Business Inventory control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Inventory control - Essay Example At the same time, money which is tied in inventory can’t be used for other purposes (Dubrin, 2011, pg: 211). Because of these reasons, it is very important to monitor and keep a control over inventory. Inventory control takes all the more importance because of the following reasons (Jawahar – Lal, 2008, pg. 118): a. Demand fluctuations –Demand for an organization’s products vary from season to season. In times of fluctuating demands, inventory plays a very critical role. Insufficient inventory will lead to frequent stock-outs whereas a very high inventory will lead to huge costs for storage and maintenance of inventory. b. Uncertainty in receiving the item from the supplier – Often there can be uncertainties in receiving inventory items from the supplier. An organization should keep buffer against such uncertainties by keeping sufficient stocks of the inventory. Inventory is one of the most critical components of the order to cash conversion cycle. It is important for an organization to have a control over the inventory because the same affects the profitability of the firm considerably. A less amount of inventory will lead to stock-outs and customers being returned without the sales while a high amount of inventory on the other hand leads to high cost in storage and

UAE and Oman labour laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

UAE and Oman labour laws - Essay Example UAE and Oman Labour Laws UAE is the second biggest by population in the GCC and the second biggest economy of the region and transshipment hub. It is the largest gas exporter in the world. On the other hand, Oman is relatively poor in the region and relies on the mineral industry. However, nationalization is highest in this country. The GCC countries have categorized employment visa into to maid visa, farming visa, and employment visa. A common feature in the region is that farmers and housemaids are not part of the labor laws. Officials issue employment visa to establishments and companies and bases it on the size and the company’s capital. ‘Hire and fire’ is the underlying principle of GCC countries (Latham & Watkins, 2009). These countries have nevertheless failed in establishing standards for migrant workers that are intentionally acceptable. Most of the GCC countries’ labor and immigration laws are famous for enhancing and validate inhuman treatment to wards migrant workers. For instance, the Khiraj (exit permit) is a requirement for employees who want to leave the region. The employer must grant the employee permission to leave the country. This is a common practice in the region with the exception of UAE and Kuwait. The employees do not have freedom to change their jobs unless they receive permission from their present employers (Latham & Watkins, 2009). Comparison of the UAE and Oman Labor Laws Statutory Authority In the UAE Federal Law No. 8 of 1980, Regulatory Labour Law Relations govern labor matters, which are simply the Labour Laws. In this country, the Ministry of Labour is the one charged with the responsibility of dealing with labour matters. While in Oman, regulation of labour matters are by Sultan’s Decree No. 35/2003. The state recently amended the statute in October 2011 by Royal Decree No. 113/2011. Unlike the UAE, in Oman the Ministry of Manpower is in charge of labor matters (Latham & Watkins, 2009). Worki ng hours Under the UAE Labour Law, eight hours is the set maximum working hours per day for an adult employee. After five consecutive hours of work, an employee gets to have a rest break. The working week is made of six days. On the other hand, for the Oman Labour Law provides for a five-day working week. The maximum working hours in a week are 45 hours (article 68 of the Oman Labour Law) as opposed to the 48 hours in the UAE (Latham & Watkins, 2009). The daily working hours for each employee is nine hours. During the month of Ramadan, the set maximum working hours per week are 30 hours per week. This means that one has to work for only five hours per day. Contrary to this, the UAE Labour Law sets 36 hours per week as the maximum working hours during the month of Ramadan (Latham & Watkins, 2009). However, the maximum number of hours worked per day is the same for both countries. About overtime, in accordance to the Oman Labour Law the maximum overtime per day is three hours. This is because an employee only receives a total of 12 hours to work per day. The UAE Labour Law provides that overtime hours should not exceed two hours per day. The exceptions for extended overtime hours include a case where the work to be done involves prevention of the occurrence of a serious loss or accident, or removal or

An Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Tourism Tourism Essay

An Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Tourism Tourism Essay In this project I would like to take a look at the relationship between tourism and the people living in popular tourist locations; specifically the deep impact tourism has on local culture. This topic interests me as although I have never visited the global south myself, many of my friends and acquaintances travel there frequently for vacations. Tourism is sure to have many effects on these destination type communities. I know that many of these destinations are in poorer areas of the world. Some significant effects that tourism has on these areas manifest themselves economically, socially and culturally. Though tourism may create jobs and stimulate the local economy there are some downsides to tourism and aspects of the influx of visitors that may be harmful to local cultures. In my research paper I will analyze the benefits that tourism has on local economies in relation to the social and cultural impact on the community. I hope to evaluate just how beneficial potentially short-te rm economic stimulus is in the face of potential harm to the economy in the long term, local people and local culture. I will discuss this topic globally but with a focus on Southeast Asia and specifically India. My paper will emphasize the important question: is vacationing in a third world country potentially unethical? Or does the stimulus to a developing countrys economy justify the social and cultural implications of tourism and the development that tourism brings in the area. Looking at the ethical issues surrounding this will also be an important factor in determining whether the cultural impacts of tourism is acceptable or justifiable by the economic benefits. In my opinion, although tourism does support economic growth in many communities there is deep and irreversible cultural impact. In Tourism in Destination Communities Shalini Singh looks at an idea by Jafar Jafari the author of Encyclopedia of Tourism. Jafari created the consolidated platforms of tourism. One of Jafaris four platforms is advocacy- that is to say that tourism is capable of economic good. Another platform, the cautionary platform, emphasizes the importance of noting the complex interactions at the local level. The other two platforms are Adaptancy (which is described as pro community tourism) and Knowledge based which is a holistic treatment for community-based tourism (Jafari cited in Singh 2003). Singh and S.W. Boyd (26-30) discuss relationships between tourism and destination communities in terms of win-win, win-lose, lose-win or lose-lose paradigms (Carter and Lowman, 1944; Nepal, 2000). Examples of win-win situations do exist and this indicates that tourism can indeed be economically beneficial to a destination community. The example given by Boyd and Singh is that of Ayers rock (Uluru) wh ich is one of Australias most famous tourist attractions. Although Australia is not a country typically considered to be part of the global south I believe this example is relevant as the aboriginal communities in the area could easily be marginalized and exploited by tourism. The community however takes an active role by defining their relationship with tourism as having control and choice. (Mercer cited in S.W. Boyd and S. Singh: 1994:37). The community participates by providing educational services, which allows them to convey that the religious and cultural significance of Uluru is something to be respected. (Wells, cited in S.W. Boyd and S. Singh 1996:37). The local businesses in the area benefit and are owned by the people of the aboriginal community. This example is congruent to Jafaris platforms of Advocacy and Adaptancy and it shows tourism in this scenario as pro community and capable of economic good. As this situation is economically beneficial to this area, without comp romising or de-valuing the local culture, it is an excellent means of development. Another example where the local community benefits is the win-lose situation, a very salient example being Cuba. The community benefits economically, although mass tourism does not. This is achieved through policies and marketing that emphasizes quality tourism by restricting the number and type of tourists (high spenders, low numbers). The tourism is marketed for exclusivity and affluence and this is done through selective marketing and catering the services towards wealthier people. Cubas tourism industrys markets strategically to target Canadian snowbirds who also take long-term vacations in Florida (Peters 2002:4). Their vacationing for long periods of time in a US location and their ability to spend US currency indicates their affluence. Another strategy is the development of golf courses in the area. Miguel Figueras, a tourism ministry economist and advisor in Cuba, says that golf is a feature t hat can attract higher spending tourists (Peters 2002:5). Strategic tourism planning allows a country to tap into the wealth of the global norths wealthiest tourists allowing maximum economic benefit without mass sharing of what they have to offer. However there are many situations in which local economies lose. This is especially common in coastal-resort based tourism along the Mediterranean coast. These developments only offer short term economic gain and result in long term loss in terms of the community as well as the environment. Although tourism does create many jobs, including direct employment (jobs in hotels and restaurants), indirect employment (jobs not a result of direct tourist spending- such as laundries and banking), and induced employment (jobs created in the community as a result of increased income of members in the community) the majority of jobs are seasonal and part time (D. Ioannides 2003). In addition often much of the money spent by tourists leaves the country. The majority of the money spent by tourists on their vacations goes towards their travel costs and their accommodations. This means the money leaves the country and goes to airlines and transnational corporations who run hotel