Henry Thoreau And Niccolo Machiavelli - 1049 Words

Leadership is the most important quality for the head of any nation, or any other political leader. To be a good leader, you must have many attributes that qualify you for such a huge responsibility. There are good crisis leaders who would fail in a period of calm. What is clear, is that leadership is a complicated concept. We have consistently found that good leaders have passion and values, confidence yet humility, knowledge and realism; Having these attributes and the ability to use them and develop them in others is the foundation for reaching goals and being successful in a leadership position. Henry David Thoreau and Niccolo Machiavelli are two men who have influenced some of the most influential people in the world, as the two were writing to different audiences, it s easy to see why their ideologies might clash or unite; Henry Thoreau and Niccolo Machiavelli both use an abundant amount of rhetorical strategies in both of their stories, including ethos, pathos, and logos; both of the stories also have their fair share of differences. The main rhetorical device in â€Å"The Prince† is logos. Nearly every sentence from the passage could be considered logical. Machiavelli achieves this through his formal and straightforward narration, which helps him maintain objectivity. His use of logos helps achieve his propose by delivering concise facts about the proper way to rule during this period of time. By employing logic, Machiavelli manages to deliver his purpose consistentlyShow MoreRelatedHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1124 Words   |  5 Pageswe were once under a tyrannical government, and it keeps order. Three famous writers known as Henry David Thoreau with Civil Disobedience, Niccolo Machiavelli with The Qualities of a Prince, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau with The Origin of Civil Society wrote about a civilized society versus a tyrannical government. Sometimes their views agreed with mine and other times they did not. Henry David Thoreau s writing, Civil Disobedience, he explains how he does not like civilized societies because of

Power Failure The Inside Story Of The Collapse Of Enron

General: Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron, Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins, 432 pages, March 25, 2003, Crown Publishing Group, ISBN: 978-0-767-91368-3 Authors: The book is written by two authors: Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins. Mimi Swartz is a journalist who graduated from Hampshire College. She has written for many publications. Her work has been included in Slate, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. Currently, she serves as an executive editor for Texas Monthly. Ms. Swartz is a long time resident of Texas, and was able to use her experiences and insight into the Texan psyche to highlight the personalities of the Texas company and the attitude of its employees. Sherron Watkins has a Bachelor s in Business Administration from the University of Texas and a Master s in Professional Accounting, also from the University of Texas. She went to work at the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen, which was the accounting firm that handled Enron s books. After Arthur Anderson, Watkins worked for three years at MG Trade Finance, a division of Metallgesellschaft AG, a large conglomerate that specialized in mining, chemicals, and finance. Watkins went to Enron after MG, where she stayed from 1993 until 2002, following its infamous bankruptcy. Sherron Watkins worked at many different portions of Enron, eventually becoming a vice president. She was one of the whistleblowers regarding Enron s failure,Show MoreRelatedPower Failure : The Inside Story Of The Collapse Of Enron1837 Words   |  8 PagesGeneral Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron, Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins, 432 pages, March 25, 2003, Crown Publishing Group, ISBN: 978-0-767-91368-3 Authors The book is written by two authors: Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins. Mimi Swartz is a journalist who graduated from Hampshire College. She has written for many publications. Her work has been included in Slate, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. Currently, she serves as an executiveRead MoreEnron Stakeholders1700 Words   |  7 PagesBA 215 Spring 2007 Enron Stakeholder Assignment Enron was a dream come true for a lot of people, but it was also a nightmare waiting to happen for many more. I am going to examine the collapse of Enron from the management perspective. The three examples of Enron behaving badly that I am going to study are the incidents in Valhalla, the electricity trading in California and the conflict of interest between Andy Fastow and his special purpose entities (SPE). These are just a few cases that ledRead MoreEnron Stakeholders Essay1634 Words   |  7 PagesEnron Stakeholder Assignment Enron was a dream come true for a lot of people, but it was also a nightmare waiting to happen for many more. I am going to examine the collapse of Enron from the management perspective. The three examples of Enron behaving badly that I am going to study are the incidents in Valhalla, the electricity trading in California and the conflict of interest between Andy Fastow and his special purpose entities (SPE). These are just a few cases that led to the failure ofRead MoreLegal Issue-Enron1774 Words   |  8 PagesLegal Issue in Business: The Case of Enron [Name of the Writer] [Name of the Institution] Legal Issue in Business: The Case of Enron Introduction Business ethics is based on normative ethics , standards that ethics are upheld and applied specific to distinguish what is right or wrong, that is to say what should be done or who should not be fact. However, with few exceptions, business ethicists are usually less interested in the foundations of ethics (meta-ethics) or by the principlesRead MoreEnron Case Study Essay2248 Words   |  9 PagesEnron Summery of Enron case The Enron scandal has far-reaching political and financial implications. In just 15 years, Enron grew from nowhere to be Americas seventh largest company, employing 21,000 staff in more than 40 countries. But the firms success turned out to have involved an elaborate scam. Enron lied about its profits and stands accused of a range of shady dealings, including concealing debts so they didnt show up in the companys accounts. As the depth of the deceptionRead MoreEnron Ethical Issue8130 Words   |  33 PagesENRON ACCOUNTING FAILURE AND ETHICAL ISSUES ENRON ACCOUNTING FAILURE AND ETHICAL ISSUES Lecturer: DR SITI ZELEHA ABDUL RASHID Prepared by: SAMIRA ALVANDI SHAHRZAD KARIMI HAMED KHAZAEI 1 ENRON ACCOUNTING FAILURE AND ETHICAL ISSUES ENRON ACCOUNTING FAILURE AND ETHICAL ISSUES 2 ENRON ACCOUNTING FAILURE AND ETHICAL ISSUES Table of content: Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦...4 1. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 2. Literature review †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreThe Rise and Fall of Enron2970 Words   |  12 PagesThe Leadership of Kenneth Lay 5 Contributing Factors for Enron’s Debacle 7 Power Abuse 7 Fraudulent Accounting Practices 7 Employees and Board members 8 Investors Grief 9 Auditors and external regulatory agency 9 Conclusion 9 The debacle of Enron, led not only the company to bankruptcy but also its employees and shareholders. Unethical leadership and vested interests played a significant role in its imminent failure. Very few had the courage to challenge authority and leave when faced withRead MoreEnron Case2918 Words   |  12 PagesExecutive Summary The United States that have been considered as a super power country and also the direction of science disciplines including accounting must felt bitterness. Business scandals that happened seemed eliminate confidence by the business world about the practice of good corporate governance in the United States. Enron was a company that was ranked as seventh out of the five hundred leading companies in the United States and is the largest U.S. energy company that wentRead MoreBusiness Leadership in Enron4743 Words   |  19 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY Enron stands out as one of the biggest failures in business history. It’s implosion in 2001 took the world capital markets and shook the investor confidence in accounting and financial reporting. It even caused the world’s renowned international accounting firm Arthur Andersen to collapse. The most important gatekeeper could not predict Enron’s collapse before it occurred. It was then discovered that Enrons’ senior management had employed complex creative accounting techniquesRead MoreUnethical Business Practice-a Case Study of the Downfall of Two Major Companies2606 Words   |  11 Pages 1 Unethical Business Practices: A Case Study of the Downfall of Two Major Corporations Sharon Purpuro New Jersey City University Unethical Business Practices 2 Abstract The following pages will tell the story of how two very successful companies met their downfalls at the hands of some very greedy top executives and boards of trustees that chose to look the other way all because of one common denominator - greed. The tremendous pressure by stockholders

