religion is just a label used to distinguish members of one ethnonationalist group from another. Religion was used as the basis of separate social structures that keep communities apart. Whyte (1990) wrote about the three ways in which religion and social segregation were seen in Northern Ireland: segregation by religion in education, high levels of endogamy (marriage within ones religious group), and high levels of residential segregation. The churches worked together with the political parties and the two states, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, to keep people divided and maintain their power (Fulton 1991). Religion has acted as an agent in historical struggles for political power (Fulton 1991). Churches tried to keep their control through influencing political policy and maintaining their grip on the education system. According to Wright (1973), religion as an ideology is extremely important. Religion was an important source of identity in Northern Ireland, even for Protestants who do not go to church (Wright 1973). Religion can operate as an ideology even for those who are not committed believers (Wright 1973). Religion is important in many complex ways; it provides meaning and substance to ethnonational identities (Mitchell 2006). Religious ideas inform Protestants everyday understandings of social relationships and perceptions of Catholics (Wright 1973). The more segregation between communities, the less information each has of the other. Knowledge comes from socialized teachings, ideas, theories, and mythologies, which are often religious in nature (Wright 1973). Religious ideas overlap with political and economic divisions and this makes them even more important. Religion, according to Claire Mitchell (2006), derives social and political significance from five overlapping dimensions: 1) relationship between the churches and sociopolitical power (i.e. relationships with nationalist and unionist politicians), 2) role of religion as the dominant ethnic marker (maintained through segregated education, marriage, housing patterns and social networks), 3) religions role in the construction of communities (esp. Catholicism, the role of the Catholic Church in organising social life and the importance of ritual), 4) religions role in the construction of ideologies (esp. Protestantism, concepts such as liberty, the honest Ulsterman, and anti-Catholicism), and 5) relationship between theology and politics (esp. for fundamentalists/evangelicals). The essence of nation being is psychologically important. Members of a particular group feel a sense of being related to one another, or of myths of being from a common descendent. The turmoil in Northern Ireland between those who think of themselves as Irish and those who do not is facilely explained as a religious struggle, no other readily identifiable distinction, such as language or race, being in evidence (Connor 1984:146). Ethnonational discrimination does occur in a given state, for example, in Northern Ireland discrimination is a major element in the poorer economic and occupational status of the Irish as contrast with the non-Irish (Connor1984:148). The Good Friday Agreement marked the end of the Troubles, which was established in 1998, created a new power sharing agreement for the governance in Northern Ireland (Healey 2006). Thus, both Protestant and Catholic parties would participate in the government. The Bosnian War (1992-1995) Yugoslavia was formed in 1918, at the end of World War I (Healey 2006:479). The country consists of a variety of ethnic groups, including Croats, Serbs, Bosnians, and Muslims. In 1974 Josip Broz Tito turned Yugoslavia into a confederation of six republics, one of which was Bosnia and Herzegovina (Slack and Doyon 2001:142). Bosnia was the most diverse republic, often described as a microcosm of the Balkans, a human mosaic made up of the genes of innumerable (Slack and Doyon 2001:141). Before this the Muslims have never been able to assert themselves as a distinct ethnic group, with aspirations of statehood, as have the Croats and Serbs (Slack and Doyon 2001:141). As a consequence of the newly formed republics, Muslims were going to be the dominant group in Bosnia. During the time that Yugoslavia was led by Tito, Roman Catholic Croats, Orthodox Christian Serbs, and Muslim Bosnians coexisted peacefully in Bosnia. However, following Titos death in 1980, Yugoslavia began to be breakup. While the Croats tended to view Yugoslavia as a decentralized federation, the Serbs were espoused to a highly centralized system (Slack and Doyon 2001:142). With Bosnias secession from Yugoslavia in 1992, the Bosnian Croats and the Bosnian Serbs suddenly became apart of the ethnic minorities in the new state of Bosnia instead of being members of the dominant Croat and Serb nations within Yugoslavia. The population Bosnia in 1991 consisted of Bosnian Muslims (1.9 million, 44% of all), Serbs (1.4 million, 31%), Bosnian Croats (760,000), 17%, and Others (all remaining ethnicities jointly: 350,000, 8%) (Tabeaui and Bijaki 2005:188). Demographic conditions can lead to ethnonationalist war when ethnonationalism becomes a political force (Slack and Doyon 2001:159). The relative numbers of rival ethnic populations within a disputed territory becomes an issue of concern for a civil war. Bosnian Serbs, and later also Bosnian Croats, fought (often through ethnic cleansing and terror campaigns) to take and control territories that otherwise would be subject to the rule of Bosnian Muslims. Ethnic conflict takes place when mobilized identity groups struggle for greater power, whether for power in an already established state or a newly independent state. In 1991, the Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic began to increase the dominance of Serbs in the former Yugoslavia, particularly in three republics, Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, felt directly threatened by Serb nationalism and the perspective of Greater Serbia carved out of the territories mainly in Bosnia (Tabeaui and Bijaki 2005:188). The Muslims fought for these terr itories, as they believed they did not have much choice. Breaking away from Yugoslavia put Bosnian Muslims in a particularly difficult position, as they were left with no support other than the one expected from the international community, which came in April 1992, however, it did not stop the Bosnian conflict (Tabeaui and Bijaki 2005:189). Due to the mixed ethnic composition of Bosnia, there was an absence of a single ethnic Muslim republic in the former Yugoslavia. The most essential observation of the Bosnian population at the outbreak of the 1990s conflict is that while there were Bosnians in a geographical sense, there were hardly any Bosnians in a political sense. Bosnian Muslims, Serbs and Croats existed as politically distinct groups who happened to live in Bosnia (Tabeaui and Bijaki 2005:188). Political goals of these groups were too distinct to allow for coexistence. Serbs, and later also Croats, fought, often through ethnic cleansing and terror campaigns, to take and control of Bosnia (Tabeaui and Bijaki 2005:188). The conflicts were not religious wars, but religion and language were important tools of ethnic identification, ethnonationalism. In an effort to distinguish the other the ethnic groups stressed subtle differences among the languages. Located in the heart of the former-Yugoslavia, Bosnia found itself locked between two more powerful states, Croatia and Serbia. The wars caused the most destruction in Bosnia, as the country contains sizeable Croat and Serb populations. The 1990 elections, is an example of growing ethnonationalism in Bosnia, members of each ethnic group voted in the 1990 election along ethnic nationalist lines, even though they were unimpressed with the party leaders, out of fear that ethnic groups to which they did not belong would gain political ascendancy (Slack and Doyon 2001:143). The political construction of ethnonationalism had now begun, and Bosnia was beginning to partition. The Territorial partitions can lead to renewed violence and mass refugee flows, entail an indefinite international peacekeeping presence, and paradoxically can result in new sets of sectarian demands (Wood 2001:70). An imposed partition only rarely results in a homogeneous territory and often leads to civic wars. Signed at the end of the war, the Dayton Agreement was more of a ceasefire agreement than a sustainable, long-term solution for Bosnia. According to this agreement signed in December 1995, Bosnia is a partitioned state divided into two parts. One entity is the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a majority of Muslims and Croat population, and the other entity is Republika Srpska, almost entirely populated by Serbs (Tabeaui and Bijaki 2005:189). The borders were determined by the frontlines when the wars ended, resulting in the formation of ethnic enclaves. The three dominant ethnic groups, Muslims, Serbs, and Croats, are represented in all levels of government thus creating excess personnel and slow reform. The country has three presidents, one from each group, and a parliament in which Croats, Serbs and Muslims each have a third of seats. Furthermore, many politicians gain votes in elections through ethnonationalist campaigns that appeal to their own ethnic and religious group . The entire government reports to a High Representative, who is appointed largely by the international community and will remain in Bosnia for an undetermined time. Since the wars, the population of Bosnia in 2009 was 4.6 million according to the CIA World Factbook. Muslims comprise 48% of the population, Serbs are 37% and Croats are 14%. Religious demographics strongly reflect ethnic demographics in the population of Bosnia, with 40% Muslim, 31% Orthodox, and 15% Roman Catholic. With such a strong connection between religion and ethnicity in the former Yugoslavia, it is not surprising that religion became an important tool of identification of ethnonationalism during and after the wars. Rwanda (1994) While Rwandas two ethnic groups, Hutus and Tutsis, experienced a long history of hatred, the conflict escalated in April 1994 when a plane carrying the Hutu President of Rwanda was shot down over the capital, Kigali (Healey 2006). The suspicious deaths of the presidents of