Monday, September 30, 2019

Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen and Letters to Alice- Fay Weldon Essay

An examination of Jane Austen’s 1813 social satire Pride and Prejudice, and the reading of Fay Weldon’s 1984 epistolary text Letters to Alice on first reading Jane Austen, allows understanding of Austen’s novel to be moulded and then shifted. Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners, focusing on marriage, Pride, Prejudice and Social Class which are projected through the characters, gentry-class setting and Austen’s authorial comment. Austen’s purpose was to portray the world of the gentry class, and satirise some aspects of her society and praise others. Weldon’s purpose is to encourage an understanding of the value of literature for individuals and society. She models Austen’s writing to demonstrate her argument and in so doing she gives a heightened understanding of values in Austen’s context. She reviews Austen’s society, providing an explanation of social conventions such as marriage, social stratification and women. Aunt Fay’s opinions allow readers to reshape their understanding of events and characters in Pride and Prejudice. Her conclusions allow the reader to draw connections between our contemporary society and Austen’s context, which then enables us to reshape our original understanding of Pride and Prejudice and our own context. Through Letters to Alice, Weldon discusses the importance in the value of literature. This is displayed through use of the imperative ‘you must read†. Her observing of literature linking to the transcendence of time is examined when adopting the metaphor of the city of invention, which educates the readers of what good literature is and the solid foundations that make it withstand time. Aunt Fay says â€Å"Through reading literature we learn about the way people thought and how they lived, the ways we are different and the things we share†, suggesting an implicit link to Austen’s work. Weldon writes that good literature has the ability to â€Å"transcend time and reach readers across centuries†. She demonstrates that the characters Austen created, are still relevant in modern society. The universal themes of faults and failings such as prejudice are seen in both texts, as they were been written for moral guidance purposes. Austen uses her novel to suggest how people should behave. She condemns snobbery, pride and prejudice. For example, Austen uses the character transformation between Elizabeth and Darcy and rewards them with happiness. Through Mary, Austen uses authorial comment on pride by saying â€Å"human nature is particularly prone to it†¦a  person may be proud without being vain†. Weldon’s character Aunt Fay is comparable to Jane Austen, as she teaches her niece Alice to read, be appreciative of her world and develop empathy for those who are less fortunate. Through Aunt Fay’s didacticism, the readers see a changing Alice, similarly to Elizabeth Bennet’s character transformation in Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth has to overcome her initial judgements of Mr Darcy in order to gain a heightened understanding of herself. For example, after the first brief encounter with Darcy â€Å"she remained with no very cordial feelings towards him†. She is left believing he is arrogant and the most disagreeable man. However she learns from her wrongness when she begins to understand his character and his motives. This is similar to Alice’s experience, as she is taught to reshape her opinionated first impressions of Jane Austen and the Professors wife. Alice comes to understand, through Aunt Fay’s letters, that she has taken her life and educational opportunities for granted and should not make judgements of Unlovable when only based on her Professor’s opinion. Marriage is the primary concern of Austen’s novel. The immense importance of which is referred to by Mrs Bennet â€Å"If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and all the others equally well married, I have nothing to wish for†. The plot follows Mrs Bennet’s desperation in having her five daughters married to men who have inherited a substantial fortune. The novel reflects Austen’s context where marriage was a result of seeing profitable prospects rather than love. This is exemplified through Mrs Bennet’s comment â€Å"A single man of a large fortune†¦what a fine thing for our girls!† Marriage benefited the couple in both wealth and social status. Austen utilises a variety of marriages to contrast and show preference to the uniting of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy who have love and respect, and have had to overcome initial personal judgements of each other. Elizabeth Bennet, who has to reassess her prejudice and Mr Darcy, who has to overcome his pride. They become the most affluent and respected couple in the novel. The idea of entailment ensured the family fortune was inherited by the men, which meant women had limited inheritance rights. This is the main incentive for Mrs Bennet having her children married to men with a substantial fortune, as when Mr Bennet dies, the family will be left poor. This is augmented through Weldon who expresses empathy towards Mrs Bennet, and says â€Å"life was not rosy† whether women married or not. This helps to reshape the  understanding of marriage gained in Austen’s novel, as it was previously believed that marriage lead to a better lifestyle for women. Fay Weldon connects the idea of marriage by linking the two generations, and interpreting the changing facets of matrimony. In Jane Austen’s period, marriage was a necessity rather than a commodity. Alice, the representative for the contemporary context, perceives marriage as an â€Å"outmoded institution†. Alice views Austen’s novel as â€Å"boring, petty and irrelevant†, as her context believes love should be factored into marriage. Fay Weldon connects the generations by justifying aspects that have remained the same or have changed. She highlights the harsh realities of married women in Jane Austen’s patriarchal world. For example, she writes â€Å"men could beat you if they saw fit†. Weldon describes Austen’s contextual ideas on marriage through Aunt Fay who attempts to help her niece Alice, a rebellious university student, understand the necessity for marriage in Austen’s context. She uses the metaphor â€Å"To marry was a great prize. It was a woman’s aim†¦No wonder Mrs Bennet driven half mad by anxiety, knowing they would be unprovided for when her husband died†. This helps the readers to reshape their understanding of Mrs Bennet. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen satirises and condemns her character for her obsession with finding suitable partners for her unmarried daughters. However, Aunt Fay’s didactic attempt on using empathy is expressed through Mrs Bennet, who is described as â€Å"politeness warred with desperation†. Weldon details the unions between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy to be unlikely, given their differences in social standing. This is reinforced by Aunt Fay reminding Alice, â€Å"Novels are illusion not reality†. This perspective on matrimony takes the reader back to Pride and Prejudice and reinforces Charlotte’s pragmatic perspective â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance†. Aunt Fay recognises that some unions have not changed from Austen’s period. There are women who still marry for survival. For example, the importation of Asian wives links to the marriage between Charlotte and Mr Collins, as she â€Å"found happiness, inspite of marrying for all the wrong reasons†. To heighten the readers understanding of marriage in Pride and Prejudice, she says â€Å"is the stuff of our women’s magazines, but it was the stuff of their life, their very existence.† This is Weldon reinforcing the idea of necessity for marriage for women of Austen’s context. It helps Alice to overcome her initial  thoughts on marriage in Pride and Prejudice. In Pride and Prejudice, social class overrides all other emotions such love and happiness. Mr Darcy is the central character who defines the upper class of Regency England. Mr Wickham uses bitter verbal irony to describe Darcy, noting â€Å"He was to be above all company, in having been unworth y to be compared†. Austen defies her conventional ideas on social stratification through the eccentric unions of matrimony between Elizabeth and Darcy or Jane and Bingley. These marriages occur, despite the authorative Lady Catherine saying â€Å"â€Å"Your alliance will be a disgrace, you name will never be mentioned by any of us†. This allows the readers to see that Austen had created Elizabeth Bennet, to break through her society’s rigid values. This is linked to Weldon’s comment â€Å"Jane Austen likes to see the division between nobility and gentry broken down†, as the division had been created when Elizabeth married Darcy. Fay Weldon uses social stratification to connect the gap between Austen’s society and the modern world. She contemporises Austen’s text by having the didactic Aunt Fay write to Alice explaining â€Å"â€Å"the gentry thought well of themselves, and liked to despise the nobility for their rackety ways, and were despised by them, in turn for being worthy and boring†. In this, Weldon suggests that people of both societies were limited by social boundaries. Through Weldon’s text, Aunt Fay attempts to make the readers feel empathy through the explanation of stratified women’s lives â€Å"Women were born poor, and stayed poor, and lived well only by their husbands’ favour.† Weldon’s use of stratification, like Austen’s, is used for didactic purposes. She writes â€Å"human nature does not change over the centuries†, indicating that snobbery, pride, prejudice and criticism, which Austen satirised in Pride and Prejudice, are still relevant in modern society. For example, Caroline Bingley’s criticism of the middle class is similar to criticism aimed at writers, deriving from the readers who do not understand the difficulty of writing well. Austen believes women should have options and opinions. Her character Elizabeth is independent, witty and judgemental. She defies social conventions and is used as a model for achieving Austen’s purpose, and in return, is rewarded with love. There was also the idea of accomplished women being more suitable to men. Women who were well educated in the art of music, literature and languages, were thought to be accomplished and therefore more attractive to a suitor. Miss Bingley states, using  accumulation â€Å"A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word†. In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennet sisters did not attend school and were only trained in accomplishment. This juxtaposes with Alice’s lifestyle, as she is eligible to attend university on a different continent to further her education. An example of this is when Aunt Fay plants the idea â€Å"why don’t you go to UCLA and write?† This helps people understand the limitations of women in Pride and Prejudice and justify the difference between the ideas of a successful woman in both contexts. Fay Weldon defines women’s lives in Austen’s context and compares it to modern society. She models Austen’s life for Alice to gain a heightened understanding of the difficulties women faced to defy social conventions. She demonstrates this by using the metaphor â€Å"It takes grea t courage to swim against the stream of communal ideas†. In this, Weldon is depicting the complications for Austen to see her world and reprimand its values on marriage, social class and women, whilst providing an alternative perspective. Weldon describes the limitations for female writers as they were expected to â€Å"be tender, flatter, deceive†¦never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own†. Female writers were discouraged from inventing and were only allowed to write about their world. Aunt Fay’s brief explanation of the female writers contrasts with contemporary society, with Aunt Fay being the example. With the ability of travel and freely express her opinions, she is able to write without concern of her work being unpublished because of contemporary values. Unlike Austen, she is being paid and recognised for the texts she writes. Fay Weldon uses didacticism to develop an empathetic link to women in Austen’s context by detailing to Alice â€Å"by your standards it was a horrible time to liveâ₠¬ . For example, she gives statistical evidence of childbirth â€Å"childbirth was primitive†¦there was no analgesics†¦your chances of dying were†¦one in two†. In this, Aunt Fay highlights that Alice should not take being autonomous for granted. This is delineated through Aunt Fay expressing â€Å"You do not know little Alice, how recent or lucky you are†. A close study of Jane Austen’s 1813 social satire Pride and Prejudice and the 1984 epistolary text Letters to Alice on first reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon, allows us to draw connections between the two texts and for our original understanding of Austen’s text to be shaped and shifted. Austen uses the main themes in Pride  and Prejudice, such as Marriage, social class and Pride, to express her approval or disapproval of her societies’ attitudes. Weldon’s text is used for didactic purposes to encourage an understanding of the value of literature, for which she uses Austenâ₠¬â„¢s writing to project her ideas. She reviews Austen’s context by providing an explanation of social conventions such as marriage, social stratification and women.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Global Civil Societies