Premium Bath Fittings in India Free Essays

Marketing Assignment (Term 3): Group 2: Bath Fittings Akhil P, Ameya K, Bhaskar D, Pratyush G, Shashank P Branding Building Brand Equity ? Brand Elements o Superior build quality (elegant designs, corrosion resistance, longer functional life, and superior finishing) of imported bath fittings as compared to domestic bath fittings. Assured after-sales service for imported bath fittings, via their distributors and partners in India (ex: Italian premium brand Novellini markets its products through Cera Sanityware Ltd). Domestic makers of bath fittings are mostly unorganized in after-sales services. We will write a custom essay sample on Premium Bath Fittings in India or any similar topic only for you Order Now Water conservation (Imported bath fittings use 20% lesser water than domestic bath fittings). Imported bath fittings have the option of being customized to customer’s requirements. Endorsement from best-in-business real estate builders, architects, high-end hotels luxury services and interior designers Associated with competitions and social causes (ex: Participants of the prestigious Solar Decathlons, usually held in Washington, preferably use bath fittings by Duravit in their constructions) Managing Brand Equity ? Brand Reinforcement Concept Bathrooms: Imported bath fittings are prominently displayed in stores as a complete-bath-solution (i. e. a complete bathroom is setup inside the store using imported bath fittings). This style of display enhances the product attractiveness to customers and the customers are inclined to buy the whole solution rather than just the individual product Advanced technology in bath fittings (ex: Sensor technology to control water temperature; Battery-operated towel warmers) Creating limited edition of products to maintain exclusivity (ex: Sterlingham frequently makes a limited set of hand-crafted bath fittings) o o ? o o o Leveraging secondary associations Branding Strategy ? o ? ? Aimed at medium to high income customers Portrayed as a style statement Corporate name is printed on each product Integrated Market Communication Market ? ? ? ? Bath fittings that are imported are focusing in the urban segments. Focused in the niche market. Establish tie-ups with architects, builders interior designers. Establish relationship with the major hospitals for selling their products. Money ? ? ? ? Focuses more on the B2B. Share of business of 70% in B2B and 30% to B2C. Few competitors in the niche market of Bath fittings. Major focus in the product substitutability to have stylish and prestigious products. Message The Imported Bath fittings advertise as the product that is dedicated to designing and delivering beautiful products that last a lifetime. They offer a variety of sinks, bathroom faucets and bathroom showering. Bathroom fixtures combine style and perfectly matching the decorating style. Imported bath fittings are dedicated to designing and delivering beautiful products that last a lifetime. Media The Import bath fittings do marketing through the following mediums ? Television Networks. ? Radio stations. Fashion Magazine. ? Bill boards in the Airports. ? Trade Shows in Metropolitan Cities. Pricing Customer Value and Sensitivity to Price The imported bath fittings are primarily aimed at medium to high-income customers who have loads of disposable cash. In this unconventional form of art, customer has perceived a value that satisfies his/her need as an ego satisfier and/ or as an investment. He nce higher the price, the better an ego satisfier is the product and so is the willingness to pay. Buyer Characteristics and Pricing Method Buyers are looking for quality, after-sales support and uniqueness. To tap into these customers, foreign makers of bath fittings make limited editions of specific products. They also maintain a superior build quality while giving leeway for customizing the products as per customer requirements. Price-Quality Relationship The traditional price-quality relationship holds good here, where higher price signifies better quality. Price Discounts and Allowances Discounts are usually given by the dealer or partner with which the foreign brand has a tie-up with. These local dealers/partners usually give volume discounting. Sustaining Value Customer Evolution ? ? ? ? ? ? Growth in real-estate sector; Growth in hospitality industry Customers have become knowledgeable about both domestic and imported markets Defining the requirements differently o More focus on quality and after-sales service rather than just low-cost products ? Company o Foreign brands sometimes setup a local subsidiary to cater to the demand ? Context o Imported brands understood the need for after-sales service needed by the customers. Hence, they focused on this need through their dealer and partner networks Shifting locus of purchasing authority Changing ability to pay o Increased disposable income of domestic customers Competition o Domestic vs. Imported brands Collaborators o Sustaining Value Creation ? ? Proprietary Process o Use of new and/or patented technology in bath fittings New Product Introduction o o Imported brands market through local dealers and partner networks. Domestic brands market through local dealers, partners and company stores Bath Solutions based on: Size (small to large bathroom) or Theme (Family/Guest/Child-friendly/Elder-friendly bathrooms) Go to Market The Go-to Market strategy of bath fittings in India focuses on 3 main components: It encompasses the following 3 dimensions: ? Portfolio of offers ? New sales model ? Customer Base/Customer partnerships The bath fitting industry players in India maintain a dedicated innovation function to align the product offers with the demand. Companies, such as Afrikano, Moen etc. , provide a unique and affordable package to suit the budget needs of the customers. In order to crack the new geographical markets, these companies engage in ‘Partner management’ to extend the geographical coverage and complement the offer portfolio. The offer portfolio may include – 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Taps Bathroom Furniture Spa Shower and steam room Diverter and jets Kitchen Faucets Kitchen furniture After sales service The target portfolio is basically built around another 3 axes and is thus supported by an intelligible structure, which can be depicted as shown: The Go-to market strategy for the high end bath fittings is faced with 2 main challenges: ? The market is restricted ONLY to urban areas. Customers in the rural areas do not possess such purchasing power and the pioneering cost in rural areas is very high. The demand for replacing bathroom fittings is low and the bathroom size is relatively small when compared with bathroom sizes of other developed/developing nations. Hence, continuous business from the same customer is not ensured. The main players in the market provide complete bathroom solutions with water conservation technology. Another strategy employed by such organization is to forge alliances with builders in the real-estate sector so that installations can be done during the construction phase itself. They also target architects working on high end projects for luxury market, hotels etc. The bath fitting market in India is highly competitive with many organized and unorganized players in the market. Foreign players either have distribution partnerships with Indian major players or have ventured in establishing wholly owned subsidiaries through Mergers Acquisitions and Green- Field Ventures. Moreover, companies are opening dedicated showrooms with concept bathrooms to showcase better product demonstrations. The market channel that is being used buy this industry can be summarized as follows: Companies employ direct selling and retailing strategies to penetrate the market. How to cite Premium Bath Fittings in India, Essay examples Premium Bath Fittings in India Free Essays Marketing Assignment (Term 3): Group 2: Bath Fittings Akhil P, Ameya K, Bhaskar D, Pratyush G, Shashank P Branding Building Brand Equity ? Brand Elements o Superior build quality (elegant designs, corrosion resistance, longer functional life, and superior finishing) of imported bath fittings as compared to domestic bath fittings. Assured after-sales service for imported bath fittings, via their distributors and partners in India (ex: Italian premium brand Novellini markets its products through Cera Sanityware Ltd). Domestic makers of bath fittings are mostly unorganized in after-sales services. We will write a custom essay sample on Premium Bath Fittings in India or any similar topic only for you Order Now Water conservation (Imported bath fittings use 20% lesser water than domestic bath fittings). Imported bath fittings have the option of being customized to customer’s requirements. Endorsement from best-in-business real estate builders, architects, high-end hotels luxury services and interior designers Associated with competitions and social causes (ex: Participants of the prestigious Solar Decathlons, usually held in Washington, preferably use bath fittings by Duravit in their constructions) Managing Brand Equity ? Brand Reinforcement Concept Bathrooms: Imported bath fittings are prominently displayed in stores as a complete-bath-solution (i. e. a complete bathroom is setup inside the store using imported bath fittings). This style of display enhances the product attractiveness to customers and the customers are inclined to buy the whole solution rather than just the individual product Advanced technology in bath fittings (ex: Sensor technology to control water temperature; Battery-operated towel warmers) Creating limited edition of products to maintain exclusivity (ex: Sterlingham frequently makes a limited set of hand-crafted bath fittings) o o ? o o o Leveraging secondary associations Branding Strategy ? o ? ? Aimed at medium to high income customers Portrayed as a style statement Corporate name is printed on each product Integrated Market Communication Market ? ? ? ? Bath fittings that are imported are focusing in the urban segments. Focused in the niche market. Establish tie-ups with architects, builders interior designers. Establish relationship with the major hospitals for selling their products. Money ? ? ? ? Focuses more on the B2B. Share of business of 70% in B2B and 30% to B2C. Few competitors in the niche market of Bath fittings. Major focus in the product substitutability to have stylish and prestigious products. Message The Imported Bath fittings advertise as the product that is dedicated to designing and delivering beautiful products that last a lifetime. They offer a variety of sinks, bathroom faucets and bathroom showering. Bathroom fixtures combine style and perfectly matching the decorating style. Imported bath fittings are dedicated to designing and delivering beautiful products that last a lifetime. Media The Import bath fittings do marketing through the following mediums ? Television Networks. ? Radio stations. Fashion Magazine. ? Bill boards in the Airports. ? Trade Shows in Metropolitan Cities. Pricing Customer Value and Sensitivity to Price The imported bath fittings are primarily aimed at medium to high-income customers who have loads of disposable cash. In this unconventional form of art, customer has perceived a value that satisfies his/her need as an ego satisfier and/ or as an investment. He nce higher the price, the better an ego satisfier is the product and so is the willingness to pay. Buyer Characteristics and Pricing Method Buyers are looking for quality, after-sales support and uniqueness. To tap into these customers, foreign makers of bath fittings make limited editions of specific products. They also maintain a superior build quality while giving leeway for customizing the products as per customer requirements. Price-Quality Relationship The traditional price-quality relationship holds good here, where higher price signifies better quality. Price Discounts and Allowances Discounts are usually given by the dealer or partner with which the foreign brand has a tie-up with. These local dealers/partners usually give volume discounting. Sustaining Value Customer Evolution ? ? ? ? ? ? Growth in real-estate sector; Growth in hospitality industry Customers have become knowledgeable about both domestic and imported markets Defining the requirements differently o More focus on quality and after-sales service rather than just low-cost products ? Company o Foreign brands sometimes setup a local subsidiary to cater to the demand ? Context o Imported brands understood the need for after-sales service needed by the customers. Hence, they focused on this need through their dealer and partner networks Shifting locus of purchasing authority Changing ability to pay o Increased disposable income of domestic customers Competition o Domestic vs. Imported brands Collaborators o Sustaining Value Creation ? ? Proprietary Process o Use of new and/or patented technology in bath fittings New Product Introduction o o Imported brands market through local dealers and partner networks. Domestic brands market through local dealers, partners and company stores Bath Solutions based on: Size (small to large bathroom) or Theme (Family/Guest/Child-friendly/Elder-friendly bathrooms) Go to Market The Go-to Market strategy of bath fittings in India focuses on 3 main components: It encompasses the following 3 dimensions: ? Portfolio of offers ? New sales model ? Customer Base/Customer partnerships The bath fitting industry players in India maintain a dedicated innovation function to align the product offers with the demand. Companies, such as Afrikano, Moen etc. , provide a unique and affordable package to suit the budget needs of the customers. In order to crack the new geographical markets, these companies engage in ‘Partner management’ to extend the geographical coverage and complement the offer portfolio. The offer portfolio may include – 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Taps Bathroom Furniture Spa Shower and steam room Diverter and jets Kitchen Faucets Kitchen furniture After sales service The target portfolio is basically built around another 3 axes and is thus supported by an intelligible structure, which can be depicted as shown: The Go-to market strategy for the high end bath fittings is faced with 2 main challenges: ? The market is restricted ONLY to urban areas. Customers in the rural areas do not possess such purchasing power and the pioneering cost in rural areas is very high. The demand for replacing bathroom fittings is low and the bathroom size is relatively small when compared with bathroom sizes of other developed/developing nations. Hence, continuous business from the same customer is not ensured. The main players in the market provide complete bathroom solutions with water conservation technology. Another strategy employed by such organization is to forge alliances with builders in the real-estate sector so that installations can be done during the construction phase itself. They also target architects working on high end projects for luxury market, hotels etc. The bath fitting market in India is highly competitive with many organized and unorganized players in the market. Foreign players either have distribution partnerships with Indian major players or have ventured in establishing wholly owned subsidiaries through Mergers Acquisitions and Green- Field Ventures. Moreover, companies are opening dedicated showrooms with concept bathrooms to showcase better product demonstrations. The market channel that is being used buy this industry can be summarized as follows: Companies employ direct selling and retailing strategies to penetrate the market. How to cite Premium Bath Fittings in India, Papers