Rwanda triggered a sudden and massive bloodletting, primarily by Hutus against Tutsis (Wood 2001:60). An estimated 5-10 per cent of Rwandas population was then killed between the second week of April and the third week of May 1994; one of the highest casualty rates of any population in history from non-natural causes (Hintjens 1999:241-2). In all roughly 800,000 people were killed, and millions fled Rwanda (Healey 2006). The history of Tutsi and Hutu over the past century is one in which traditional ethnic roles were continually manipulated, fuelling hostility and making recurring mass violence all but inevitable (Wood 2001:64). Colonization and conquest helped fuel the already intense ethnic conflict between the Tutsis and Hutus in what is now Rwanda (Healey 2006). Traditionally, Tutsis had been the rulers over the Hutus. By 1400, Europeans nations began colonizing Africa, and Germany had established control over the region, which possessed Rwanda, in the late 1800s (Healey 2006). In an attempted to administer and control Rwanda, Germany put the Tutsis in a position to govern the Hutus. The case of divide and rule, further perpetrated the hostility between the two ethnic groups (Healey 2006:480). After Germanys defeat in WWI, Belgium took control over the region, and continued the tradition of the political and economic differentials between the two tribes (Healey 2006:480). Colonial support shifted toward Hutus in the 1950s and, by Rwandas independence from Belgium in 1962, a new generation of Hutu leaders were able to turn against the Tutsis, expelling several hundred thousand to neighboring Burundi and Uganda (Wood 2001:62). In 1969, two nations were established in the region: Burundi, which was dominated by Tutsis, and Rwanda, which was dominated by Hutus (Healey 2006). The Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Tutsi, had been waging an increasingly successful war since its 1990 offensive against the Hutu-dominated government of President Habyarimana (Wood 2001:60). His government had managed to control ethnic violence in the 1980s and had been pursuing power-sharing talks with the RPF that culminated in the August 1993 Arusha Accords (Wood 2001:60). At the same time, though, he had also cracked down on political opponents, including moderate Hutus, and had begun to incite violence against Tutsis (Wood 2001:60). An October 1993 Tutsi military coup against the predominantly Hutu government of neighboring Burundi heightened paranoia among Rwandan Hutus (Wood 2001:60). Up to and during the April-July 1994 genocide, the RPF continued to take territory away from government troops and finally ousted the government (Wood 2001:60). Hutu militia (known as the Interahamwe originally a government-sponsored youth movement became an armed anti-Tutsi force in the early 1990s) hunted down Tutsis and moderate Hutus (Wood 2001:60). The Interahamwe ideology behind the government supported genocide painted Tutsis as an invading force from the north. This inaccurate caricature was reinforced by colonial rulers who favoured the Tutsis as natural born leaders, racially superior to Hutus, and imposed ethnic identity cards, thereby aggravating a tightly controlled political system and an economically interdependent society (Wood 2001:72). Officials of the authoritarian regime of President Juvenal Habyarimana, felt as if their power was diminishing so they used their monopoly of media to create a finely tuned propaganda machine that played on Hutu fears of the former Tutsi elite and purveyed false, versions of the history of relations between the two groups (Snyder and Ballentine 1996:30). In April 1994, the Hutu official group unleashed militias trained in the techniques of genocide. At the same time, Radio-T6levision Libre des Mille Collines, a pseudo-private station established by Habyarimanas wife, announced that Tutsi rebels were about to rise up and kill Hutu, and consequently that all Hutu should join the militias in a campaign of preventive killing (Snyder and Ballentine 1996:30). Unlike Bosnia, where ethnic cleansing dragged on for several years, the genocidal frenzy in Rwanda lasted about three months (Wood 2001:60). Exhorted by government-sponsored hate broadcasts and leaflets, and often led by officials, many Hutus turned on their Tutsi neighbors with a vengeance. For the most part, Hutu mobs had free reign to shoot, hack, and beat to death men, women, and children hiding in their homes, churches, hospitals, and even orphanages (Wood 2001:61). Many Tutsi women were raped before being killed and many children, as a means of degrading and terrorizing Tutsi communities. Interahamwe leaders carefully planned the genocide, provided weapons, compiled lists of important Tutsis, and went to each commune to ensure that killings were thoroughly carried out (Wood 2001:61). The ideology behind Rwandas genocide evolved amidst harsh conditions of poverty, arable land scarcity, and income inequity (Wood 2001:64). Theories of racial struggles and hierarchy enhance during the time of economic struggle. In the mid 1980s the price of coffee dropped (Hintjens 1999). The export of coffee and tea has been important in the