There has been a great deal of expansion and formation of new civil societies around the globe. This has particularly come about due to the process of globalization and the expansion of democratic governance, telecommunications and economic integration, in addition, as well as the threat to security. The term is seen as a progressive process particularly because many claim that global civil society is committed to the values of human rights, gender equality, social justice and democracy.On the whole global civil societies are those organizations that operate in the international realm that share the purpose of correcting the world social order, bringing about harmony and dealing with issues that affect human freedom and human equality, in other words these global civil societies are concerned about creating a better world through advocating a fairer, freer and a more just global order. Just to name a few, organizations such as the World Trade Organization, Amnesty International, Gree npeace and Human Rights Watch.Thus the following essay shall critically review the different definitions of Global Civil Societies and look at what are global civil societies are and its purpose as well as share light on criticisms of global civil societies. Although the idea of global civil society fits well with the notion of creating a just global world, there are definitions that are highly contested and argued against. In order for us to understand the concept of global civil societies, one needs to understand the term civil societies.Therefore the following paragraph shall put light on the meaning and nature of civil society. Civil society is seen as a social sphere independent of the state and the market (Thorn and Moksnes. 2012:5). It is understood as the collection of non-state, non-profit, voluntary organization formed by people within a state. These organizations seek to influence the policy of government and international organizations and to complement government servic es. Traditionally civil society includes networks, associations, groups, movements that occupy the social space between the family and the state.Yet there have been various changes to the definition of civil society, which will later be seen as a challenge to the term global civil society. Mary Kaldor, in her article The idea of Global Civil Society, elaborates on the concept of civil society and how it becomes global civil society. She explains, civil society is a modern concept, which can be traced back to Aristotle and other modern thinkers, who came to believe that there was no distinction between civil society and the state (Kaldor. 2003:584). Thus civil society at this time was seen as a type of state that was characterised by a social contract (Kaldor. 003:584). However in the nineteenth century the concept of civil society took on a whole new meaning, it was now seen as dependent of the state. It now becomes to be seen as the intermediate realm between the family and the sta te (Kaldor. 2003:584). For Hegel, civil society was the ‘achievement of the modern world-the territory of mediation where there is a free play for every idiosyncrasy, every talent, every accident of birth and fortune and where waves of passion gust forth, regulated only by reason glinting through them’ (John. 999:3), thus to Hegel, civil societies included the economy and its history (Hegel. 1996). Yet in the early twentieth century, civil society adopted a new definition, it came to be understood as the realm not just between the state and the family, yet the realm between culture, ideology, political debate, the state and the family (Kaldor. 2003:585). One aspect that is associated with the concept of civil society is the relationship it shares with socialism and democracy, in other words it recognizes the sociological underpinnings of modern democracy (Khilnami. 001:16). Thus, one can understand that civil societies were about a rule-governed society based on the con sent of individuals. Overall, civil society is a process through which individuals can negotiate, argue, fight against or agree with each other on political and economical issues, and these can all be done through voluntary associations, movements, parties, unions and the individual. Issues such as political rights, the economy, human rights, and labour rights are the things civil society contests with the government (Anheier et al. 001:4). As stated before they reach boundaries that the government cannot. This leads to the question, what is global civil society, in retrospect; it is civil societies within the global sphere which deals with global issues. However, how global is civil society? What is ‘global civil society’? Many supporters of global civil society have stressed the latter, asserting that global civil society is a progressive concept, in other words, one that advances the values of social justice and human rights.For example, Mary Kaldor (2003), states th at global civil society is also about the â€Å"meaning of human equality in an increasingly unjust world†. Global civil society can be defined as encompassing all associations, excluding governments, the private sectors and families that act transnationally, thus it is about understanding globalization from small levels such as from the ordinary people. In addition global civil society refers to the huge collection of groups that operate across borders and beyond the reach of governments (Anheier et al. 001:3). A simple definition of the concept is as follows, it is a vast, interconnected and multi-layered non-governmental space that comprises many hundreds of thousands of self-directing institutions and ways of life that generate global effects, the ideal type of global civil society, which will be discussed later, brings in the idea that we can strengthen our collective powers of guiding and transforming world order (Storrar et al. 2011). Furthermore, global civil society refers to civil society groups that operate within the global spectrum.It can be linked to the process of globalisation which has allowed the globalization of communication and information and a global market, where you find citizens in one country support citizens in another. Therefore, the term, global civil society refers to non-governmental structures and activities that consist of individuals, households, profit seeking business, non-profit governmental organisations, coalitions, social movements and cultural communities that work towards a common objective (Keane. 2003:7).It also comprises of public personalities, such as Gandhi and Bill Gates, as well as bodies such as Amnesty International and the International Red Cross (Keane. 2003:7). All these associations and organizations despite geographical distance, and barriers of time, have deliberately organised themselves and conducted cross boarder social activities, business and politics outside the boundaries of governmental structures in the hope to create a just global order. John Keane argues that global civil societies is taking shape but that its character and implications for the older state system remain unclear (Keane. 003:7), as many associate ‘civil society’ as being part of the state, yet the concept of the global civil society is that it is independent of the state and that it functions on its own, such as non-governmental organisation and international organizations. This is a contested argument. Consequently, Global civil society adopted a similar concept as civil society, however it is seen as a response to rising concerns for the need of a new social, economic and political deal at the global level.Thus it functions at a global level and looks at issues that affect the whole world. One of the definitions of global civil society is it being an ideal-type, John Keane speaks of the ideal-type of global civil society, according to him, it is referred to as a dynamic non-governme ntal system of international socio-economical institutions that straddle the whole earth, and that has complex effects that are felt in its four corners. It is neither a static object nor a fait accompli (Keane. 003:8). He furthers states that global civil society is â€Å"an unfinished project that consists of sometimes thick, and other times thinly stretched networks—socio-economic institutions and actors who organise themselves across borders, with the deliberate aim of drawing the world together† (Keane, 2003:8). Therefore it is seen as its own form of society, which uses its own powers, influences, without the use of neither violent, nor the help from the state and government to bring about change.On the other hand, many question whether global civil society is democratic. Global civil society in many senses can be said to be democratic as it claims to be independent of the nation states and is not influenced by the government. Hakan Thorn and Heidi Moksnes argue that global civil society can be linked to global democratisation, particularly because it represents a response to the democratic deficit, which is seen as one of the most problematic aspects of the globalization process (Thorn and Moksnes. 012:4). Thus global civil society, as a process of self-organisation of transnational social spheres is seen as a potential carrier of democratic learning processes, as it has the ability to widen the meaning and practice of democracy across nations, allowing for public debate, as well as advocate for human rights, through its cooperation with civil societies and its relation with states and other influential organizations such as transnational corporations.It was mentioned earlier that global civil society is considered progressive, for example in the case of its campaign against Landmines and the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt relief are two of their successful campaigns (Wild. 2006: 2). They have also, according to Wild, have succeeded in put ting forward new issues and ides onto the international agenda, changing national and international policies and have helped improve the transparency and accountability of global institutions, as well as mobilized public awareness and political engagement (Wild. 2006:2).On the other hand, it is argued that global civil society is not inherently progressive, it is rather seen as being heterogeneous, as you will find that it comprises of groups that are illiberal, anti-democratic, violent as well as liberal, democratic and peaceful. In other words, let’s look at what exactly are global civil societies made of, Thorn and Moksnes state that, global civil society are comprised of civil society actors whom engage across the world within the global arena, in sharing experiences and formulating global norms (Thorn and Moksnes. 2012:4).Thus if Greenpeace is part of global civil societies, surly Al Qaeda is too. Therefore, global civil society as being democratic is highly contested. F urthermore it is difficult to understand the concept of global civil society as being independent of the government, because questions of funding, legal assistance, protection from threats arise, as the state and government are seen by many as the only body that is capable of organizing effective legitimate power. In addition as we look at previous definitions of â€Å"civil society†, it was once defined as having relations with the state.Further on, one may question how can non-governmental organizations poses political influences if it has no ties whatsoever with the neither state nor government. Secondly how can one be sure what is the correct definition of global civil society as the term civil society has in the past adopted several definitions? Corry (2006) writes of the critics of â€Å"global civil societies†, where he shares light on three main criticism of the meanings and definitions of global civil society.According to him, these criticism have awakened par ticularly because, the term global civil society over the years has been seen as hopelessly vague, others doubt its ability to effectively challenge the strong hold the state has, and lastly many question its ability in being a actor on the world stage because of the supposed anti-democratic nature of global civil society. The first criticism claims that it is ambiguous, its definitions is weak and holds no theoretical explanation (Corry. 2006:305).The problem with the term is that there have been so many contested definitions as to what civil society is that it is criticised for exactly what does civil society really mean in this contemporary and modern world. It becomes a problem because now which definition is relevant and most functional. A second criticism is the problem of statist bias, it is argued that global civil society is no product of that state, yet many beg to differ; particularly because of the term â€Å"civil society† which in the past was in relation with t he state (Corry. 2006:306).They accuse global civil society of suggesting a hidden comparison between global and domestic spheres (Corry. 2006:307). Clearly this is seen as contradictory because there are no similarities at global and domestic level. Therefore, one may understand this contradiction as the global civil society not sure itself as whether it wants to be a product of the state or not. Because domestic spheres is highly organized by the state, and you cannot have such domestic issues brought into the global spheres which global civil societies assume it can.A third criticism is that global civil society is undemocratic, its legitimacy is questioned and highly condemned that it undermines democracy by sapping further the authority of the nation-state, as it is seen as the only democratic institution (Corry. 2006:308). Corry quotes from John Fonte, whom states that global civil society, which are transnational agencies and non-governmental organizations â€Å"deny or over ride the national sovereignty of democratic states against surprisingly muted or incoherent opposition† (Fonte. 004), what he means by this is that global civil society bring about new political and democratic challenges to the sovereignty of the state, and undermines the state’s democratic ability. Thus it is more of a problem of what exactly is â€Å"global† and â€Å"civil society† as they both can be distinguished as processes on their own. One needs to look at the â€Å"global† in the term global civil society. The term global separates itself from the state, as it refers to the international arena rather than the domestic arena which is bound by the state.Although, Corry states that the Global may be regarded as a post-statist rather than non-statist term, particularly because the term derived from the concept and structure of the state, he sees it as a continuation of the state rather than a separated sphere. One may argue that the Global is a form of state, yet just within the international arena as it sought to function as a state. Although Keane argues that, civil societies become global once they cross state boundaries (Keane. 2003:17).Overall, the term can be said to be contradictory, particularly because of the changing definitions and meanings of the concept of civil society, as it has made the term global civil society a contested one. Global civil society is understood as the collection of civil societies within the international realm, these are non-governmental structures and activities that consist of individuals, actors, non-governmental organisations, international organizations, profit seeking business, non-profit governmental organisations, social movements and cultural communities that work towards a just global order.These are institutions and organisations that function across borders beyond the reach of government. One of definitions that global civil society tries to pursue is that it is not a produ ct of the nation-state and that is independent of the state, this here is one of the highly contested definitions of global civil society, particularly because it sought to function as a state at the global level. From the above, we saw three criticisms towards the term, which all contested its definition and its contradiction to being independent of the state and its perceived anti-democratic nature.The term contradicts itself merely because, it claims to be a process on its own that is not affiliated with the state, yet it functions towards human rights, gender equality, democracy and global justice, these are all seen as attributes of a democratic institutions. One may argue that the state is the only institution that can hold legitimate democracy. One of the contending arguments is that global civil society in anti-democratic, as you find it comprising of various groups and organizations that do not advocate for democracy. Yet the term is still and evolving concept as we see the increase of globalization.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Creating a Plan for a Culturally Diverse Classroom Essay