Sustainability and Environment Sustainable Energy

Question: Discuss about the Sustainability and Environment Sustainable Energy. Answer: Introduction The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clean energy development and its employability. Nowadays, the major focus of the countries is to increase utilization of renewable resources in order to increase environmental sustainability (Kedar Lopez, 2016). The large-scale manufacturing organizations need to reduce the use of energy in order to conduct sustainable business. Therefore, the employment in the sector of renewable energy has increased rapidly. As per 2009, the total estimated employment of renewable industry was 3 million. Since the industry is growing rapidly and the trend of renewable resource is increasing, the prospect of employment in this industry is also increasing (Ciriminna et al., 2016). The major requirements of the firms are manufacturing, maintenance and operations. The employees will be responsible for a set of objectives with different competency requirements. There are a set of renewable energy technologies including wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal and Bioenergy. These technologies have been introduced in order to reduce environmental instability and promote sustainable practice. The focus of increasing use of renewable resources is to reduce emission and mitigate issues due to energy scarcity (Morell, 2016). On the other hand, the increasing demand of renewable resources has increased the employee requirements with specific competencies. In this study, different technologies for renewable resources have been evaluated. Moreover, the employability of renewable energy industry has also been evaluated in this study. There are certain capabilities that an individual should have in order to work with renewable energy firm (de Souza, Cerqueira Silva, 2015). In this era of technology, it is highly important to have adequate knowledge about technologies in order to work with such energy manufacturing companies. The purpose of renewable energy development is to ensure low pollution, improvement in energy security and increasing access to energy sources (Luhur et al., 2016). Discussion There are a range of renewable technologies such as wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal and Bioenergy. These technologies are efficient to produce renewable resources efficiently. Moreover, the use of such technologies has wide impact on the job creation of countries. The energy supply firms are responsible for high greenhouse gas emission (Petrillo et al., 2016). Therefore, it has become the most important factor to produce renewable energy, which would reduce carbon emission over the lifecycle of the firms. Government of UK has paid close attention to the future energy price and therefore, the government has increased investment in order to replace fossil fuel technologies (Ward, Gbadebo Baruah, June). Following are the renewable technologies that renewable energy resources that would facilitate the society. Wind: Wind-turbine can be used in order to convert wind resource into electricity. There are two types of wind electricity firms, which can be segregated by the position of the wind-turbine. There are some onshore wind farms and offshore wind farm in which offshore forms need high investment and employee skills. The wind-turbine is the most efficient renewable resource with a set of pros and cons (Luhur et al., 2016). This technology has wide impact on job creation, as it increases opportunity for the meteorologists, structural engineers, surveyors, lawyers, assembly workers, technicians and bankers. Implementation of wind energy helps to increase job opportunity 30% greater than coal plants and 66% greater than nuclear power plant in global market. The traditional sources of power like natural gas and coal emit large amount of greenhouse gas (Shapiro, Meneveau Gayme, 2016). However, in this process, there is no threat of greenhouse gas emission. Therefore, it can be said that this technology is one of the most efficient clean energy development process through which the government can reduce emission and increase job opportunity of the country. Solar energy: Solar technology helps to convert the sunlight into electricity. There are three types of spar technologies such as photovoltaic, solar thermal and concentrated solar power. These procedures are different in terms of manufacturing process. For example, in case of photovoltaic, it can be possible to convert the sunlight into electricity wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal and Bioenergy (Cameron van der Zwaan, 2015). The solar thermal technologies can be used to heat up water and on the other hand, CSP helps to use concentrate the sun heat through mirror and heat water in order to produce electricity (Schulze Schmidt, 2015). This renewable energy has created huge opportunity of employment. In order to establish solar energy firm, it is highly important to hire efficient employees with efficient technical skill. An individual should have the ability to cope up with new technologies in order to work in such industry (Twidell Weir, 2015). Moreover, the maintenance employee s should have adequate knowledge about solar installation. There are certain specific knowledge that may vary8 depending on the requirements of the project. Therefore, the major competency for this industry would be learning ability. Hydropower: This technology helps to generate electricity from water resource. In this technology, the companies use turbines in order to produce electricity. The large-scale organizations built the turbine in to river dams (Jaber et al., 2015). On the other hand, small-scale organizations use river flow in order to drive the generator. In hydropower technology, the employees should have proper process knowledge along with technical efficiency. The major investment of these companies is allocated for the maintenance. The employees are responsible for monitoring performance of the equipments in order to ensure sustainable production of clean energy (Schulze Schmidt, 2015). The green employment refers to the job type in which people works for renewable resource generation. On the other hand, clean energy development refers to the energy production through renewable resources. Therefore, it can be said that green technologies for energy generation increase green job opportunity for a country (Rutovitz, Dominish Downes, 2015). Therefore, the employees in this industry should have understanding regarding environmental policies imposed by the government. In case of clean energy industry, the job type is project based. Therefore, the requirements of the employers depend on the project flow. Therefore, the employees should be flexible in terms of geographical location (Mundaca Richter, 2015). Moreover, the employees should have adequate technical skills. It would help an individual to learn new technologies within short time span. The major challenge of the human resource department of this industry is shortage of experienced workforce (Inglesi-Lotz, 2016). In this industry, it is highly important to have adequate process knowledge in order to ensure high performance. Therefore, the employees should understand the entire process in order to mitigate safety issues at the workplace. The reason behind hiring experienced workers is to ensure that the company will not face any hinders due to health and safety factor (Yenneti, Day Golubchikov, 2016). There is no national certificate program for clean energy development and therefore, professional training is the sole process through which an individual may enter in this industry. In this industry, the employees should have specific competencies such as team working ability, communication skill, and interpersonal skills. Moreover, the employees should have ability to work under pressure. The production depends on the market demand and on the other hand, demand of renewable resource is increasing rapidly. Therefore, human resource department of such organizations are recruiting experienced employees in order to increase production (Mundaca Richter, 2015). When it comes to the project manager, an individual should have efficient leadership skill in order to ensure that the employees are achieving their individual objectives in an efficient manner. Moreover, the project manager should have clear vision and according to that, he should setup the objectives. Responsibility delegation is one of the major responsibilities of the project manager. There is different job position in different renewable energy generation firms (Schulze Schmidt, 2015). For example, in s olar manufacturing firms, the company would require installer technician, manufacturing workers and workers for maintenance. The skills and responsibilities for each position would be different. The companies are recruiting experienced people in order to ensure sufficient production. As the job type of the employees is project based, the employees should have the skill of time management. The employees should understand the importance of deadline in order to achieve objectives of the project (Rutovitz, Dominish Downes, 2015). All the departments should maintain efficient communication in order to achieve the project in an efficient manner. Therefore, it can be said that in order to conduct sustainable business the renewable energy companies are paying close attention to the team working ability. Moreover, the increasing trend of renewable energy has created huge job opportunity in UK market (Ciriminna et al., 2016). The government has developed an efficient business environment for the renewable energy producers. In such business environment, the companies need to hire efficient workforce in order to achieve sustainable business. However, there is no such education concerning renewable energy production. Therefore, the human resource management of renewable resource companies may face difficulties while recruitment (Yenneti, Day Golubchikov, 2016). On the other hand, the employees should have adequate knowledge about the working process. In order to improve organizational performance, the companies are providing technical training to the employees. In this manner, it is possible for the companies to improve organizational performance. Apart from that, the use of renewable energy is increasing in rapid manner. It has positive impact on the employment of the country (Mundaca Richter, 2015). The increasing establishment of renewable energy firm has increased the job opportunity. The major competencies that the employees need in this industry are team working ability, efficient communication skill, time management skill and ability to relocate. The job type in this industry is project based. Therefore, the employees should be able to work as per the organizational requirements. The company needs to train the employees according to the technological changes. In order to improve the renewable energy production, the companies should improve the technology rapidly (Petrillo et al., 2016). Therefore, it is highly important to provide sufficient training in order to avoid high employee attrition. Overall, the employability skills that an individual should have, is high technical knowledge. The human resource department of renewable energy produces is hiring experienced employees in order to ensure sustainable production. Apart from that, the trend of green employment tends people to work in renewable energy industry. The renewable energy industry needs to hire efficient employees in order to fulfill requirements of the society (Luhur et al., 2016). According to the governments legislations, the manufacturing firms should utilize renewable energy in order to conduct sustainable business. Therefore, the demand of renewable energy is increasing rapidly. On the other hand, the renewable energy companies are facing difficulties while recruiting efficient employees. It is difficult for the companies to recruit efficient workforce in order to meet the increasing demand. There are different technologies for producing renewable energy (Jaber et al., 2015). Therefore, the employees should have good understanding about the technologies. In order to fulfill the increasing demand, it is highly important to improve the technological background. In this process, the companies need to implement change management strategy through which the companies would be able to adopt innovative technologies (Schulze Schmidt , 2015). Therefore, the companies are recruiting employees with adequate knowledge in technologies. Conclusion While concluding, it can be said that the demand on renewable energy is increasing rapidly and therefore, the renewable energy companies are conducting mass recruitment from global market. The literature review shows that there is different technologies has been implemented in order to increase production of renewable resources. In order to fulfill the increasing requirements of the society, the companies have recruited employees based on certain parameters. In this industry, the core competencies are team working ability, communication skill and time management ability. The increasing trend of renewable energy has wide impact on the employment opportunity. However, poor skills and abilities of the employees prevent the companies from increasing production of renewable energy. Therefore, the companies are providing technical training to the employees in order to conduct sustainable business. When it comes to the employability of renewable resources, the companies are hiring experienced employees in order to ensure sustainable production. Reference list Cameron, L., van der Zwaan, B. (2015). Employment factors for wind and solar energy technologies: a literature review.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,45, 160-172 Ciriminna, R., Meneguzzo, F., Pecoraino, M. and Pagliaro, M., (2016). Rethinking solar energy education on the dawn of the solar economy.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,63, pp.13-18 de Souza, V. B., Cerqueira, N. A., Silva, P. D. (2015). Photovoltaic energy as a solution for energetic crisis: analysis of technical feasibility of its implementation in building an institution of higher education in itaperuna-rj city.Reinpec.REINPEC-Revista Interdisciplinar Pensamento Cientfico,1(1) Inglesi-Lotz, R. (2016). The impact of renewable energy consumption to economic growth: a panel data application.Energy Economics,53, 58-63 Jaber, J. O., Elkarmi, F., Alasis, E., Kostas, A. (2015). Employment of renewable energy in Jordan: Current status, SWOT and problem analysis.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,49, 490-499 Kedar, M. S., Lopez, J. (2016). Revolution by Non-Conventional Energy Source and its Employability/Job Creation.International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies,2(1) Luhur, M. R., Manganhar, A. L., Solangi, K. H., Jakhrani, A. Q., Mukwana, K. C., Samo, S. R. (2016). A review of the state-of-the-art in aerodynamic performance of horizontal axis wind turbine.Wind and Structures,22(1), 1-16 Morell, I. A. (2016). Can Renewable Energy Contribute to Poverty Reduction? A Case Study on Romafa, a Hungarian LEADER.Evaluating the European Approach to Rural Development: Grass-roots Experiences of the LEADER Programme, 183 Mundaca, L., Richter, J. L. (2015). Assessing green energy economystimulus packages: Evidence from the US programs targeting renewable energy.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,42, 1174-1186 Petrillo, A., De Felice, F., Jannelli, E., Autorino, C., Minutillo, M., Lavadera, A. L. (2016). Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) analysis model for a stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system.Renewable Energy,95, 337-355 Rutovitz, J., Dominish, E., Downes, J. (2015). Calculating global energy sector jobs: 2015 methodology Schulze, T. F., Schmidt, T. W. (2015). Photochemical upconversion: present status and prospects for its application to solar energy conversion.Energy Environmental Science,8(1), 103-125 Shapiro, C., Meneveau, C., Gayme, D. (2016). A simple dynamic wake model for time dependent wind turbine yaw.Bulletin of the American Physical Society,61 Twidell, J., Weir, T. (2015).Renewable energy resources. Routledge Ward, A., Gbadebo, A., Baruah, B. (2015, June). Using job advertisements to inform curricula design for the key global technical challenges. InInformation Technology Based Higher Education and Training (ITHET), 2015 International Conference on(pp. 1-6). IEEE Yenneti, K., Day, R., Golubchikov, O. (2016). Spatial justice and the land politics of renewables: Dispossessing vulnerable communities through solar energy mega-projects.Geoforum,76, 90-99