region (Healey 2006). As a result of the economic decline, the search began for a scapegoat and the decline became another reason for genocide. In Rwanda conspiracy theories and myths were used to justify genocide. In an impoverished ethnocratic state like Rwanda, ethnicity is also the ruling principle of economic and social differentiation, with ethnic groups then forced to confront each other in the process of competition for material and social resources (Markakis 1993, 236). Such demography-linked pressures as shrinking farm size (an average of less than 1 hectare) and high fertility rates (with a population doubling time of under 20 years a nd a young population age structure), as well as a stagnant economy, helped increase tensions between Rwandas 7.8 million Hutus and Tutsis (Wood 2001:64). Nationalism in effect attempts to squeeze an idealized grouping of otherwise disparate people into a territorially defined state (Agnew and Corbridge 1995). Ethnic segregation through the division of artificially bounded political units becomes a requirement for the preservation of a groups threatened identity and thus a matter of life and death. (Wood 2001:63). Comparative Analyze In both Rwanda and Bosnia, the genocides have been part of an overall socio-economic collapse that has left its perpetrators financially much worse off than they were before. Genocidists justified their actions through an ideological than an economic view of national greatness, while exploiting difficult living conditions to scapegoat minorities (Wood 2001:64). In addition, they initiate genocidal measures in peripheral areas of the redefined living space; some of the most brutal violence took place in the rural peripheries of northern and eastern Bosnia, eastern Croatia, northwest Rwanda, and eastern Congo (Wood 2001:64). At the same time, genocidists can go to great lengths to crush heterogeneous and thus politically suspect enclaves within the cultural core of an endlessly purifying homeland (Wood 2001:65). In both Bosnia and Rwanda, the belligerent ethnic groups speak the same language and most Tutsis and Hutus even belong to the same religion. Political leaders in both areas exaggerated perceived ethnic differences and old grievances (Wood 2001:65). They also manipulated violence-inciting propaganda, such as broadcasts by Rwandas infamous Radio Mille Collines describing Tutsis as cockroaches (Wood 2001:65). While not the grand territorially defined strategy that it was in Bosnia, ethnic cleansing was also the goal of Rwandan genocidists. In Rwanda the mechanics of ethnic cleansing were simpler than in Bosnia. Tutsis and some moderate Hutus were killed on the spot or rounded up (either encouraged or forced) in convenient locales, usually church and school compounds, and then massacred by the thousands (Wood 2001:68). But like Bosnia and other twentieth century genocides, ethnic cleansing could not be contained within Rwanda (Wood 2001:68). Bosnia and Rwanda, two radically different geographic contexts, are testimony to how dormant ethnic mistrust and fear can be manipulated into a swift genocidal eruption (Wood 2001:72). In an increasingly heterogeneous world, genocide will remain a fundamental international security threat. (Wood 2001:72). Central to the process of the Bosnian war is the concept of ethnonationalism. The Bosnian war arose out of the collapse of totalitarian control of territory producing a political void that, in turn, exposes a deep-rooted rivalry between ethnic groups leading to a struggle for control of territory ending in an attempt at violent resolution (Slack Doyon 2001:140). Conclusion

The Mask Of Apollo - Review Essay -- essays research papers

"The Mask of Apollo" revolves around the adventures of Nikeratos, a young actor who travels the countryside of ancient Greece and Sicily while performing in various plays. In one play, Kadmos by Sophokles the Younger, Nikeratos is required to wear an old mask of Apollo as part of his costume. The mask is fifty years old and is rumored to bring good luck. Nikeratos is impressed with the mask and comes to believe that it possesses special powers. He begins to make reverent gestures toward it as when he places a bay-sprig above it and sprinkles drops of wine on the floor in front of it. During one performance of the play a battle breaks out with a neighboring town. As the actors continue performing, Nikeratos touches the mask for luck and promises to make an offering to Apollo if the god helps him get through the scene. The superstitious townspeople spotting Nikeratos in the mask begin calling on Apollo to help them win the battle. In the end they are successful in their fight. From this point forward Nikeratos carries the mask with him and defers to it when he needs guidance. Accounts of Greek history are dispersed throughout the book with the politics of the ancient Greek world of Syracuse playing a major role in the story. Nikeratos attempts to ignore politics as he sees himself as an actor who is separate from the government scene. Through his travels in various plays however, he finds himself being pulled into the civil turmoil by his relationships with the p...