Creating a Plan for a Culturally Diverse Classroom - Essay Example Classroom differences do not only show ethnic and racial groups but also religious and political groups. These differences may affect the students’ behaviour towards their classmates, teachers and other people. Learning about the diversity in a classroom will not be easy. The differences of the students will take extra effort, patience, creativity, attentiveness and guts on the part of the teacher. However, a teacher must be able to work out the issues and differences in a multicultural classroom to help build a stronger foundation for the students’ growth and development. The teacher should create an atmosphere of tolerance, acceptance, and caring the in environment. This diversity demands more work, sincerity, resolution and understanding. Thus, to address these issues, a multicultural education was developed. According to Gollnick and Chinn (2006), multicultural education is â€Å"educational strategy in which students’ cultural backgrounds are used to develo p effective classroom instruction and school environments.† This educational strategy carries the concept of diversity, equality, culture, social justice and democracy in the classroom (Gollnick, Chinn, 2006). These concepts are the foundational areas that are given importance in the developed strategy. It is very important that we give meaning and sentiments to the issue of multiculturalism. Thus we need to create an atmosphere of tolerance, acceptance, and caring in our classroom environment to promote unity and commonality to the students. Diversity has long been an issue and thus we can only address this if we somehow demand conformity. If we embrace multiculturalism in our classroom, it gives us the chance to practice the students with democracy on which our state was founded. Thus, despite the diversity, we need to commit to find new language of unity and mutuality based on equality and respect and to gain courage to face the fears of differences. Teachers should be able to address the diversity and unequal power relations because these have huge impact on a student’s and group’s capacity to classify and achieve their own ambitions and purpose. These differences can lead to confusion and misperceptions that would eventually cause conflict. In the near future, these differences will end in political alliances. The coalitions respond to both perceived and real dominations and subordinations faced by such groups. Strong feelings of unity and patriotism stemmed from these perceptions and may result in armed conflicts in tribes, ethnic groups, and religious communities and even across the state. Thus, as early as in the classroom, we should be able to help create a unified and unbiased setting despite the differences. The Plan To be able to help address the issue on multiculturalism in a certain classroom, the teacher should be able to implement and handle the class very well. Before anything else, orient the students of the learning activ ities that are going to be implemented and taught during the school year. Also, explain the objectives and outcomes of activities thoroughly. Also, set academic standards and expectation and make sure that these have been explained and understood by the students. Students have different understanding and interpretation of every topic discussed in class. Thus it is very important to explain very well the teacher’

Friday, September 27, 2019

When does the use of professional discretion cross ethical boundaries Research Paper

When does the use of professional discretion cross ethical boundaries - Research Paper Example In the process of carrying on with responsibilities at the workplace, an employee would often find it necessary to rein in his personal activities and conduct, this behavior continuous on even if what is being done is not related to the job (Thomas 56). In the business world, consumers always make judgments about a company depending on the actions of its employees. This happens even if the particular activities are done with a positive intention. Professional discretion can be described as the choices an individual makes in his professional duties to be cautious about the things he says or takes part in. People that are fond of making discussions over issues relating to their personal are described as being indiscreet or lacking discretion. Ethics, which are also called moral philosophy, describes a category of philosophy that deals with learning of issues related to right or wrong, as well as the manner in which we are expected to live by such an understanding (Thomas 24). The concept of ethics concerns our ability as human beings to make proper moral judgments concerning practices that are right or wrong in accordance with the societal and moral expectations (Reynolds 23). Right and wrong refers to the qualities or judgments that are placed on people’s actions and their manner of conduct during their daily lives. Ethics play an important role in helping people establish proper moral choices especially when it comes to situations where moral issues are involved. It is important to realize that in our everyday lives, it is a desirable habit to have moral rules. This is not because they are useful in expressing absolute truth, but it is because they offer essential guides as far as normal circumstances of life are concerned. Different views have been raised concerning the need for ethics in our general life and professional activities. One of the views holds that human beings, in their professional and

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Core Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Core - Essay Example Additionally, Soraya’s stoning incidence depicts sexist behavior plotted by the husband with the intention of eliminating her to marry a young wife with support from Mulla (Malcolm 41). NAFTA’s role entailed industrializing Mexican region via reducing tariffs that acted as a barrier to effective trade and firms’ productions. Presently, NAFTA’s decade in South Mexico has attained their target despite numerous criticisms from diverse political icons against its establishment (Fernà ¡ndez-Kelly & Massey 100). NAFTA’s establishment helped in lessening the earlier immigration rates in US, which were due to the absence of employment in Mexico, hence boosting the economy in the southern region (Fernà ¡ndez-Kelly & Massey 112). The implementation of the law will aid in lessening immigration influx in the US, which has deprived Mexico both proficient and educated population (Fernà ¡ndez-Kelly & Massey 98). Therefore, the law will be of benefit to the Mexican regime, which will be able to boost its economy with the aid of talented human asset. The issue of race in our society is still evident; hence, there is no difference with Mexico. This is apparent from the recent concluded national elections, whereby approximately 72% of the whites did not vote for the incumbent president who emerged the winner due to Hispanics’ support. Consequently, this confirms people in our society classify each other as emanating from a certain race where during national matters people unite to support of their own. Fernà ¡ndez-Kelly, Patricia & Massey, Douglas S. "Borders For Whom? The Role Of NAFTA In Mexico-U.S. Migration." Annals Of The American Academy Of Political & Social Science 610.(2007): 98-118. Web. 20 Nov.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Considering the international law and practice on treaties, answer the Essay