David Eddings Pawn Of Prophecy Essays - The Belgariad, Belgarion

David Edding's Pawn of Prophecy The book I chose to review was Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. The world in which the story takes place is ruled by seven gods. At the beginning of time the people of the world live in harmony under the seven gods. Most of the gods choose groups of peoples to worship them, all but Aldur have followers. A lone boy named Belgarath seeks out Aldur and is taken in by him, Aldur then teaches him to be a sorcerer. After taking in the boy, Aldur creates what was to be known as the Orb of Aldur. The orb is so powerful that Aldur's brother Torak smites Aldur and steels the orb from him. When Torak will not return the orb, the peoples of the world attack him and his people, the Angaraks. Torak tries to use the orb to kill his attackers but the orb will not let him use it for evil and it burns off half his face. From then on Torak is known as Torak One-Eye. Eventually Belgarath and the peoples known as Chereks steal the orb back from Torak while he is sleeping. From that point one Cherek child per generation is born with a special mark on his hand. Those with the mark prove to be gifted in the use of the orb. For thousands of years Torak is kept at bay because the orb is protected by the Chereks, but somehow, a man known as the Apostate takes the orb hoping to deliver it to Torak. Belgarath, his daughter Polgara, a Cherek named Barak, a Drasnian named Silk, a Sendar named Durnik and a young boy named Garion venture out into the world to try and recover the orb. Garion is of the Cherek line and has the mark of the orb. The book is only one of a series of ten books and the plot ends abruptly with Belgarath and his band of wanderers setting sail for Camaar to continue the search for the Apostate and the orb. The Pawn of Prophecy is a book that deals a battle between good and evil forces. Both forces have objectives that can only be achieved at the expense of the other side's goals. This means that only one side may win - there will be no compromise. Because both sides are approximately equal to each other in power, the victor of this war will not be the most physically powerful side will be the side that has the stronger will power - the side that will persevere and push itself through difficult times and situations. This sentiment is echoed throughout the book. The theme of the book is that if you focus all your energy into something and try your hardest, you can do anything. The notion that a person can do anything if they really try is demonstrated frequently. For example, Belgarath is given the task of finding the Apostate who stole the Orb of Aldur. This is not an easy undertaking, even for a powerful sorcerer like Belgarath. It takes him many months of tracking from Sendar to Darine to Muros to Cherek and finally to Camaar before he even finds the scent of the man he is pursuing. Difficult as the task is, Belgarath does not rest until his job is done and as a result of his efforts he acquires his goal. The author, however, does not limit the theme only to the good characters of the book. Even the villains may benefit from perseverance and will power. For example, the spy named Brill is considered to be of slow mind and body and not a serious adversary. He is discovered by the Belagarath at Faldor's farm before the journey to find the orb even begins. Although he is tied up by Belagarath, letting Belgarath and his group get almost two days travelling ahead of him, Brill pushes himself and eventually catches up to them again, ambushing them and injuring the boy Garion. The most apparent example of the theme is the way in which sorcerers perform their magic. Unlike many other stories in which a sorcerer or wizard must perform strange rituals and recite incantations to create magic, in this book, all that is required is will power and a single word. The author calls this phenomenon "the will and the word". There is no such thing as magic. If you want, for example, to move a rock, you merely will it to happen and channel your

History of Pluto Exploration

History of Pluto Exploration Pluto has long been considered as the ninth planet from the sun. It is the sixth planet from the earth. It is so far away that for many centuries, astronomers and scientists were not able to study this planet as extensively as they would have wanted.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on History of Pluto Exploration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More But because of the rapid improvement in technology whether in computers, telescope design or even the use of spacecraft to penetrate deep space, more light has been shed on this far flung planet of the solar system. In just one hundred years much has been known about Pluto than in all the years combined after Galileo pointed his telescope to the stars. Since the time that astronomers were able to use very powerful telescopes and peer into the night sky, they were dumbfounded by a scientific phenomenon. They observed that the orbit of Neptune did not quite follow the rules of New tonian physics. According to the director of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium, â€Å"Scientists saw the path of Neptune around the sun, and they saw that it wasn’t quite following Newton’s laws of gravity. And so either Newton was wrong †¦ or there was some other mass out there that they hadn’t cataloged yet that was influencing the motion of Neptune† (Cruz, 2009, p.1). So from that day forward until the discovery of the mysterious mass orbiting behind Neptune astronomers labeled this heavenly body as planet X (Cruz, 2009, p.1). It only required a dedicated astronomer with the right tools to discover what is behind this phenomenon. The Discovery of Pluto In 1930 an American astronomer made a commitment to discover the explanation as to why Neptune behaved that way. His name was Clyde Tombaugh and he was working at the Lowell Observatory (Brown Thomas, year, p.1). He was not even the chief astronomer but a mere observing assistant in the fac ility made famous by astronomer Percivall Lowell (Brown Thomas, year, p.1). But he was determined to discover planet X. After a year of painstaking research and the long nights of studying photographic plates, Tombaugh had his eureka moment on February 18, 1930 when he was comparing two plates taken one month before and by flicking the plates from one plate to the other Tombaugh hopes to spot the difference (Brown Thomas, year, p.1). As he was repeating the process he saw a tiny speck in the photo – a small object a few millimeters in size but that was the planet that he was looking for. His discovery changed the way people see the solar system (Brown Thomas, year, p.1). Tombaugh on the other hand received the recognition he richly deserved.Advertising Looking for essay on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Far, Far, Away There is no need to point out that Pluto is the farthest in the solar system. It is estimated to be thirty times smaller than Mercury and therefore it is a planet that is smaller the earth’s moon. It is also a planet that is one over five hundredth the size of planet earth. These facts and new discoveries forced many to initiate a debate whether it is proper to call Pluto a planet or a comet or piece of rock that orbits the sun. When it comes to Pluto there are more questions than answers. Scientists are also fascinated by its different behavior as compared to other eight planets that populate the solar system. For instance, in 1979 it was first discovered that Pluto only gets to complete its orbit after more than 200 years of movement around the sun. But there is more, this planet has a highly elliptical orbit that once in its two-hundred year orbit it inserts itself between Uranus and Neptune (NASA Science, ) It is an unsettling fact for some but a source of fascination for others. The aberration in the orbit path may occur once in two centuries but it is not rectified as quickly as one will expect. As mentioned the shift in orbit was noticed in 1979 but it was only â€Å"corrected† in February 11, 1999 – almost 20 years of staying within the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Due to its distance and position relative to the sun, astronomers always associate Pluto with ice and a frigid climate. It is also easy to dismiss it as noting more than a chunk of ice and rock (Cowen, 2010, pl1). But recent developments suggest that there is more to Pluto than what scientists believe is possible. Marc Buie a planetary scientist discovered that Pluto has undergone some dramatic surface changes that prompted him and other scientists to conclude that it has become redder (Cowen, 2010, p.1). Buie and even his colleagues do not have an explanation why Pluto is undergoing significant changes. At first they thought that it was due to elevated levels of ultra-violet frays from the sun. Now they have abandoned this explanation because th ey believe that the sun’s rays were constant at the time that Pluto showed these changes. They are more likely to go with the second explanation. They said that Pluto’s distance from the sun coupled with a 248 year orbit around it is the most likely culprit for the color change of the planet’s surface (Cowen, 2010, p.1). This has another major implication. It means that there is more to this planet aside from its being the outermost planet in the solar system.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on History of Pluto Exploration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Scientists must continue to probe and study Pluto and not be embroiled in the current controversy whether to change its designation as the 9th planet from the sun or just a chunk of ice orbiting behind Neptune just like the other large pieces of rock that can be seen in the Kuiper Belt but are deemed to be of less importance. This sentiment is ech oed by many astronomers and scientists all over the world. According to Tyson, the director of Hayden Planetarium in New York City, it is only Americans who are obsessed with Pluto but the rest of the world in his estimation are not that interested in this planet. Fran Bagenal a graduate student at MIT said that sending a mission to study Pluto in depth was seen as an uninteresting way to spend tax-payers money to force NASA to deploy a space prove over that region in the solar system. In fact, it is the only planet in the solar system that has not been visited by any unmanned spacecraft from the earth (NASA Science, 1999, p.1). It was pointed out that even the Hubble Space Telescope was not even programmed to go near it and take images close range. According to scientists the Hubble Space Telescope was only able to take pictures of the largest features of the planet’s surface (NASA Science, 1999, p.1). This has to change especially in the light of recent controversy regardin g Pluto’s nomenclature. While there are many who are not keen in spending millions of dollars to study Pluto there are those who wanted to give it a try. One of them is Alan Stern who since 1989 were badgering his scientists friends to petition NASA to explore Pluto. He was fascinated by the fact that Pluto resembles an overgrown comet rather than an undersized planet ( ) He is also interested to know more as to a phenomenon easily observable from the earth and it is the fact that solar winds blows gases from the surface of Pluto in the same way as seeds are blown from a dandelion flower () Stern also pointed out that Pluto is covered with frozen gases but these gases evaporate every time Pluto’s orbit is near the sun. This evaporated gases immediately forms an atmosphere but its gravity is so weak that a significant portion of that atmosphere is blown away (Guterl, 2006). But most importantly Stern argues that the significance of a more detailed study of Pluto is to r eveal the mysteries that lie at the edge of the solar system (Guterl, 2006). It is indeed a project that needs to be started soon. Conclusion It was not only the 2oth century that an astronomer was able to discover the planet Pluto and designated it as the ninth planet from the sun. It is located in the outer edges of the solar system and explains why it is frigid, covered with frozen gas and requires 248 years to complete one orbit.Advertising Looking for essay on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Its distance and size may be the real reason why NASA is not going to invest millions of dollars to send a spacecraft and study it in detail. But there is more to know about Pluto. It is time to invest more in studying this fascinating planet. The more scientists probe into Pluto the more they will understand the mysteries that lie behind the solar system. Brown, M. Thomas P. Pluto and the Developing Landscape. 2010. International Astronomic Union. Web. Cowen, Ron. Pluto Blushes Red. 2010. ScienceNews. Web. Cruz, Gilbert. Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson. 21 Time. 2009. Web. Guterl, Fred. Pluto Explored. 2006. Discover. Web. NASA Science. Much Ado about Pluto. 1999. NASA Science. Web.