chains. This can res ult in a good portion of local people sharing their surroundings with tourists without ever actually seeing or experiencing any economic benefits themselves (Krotz 1996:215). Although tourist spending may add an influx of foreign currency to an economy, as well as create a bigger market in terms of demands for goods, which in theory can lower prices, it is important to consider that while tourism receipts rise, agriculture output declines (James Mack, Tourism and the Economy). This is a result of fewer people working in the agricultural sector. In that case the net profit of tourism is actually less than it initially seems, once the loss from agriculture is taken into account. Although some economic benefits resulting from tourism are apparent, there are definite burdens placed upon the destination community. A very prominent challenge is the residents view of visitors and their relationship with them, as outlined by M. Fagence (Tourism and Local Society and Culture). Residents have a negative attitude towards tourists if they do not see immediate and clear economic benefits of their presence, especially in the form of jobs and income. Contrary to James Macks theory that the tourists create a larger market for goods, thus lowering the prices, residents blame tourists for a rise in the price of goods. In a qualitative study by Neha Kala (2008) findings show that tourists are also seen as the cause of increased criminal activity and reduced moral standards by the host community. This is where we have to consider tourism beyond the impacts to the economy. In communities with rich traditional backgrounds some residents see the influence of visiting tourists as compromising to traditional values, as the affluent lifestyles of visitors can be appealing and seductive to the younger generations in the area. The influx of visitors brings the possibility of sometimes unwelcome social or cultural change. In Rajasthan traditional elders often scold children for speaking to tourists. (Joseph 2007:204). Locals see tourism as an exporter of Western lifestyle. (Kala: 2008) Across India, Western dress is popular amongst young males who wear jeans, shirts and baseball caps. (Joseph 2007:211). This is the result of many youth trying to emulate Western tourists (Kala: 2008). Some facets of Western lifestyle however not only replace traditional culture, but also are directly contradictory to them. A priest in Pushkar was quoted in India Today saying The youth here find the openness in foreign girls too tempting. (Joseph 2007:211) This problem is amplified if the host community does not recognize that the behaviour of most tourists are atypical to how the y normally behave and that the behaviours displayed by tourists are reserved for times of recreation, and are not the tourists usual behaviour or even their usual moral standards. Most concerning of M. Fagences findings are that residents blame tourists for reducing the significance of local culture by trivializing and making a commodity of it. In an article by Rosaleen Duffy this idea of culture as a commodity is expanded on. Duffy outlines how tourists are often looking for an authentic cultural experience; however what is considered authentic is nearly always defined by the tourist, resulting in the tourist not really looking for cultural understanding but to serve some other self-serving purpose. Tourists conceptualize their travel stories in a way that assists them in narrating their self-identity. Tourists travel as a means to escape, to broaden the mind, or for self discovery. An illustration of Duffys view that our society uses travel for self-defining and self-narrating purposes, as well as a means to understand culture and for self discovery is the popular movie Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts. In the movie, Liz sets outs after her divorce to e xperience the culture in Italy, India and then Bali. The trailer includes many consecutive images of Liz eating authentic Italian pizza, praying in an old stony temple, touching a painted elephant, brightly coloured flowers being thrown at an Indian wedding, and biking through farmland past villagers carrying baskets on their heads. Liz in the movie is desperate to marvel at something and this is the very notion that Duffy presents in her research as motives that are a felt need for respite from the exigencies of modern life, and/or as authentic projects of self-discovery. In her article, Duffy cites Urry (1994:236-238) who argues that tourism can be reduced to the consumption of signs, images and texts. Evidence that tourism is the consumption of pre-conceived images is in Hillary Brenhouses article (July 22nd, 2010- prior to the release of the movie) where she describes recent vacation packages marketed by luxury hotels and spas to recreate the transformative Eat Pray Love journey . By defining an entire culture into consumable signs and images, tourists participate in the further manifestation of orientalism created by the tourism industry reinforcing images that create a sense of placelessness and even timelessness (Dann, 1996b: 125, cited in Duffy). A demonstration of tourists being consumers of discourses of placelessness and timelessness is the popular tourist destination Rajasthan, in India. The two most marketed marquees of Rajasthan are Royal and Colourful. (Henderson 2007:72). These are the two main features the tourists are looking to consume when they visit. These