Considering the international law and practice on treaties, answer the following question - Essay Example According to International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, migrant workers and their family members are free to depart any nation including their home nation. The aforesaid right is not subject to any restrictions otherwise in certain instances such as in the case of national security, public health and other justifiable grounds. The article 9 of the convention also affirms the right of migrant workers and their families to be protected by law and further the article 10 of the convention makes it apparent that no migrants and their families shall be subject to torture or treated inhumanly or cruelly. In addition to this, the article 11 of the convention also advocates that no migrants or their family members can be held on slavery. Moreover, the article 11 of the convention also puts restriction on performing forced and compulsory works by migrants and their family members (United Nations, 2008). Furthermore, the convention firmly states that family members of the migrant shall be treated with humanity and dignity (International Organisation for Migration, 2008). However, abiding by the obligation of article 11 of the convention, Acastus does not make it compulsory for migrant workers to work for 1000 hours for community services. In this context, it can be viewed that Acastus does not directly compel migrant workers to work 1000 hours but non-compliance shall result in non-renewal of leaves which shall ultimately force them to work 1000 hours for community service or leave Acastus. Thus, Acastus has adopted a policy that would not violate the obligations of the convention while on the other side it would make migrant workers to work for 1000 hours without violating obligations of the convention. As a consequences of the anti-immigration law enforced by Acastus, its neighbouring country Radius also adopted similar statute relating

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Research paper nuclear testing in North Korea Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear testing in North Korea - Research Paper Example President Obama further went on to denote that the act by North Korea will increase the isolation of North Korea, from the international community. It is important to denote that this nuclear test by North Korea was unexpected, despite the regime issuing a warning on the 24th of January 2013, that it would conduct a nuclear test (Davenport, 11). However, the regime did not identify a specific date that it would undertake the nuclear test. It is important to understand that this announcement was made; just two days after the Security Council of the United Nations passed a decision to strengthen the sanctions that were placed against North Korea (Park, Kyung-Ae, and Mark, 39). These sanctions were in response to the decision by North Korea to launch a satellite on the December 12th 2012. It is important to understand that the security council of the United Nations seeks to prevent Pyongyang from launching satellites, and this is because the technology used in launching a satellite is directly used for purposes of making ballistic missiles (Davenport, 33). North Korea is considered a rogue regime, and on this basis, the United Nations cannot trust the regime with a ballistic or nuclear weapon. It is important to understand that the road for North Korea becoming a nuclear state began on October 2006, when the country conducted its first nuclear. The other nuclear test was conducted by North Korea on May 2009. Prior to conducting a nuclear test in 2006, North Korea announced that it no longer recognized the treaty of nuclear nonproliferation. This was on April 2003. In as much as North Korea withdrew from the treaty, the United Nations, and other countries who signed the treaty have not recognized this withdrawal. On this basis, the Security Council of the United Nations, under resolution 2009, and 2006 makes it mandatory for North Korea to abandon all its nuclear activities, and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Are you ready for the Big Data Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are you ready for the Big Data - Coursework Example The competitor company had used this ability to carry out myriad of experiments in the real world giving it a competitive advantage. The main point the authors put across is that big data collection is the game changer in the 21st century corporate world. Big data has the potential to revolutionalize the management practices. The authors pose a challenge to the companies to decide whether they are ready to exploit the potential of big data and to manage the threats it could pose effectively. The rest of the article explores the important ways in which big data could transform the competition in the corporate world, alter the corporate ecosystems and improve innovation. One of the major elements of organization development is effective communication across all organizational sectors and also extending to external stakeholders such as the suppliers. This article lays emphasis on the importance of sharing data across the different lines of business such as finance, management, productio n and sales and marketing. It further calls for integration of the organizations data system with suppliers, data systems in order to accrue benefits such as instant stock replenishment and real-time price adjustment. It argues that the tendency of many companies to accumulate huge volumes of data in their silos and other forms of information hoarding impedes timely exploitation of this data. This is not in line with essentials for organization development. Organizations need to open these data enclaves and integrate data from various systems.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Financial Statements, Ratios, The Loan Package Essay

Financial Statements, Ratios, The Loan Package - Essay Example Tax returns are also used to determine the income trends of an organization. In the context of financial reporting, financial ratios are relationship between distinct items of a financial statement. One commonly used financial ratio is current ratio. Current ratio is the relationship between current assents and current liabilities in a company’s balance sheet (Davies & Lesley, 2014). Current ratio indicates a company’s liquidity levels; a positive ratio means that a company can pay its liabilities with ease while a negative current ratio is a sign of inflexibility in payment of liabilities. Another common type of financial ratio is debt-to-equity ratio. Debt-to-equity ratio indicates the relationship between a company’s total assets versus total liabilities. This is a solvency ratio which determines a company’s ability to pay its debt to shareholders. A positive debt-to-equity ratio indicates high solvency while a negative ratio signifies insolvency (Alvarez, 2011). Primarily, a loan package is a financial proposal required by lenders during the application and processing of real estate and property loans. Essentially, information contained within a loan package should reflect the financial prospects of the borrower (McDonald, 2010). Therefore, it becomes necessary to include a business plan in ascertaining the financial feasibility of the real estate or property to be funded by the lender. Among the SBA requirements of a loan packages include provision of personal guarantees, especially succinct presentation of expected cash flows and how the borrower plans to repay the loan. One covenant of loan packages is restriction of the borrower from utilizing the loan in any projects other that the development or purchase of real estate and other properties (Smith, 2013). Another covenant in loan packages is strict adherence to repayment

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Economic Effects Of U. S. Sugar Subsidy Policy Essay Example for Free