Let's Be Lefties for a Day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Let's Be Lefties for a Day - Essay Example What is it like to be a left-hander in a world of right-handers? (I am a right-hander). To explore this, I woke up one morning and posed a restriction on my right hand by enclosing a ping-pong ball in my right hand and tying it up tightly with a sock. I began brushing my teeth. Noticing that the angles of brushing were going awry, my right hand subconsciously tried to assist. No, I told myself and desisted. (After a couple of hours, I could still detect a faint trace of bad odour). Then, bathing was an absolute horror. My sock got wet in a matter of seconds. I had to sign some cheques and write a letter before leaving for office. The result, on paper looked like a child’s scrawl. My daughter tossed me a ball and I ended up overbalancing and falling on the floor, not to mention missing it completely. We also observe people who do not elicit the same treatment meted out to us. For instance, I remember my college days when we had a guy who was good at studies. He would lock himse lf up and stick to academics. He would not join us in sports, dating or drinking. We used to snigger behind his back. He was considered ‘abnormal’. Was it right on our part to label him thus? All of us know the answer. People who do not conform to their peer-set’s so-called norms and practices are often scorned. But the attitude is not right. One cannot expect everyone to fall into the majority.

Own potential as a 'Prospective Manager' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Own potential as a 'Prospective Manager' - Essay Example A manager can carry out self-skills audit to identify, review and assess his / her own performance. A questionnaire may be helpful but is not a professional way to judge the skills. The right way would be to talk with other related people and managers and observe how do they achieve their objectives. However following questionnaire contains example of some questions: important role how does he / she handle the job. Management style in fact reflects the leadership of a manager and depends much upon the culture of the business and nature of the work and workforce. Following management theories of 20th century became obsolete now. Motivation – Hierarchy of Needs: A.H. Maslow (1950 to 1960): Used to motivate people for his / her competency and creativity competencies, through his / her dignity - respect, love - affection, tutoring from protection and hunger. As the name sounds a leader is a person who influences the others through his / her image and behavior which could be demonstrated by his / her intelligence, courage, skilful capabilities etc. A manager can develop and improve his / her leadership style through learning and practice. A manager can act as a leader adopting one or more following type of leadership styles: Vision of life would be similar to a magnet pulling the iron articles. A life without vision puts long term objectives into dilemma and short term objectives become work-oriented. Vision is a dream, purposeful and object of any person or organization. It keeps motivated and focused all the time. Your vision should be conceived for your happiness, inspiration, enjoy and what you wanted. You may write and draw a meaningful vision and start acting on it. Writing a mission statement is also a challenging job and requires brain exercise. Reflection of vision should fall in mission statement. Mission could be personal for life, organizational or departmental

Genetics and Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Genetics and Evolution - Essay Example Thus in such situations the characters used to recognise the species becomes merely diagnostic, not distinctive. Biologically speaking, these are a connected series of the species in neighbouring areas which interbreed with two end populations which are too phenotypically and geographically separated that they cannot interbreed. These two genetically and phenotypically diverse populations which represent the end populations may exist in the same geographic region, yet due to genetic and phenotypic diversity would not interbreed. As an example, the case of Larus gulls can be taken, the different species of which form a ring around the North Pole. The Lesser Black-beaked Gulls in Siberia form a part of this ring, and although they descend from the same species, adjacent Herring gulls are so different from them that they do not interbreed. Earnst Mayr's Biological species concept tends to recognise species based on defined phenotypic characters. Mayr defined species as groups of interbreeding populations, which do not reproduce across other species. This builds in a concept of reproductive isolation from other such groups. Particular species specific phenotypic characters or attributes prevent interbreeding with other species. Although the biological species concept places the taxonomy of natural species within the concept of population genetics, it fails to explain the ring species. Although there are apparent differences between naturally occurring ring species, the phenotypic distinction within the same or adjacent geographic areas blur, so in actuality, they interbreed. Secondly, the existence of connecting population distinguishes the ring species from two separate species. These features raise questions about the species concept (Liebers et al., 2004). Q2. Neo-Darwinism and Lamarckism The Neo-Darwinism of evolution contends that all life on earth arose from a common ancestor. This was postulated to occur due to random mutations of genes, which survived following the process of natural selection. Where these mutations were beneficial and had survived natural selection, it led to a replicative process leading to more offspring. On the contrary, those with deleterious mutations have fewer or no offspring. Some of these mutations which were beneficial could help new adaptations to altered environments changed or new. These adaptations were incorporated in the genetic traits leading to generation of newer species. It has been postulated that the genetic makeup of the complex organisms is a result of duplication and useful mutation of existing genes of simple organisms. Lamarck's theory of evolution on the other hand posits that when environmental conditions change, an organism goes through the need for changes. With these changes, organs or organ systems may also go th rough the drives of these changes, which ultimately would need use or disuse of some organs. If used, these organs will develop, and if disused, these organs will demonstrate diminution. In this way a new characteristic or genetic trait is acquired. When acquired traits run in generations, these become hereditary, and the organism demonstrates an evolution. These two theories differ in the concept of causation of mutation. While the neo-Darwinian