discourses are prominent in the naming of different locations of the province by tourists and tourism industry. Jaipur is referred to as the Pink City and Jodhpur is known as the Blue City. Royalty links Rajasthan back to the past. Medieval India is romanticized and guests will experience an encounter with a royal past. In this way the Authentic Rajasthan experience is reduced to a few signs and symbols. The most prominent example of a marketing of placelessness and timelessness is the Chokhi Dhani Resort. Located throughout the province of Rajasthan with a few locations elsewhere in western India, this resort is chaired by a NRI (Non-Resident Indian) statione d in Dubai. The Government of India heralds the chain of Chokhi Dhanis as Indias most innovative Tourism Project (official website). The resort is described as a Five-star village resort and includes fifty-five Royal cottages and eight Haveli suites, Havelis being the traditional residences of local royalty. This ethnic village includes conference rooms, spa, fitness, and accepts all major credit cards. What we can conclude from this is that the desire of foreign tourists to experience a sense of timelessness and placelessness is understood and capitalized on. Although this may be trivializing of local culture and history it is important to consider here that many locals are directly participating- and in a way heritage tourism gives them a type of ownership. The foreigners desire to see something that they preconceive as authentic is understood and cashed in on. Most respondents of Kalas study agreed that tourism encourages the mass production of pseudo-traditional arts and that ma ny non-traditional artisans are attracted to this work. This propagates tourists misconceptions because these traditional arts often bought as souvenirs allow the tourist to physically carry the discourse home with them. In some ways however this type of activity increases a communitys sense of pride. The revitalization of some traditional arts such as dance and the propagation of traditional fairs are deemed to be a positive effect of tourism. An example of this is festival of Teej; tourists interest in the festival ensures that every year it continues to be extravagant. Tourists also have a positive effect on the up keeping of historical and religious heritage sites as a result of tourist interest in them. (Kala: 2008) A preserved site is the Ghats in Pushkar, a Hindu pilgrimage site. An increase in popularity of eastern spirituality in the Western world brings many tourists here. Although this creates some inconvenience for Hindu devotees, ownership is taken through religious rhe toric aimed at tourists. Many signs around the Ghats include instructions about how tourists should and should not behave in this place of religious significance. The local priests, similar to the aboriginals at Ulurru, define the significance of this site. However concerned the priests are for the sanctity of the area they are still willing to commodify the religious experience and often perform simplified prayer service or puja for western tourists at four times the price of a native pilgrim. (Joseph: 2007) Although this active role is taken by the locals, religious devotees, and the government, the culture and tradition here is still made available to a consumer for a price. The government protecting the area for the economic benefit can also be seen as the ultimate commodification. This puts a sticker price on the countrys religion, culture and history. Nothing indicates ownership more than putting a price on ones belonging. Although many of these destinations are places of esca pe for tourists, and tourism may introduce some economic benefits to the local area. I believe that the degradation and trivialization of the local culture that ensues is not worth the price. It is however important to remember that as residents of the global north we are poor judges of what is truly beneficial to these regions.

Handwriting: More than Just Ink [Graphology] Essay -- essays research

Handwriting analysis is also known as graphology. Graphology is defined as the study of handwriting, especially as used to infer a person's character. The interest in handwriting as an expression of personality is as old as the practice itself. â€Å"Chinese philosophers have been fascinated with handwriting since ancient times and have been especially interested in the distinct styles of calligraphy produced by different writers† (Sackheim,1990, p. xv-xvi). The first methodical attempts to study handwriting took place in Italy in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Alderisius Prosper published in Bologna a study called Ideographia. Camillo Baldo soon after tried making a formal recording which presented a way for judging the nature of a writer from his letters. These were all lost. But they obviously attracted readers. It became practiced from â€Å"castle to castle† by people trying to make money from handwriting interpretations (Roman, 1952, p.3). The sur prising thing about graphology that is not all about handwriting analysis. â€Å"Graphology is the study of the graphic movement; it is not simply ‘handwriting analysis† (McNichol and Nelson, 1991, p. 23). This is why graphologists can also study doodles, drawings, sculptures, and paintings to infer a person’s character and the physical, mental, and emotional states of the subject. These creations are called brain prints. These reveal who