Economic Effects Of U. S. Sugar Subsidy Policy Essay Economists have for a long time studied and discussed the various effects of government subsidies and government support for specific industries and markets. In fact, in many colleges and universities, there are specific courses that are dedicated to the effects of public policy to both private and public firms as well as the overall market in which these firms operate in. These economic concepts, in turn, help policymakers make sense of the causes and effects of various incentives that are driven by government interventions to the market. However, as we shall soon discover in the discussion in our paper, even the science and economics have conflicting theories regarding such public incentives and support to industries. In fact, over the decades in the development of public policy and micro economic choice, steps have been made so much so that various domino effects work experience. However, this does not mean that any theoretical or conceptual model could not be applied to real world situations even various market imperfections where in traditional economic theories break down. In fact, even with the assumption of perfect markets which is a basic impossibility especially in todays complicated economy and arena of public policy economics may be able to predict and forecast various results from decisions that are made by the government with respect to incentives and disincentives within industry. In this paper, we shall be looking at the effects of the United States sugar subsidy policy. In order to do this, we would be using the three basic analytical tools that come from the larger body of micro economic analysis. The first is by using a comparative static model of incentives within a market by government intervention. The second analytical framework that we shall use is another comparative static model with regards to the median voter theorem and its effects to public choice in sugar subsidy policy in the country. The third framework which we shall be using is that which has been developed by recent Nobel Prize in economics winners in the analysis of government support and its overall effect in the arena of globalization and international trade. By using these analytical frameworks, we hopefully could be able to capture the economic effects of the United States sugar subsidy policy not only in the industry itself but also in the country as well as the consumers living in the country as well. Comparative Static Analysis of the United States Sugar Subsidy Policy in an Economic Market The first analysis that the papers shall be using is a comparative static analysis of a subsidy granted by the United States government to the sugar industry in the country. A comparative static analysis is simply an analysis of an economic incentive or even a disincentive while holding all other things constant. In the real world, a comparative static analysis may be difficult to implement and make sense of especially because variables affecting the market, the industries, or even individual firms, interact with each other all the time. However, if we are to integrate all the variables involved perhaps using econometric estimation and lean your regression analysis in order to indicate these variables we still would not be able to segregate the effects of a single factor in this case a policy which gives the sugar industry subsidy the overall economy. The discipline of economics usually makes use of such all other things held constant rule in order to make the analytical framework more clear and the analysis more concise by segregating just one variable. The analysis of the sugar subsidy policy uses a micro economic model of the firm. In this micro economic model, we assume a horizontal demand curve because the firm is a price taker and imposition of the marginal cost, the average cost, the average variable cost, and the total cost curve. In such a situation, sugar firms would choose to produce at that point where in price equals marginal revenue equals marginal cost. In such a condition, the affect of aggregating all the firms in the sugar industry would give us the traditional perfect market situation downward sloping demand curve upward sloping supply curve. This is a situation where in there is not yet any subsidy which the government had chosen to implement in the sugar industry. However, in the case that the government chooses to give subsidy to the sugar industry, the effect would be to significantly reduce the average cost and total cost curves of the firm by reducing the fixed costs. In a partial equilibrium model, it would result to the shifting of the supply curve to the right and therefore the ability to produce higher quantities by the firm while at the same time effectively decreasing the price of sugar. This is the approach using traditional analytical frameworks of microeconomics in order to understand the subsidy that is made by the government. In fact, this analysis may be implemented into any kind of industry which is subsidized by the government in order to produce its final output. However, we must remember that this is approach only using an economic model. In order to understand the applications of such a theory and to prove it, economic researchers have estimated and made various studies to show that this is indeed the case that the curse in real-world events and could have a significant effect even considering all variables into the analysis. Of course, in order for the theory to hold, econometric estimation must also be able to prove that subsidies do in fact affect the supply curve of the industry. This is exactly what has been constituted in the larger body of research regarding government interventions to specific industries. As early as a study made in 1977 which analyzed the equilibrium effects of United States sugar policy, significant supply curve shifts were estimated by economists after such super policies regarding subsidies had been implemented by the government (Gordon Gemmill, 1977). In fact, as the research noted, although there was only a minor influence on the price that was implemented after subsidies had been injected into this sugar industry, quantities significantly change as a result of the increased supply that was allowed by the subsidy. Earlier in 1970, there was already indicate that legislative bias for the United States sugar program which involved a high degree of domestic protectionism which simply means that injection of policy by the government to sugar producers. However, an interesting thing to note in such study is that not only were the policy recommendations for the domestic sugar industry but also for international and foreign countries sugar industry as well locations which have comparative advantage in sugar production and which could directly benefit the United States in the long run if such industries were conducted. This analysis would be integrated into the third concept and discussion of our paper. What is important that this research is pointing out, however, for this section, is that sugar subsidies do indeed increase quantities of sugar producers because of the lowering of costs as a result of the subsidy. In fact, such quantity increase effects are not only segregate into the United States but other countries as well. In many developing economies, and in economies which are significantly different from the United States, an increase in market subsidy to the sugar industry also increases quantity in those countries, showing that such economic effects are not only segregate into one geographical location and one kind of economy but also to the spectrum of economies of countries as well (Nelson Panggabean, 1991). In such a partial equilibrium analysis, perhaps the immediate conclusion that could be made is that it is beneficial to consumers as a whole. Using the framework, it would be obvious that the lowering of price and the lowering of the production cost of sugar in the sugar industry would be beneficial both for sugar farmers as well as the consumers who would be buying sugar. However, a negative effect that a subsidy may make in such a framework is that it could be unfair to those directly competing against the sugar markets. However, such an argument may not be so strong. The arguments against the subsidy is made by the United States government to the sugar industry could be further developed in the second and third section and analytical framework of the paper. The Median Voter Theorem and Why There Are Sugar Subsidy Policies in the United States An argument that has been developed by economists which goes against recommendations for implementing subsidies on certain industries is the implementation of the median voter theorem. Remember that subsidies are basically policy recommendations that are made by individuals such as lawmakers, legislators, and the greater body of politicians. According to standard economic theory, these individuals in a representative government are selected by the population through the mechanism of voting. And if we consider the population distribution to be a perfectly normal bell curve, there are individuals in extremes of the issue in this case not to implement a subsidy and to implement full subsidy but a larger number of people in the median area of the population distribution. However, the median voter theorem also states that there are discrepancies within the voting situation. A powerful group which has lobbying power, although would derive less benefit from the summation of all consumers, could be able to conceivably shape electoral results because of such lobbying powers and financial support since they are the ones who have a larger incentive in the choosing of a certain candidate which would eventually approve a sugar subsidy policy. For example, consumers would not give a few dollars each in order to lobby against support for a certain policy, but the sugar producers, who have enough incentives, maybe both lobby themselves to carry out such a vote. Even though the elected body of government representatives may in fact be the winner of the elections, it is not necessary that they won because they have the largest and best purpose of the consumers into mind. There are literature regarding such topic proving that the median voter theorem indeed does work in society where in there are individual lobbying powers and incentives for groups. In 1991, a study was made on electoral and voting process where there are specific preferences for individuals with larger incentives and the aggregate society. This study points out that even though there are larger benefits and welfare implications for the whole society if a specific policy is not implemented, having less incentives than those wishing to implement the policy would eventually drive the vote towards those with greater incentives (Caplin Nalebuff, 1991). Another article published earlier in 1989 presented such a theoretical model in the analysis and determination of the level of Social Security that is provided to individuals. Again, they use the median voter theory in a representative democracy and capital market. As has been shown, there are more incentives for some individuals to lobby against the policy and even though Social Security increase would benefit the society greater, it was not implemented fully because of such lobbying power of specific sides (Boadway Wildasin, 1989). Trade Theories and the United States Sugar Subsidy Using standard economic trade theories and frameworks, we could perhaps be able to develop the best argument against the government implementing a specific policy for protection reasons or for any other reasons that are offered in the legislative body. Instead their trade theory, implementing a protectionist policy such as the subsidy would lead to a less efficient comparative advantage situation in the sugar industry in the United States. Although it would definitely be able to provide short run increases in the income of producers, there are much worse effects. The first is that prices would be much higher in the domestic market. A subsidy together with a protectionist policy would make and force consumers to buy sugar at a higher price than that is offered in a global competitive market without such protectionist policies. If it was the subsidy alone, then it could be perhaps beneficial to the consumers while there are certain losses in the government model. However, usually, and specifically for the United States sugar policy with regards to subsidies, protectionist policies are also implemented. This means that consumers are forced to buy sugar at higher prices in the domestic market than they would otherwise pay if sugar was imported by countries which offer the same goods at lower prices in a perfectly competitive model of trade. As an overall result, there would be welfare increases for the side of the producer surplus but decreases in the consumer surplus and the government revenues. However, the dominant argument made by past and even some precedent economists is that some industries have to be protected because they do not have comparative advantage to other producers of sugar taking into consideration the implementation of free trade in the world today. Such arguments for example are the import substitution industrialization that had been put forward by two German economists in the 1960s which says that by protecting domestic industries in the short run, they would be able to catch up to the ventral comparative advantage. In fact, it is not only the United States sugar industry which implemented such policies but domestic agricultural goods all over the world especially in third world and developing countries. At first, this might have seemed like a good idea. However, eventually, it was found that implementing a specific subsidy to the sugar industry might have long term problematic effects. For example, by implementing such a subsidy, local domestic sugar producers would not have enough incentives in order to improve such sugar production technology. In fact, this has been proven to be the case. In the implementation of local production protection of sugar, less and less farmers were willing to innovate in the productive capacity given that there are even available technologies for such an improvement. The reason for this is that they are already enjoying lower production costs because of the subsidies. Such a framework eventually results in the shifting of the production frontiers of sugar in other countries while the production function of sugar in the domestic economy remains the same. The lack of incentives is a direct result from the lack of competition in an industry and the result is after a few years perhaps a decade productive technologies and capacities by other sugar markets would eventually overtake that of the domestic protected market. It is in fact already an interesting point that the United States is even implementing such sugar subsidy policies even though past economies and studies have been made regarding its detrimental effect to the long-run profitability of the market and the welfare of producers (Pollitt, 1997). In fact, we do not even need to look so far away for sugar subsidy policies have been implemented in the United States and the historical proof of the infectivity of such subsidy policies have already been well documented and studied by economists and policymakers (Horton, 1970). Even recently, trade liberalization policies were studied between the United States and the European Union sugar trade industry and were found to have detrimental effects in one market implemented a specific policy on the production of their sugar supply (Won W. Koo, 2002). Conclusion using these three frameworks, we could be able to conclude that by implementing a subsidy in the United States sugar industry, the country may be able to see short-term benefits because of price reduction and the welfare increase of sugar farmers and producers as low as those involved in the sugar market distribution. However, in the long run, as our analytical framework and even the practical research in previous literature and references have shown, implementing such a sugar policy is not only inefficient because of the actual background of decision-making through the median voter theorem, but also would be able to hurt the farmers and sugar producers themselves in the long run because of implementing a protection industry and the continuous decrease of comparative advantages as a result of the increase in technology in perfectly competitive markets which have not been subsidized by the government. To this end, economics teaches us that a subsidy, although helps in the long run producers, would hurt short run government revenues and consumers as well as long-run profitability of sugar markets from all aspects. References Boadway, R. W. , Wildasin, D. E. (1989). A Median Voter Model of Social Security. International Economic Review, 30(2), 307-328. doi: 10. 2307/2526649. Caplin, A. , Nalebuff, B. (1991). Aggregation and Social Choice: A Mean Voter Theorem. Econometrica, 59(1), 1-23. doi: 10. 2307/2938238. Gordon Gemmill. (1977). An Equilibrium Analysis of U. S. Sugar Policy. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 59(4), 609-618. doi: 10. 2307/1239388. Horton, D. C. (1970). Policy Directions for the United States Sugar Program. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 52(2), 185-196. doi: 10. 2307/1237489. Nelson, G. C. , Panggabean, M. (1991). The Costs of Indonesian Sugar Policy: A Policy Analysis Matrix Approach. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 73(3), 703-712. doi: 10. 2307/1242822. Pollitt, B. H. (1997). The Cuban Sugar Economy: Collapse, Reform and Prospects for Recovery. Journal of Latin American Studies, 29(1), 171-210. doi: 10. 2307/158075. Won W. Koo. (2002). Alternative U. S. and EU Sugar Trade Liberalization Policies and Their Implications. Review of Agricultural Economics, 24(2), 336-352. doi: 10. 2307/1349764.