Violence against children in Vietnamese daycare

Violence against children in Vietnamese daycare Outline: I. Introduction: 1. What is violence? 2. Children in daycares. 3. Violence against children in daycares. II. Situations: Violence against children in Vietnam. 2. The consequences of the violent using. 3. Parents’ responsibilities. III. Problems: Public daycares overload. Risks of private daycares. The careless of parents. IV. Solutions: Increase the nannies’ knowledge in teaching and caring children skill. Enhance daycares’ facilities and infrastructure. Increase inspection and supervision of the authority at private daycares. V. Evaluation 1. Advantages 2. Disadvantages VI. Conclusion Nowadays, violence against children is become one of the most alert issues; especially in Vietnamese daycares. The children are physically and mentally ill-treated. Firstly, violence means using physical force against people and an act of aggression against a person who resist or not (definitions.net). In that sense, toddlers, children aged from two to four years old are the victims of violence in daycares. Using violence against toddlers is seriously violating the human rights, especially the children rights. According to UNICEF, â€Å" Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for, and protect them from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them† (Article 19,unicef.org). In recent years, Vietnamese daycares are facing a lot of doubtful legal cases. Many of these daycares are caught in the act of hitting and persecuting small kids. The government, especially the child-care organizations also takes a part in this alarmin g issue. One of the first responsibilities belongs to Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The issue which has been originated from the insufficient skills of management operation in children-care centers has led to a lot of severe and social and educational consequences. As a result, the Vietnamese government and local organizations are now making the revolution in the child-care system to calm parents’ mind. II. Situation First of all, the toddlers have the right to learning and growing with love. They are not deserved to be ill-treated that some adults have done. For example, the case which causes a tide in Vietnamese public opinion happens in Phuong Anh daycare in Thu Duc District. The scene was based on the video clip which people living around the daycare have been recording; the babysitters hit and forced small kids with violent actions. Although they were crying, the babysitter still throttled and slapped them. This is just one of cases which involve the violence against children in daycares. â€Å"The violence against children phenomenon is not popular however it’s not so rare†, said Ngo The Minh, the Deputy Chairman of Committees of cultural and educational youth and children of Congress (24h.com.vn). However, Vietnam is not the only country having the violence against small kids. This phenomenon happens everywhere in the world, especially the developing and poor countries. Belo w is the statistics showing the percentage of children from some countries experiencing violent discipline, psychological aggression or physical punishment (unicef.org): Children are the future of every country. They make the world become a better place and more complete day by day. If they were treated badly in the past, they would become the one who will treat their children the same in future. Particularly in daycares, the kids begin to learn and understand about the world. Therefore, when they grow up, they remember how the adults rose and taught them. The fact that nannies apply violence with kids just makes them more hard-headed and stubborn. As a result, parents are the people who suffer the most because of the kids’ misbehaviors and inappropriate attitudes. Parents also take important responsibilities in this issue. They don’t have time with their children because of their busy works. In Vietnam, the parents who don’t have time to take care of their children such as workers, office staff or even doctors having some busy jobs usually send their children to daycares. Some of them even send their kids to the not-officially- certified daycares. As a consequence, this carelessness leads to a lot of unfortunate accidents which have been written a lot in various newspapers. III. Problems In recent years, the violence against children is the most concern issue in Vietnam. There are a lot of toddlers being abused in illegal daycares. Some of them are badly injured and the others are dead because of nannies’ brutal act. Thus, there are many reasons for these tragic accidents which happen every year. The first reason is public daycares are having an oversupply of kids. Families who have toddlers living in the big city or the capital are having difficulty in finding public daycares, especially families with low income or don’t have city household. The Vietnamese daycares are oversupplied with kids because the population growing faster in recent years. Every mother and father wants their children sent to the place with good education and skillfully teacher. Consequently, the late ones don’t get the chance to send their children to public daycares so they must take their children to private daycares. Secondly, the percentage of using violence against children in private daycares is usually high. Private daycares were opened to help the children who didn’t get a place to study because of the public daycares’ overload. However, most of the private daycares fail to meet the requirements in the facilities, infrastructure and teaching qualifications. Moreover, normal people even can open the daycares at homes without officially-certified papers. As a result, there are so many accidents happen at home daycares such as the story happen at Thu Duc district. The nanny name’s Nho who is the criminal for killing the eighteen-month kid name’s Long. â€Å"When Nho was getting the breakfast for Long, she saw the kid cried. Then she yelled at Long and threatened him to eat the food. However, Long still cried which make Nho became angry and lost control. Therefore, she lifted up the boy and threw him in the air without catching the boy back. The falling make Long go t badly injured then he cried out loud which was the reason make Nho stomped on the baby’s chest and head two times. Unfortunately, the kid didn’t survive the thrashing of the nanny† (vtc.vn). Thus, this issue also takes a part in the responsibilities of parents. Thirdly, the careless of parents are one of the reasons that make children being ill-treated. They didn’t learn carefully about the daycares where they entrusted their children. Parents absolutely trust in the babysitters. If something happen to their children, they will often ask the babysitters instead of finding the reasons from their kids. Some parents give nannies that take care of their children some extra tips on special events. For this reason, low-income families may have disadvantages with the nannies even so their children. Which means parents know that violence is exist in daycares and they accept that by bribing the nannies. Consequently, when the violence is finding out, they take all the blame on the daycares as well as the nannies. Besides, people who live around the daycares also be the accomplice in most of the violence issues. They knew what happened in these illegal daycares everyday but they are indifferent with that. If they have a parent’s heart, they should tell the abused children’ parents as well as the newspaper office to accuse the illegal daycares. In this manner, the unfortunate events could be prevented. IV. Solutions: The child abuse phenomenon can’t be stop immediately; it requires time and lots of solutions. Therefore, there are many possible solutions being proposed to stop this phenomenon. Accordingly, the first solution is â€Å"Increase training and periodic retraining to improve professional skills in the work of nurturing, caring and education for young nannies†, said Trinh Viet Then, lecturer of psychology at Van Hien university (vnexpress.net). Small children such as toddlers are very hard to teaching and caring which lead to many acts of violence. Even the well-trained nannies sometimes think about using violence to kids. Toddlers don’t conceive things right or wrong which make the nannies sometimes become furious and cannot control the behaviors. Consequently, if the nannies have both of these skills, the child abuse in daycares will decrease dramatically. According to Thuy Nguyen Radio Station, Dong Son daycare has applied this solution in 2014. The daycare gives the nannies the opportunities to learning and training. In present, most of the babysitters in Dong Son daycare meet the requirement of teaching qualifications (haiphong.gov.vn). In addition, daycares should enhance the infrastructure and as well as the facilities to serve for the teaching purpose. Pham Hien, psychological expert said: â€Å"Daycares must have cameras to help parents easier to observe their kids every day† (youtube.com). Better equipment and infrastructure, the more effective in teaching and caring children. Moreover, daycares having cameras in the classes make the nannies have more self-conscious in their behaviors towards toddlers. This solution also helps parents and researchers easier to keep an eye on kids and avoid problems for the daycares itself. Additionally, daycares with good equipment make kids feel comfortable and easily learning the lessons. For example, the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) has donated a large amount of money to enhance the facilities and infrastructure of two kindergartens at Long An province and Binh Duong province (baomoi.com). As a consequence, children studying at these kindergartens are prevented from the violence using of nannies. However, the authority’s inspection and supervision at kindergarten is indispensable. In addition, private daycares without officially certificates must be banned and stop working. Nguyen Thi Loc, vice-director at Hoa Mai semi-public kindergarten said: â€Å"The authority should permanently increase the inspection toward the nannies such as examine the employment records or the nannies’ license† (mamnon.com). Besides, the MOET should investigate and total up the documents of violent victims such as toddlers. Based on the documents, the authority proposes solutions to prevent the violence. Furthermore, people should using banners of anti-violence against children near daycares. People who live near the daycares should encourage others to find out the illegal one and report to the nearby authorities. For example, the Women’s Union at District 8 has made a monitoring at three daycares in November, 2014. The reason is through the monitoring, they can raise aw areness and sense of responsibility for those who have the responsibility of raising children, and to prevent and promptly handle those who abuse children (gov.vn). V. Evaluations:

The Life and Times of Multivac :: Literary Analysis, Isaac Asimov

Humanity is threatened by the overwhelming growth of science and technology. People are expanding their knowledge through observation and experiment, oblivious to the consequences that result from improper motive. Isaac Asimov—author of The Life and Times of Multivac—uses the science of numbers, or mathematics, as a solution to the fear that arises in a world controlled by a human-like machine. What human beings are afraid of is losing the very word that separates them from everything else in the world—human, and they will do whatever they can to keep that title to themselves. What makes a human being different from a machine that possesses human characteristics? The idea that there really isn’t any difference here is a startling thought. Human beings retain the need to be different, especially from machines. People want to be distinguished as human and not like any other species, but Multivac is given a voice of its own, â€Å"†¦with a beauty that never quite vanished no matter how often it was heard,† (Asimov 160). Multivac is distinguished from human beings and can be defined as human because of its qualities. â€Å"It was becoming constantly more aware of is own worth and less likely to bear trivialities with patience,† (Asimov 162). Multivac was growing and becoming more intelligent; it was learning. When Bakst speaks about Multivac it sounds like he is talking about another person: â€Å"Yes, I will have to talk to Multivac,† and â€Å"Bakst had to depend on Multivac’s good will,† (Asimov 162). Bakst kn ows that he needs to treat Multivac like a friend; to get on its good side so he can later kill it. Bakst follows the rule of â€Å"keep friends close and your enemies even closer.† Multivac is made by the people, for the people. At first, he (see how I refer to the overpowering computer as being enough like an actual man to be referred to as he) is thought to be the savior of human beings, but then as Multivac becomes less dependent on humans he is seen as a vice on independence for the people left on earth. One of the remaining 15 people from a self-appointed Congress, Noreen, states â€Å"We live worthlessly now,† (Asimov 161). She feels like nothing matters anymore because anything she strives for is pointless. â€Å"Whatever we choose, as long as it’s unimportant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Asimov 161). Noreen probably feels like Multivac is laughing in her face every time she tries to be independent.

Arnolfini Wedding Portrai

In 1434, Flemish artist Jan van Eyck painted, signed, and dated his piece, the â€Å"Arnolfini Wedding Portrait. † This painting is believed to be of Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolflnl, an Italian merchant, and his wife Giovanna Cenaml and Is thought to stand as documentation of their marriage. While It may seem Ilke a simple dual-portrait, there are many subtle symbols Incorporated In the scene that enhance the portrayal of this couple. use of symbolism within the painting explains Its purpose, shows what this Renaissance couple values, displays social norms of the era, and relates to universal ymbols and basic human nature.The artwork hints towards its purpose through intricate symbolic meaning to be found within the details of the scene. A quite plausible interpretation of the painting is that it is an image of a wedding ceremony and it serves as verification of said marriage. In fifteenth century Flanders, marriages could easily have taken place in private locations, instead of in a church with an elaborate ceremony, and van Eycks signature on the painting is more than his name, it reads â€Å"Jan van Eyck was present† with the date of the painting, which indicates he ook the extra step to ensure that his presence was known.The eloquent handwriting of the signature, usually seen on formal documents, In addltlon to the fact that there Is an unnamed man accompanying van Eyck In the mirror's reflection whom Is likely the other, more official witness to this marriage which further proves this interpretation. Secondly, in the bottom left corner is a pair of shoes that have been slipped off, probably out of respect for being in a holy place or in the presence of a holy event, such as a wedding ceremony.Furthermore, the companion dog was not n there by accident, but instead represents faithfulness, fidelity, and love which are 3 immensely important qualities of a successful marriage. Lastly, on the intricate chandelier there burns only one solitary candle. A single flame burning in bright daylight symbolizes a bridal or possibly a devotional candle, a part of marriage ceremonies. The artist used symbols in the painting to subtly explain the purpose of the portrait, Just as other parts of this piece of artwork reflect the general era of the Renaissance.The style of the art and the way this painting was created embodies arts of the artlstlc Renaissance In Europe. Renaissance usually refers to the renewed interest in the classical arts and culture that sprouted from Italy. However, the Northern Renaissance (which van Eyck was a part of) was characterized by people's interest in observing the nature of our world and humans fit within that world. Northern artists had more focus on detail and this is very evident in van Eyck's painting. There is intense detail in this picture, from the scruff of the dog's fur to the flame of the candle.Another characteristic of the Northern Renaissance art was that there was emphasis on religious intensity . Within this painting, there are several religious symbols such as; the removed shoes (representing sanctity), the crystal prayer beads on the wall, and the Image of Saint Margaret (protector of women In childbirth) carved Into a high back chair near the bedside. These things skillfully represent the piety of the couple and Incorporate religious undertones Into a simple portrait. This portrait also contains details that allude to the fifteenth century ideas concerning marriage.Just the placement of the two figures within the room says sometnlng aoout tne value 0T gender roles aurlng tnls era. I ne woman, positioned slightly further into the room, towards the bed, symbolizes her role as a caretaker of the household. Ideas of women's rights during the this time were that the wives should support their husbands, while still living domestic, demure, stay-at- home lives. With the placement of Giovanni near an open window, the painting represents how a man's duties are outside the home, working and living with more freedom than women were allowed.Even their hand position gives information on their relationship. His hand being raised vertically represents a commanding position f authority, whilst she has her hand in a lower, horizontal pose which shows her as more submissive. However, the wife looks directly towards her husband, rather than down at the floor as lower class women would have. In the court life system that they are a part of, she is his equal, not his subordinate, and she displays it with her confident gaze. The man looks directly out at the viewer, stoic and calm, displaying his control.As a wealthy merchant, Arnolflni had the ability to have symbols of his wealth placed within the portrait; this allows people to understand the attitude of the ealthy and the part of the economic state during the Renaissance. Placed under the window is an orange which, without context, could mean nothing at all. However, fruit was expensive at this time and oranges wer e especially uncommon in the Netherlands, the setting of this portrait. The orange was likely placed there to be a symbol of this couple's wealth.Furthermore, the small dog, while also representing loyalty and faithfulness, is also an extremely rare breed of dog. It must have cost a fair amount for them to purchase that dog and placing it in their painting is practically showing it off. In addition, both people are dressed lavishly, even though the painting was done during the summer time, as indicated by cherry fruit on the tree outside. Despite the season both of their outer garments, Giovanni's thick tabard and his wife's a long flowing dress, are trimmed and fully lined with expensive furs.Having commissioned art in general displays a great amount of wealth. Here, they have taken things a step further by donning their most regal outfits and placing other symbols of their wealth and status within their portrait to enhance it further. The attitude of this merchant is really to dis play as much of his money as he possibly ould because your economic security at this time affected your social standing. The idea that money is a sense of power, and that displaying your wealth is important to your social standing is still present in modern society.The size of your house, what car you drive, what clothes you wear, what devices you own are the things people will base your social status upon. A celebrity with millions of dollars and a beautiful mansion can be Just as idolized as a strong political leader or national hero and people with spend their money however they need to in order to gain social standing. Another ideology is the social norm of growing up, getting married, and starting a family.Symbols within the painting representing loyalty, faithfulness, and most of all hope for fertility, show the couple's intent on staying together and having children. Most children grow up to believe that the socially acceptable thing to do is find someone you love and start a family. Even though it is perfectly accepted in todays society for a woman to remained unmarried, it is almost expected for people to want to have a family. One could argue that it is human nature for people to want to be married.Instinctively, humans' main goal is to survive and thrive, and in order for tnat to nappen It Is Key tnat people reproduce. It Is commonly Dellevea you snou10 D married before you have children so, logically; it is a part of human nature to want to have a successful marriage and for the woman to be fertile. The â€Å"Arnolflni Wedding Portrait† is a complicated and insightful piece of artwork that allows for people to observe details of the Renaissance era as well as discover parallels between that time and ours. Jan van Eyck effectively uses symbolism to tell a story about the couple without a single word.