we are, how we think, feel and behave. These mind x-rays are very evident in handwriting since we for the most part don’t think about how we write. Graphology is a good way to loosely judge people, who they truly might be. Whenever we take a write utensil and begin writing, much of what we’re doing comes naturally. This is an unconscious act. But there are times when we’ll change how we write certain letters because we like the other way of writing it more. This is a conscious effort. Both of these can be analyzed. The latter can be analyzed just as well as the former because it is a conscious effort of trying to change unconsciously to a certain trait. The style of the changed letter seems appealing because the characteristic does, unconsciously or consciously (McNichol et al, 1991). There are the fixed traits: IQ, aptitudes, temperament, and identity. And there are unfixed traits: ability... ...tremendously. I found out who the people around me are according to graphology. And it made me pick up on certain characteristics of myself that perhaps I need to change. If I change them in writing, eventually they will change in real life if I make that effort (McNichol et al , 1991) Bibliography Greasley, P. (2000). Handwriting analysis and personality assessment: the creative use of analogy, symbolism, and metaphor. European Psychologist., 5(1), 44-51. Koehler, Derek J., and Roy N. King. "Illusory Correlations in Graphological Inference." Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied Vol. 6.4 (2000): 336-348. Roman, K. (1952). Handwriting: a key to personality. New York: Pantheon Books, Inc. Santoli, O. (1989). How to read handwriting. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. McNichol, A., & Nelson, J. (1991). Handwriting analysis putting it to work for you. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. Sackheim, K. (1990). Handwriting analysis and the employee selection process. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, Inc. Handwriting: More than Just Ink [Graphology] Essay -- essays research Handwriting analysis is also known as graphology. Graphology is defined as the study of handwriting, especially as used to infer a person's character. The interest in handwriting as an expression of personality is as old as the practice itself. â€Å"Chinese philosophers have been fascinated with handwriting since ancient times and have been especially interested in the distinct styles of calligraphy produced by different writers† (Sackheim,1990, p. xv-xvi). The first methodical attempts to study handwriting took place in Italy in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Alderisius Prosper published in Bologna a study called Ideographia. Camillo Baldo soon after tried making a formal recording which presented a way for judging the nature of a writer from his letters. These were all lost. But they obviously attracted readers. It became practiced from â€Å"castle to castle† by people trying to make money from handwriting interpretations (Roman, 1952, p.3). The sur prising thing about graphology that is not all about handwriting analysis. â€Å"Graphology is the study of the graphic movement; it is not simply ‘handwriting analysis† (McNichol and Nelson, 1991, p. 23). This is why graphologists can also study doodles, drawings, sculptures, and paintings to infer a person’s character and the physical, mental, and emotional states of the subject. These creations are called brain prints. These reveal who we are, how we think, feel and behave. These mind x-rays are very evident in handwriting since we for the most part don’t think about how we write. Graphology is a good way to loosely judge people, who they truly might be. Whenever we take a write utensil and begin writing, much of what we’re doing comes naturally. This is an unconscious act. But there are times when we’ll change how we write certain letters because we like the other way of writing it more. This is a conscious effort. Both of these can be analyzed. The latter can be analyzed just as well as the former because it is a conscious effort of trying to change unconsciously to a certain trait. The style of the changed letter seems appealing because the characteristic does, unconsciously or consciously (McNichol et al, 1991). There are the fixed traits: IQ, aptitudes, temperament, and identity. And there are unfixed traits: ability... ...tremendously. I found out who the people around me are according to graphology. And it made me pick up on certain characteristics of myself that perhaps I need to change. If I change them in writing, eventually they will change in real life if I make that effort (McNichol et al , 1991) Bibliography Greasley, P. (2000). Handwriting analysis and personality assessment: the creative use of analogy, symbolism, and metaphor. European Psychologist., 5(1), 44-51. Koehler, Derek J., and Roy N. King. "Illusory Correlations in Graphological Inference." Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied Vol. 6.4 (2000): 336-348. Roman, K. (1952). Handwriting: a key to personality. New York: Pantheon Books, Inc. Santoli, O. (1989). How to read handwriting. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. McNichol, A., & Nelson, J. (1991). Handwriting analysis putting it to work for you. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. Sackheim, K. (1990). Handwriting analysis and the employee selection process. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, Inc.