Friday, September 20, 2019

John Locke Argue That Private Property Philosophy Essay

John Locke Argue That Private Property Philosophy Essay Almost all modern notions of private property and its legislation is based on arguments advocated by John Locke . His theory has been applied to the property rights of physical and intellectual objects -even extending to international law- however, various interpretations of his opinions exist (Nozick, 1974, pp. 167-182; Tuckness, 2011; Waldron, 2002, pp. 152-184; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 3-4).  [1]  These analyses range from MacPhersons class-based capitalism to Waldrons limited ownership rights and also see James Tully argue that Locke promoted limits of civil society (Discourse on Property, 1980, pp. 131-150; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 3-5). This paper aims to give an account of John Lockes argument for property rights as described in his book The Two Treatises of Civil Government and then critically analyse it to establish its political philosophy and likely consequences. In conclusion it will argue that as various -and often incompatible and contradictory- interpretations of his theory have been suggested and incorporated in different political ideologies, it is impossible to ascribe a certain set of political consequences to the right to private property as advocated by Locke.  [2]   First assumptions First, let us follow Locke in his argument that private property is a natural human right. He begins by assuming that it is a right intended in nature and commanded by God that mankind should preserve itself (Locke, 1689, 25). He makes a further assumption that God has given the world to men in common to use and to flourish (Locke, 1689, 26). These two assumptions along with a statement that man owns his person and labour, make the basis of his arguments for the right to private property (Locke, 1689, 27). Definitions Limits/provisos No-waste Various critiques of Lockes Treatises have identified sets of limits to what he advocates: (I) there should be no waste or destruction, (II) and that one should leave plenty, enough, and as good [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] in common for others (Locke, 1689, 27; MacPherson, 1962, pp. 210-212; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 7-11). Widerquist (2010, p. 8) also mentions a third proviso of charity among the scholarly interpretations of Lockean appropriation, but Locke (1689, 40-45) does not mention it directly in chapter five of his second book. In short, the first proviso -no-waste- asserts that property is to be used and enjoyed within bounds of reason, where nothing is destroyed or spoilt (Locke, 1689, 31; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 7-8). Locke (1689, 32,38,46) also argues that any appropriator can take as much as they can use, consume, and need but not anything more. Second proviso, enough and as good Justification Giving back/taking nothing Locke (1689, 27-37) even argues that an appropriator, by the act of using and benefitting from their property and creating plenty produce, is giving back to the common property. He goes as far as justifying enclosing land by demonstrating that the enough-and-as-good proviso ensures that the appropriator does as good as take nothing at all (Locke, 1689, 33; Widerquist, 2010, p. 9). Happiness/Plenty produced/value of labour In section 37 (Locke, 1689) he claims that owning and cultivating land increases human happiness. He makes a comparison between the quality of life that Native Americans had and people in Britain; redressing this argument in defence of capitalism (Locke, 1689, 37,41,43,46). Future Locke begins his theory of property in the state of nature. Money/invalidation of provisos Civil society/government When the Civil society is established these property rights can either become subject to social agreement or be carried over in their entirety and create a class-based social interaction where some have property and others dont (Widerquist, 2010, p. 20). Moreover, his provisos maybe be changed or used to justify government intervention (Widerquist, 2010, p. 20). Critique Contextual, Christianity Like any other theory, Lockes theory of property is not without problems. The first and most important of them is the reasons behind its creation. Locke was trying to reconcile Christianity with capitalism, two very different philosophies. Reconciling Christianity and capitalism Capitalism increases poverty, artificial wants, waste, and private property Locke argues, Utilitarianism is most important and most Christian Acknowledges and supports inequality and class system Argues common good is more important that common property Religious v secular Lockes theory of property is based on 17th century requirements of reconciling the church with the new ideas of capitalism. The first critiques that comes to mind is whether a reasonable argument for the religious society of almost 400 years ago still holds for more-or-less secular society of 21st century. It certainly makes a difference that the extent of the powers of the religious authority is far reduced since. Some scholars argue that more secular ideas like socialism or justice as fairness fit better with the requirements of our age. Unfairness Whether an argument based on religion is still valid or not, it is safe to assume that humankind has always been concerned with fairness. Locke (1689, 46-51) sees this fairness in the initial acquisition, when there was more than enough in nature for all to appropriate as they could. Locke supports inheritance of rights as fair but in the inherent inequality that ensues finds many on the wrong side of his argument. There are many incompatible definitions of fairness, but in considering the merits of Lockes theory, some scholars find the nullification of limits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Conclusion

Thursday, September 19, 2019

death of a salesman :: essays research papers

I am reading The Book , â€Å"Death of a salesman â€Å", by Arthur Miller. The major theme that runs throughout the book is the importance of being happy with who you are. This idea is seen through how others and Willy view himself. The other way we can see the theme of social acceptance is how Willy pushes it on his son Biff. Lastly the theme is exemplified by how Willy only pays attention to Biff because people like him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willy thinks that if a person is well-liked, then the entire world opens up to them. Willy seems to think that people don’t like him, but as soon as he says something to Linda his wife she reassures him that he is well-liked. One time when he goes to borrow money from Uncle Charley he tells him that if a man is impressive and respected that nothing else matters. Uncle Charley says that it is what you have that is what counts not who likes you or not. Willy is always saying that he is vital to New England and that he makes so much money when he goes there. This is all totally not true. You can tell because he won’t take a job there or even bring his sons which he has been promising for years. Willy is lying to himself and is seeking for reassurance in the wrong places.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willy has been pressing Biff to Believe that you have to be well liked above all ever since Biff has been a little kid. In the story Willy depends on Biff because he has so much personal attractiveness. Willy has instilled this concept from an early age and we can see this because of a few things. First, when Biff stole a football from school to practice with and told his father, he did nothing because he thought that it showed initiative and the coach would like him for it. Another way we can see that Biff struggles with acceptance is one time when he went to an interview with Oliver. He is standing in the office and he steals Oliver’s pen and just runs out and goes home. He stole the pen because he didn’t want to wait to see Oliver. He was embarrassed for waiting so long and stole the pen and got out of there. I think it is sad that Willy has done this to his son.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Free Hamlet Essays: Little Control in Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Little Control in Hamlet Even though Hamlet is a prince, he has little control over the course of his life. In that time many things were decided for the princes and princesses such as their education and even who they married. This was more or less the normal way of life for a child of the monarch. But in the case of Hamlet, any of the control he thought he had, fell away with the murder of his father. Having his father, the king, be killed by his own brother, sent Hamlet into a state of feeling helpless and out of control. Cooped up in a palace with no real outlet, he tries to control at least one aspect of his life. Hamlet deliberately toys with Ophelia's emotions in order to feel in control of something since he cannot control the situation with Claudius. So much is going on in Hamlet's life, his father's death, his uncle's rise to power, Fortinbras at the ready to strike and invade Denmark, and his relationship with Ophelia, that he is feels helpless and not even in control of his own life. He feels trapped and confined by his situation and therefor not in control of it. Hamlet feels as if the situations that he is in are controlling him rather than he being able to control them and he feels trapped by them, particularly the situation with Claudius. "Hamlet: †¦What have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of Fortune that she sends you to prison hither? Guildenstern: Prison my lord? Hamlet: Denmark's a prison" (Act 2, Scene 2, verses 242-247) Hamlet even goes so far as to call Denmark a prison because he feels so trapped in his life there and feels so helpless to change his situation, as if he were locked into it like a prison cell. Another interpretation could be that Hamlet is melancholy and indecisive, and is not trying to control anyone. He is trying only to take revenge on Claudius, at which he fails for lack of an opportune time. "Hamlet: Now might I do it pat, now'a is a-praying, And now I do it. And so'a goes to heaven. And so I am revenged†¦But in our circumstance and course of thought, 'Tis heavy with him; and then I am revenged, To take him in the purging of his of his soul†¦No.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Females According to Christina Rossetti and Mary Wollstonecraft Essay

Females According to Christina Rossetti and Mary Wollstonecraft What is it that separates and elevates human beings from the rest of the animal world? It is the ability to logically explain an action, decision, or conviction; it is the capacity to reason. As Rousseau states, â€Å"Only reason teaches us good from evil† (Wollstonecraft 238). According to him, as well as countless other intellectuals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, through the exercise of reason men become moral and political agents. Of course, this Enlightenment theory does not include women. Rousseau declares his opinion of the female, â€Å"O how lovely is her ignorance!† (253) The woman is the man's fantasy, the man's student, the man's plaything. Controlled, contained, and defined by the man, the woman is inferior to him and thus, not human. Eighteenth century writer and mother of female liberalism, Mary Wollstonecraft refutes this supposedly natural state of man being superior to woman in her treatise, "A Vindication of The Rights of Woman": It is farce to call any being virtuous whose virtues do not result from the exercise of reason... This was Rousseau's opinion respecting men: I extend it to women....till the manners of the time are changed...it may be impossible to convince [women]that the illegitimate power, which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse, and that they must return to nature and equality ...(239) She proclaims the female to be equally capable of reason as the male. In order for the female to recognize and utilize this capability, society's males and females must alter their prejudicial definition of the feminine. Wollstonecraft addresses the fema... ...cquire virtues which they may call their own, for how can a rational being be ennobled by any thing that is not obtained by its own exertions?† (254) Indeed, it is only when the woman may call her skill, her experience, or her truth, all derived from reason, her own that she shall be independent. As Rossetti states, â€Å"Only my secret's mine...† (6). And, only when the societal norms change, shall the keeping of such a secret be by choice and not necessity. Works Cited Wollstonecraft, Mary. Vindication of the Rights of Women. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 2A. Ed. David Damrosch. 2nd ed. London: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003. 227-255. Rossetti, Christina. â€Å"Winter: My Secret.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol. 2B. Ed. David Damrosch. 2nd ed. London: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003. 1617.