Slums Within Asia essays

Slums Within Asia essays The definition of a slum varies from one form to another depending on the background or country from which an individual comes from. Someone from a rich country may define slums as old run down buildings, whereas someone from a poor country will define slums as un-serviced haphazard constructions . The universal definition of a slum as found in the dictionary is said to be a heavily populated urban area characterized by substandard housing and filth . Slums are seen as a purely physical phenomenon. Slums are populated by two groups of people, the poor and the strangers . Since in slums there is a lack of cleanliness, serious diseases can spread easily and quickly. Slum inhabitants go through many problems, a few being they lack of public transit, constant migration, lack of water, no sewage or solid waste facilities, pollution, and shelter shortages . They also face poor ventilation, due to a lack of windows and electricity. They also tend to establish homes on unused land that is usually privately owned or government owned land. Therefore a concise definition for a slum would be a crowded urban area, marked by poverty, where living conditions are very bad and in poor condition . There are many reasons for the origination of slums in Indian cities. Slums for one reason may occur because the physical structures are allowed to be created in poor conditions or to deteriorate from past satisfactory structures . Slums have formed as early as the 17th century. In the 17th century, Gerald Aungier, the 2nd governor of Bombay tried to attract traders and artisans to the city, and thus causing a large influx in the population . Wealthy traders built their homes inside the British forts while others were forced to live in crowded areas around the fort resulting in slums . The problem of overcrowding still remained until the 18th century. It wasnt till the 19th century that India saw the growth of slums. Slums in India have forme...

In what ways did the dual Kingship of Sparta reflect (or perpetuate) other aspects of Spartan society Essay Example