Somnambulism - Sleep Walking :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Somnambulism - Sleep Walking One of the interesting sleep disorder is sleep walking. The medical, or more scientific, term for sleep walking is somnambulism. The characteristic symptoms are walking or exhibiting other activities while seemingly still asleep. (1) I became interested in researching this topic, because I sleep walk. I sleep walk only when I am under stress, which is not often. However, it is one of my primary concerns because I exhibit an extremely violent behavior. I began my research by looking for the relationship between somnambulism and the brain. I found that they are related, but the details are still under research. Then, I looked for the cause, however, since the detailed mechanism of the brain during sleep walking is not defined, a specific cause and effect was also not clearly defined. Thus, this paper will include the information that the researchers have obtained so far, the type of experiments that have been done, and the problems in obtaining more information about somnambulism. The term somnambulism comes from the Latin words for sleep (somnus) and walking (ambulus). A typical sleepwalking episode is rather short. Sleepwalkers may simply appear awake, or exhibit complicated activity such as driving a car, while asleep. (2) The researchers have been using a device called the Electroencephalogram (EEG) to understand sleep and sleep disorders. This device measures the electromagnetic waves that are emitted from the brain at various locations around the head. These waves are amplified and fed to a plotter, which plots the amplitude of the waves over time. This device identified four stages of sleep.(3) The first sleep state, before the four stages, is pre-sleep. The EEG reading of an active and awake person shows mainly beta waves, which are low-amplitude, high frequency waves. Beta waves are associated with conscious thought. As a person begins to fall asleep, the EEG reading becomes punctuated with alpha waves, which are regular waves of higher amplitude. Alpha waves are associated with a relaxed mind. The first stage of sleep shows similar beta waves as the first sleep state, except at a lower frequency. As time progresses within stage 1, there is a gradual lowering of frequency and simultaneous increase of amplitude. The second stage of sleep show two characteristic waves. K-complexes consist of a single large amplitude wave, and Sleep spindles are 1-2 second bursts of very high frequency irregular waves. The third stage shows infrequent intrusion of delta waves, which have high amplitude and a low frequency. Somnambulism - Sleep Walking :: Biology Essays Research Papers Somnambulism - Sleep Walking One of the interesting sleep disorder is sleep walking. The medical, or more scientific, term for sleep walking is somnambulism. The characteristic symptoms are walking or exhibiting other activities while seemingly still asleep. (1) I became interested in researching this topic, because I sleep walk. I sleep walk only when I am under stress, which is not often. However, it is one of my primary concerns because I exhibit an extremely violent behavior. I began my research by looking for the relationship between somnambulism and the brain. I found that they are related, but the details are still under research. Then, I looked for the cause, however, since the detailed mechanism of the brain during sleep walking is not defined, a specific cause and effect was also not clearly defined. Thus, this paper will include the information that the researchers have obtained so far, the type of experiments that have been done, and the problems in obtaining more information about somnambulism. The term somnambulism comes from the Latin words for sleep (somnus) and walking (ambulus). A typical sleepwalking episode is rather short. Sleepwalkers may simply appear awake, or exhibit complicated activity such as driving a car, while asleep. (2) The researchers have been using a device called the Electroencephalogram (EEG) to understand sleep and sleep disorders. This device measures the electromagnetic waves that are emitted from the brain at various locations around the head. These waves are amplified and fed to a plotter, which plots the amplitude of the waves over time. This device identified four stages of sleep.(3) The first sleep state, before the four stages, is pre-sleep. The EEG reading of an active and awake person shows mainly beta waves, which are low-amplitude, high frequency waves. Beta waves are associated with conscious thought. As a person begins to fall asleep, the EEG reading becomes punctuated with alpha waves, which are regular waves of higher amplitude. Alpha waves are associated with a relaxed mind. The first stage of sleep shows similar beta waves as the first sleep state, except at a lower frequency. As time progresses within stage 1, there is a gradual lowering of frequency and simultaneous increase of amplitude. The second stage of sleep show two characteristic waves. K-complexes consist of a single large amplitude wave, and Sleep spindles are 1-2 second bursts of very high frequency irregular waves. The third stage shows infrequent intrusion of delta waves, which have high amplitude and a low frequency.