Clover Valley Dairy Case Study Essay

May 17, 2014 To: Charles Krieger – President/ Clover Valley Dairy Dear Charles, I am writing you in response to your concern regarding a market test of the new 6 oz. cups and multi-pack yogurt carriers that Clover Valley Dairy would like to introduce to our customers. The purpose of the research project will be to see if the new type of packaging for yogurt will be worth the change and if our consumers are accepting of the new change. It will tell us if our new six-cup carrier is effective or not. I feel the new type of carrier should be tested in non-competing areas. However, it should also be tested in our market as well as our competitor’s market. A key part in testing this new product and/or design should begin with our competitor’s in mind. Knowing what our competitor’s offer and how well it is being accepted by the consumer should be the determining factor in our decision for a test. Knowing our market and what it offers will give us an idea of how our customers will be impacted. This also will let us know why we should consider our competitor’s and non-competitor’s customer views, for comparison. By not doing so, we may hinder our ability to find out what will and what won’t really sell. I suggest that we limit our test to one competitor only. This will allow us to have more money in our budget but also allow us to get the information that we need. If testing is necessary, what would be the criteria for success or failure? It is my belief that the main point to stress would be to show how sales are impacted. Many times sales can be increased simply by the look of a package for an item. If the packaging of a new item/product is well presented, often times the customer will purchase the item/product simply because of its appearance. Many surveys have been done about the appearance of a product by targeting a certain type of consumer, namely women. These surveys have shown that if an item/product is targeted toward women and the  packaging appealed to them, they would most likely purchase the product. This type of information will be helpful for us to define our target market as I feel we should try to have our product to appeal to children and especially their mothers. Our sales results of the 6 oz. and 8 oz. yogurt cups have steadily increased every year, so I believe that the 6 oz. individual serving cups combined with the new 6-cup yogurt carrier can help to increase our sales even more. Also, I believe the convenience of our new carrier can help to increase our sales within the limited market share area(s) that we have. There are four important factors that we need to look at in determining the success or failure of our new product test. The first factor we need to consider is cost. Cost is always a large part of buying a new product. We can lower the cost of our testing if we limit ourselves to comparing with only one competitor. The second factor is going to be market share. If we can satisfy our customer’s wants and needs we can increase our market share as a result. The third factor would be handling. If a package is easy to handle, in other words, open and close, we will certainly have more success. I believe that this can best be achieved by combining the 6 oz. individual yogurt cups into a 6-pack carrier container. The fourth factor in determining our success is reuse. Is our product recyclable? We are in the age of â€Å"Green† technology so it is important for us to make our product easy to recycle. If we make our product/package out of plastic for the individual container and aluminum foil as the cover of the individual yogurt, we can lower our costs considerably. I also wanted to discuss how useful this market test will be in addressing a management problem. Are there changes that can be made so that we don’t make mistakes from the management side or production side? I say that we can! Again, we need to make our individual yogurt cups out of recyclable plastic and the cover is to be made from aluminum so as to reduce the costs of production. The new multi-pack carrier will also make it easier for customers to take home, and help to eliminate packaging costs. Management will need to work together as a team, delegating the tasks accordingly to the production team(s). I would concur with your idea of  conducting on-site surveys to determine acceptance of our new product. Success will come with a team effort standing behind this product testing process. Everyone’s opinion will make a difference, diversified, and successful test. It will also be beneficial as it will help to increase sales and identify mistakes that may have been overlooked. This entire process will also allow our employees to express their creativity and give them a chance to contribute to the success of our company. The last item I would like to present is the evaluation of cost and/or the value of this type of research. Evaluation costs do not need to be expensive. A rule of thumb is to estimate approximately somewhere between five and ten percent of our total budget. This can include time that the staff has spent on the evaluation and out of pocket expenses/costs. We can save on the cost of the evaluation if we focus our questions to only what we need and what we would like to know. I have set up a cost structure for this evaluation as follows; 1. Salary and benefits for staff involved 2. Funds for an outside evaluator 3. Travel expenses/costs 4. Communication tools (surveys, stamps, telephone, etc.) 5. Printing of reports and questionnaires 6. Supplies and equipment (computers, cartridges, etc.) I will start on this immediately once I receive your approval for this market test. I believe this marketing strategy will be a huge success for our company to grow and increase our sales. I also believe this will help us to build our reputation within the industry. Our company team will be strengthened and we will be able to build long lasting relationships with our competitor’s. I would like to thank you for understanding and helping to direct our company to succeed! Sincerely Vince Roth – General Manager/Clover Valley Dairy Company