In what ways did the dual Kingship of Sparta reflect (or perpetuate) other aspects of Spartan society Essay Example In what ways did the dual Kingship of Sparta reflect (or perpetuate) other aspects of Spartan society Essay In what ways did the dual Kingship of Sparta reflect (or perpetuate) other aspects of Spartan society Essay Essay Topic: History Sparta, as countless others scholars have noted, was a world apart from the other poleis in Ancient Greece in its customs. It was one of the few poleis to retain a Kingship, and as doubly odd to have had a Dyarchy two Kings reigning simultaneously, one each from the Agiad and Eurypontid lines respectively. Is it possible, in fact, that this strange royal partnership reflected and maybe even in some way fuelled the peculiar habits of Lacedaemonian society? I wish to explore the nature of the Kings role in the Spartan constitution, their role in Spartan religion and their powers commanding the army. I will also explore their role in diplomacy. The concept that we have of archaic monarchs (in this case, dyarchs), especially many of those during the Hellenistic era (like Phillip II Alexander I of Macedon, the Great Kings of Persia and later on into history) is that of absolute control and to check that power. In Sparta, it was a very different affair (Cartledge, 1987: 17; 2001: 57). Perhaps a very basic point, but something that reflected the overall ethos of Laconian society was the deemed seniority of the Agiad line (Hdt. 6. 51; Cartledge, 1987: 23, 100). This echoed throughout Spartan society; where the Spartan youth were tutored to obey their elders. The two Kings were overseen (literally MacDowell, 1986: 128) by Ephors and laws were passed by the Gerousia (which they were at least part of). It is quite plausible that over the centuries, before the advent of Ephors, the constitutional powers of the Kings were much greater (MacDowell, 1986: 123). For example, by the mid 5th century, we know that judicially, the Kings judged cases involving unmarried heiresses, adoptions and public roads (Herodotus, 6.57. 4/5). Indeed, the constantly fluctuating relationship between the Ephors Gerousia with the Kings is something worth investigating. In theory, the Ephorate was established to prolong the royal crowns (Cartledge, 2001: 33), with both of them exchanging vows to each other monthly to act within the law (Xen. Lac. Pol. 15.7). But there were instances where ulterior motives on either side came to the fore. Pausanias tells us that when a King committed a misdemeanour and was to be tried back home, the judges included the other governing arms the Ephors and the Gerousia, the latter including the other king (Paus, 3.5.2); Cleomenes was exiled for trying to dismiss the Athenian boule (Yates, 2005: 75/6). However, it is quite possible that this was a special case, regarding the trial of Pausanias (MacDowell, 1986, 128, Cartledge, 1987: 109). We also hear of the Ephors conducting a ritual sky watch once every 8 years, searching for bad omens which they could use against the kings rule (Rahe, 1977: 278-9, no. 145). Not only does this show a cautious approach from them towards the dyarchs, but the ritual itself fits very neatly with the religious aspect (page 6) of the kings themselves; they could be impeached by the gods. Ste. Croix goes further, categorising the trials and banishments of the Kings in the 5th 4th centuries as the work of the Ephors (1972: 350-3; Rahe, 1980: 398). Pleistoanaxs actions in Attica (446-5 BC) led him to being put on trial and exiled, and this may well have been due to the report of the Ephor(s) accompanying him on the campaign (Cartledge, 1987: 17). It might well have been that his peace with Athens was not popular with the Gerousia and Ephors, ably demonstrated by the violation of his peace (Cartledge, 1982: 261/2). This would also show the inherent hostility towards Athens in Spartan society . Yet, there are instances where the balance is reversed and the ephors were used as an advisory board of sorts. Cleomenes I went to the ephors in order to inform them about the suspicious activities of Mnaiandrios of Samos (Hdt. 3.148.2). We also hear from Xenophon that King (regent) Pausanias managed to convince three Ephors to take military action (Xen. Hell. 2.4.29), though this would have been different for other judicial decisions (MacDowell, 1986: 131). There is also the instance where Agesilaos managed to take drastic action and execute conspirators after consulting the ephors (Plutarch, Agesilaos. 32. 11). The Ephors were liable to manipulation from wily Kings (Brunt, 1965: 279). Despite being put in place to check the power of the Kings, it is likely that the Ephors werent indicative of popular representation within Sparta, being as they were, just 5 citizens elected from the damos (Aristotle, Pol. 1256b39-40) and holding office for only a year. Individual Ephors might well have exploited disagreements between Kings to their own advantage (Cartledge, 2001: 59), but split voting, change of policy with new Ephors and disagreements would have put pay to any personal ambitions. Moreover, the Kingship remained the principal office for which true political power remained, as the Machiavellian scheming of Lysander attests to (Cartledge, 2001: 36). What this shows is the willing subservience of Spartan society to adhere to their rigid hierarchy of royal dominance, and that the downfall of a King would be the reluctant last solution, if it would save the Lacedaemonians from doom. Let us take the example of a King being indicted (see above). If a charge against a King was to be upheld, it was necessary for all the Ephors and the majority of the Gerousia with the other King to vote against said King on trial (Cartledge, 2001: 60). If the King was summoned by the Ephors, he was only required to do so upon the third time of asking (Cartledge, 2001: 62). In Agesilaos IIs case, he hobbled. The Spartans despised physical disability but since Agesilaos was King; this must have been overlooked because of his status, again reflecting submission to ones betters. We should also note that in the presence of a King, everyone else had to stand. As Cartledge picks up upon, this mirrored the Spartan ideal whereby juniors were expected to give up their seat to a senior (2001: 62) and probably also the deferral to ones superiors as well (Kelly, 1981: 48). As for the Gerousia, Cartledge argues that it might well have been as old as the Kingship itself, but its size and the inclusion of the 2 Kings (If a king was away, then his vote was given to another, who would vote for him and himself (Thuc. 1.20.3) thus conforming to the rest of the Gerousia) within it reflect a change in status of the Dyarchy, to the advantage of the Gerousia (2001: 31). He also argues that the Gerousia was the main domestic and foreign decision making body (2001: 60) made from the senior, aristocratic Spartiates (however, as the Kings were ex officio members, it is possible that the Kings could have been the youngest faces within the Gerousia, disagreeing with the superiority of the elders (Pleistarchus and Agis IV McQueen, 1990: 167)). If this is the case, then a long reigning King would have been able to see the Gerousia membership appointed in his favour (by his own admission: Cartledge, 2001: 65). Agesilaos IIs vote to save Sphodrias in the trial of 378 is a good indication of his control over the Gerousia. So it is a good bet that the Kings were the political foci (Mitchell, 1991: 58; despite Lewis, 1977: 48; Hdt. 6.52.8). Far from the nature of the Dyarchys role within the government of Sparta, we can tell a lot about how much they mirrored Spartan society from their day to day lives within the polis. The Kings would both eat in the Royal mess tents (syssitia), which the homioi were separated from, promoting the idea that the Royals were something else (Cartledge, 1987: 104). Whats more, the Kings were awarded double rations so as to honour guests (Cartledge, 1987: 108; Xen. Ages. 5.1; Lak. Pol. 15.4) and we can presume that this was used as part of the xenia process. The mess tents the homioi used were subject to control of membership, along grounds of social, wealth and seniority status (Hodkinson, 1983: 253/4), thus promoting the oligarchic fashion of Sparta. That the Kings were kept separate heightens this idea. In terms of property, it was very much a case of furthering ones own ambitions (Leonidas in Plut. Kleo. 1.1) and keeping property within their family by literally doing just that marrying close consanguineous kin or similarly wealthy aristocrats (Hodkinson, 2000: 82, 408). This was done by the Kings and aristocrats alike. In the cases where they judged adoption, the Kings would make sure that the adopted was landless and would pass them onto those who were the same, thus allowing them to keep the properties in the upper echelons of society (Hodkinson, 2000: 82). The royal houses were typical of Spartan propertied classes. Good examples of this would be Leonidas Is marriage to Gorgo, Cleomenes Is only child so as to inherit Cleomenes property when he died as well as bolster his claim to the Agiad throne (Hdt. 7.239.4), Cleomenes IIIs marriage to Agiatis, the widow of Agis IV (Hdt. 6.71), Ariston marrying his friends wife (Hdt. 6.61-2) and Aegisilaos Is marriage to Kleora (Paus. 3.9.3). We should however note that the Agiad Eurypontid royal lines owned considerably more land than any other citizen as they possessed territories in many perioikic communities (Xen. Lak. Pol. 15.3). Though they imitated the attitude of the wealthy few in Sparta by such a process, it limited the number of heirs and the division of inheritance, concentrating the property and wealth in the hands of the closely related few; wealth married wealth, segregating society even further. The royal houses enhanced their socio-economic position over history through such activities (Hodkinson, 2000: 413). As the elites perpetuated their position, the decline in citizen numbers accelerated, allowing the successful aristocratic lineages to safely secure high offices and property (Hodkinson, 2000: 415). This in turn would have lead to policy-making being dominated by very few, not least between the 2 Kings and their respective supporters in the Gerousia (Roy, 2009: 442). Religion was integral part of Spartan life, like most other Classical poleis. In Sparta, the Kings had an important part to play. We learn from Herodotus (6.59) that both Kings were hereditary high priests of Zeus Lakedaimonios and Zeus Ouranios (perhaps one for each). As such, they were required to sacrifice to Zeus and others before, during and after a military campaign (Lipka, 2002: 221). Whilst marching, the Kings preceded the fire-bearers, whilst a train of sacrificial animals followed behind the army (Burket, 1985: 257). The representation of Castor and Polydeukes was taken on military campaigns (Cartledge, 1987: 109). They ate first and received twice as large a portion as everyone else at sacrificial feasts (Cartledge, 1987: 107). The Kings received 72 litres of barley and a quart of wine every new moon and on the 7th day of the lunar month (Lipka, 2002: 221). Lastly, no-one was permitted to touch the Kings (Plut. Agis. 19.9). They were probably not God-Kings, but more than mortal (Miller, 1998: 2). It is clear that the health of the state was bound to the health of the Kings (Cartledge, 1987: 105; Parker, 1988: 153). The fact that the Kings were apportioned the skins and entrails of the sacrifices shows the high esteem they were held in by the Religious community. As Sparta was an extremely superstitious and seriously religious community, it certainly seems consistent that the Kings were assigned such duties. They were also given the honour of appointing two Pythioi each, who acted permanent ambassadors to Oracle at Delphi (Hdt. 6.57.2-4), the highest honour, presumably as Delphi was the pan-Hellenic sanctuary! Lysanders attempted bribery of Delphi reflects the entrenched power the kings had, since they maintained a close relationship with Delphi through their Pythioi (Cartledge, 1987: 96), maybe even to further their own agenda (Cartledge, 2001: 63). Royal funerals on the other hand, were perhaps the most spectacular in the Peloponnese (Hdt. 6.58), which would have been in sharp contrast with the simplicities (Laconic) of ordinary Spartans (Parker, 1988: 153), and it would have had an impact upon the members of the royal house (Hodkinson, 2000: 263). Each free household (Spartiate and Perioikic) had to provide one male and female each to the funeral; Helots were obliged to attend (reflecting Spartan societys dominance over them (Cartledge, 1987: 333)). The funeral would have been a public affair, lying-in-state, reflecting the very Spartan practice; other cities kept their funerals as private affairs (Cartledge, 1987: 333). Again, unlike anywhere else in Greece, the King would have been buried within the boundaries of the living, maybe even close to a sanctuary, defying the Hellenic taboo of Greek pollution (Plut. Lyc. 27.1). It is interesting to notice that the custom of embalming their King was copied from Persian and Egyptian practices (Hdt. 1.40.2, 4.71.1), which is seemingly at odds with their xenophobia towards foreign cultures. Leonidas I, who died in battle may well have had an exceptional burial (buried again after his demise 40 years earlier), sharing a similar Spartan trait of honouring only those who died fighting (Cartledge, 1987: 336). The royal funeral was beyond what a mere mortal man could claim and what many aristocrats aspired to (Xen. Hell. 3.3.1), thus convincing the Spartiates of the connection between a healthy Sparta and the dual Kingship (though this would become less and less effective in later Sparta (Cartledge, 1987: 337/341)). For Spartans, soldering was their life. However, unlike the homioi, the heirs to the thrones were not required to go through the Spartan education system the agoge (Plut. Ages. 1.4). This does seem strange initially, but when you consider how the Kings were perceived as beyond mortal (see above), the heirs and Kings were already superior to everyone else (Cartledge, 1987: 24). Agesilaos IIs decision to go through the agoge would naturally have made him even more special, considering his disability; just like Leonidas before him. Herodotus tells us (5.75.2) that because of a crisis between Cleomenes and Damaratus on a joint campaign in 506 BC, one King stayed behind in Sparta. The King elected on campaign assumed sole command on campaign, handling an enormous amount of power; anyone who tried to prevent this would be cursed (Cartledge, 1987: 81, 105). He was even assigned his own bodyguard (hippeis) who were the elite soldiers (Thuc. 5.72.4). The King could also expect a personal haul of a third of the total booty collected on campaign (Polybius. 2.62.1). Aristotle (Pol. 1285a 7-8, 1285b 26-8) inferred that the Kings were mere hereditary generals, but as we can see, that was patently not the case. Their power was absolute (they even had the authority to choose between life and death (MacDowell, 1986: 126). With the King at the head of an army, the connection between the military and the political hierarchy was plain to see. Leadership went hand in hand with the military caste (Cartledge, 1987: 203). To lead the army in a military orientated state like Sparta would surely have been the greatest honour. This echoes what was said earlier (page 4), about having to submit to ones betters, especially in Sparta, replicating the master/student, senior/junior, rich/poor relationship in all of Spartan society. The Lacedaemonians were subject to the power of the Ephors, Gerousia and the Dyarchy at home, yet outside Sparta, it became a Monarchy. I feel this could be due to the way the Spartiates perceived non-Spartiates. As they distrusted foreigners, they needed to be, in theory, intimidated. So, one King with full power and a large army would have done this perfectly and was indicative of Spartas xenophobia. Where it was a matter of gaining advantage for Lacedaemon, the Spartan elites did engage with those from the outside (of Sparta). The Kings were allowed to appoint proxenia, Spartiates who acted as ambassadors for those from other poleis (Hdt. 6.57.2). This was certainly related to Spartas xenophobia (cf. Figueira, 2003: 66), where the only ones who were entrusted to make relations with non-Spartiates were those trusted by the Kings, and was thus open to manipulation (Cartledge, 1987: 81, 97, 108). No doubt, the Spartan kings would already have had friendship ties (xenia) with many Peloponnesian oligarchies, thus enabling them to influence foreign policy in those states (Cartledge, 1987: 246). King Agis II was fined for negotiating with Argives (Thuc. 5.59-63), one was a Spartan proxenos and another had xenos with Agis himself (Hodkinson, 2000: 352; Roy, 2009: 440). Archidamus had terms of xenia with Pericles of Athens (Thuc. 2.13.1; Mosely, 1971: 434). The relationships the Kings had with their friends in the Peloponnese is reminiscent of the 18th 19th century European Monarchs, who retained ties of blood and friendship with each other. In what ways did the Dyarchs reflect other aspects of Spartan society? Though they were designed to prevent it, the Kings dominated both of the Ephors and Gerousia, reflecting the superior/inferior (master/slave) aspect of Sparta as a whole. Messing in the syssitia and the accumulation of property through marrying close kin or wealthy others promoted the oligarchic fashion (ruled by the few (in this case 2!)). The Kings as high priests and their spectacular funerals cemented their demi-god credentials; it fitted perfectly with the zealously religious Spartans. Leadership of the state was reflected by their leadership of the army and the Kings leading the peculiar form of Proxenia and xenos reflected the inherently xenophobic nature of Spartan society. The Dyarchy was coterminous with Sparta (Arist. Pol., 1310b 38-9), though it has been considered an egalitarian society, it was anything but, with competiveness instilled from youth (Kelly, 1981: 54). Sparta demanded high reverence to the continued influence of the Spartan Kings (Rice, 1974: 165) and time passed, the un-checked power of the Kings fostered Hellenistic monarchic tendencies in later kings (McQueen, 1990: 166). The dual Kinship promoted a dual image, where the Spartans promoted one thing, but did another (Miller, 1998: 13).