Monday, September 16, 2019

Introduction to How PCs Work

When you mention the word â€Å"technology,† most people think about computers. Virtually every facet of our lives has some computerized component. The appliances in our homes have microprocessors built into them, as do our televisions. Even our cars have computers. But the computer that everyone thinks of first is typically the personal computer, or PC. A PC is a general-purpose tool built around a microprocessor.It has lots of different parts — including memory, a hard disk, a modem, and more — that work together. â€Å"General purpose† means that you can do many different things with a PC. You can use it to type documents, send e-mail, browse the Internet and play games. PCs trace their history back to the 1970s, when a man named Ed Roberts began to sell computer kits based on a microprocessor chip designed by Intel. Roberts called his computer the Altair 8800 and sold the unassembled kits for $395.Popular Electronics ran a story about the kid in its Ja nuary 1975 issue, and to the surprise of just about everyone, the kits became an instant hit and the era of the personal computer began [source: The Computer History Project]. A few years later, the dynamic duo of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak unleashed the Apple II computer on the world. From that point on, the personal computer really began to take off. Other manufacturers followed suit, and soon there were computers from Commodore, Atari and Texas Instruments.Not long after the debut of the Apple II, IBM got into the personal computer game. Today, when someone says PC, chances are they mean a machine running on the Microsoft Windows operating system with an x86-compatible microprocessor. While Apple Macintosh computers are technically personal computers, most people wouldn't call them PCs. In this article, we will talk about PCs in the general sense and all the different parts that go into them. You'll learn about the various components and how they work together in a basic operat ing session.You'll also find out what the future may hold for these machines. PC Parts Let's take a look at the main components of a typical desktop computer: †¢ Central processing unit (CPU) – The microprocessor â€Å"brain† of the computer system is called the central processing unit. It's a chip that holds a complete computational engine. It uses assembly language as its native language. Everything that a computer does is overseen by the CPU. †¢ Memory – This is very fast storage used to hold data. It has to be fast because it connects directly to the microprocessor.There are several specific types of memory in a computer: †¢ Random-access memory (RAM) – Used to temporarily store information with which the computer is currently working †¢ Read-only memory (ROM) – A permanent type of memory storage used by the computer for important data that doesn't change †¢ Basic input/output system (BIOS) – A type of ROM that i s used by the computer to establish basic communication when the computer is first powered on †¢ Caching – The storing of frequently used data in extremely fast RAM that connects directly to the CPU †¢ Virtual memory – Space on a hard disk used to temporarily store data and swap it in and out of RAM as needed †¢ Flash memory – a solid state storage device, Flash memory requires no moving parts and retains data even after the computer powers off †¢ Motherboard – This is the main circuit board to which all of the other internal components connect. The CPU and memory are usually on the motherboard. Other systems may be found directly on the motherboard or connected to it through a secondary connection.For example, a sound card can be built into the motherboard or connected through an expansion slot. Power supply – An electrical transformer regulates the electricity used by the computer. †¢ Hard disk – This is large-capa city permanent storage used to hold information such as programs and documents. Traditional hard drives contain moving parts — the drive has platters on which it stores data. The drive spins the platters to record and read data. But some newer hard drives are flash-based with no moving parts. These drives are called solid-state drives. †¢ Operating system – This is the basic software that allows the user to interface with the computer. †¢ Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) Controller – This is the primary interface for the hard drive, CD-ROM and floppy disk drive.Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) – This is a very high-speed connection used by the graphics card to interface with the computer. †¢ Sound card – This is used by the computer to record and play audio by converting analog sound into digital information and back again. †¢ Graphics card – This translates image data from the computer into a format that can be displaye d by the monitor. Some graphics cards have their own powerful processing units (called a GPU — graphics processing unit). The GPU can handle operations that normally would require the CPU. †¢ Ports – In computer hardware terms, a port is an interface that allows a computer to communicate with peripheral equipment. †¢ Real-time clock – Every PC has a clock containing a vibrating crystal.By referring to this clock, all the components in a computer can synchronize properly. †¢ Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor – The CMOS and CMOS battery allow a computer to store information even when the computer powers down. The battery provides uninterrupted power. †¢ Fans, heat sinks and cooling systems – The components in a computer generate heat. As heat rises, performance can suffer. Cooling systems keep computers from overheating. PC Connections A typical computer connects to the world around it in three different ways: input/output d evices, ports and networking. No matter how powerful the components inside your computer are, you need a way to interact with them. This interaction is called input/output (I/O).The most common types of I/O in PCs are: †¢ Monitor – The monitor is the primary device for displaying information from the computer. †¢ Keyboard – The keyboard is the primary device for entering information into the computer. †¢ Mouse – The mouse is the primary device for navigating and interacting with the computer. †¢ Removable storage – Removable storage devices allow you to add new information to your computer very easily, as well as save information that you want to carry to a different location. There are several types of removable storage: o CD-ROM – CD-ROM (compact disc, read-only memory) is a popular form of distribution of commercial software.Many systems now offer CD-R (recordable) and CD-RW (rewritable), which can also record. CD-RW discs ca n be erased and rewritten many times. o Flash memory – Based on a type of ROM called electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory provides fast, permanent storage. CompactFlash, SmartMedia and PCMCIA cards are all types of Flash memory. o DVD-ROM – DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc, read-only memory) is similar to CD-ROM but is capable of holding much more information. You may use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to sync your music player or print driving directions, but many computers still have ports to help you connect to a wide selection of peripherals.While there have been others, two are most commonly found on newer computers: †¢ Universal Serial Bus (USB) – The most popular external connection, USB ports offer power and versatility and are incredibly easy to use. †¢ FireWire (IEEE 1394) – FireWire is a very popular method of connecting digital-video devices, such as camcorders or digital cameras, to your computer. Networking , especially to the Internet, is very important to today's computer users. Your computer can probably use one or more of these methods: †¢ Modem – This is the standard method of connecting to the Internet. †¢ Local area network (LAN) card – This is used by many computers, particularly those in an Ethernet office network, to connect to one another. Cable modem – This type of modem uses the cable system in your home, like the kind you might use to subscribe to cable TV, to connect to the Internet. †¢ Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem – This is a high-speed connection that works over a standard telephone line. †¢ Very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL) modem – A newer variation of DSL, VDSL requires that your phone line have fiber-optic cables. An even faster version called the gigabit per second DSL (GDSL) may follow [source: Cioffi, et al. ]. Powering Up a PC A typical computer session begins with turning on the power. Here's what happen s in that process: 1. You press the â€Å"On† button on the computer and the monitor. 2.You see the BIOS software doing its thing, called the power-on self-test (POST). On many machines, the BIOS displays text describing such data as the amount of memory installed in your computer and the type of hard disk you have. During this boot sequence, the BIOS does a remarkable amount of work to get your computer ready to run. †¢ The BIOS determines whether the video card is operational. Most video cards have a miniature BIOS of their own that initializes the memory and graphics processor on the card. If they don't, there is usually video-driver information on another ROM on the motherboard that the BIOS can load. †¢ The BIOS checks to see if this is a cold boot or a reboot. It does this by hecking the value at memory address 0000:0472. A value of 1234h indicates a reboot, in which case the BIOS skips the rest of POST. Any other value is considered a cold boot. †¢ If yo ur computer is undergoing a cold boot, the BIOS verifies RAM by performing a read/write test of each memory address. It checks for a keyboard and a mouse. It looks for an expansion bus and, if it finds one, checks all the connected cards. If the BIOS finds any errors during the POST, it notifies you with a series of beeps or a text message displayed on the screen. An error at this point is almost always a hardware problem. †¢ The BIOS displays some details about your system.This typically includes information about the following: o Processor o Floppy and hard drive o Memory o BIOS revision and date o Display †¢ Any special drivers, such as those for expansion cards, are loaded from the adapter and the BIOS displays the information. †¢ The BIOS looks at the sequence of storage devices identified as boot devices in the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) setup. Boot is short for â€Å"bootstrap,† as in the old phrase â€Å"Pull yourself up by your boo tstraps. † Boot refers to the process of launching the operating system. The BIOS tries to initiate the boot sequence from the first device using the bootstrap loader. 3.The bootstrap loader loads the operating system into memory and allows it to begin operation. It does this by setting up the divisions of memory that hold the operating system, user information and applications. The bootstrap loader then establishes the data structures that are used to communicate within and between the sub-systems and applications of the computer. Finally, it turns control of the computer over to the operating system. PC Operating Systems Once loaded, the operating system's tasks fall into six broad categories: †¢ Processor management – Breaking the tasks down into manageable chunks and prioritizing them before sending to the CPU †¢ Memory management -Coordinating the flow of data in and out of RAM and determining when virtual memory is necessary †¢ Device management â⠂¬â€œ Providing an interface between each device connected to the computer, the CPU and applications †¢ Storage management – Directing where data will be stored permanently on hard drives and other forms of storage †¢ Application Interface – Providing a standard communications and data exchange between software programs and the computer †¢ User Interface – Providing a way for you to communicate and interact with the computer Say, for example, that you open up a word processing program and type a letter, save it and then print it out. Several components work together to make this happen: ? The keyboard and mouse send your input to the operating system. The operating system determines that the word-processing program is the active program and accepts your input as data for that program. ?The word-processing program determines the format that the data is in and, via the operating system, stores it temporarily in RAM. ? Each instruction from the word- processing program is sent by the operating system to the CPU. These instructions are intertwined with instructions from other programs that the operating system is overseeing before being sent to the CPU. ? All this time, the operating system is steadily providing display information to the graphics card, directing what will be displayed on the monitor. When you choose to save the letter, the word-processing program sends a request to the operating system, which then provides a standard window for selecting where you wish to save the information and what you want to call it. Once you have chosen the name and file path, the operating system directs the data from RAM to the appropriate storage device. ? You click on â€Å"Print. † The word-processing program sends a request to the operating system, which translates the data into a format the printer understands and directs the data from RAM to the appropriate port for the printer you requested. ? You open up a Web browser and check out HowStuffWorks. Once again, the operating system coordinates all of the action. This time, though, the computer receives input from another source, the Internet, as well as from you.The operating system seamlessly integrates all incoming and outgoing information. ? You close the Web browser and choose the â€Å"Shut Down† option. ? The operating system closes all programs that are currently active. If a program has unsaved information, you're given an opportunity to save it before closing the program. ? The operating system writes its current settings to a special configuration file so that it will boot up next time with the same settings. ? If the computer provides software control of power, then the operating system will completely turn off the computer when it finishes its own shut-down cycle. Otherwise, you will have to turn the power off manually. The Future of PCsSilicon microprocessors have been the heart of the computing world for more than 40 years. In that time, microprocessor manufacturers have crammed more electronic devices onto microprocessors. In 1965, Intel founder Gordon Moore predicted that microprocessors would double in complexity every two years. Since then, the number of electronic devices put on a microprocessor has doubled every 18 months, and the prediction has come to be known as Moore's Law. Many have predicted that Moore's Law will soon reach its end because of the physical limitations of silicon microprocessors. 2008 HowStuffWorks Extreme ultraviolet lithography is the future of computer-chip manufacturing.The current process used to pack more transistors onto a chip is called deep-ultraviolet lithography (DUVL), which is a photography-like technique that focuses light through lenses to carve circuit patterns on silicon wafers. While new manufacturing techniques have extended the useful lifespan of the DUVL process, before long chip manufacturers will have to use new techniques to keep up with Moore's Law. Many are already looking at extreme-ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) as a way to extend the life of silicon at least until the end of the decade. EUVL uses mirrors instead of lenses to focus the light, which allows light with shorter wavelengths to focus on the silicon wafer accurately. To learn more about EUVL, see How EUVL Chipmaking Works.Beyond EUVL, researchers have been looking at alternatives to the traditional microprocessor design. Two of the more interesting emerging technologies are DNA computers and quantum computers. DNA computers have the potential to take computing to new levels, picking up where Moore's Law leaves off. There are several advantages to using DNA instead of silicon: †¢ As long as there are cellular organisms, there will be a supply of DNA. †¢ The large supply of DNA makes it a cheap resource. †¢ Unlike traditional microprocessors, which are made using toxic materials, DNA biochips can be made cleanly. †¢ DNA computers are many times smaller tha n today's computers.DNA's key advantage is that it will make computers smaller than any computer that has come before, while at the same time increasing storage capacity. One pound (0. 45 kilogram) of DNA has the capacity to store more information than all the electronic computers ever built. The computing power of a teardrop-sized DNA computer, using the DNA logic gates, will be more powerful than the world's most powerful supercomputer. More than 10 trillion DNA molecules can fit into an area no larger than 1 cubic centimeter (. 06 cubic inch). With this small amount of DNA, a computer would be able to hold 10 terabytes (TB) of data and perform 10 trillion calculations at a time. By adding more DNA, more calculations could be performed.Unlike conventional computers, DNA computers could perform calculations simultaneously. Conventional computers operate in linear fashion, taking on tasks one at a time. Parallel computing will allow DNA to solve complex mathematical problems in hour s — problems that might take electrical computers hundreds of years to complete. You can learn more about DNA computing in How DNA Computers Will Work. Today's computers work by manipulating bits that exist in one of two states: 0 or 1. Quantum computers aren't limited to two states; they encode information as quantum bits, or qubits. A qubit can be a 1 or a 0, or it can exist in a superposition that is simultaneously 1 and 0 or somewhere in between.Qubits represent atoms that are working together to serve as computer memory and a microprocessor. Because a quantum computer can contain these multiple states simultaneously, it has the potential to be millions of times more powerful than today's most powerful supercomputers. A 30-qubit quantum computer would equal the processing power of a conventional computer capable of running at 10 teraops, or trillions of operations per second. To equal the top of the line in supercomputers you'd need more qubits. The Roadrunner supercomput er can run at a petaflop — 1,000 trillian floating point operations per second. You can learn more about the potential of quantum computers in How Quantum Computers Will Work.