Gladwell

Essay I : Gladwell argues that success is not the result of innate talent, but of practice and of being in the right place at the right time. Critically evaluate this argument. Malcolm Gladwel Analyses in his latest book Outliers , the circumstances that made some people successful . He shows another aspect of their self-made rise to success. Gladwell gives the definition of an outlier as an unusual person ‘classed differently from a main or related body’ (2008:3), in other words out of the ordinary.He argues that success is not in any case a matter of talent, but of practice, of social status, culture, and of being in the right place at the right time. The aims of this essay is to evaluate whether Gladwell’s argument are true, and how reliable are the evidence used to support his arguments. I will critically evaluate, and identify the type of evidence used by the author, which sometime tend to be unconvincing. This essay is organised into two great section. Each section present arguments and evidence used by Gladwell , an evaluation of these , and finally other examples and comparisons.The first section will argue about the fact that success is not the result of innate abilities but of practice. It will be illustrated through examples of the ‘10,000-Hour rules’, were individuals allocate a certain amount of time to become an expert. However Gladwell insist on the fact that practice is not the only way to become succeful, as being at the right place in the right time is important as well. Thus, the second section will present five arguments that support this idea. Firstly I will argue about the relative age effect through the examples of hockey players.Secondly, the demographical advantage will be presented through the example of ‘the seventy-five richest people’ and the example of successful American businessmen. Thirdly, I will talk about the family background argument with the example of the ‘entitlement (2 008:105). Finally, I will present the argument of Ethnicity through the example of minority law student at the university of Michigan. Gladwell present the correlation between innate talent and practice through examples stories. Indeed, the first example from his argument is the one considering the three group of violinist.The thirds group appears as the elite one because of the amount of practice allocated according to K. Anders Ericsson. The example of Mozart is then presented by showing the amount of time he have been practicing to become a prodigy. For those two examples he uses evidence from psychology studies and conclude that there is a ‘ten thousand hours’(2008:40) rule to become successful. Furthermore he uses approximations to confirm his argument, as he noted ‘ what’s ten years? It’s roughly what it takes to put in ten thousand hours of practice [†¦] the magic number of greatness’ (2008:41).This approximation is without any dou bt perplexing. Gladwell gives further exceptional example to defend his theory. Among them the example of the Beatles who practiced ten years before becoming very famous , which is again another confirmation of the ‘ ten thousands hours’ theory. To summarise, Gladwell pretends that there is no such thing as innate talent , but the a rule of ten thousands hours to become an expect. Galton (Cited in Ericsson, Krampe and Clemens, 1993) argues that eminent performance is determined by innate capacity and genetics, through his example of the human body.Gladwell is in fact choosing his evidence according to his opinion, which is actually not very objective. He uses Ericsson’s study of 1990 as evidence, whereas three year later the same author argued that sufficient amount of experience and practice does not lead to greatness (Ericsson, Krampe and Clemens; 1993). Moreover, the idea of ten thousands hours cannot be verified universally. Some individuals might need more t ime to reach the level of an expert, as well as the amount of time may differ according to the field involved.According to Gladwell practice is not the only way to achieve greatness, opportunities, timing and backgrounds are also important. Gladwell argues that talent , hard work and passion are not enough to be successful. Another element is also important. To be born in the right time. Indeed, Gladwell supports this argument by giving the example of the relative age effect in hockey player in Canada. According to Roger Barnsley study, players who were born after January ( entry cutoff age for hockey class) ‘have had the benefit of critical extra month of maturity’ (2008:24).Gladwell does not show good reference about Roger Barnsley, as he relates the author study to an approximate date; He noted: ‘It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that [†¦] Roger Barnsley first drew the attention to the phenomenon of relative age. ’ (2008:21). The reader is not ab le to verify the reference properly. At the end of the book, Gladwell give the reference of a review about Roger Barnsley published in 2001. In 2011 Gibbs, Jarvis and Dufur argues that being a small kid increase the performance as they have to work twice as hard as the one born after the cutoff date.Moreover, youngest people are more are more successful at university as the cutoff maginalise them and let them focus more on studies (Billari & Pellizzari,2008). Here we can see that Gladwell is not using actual references. Knowing the creation date of a source is important as this help verify the currency of the evidence. Another example of the unknown provenance of Gladwell’s evidence, is the table that shows ’the seventy-five richest people in human history’ (2008:56). There is now reference for this table.From a critical point of view, nothing shows that there are actually seventy-five richest people in the human history. The ranking of rich Americans (2008:62), does not show any provenance. Gladwell pretends that those people were born in a strategic time that allowed them to be ready for certain period of growth, which will then lead them to success. His argument is strong, as real facts witness it; however the evidence used is not accurate. Gladwell show the difference between children from a poor family background and the middle-class children through Annette Lareau’study.Again, no date is shown as a reference. Moreover, he supports his argument that middle-class children are more asserted in society than poor children, through an anecdote. He gives the story of two children behaving differently in a doctor interview. Gladwell emphasizes on their names and personalities to support his argument. He noted that ‘Alex Williams is better off than Katie Brindle because he’s wealthier and because he goes to better school, but also because [†¦] the sense of entitlement that he has been taught is an attitude perfectly s uited to succeeding in the modern world. (2008:108). This anecdote is unfortunately making Gladwell’s argument unconvincing. Comparing two random and unknown individuals cannot persuade any critical reader those richer individuals are better than the others. Furthermore, to stay on the same aspect, Gladwell justify Alex Williams’ position, not because of his racial attributes as being white, but because of his ‘cultural advantage’(2008:108). When considering the population of the United States for instance, no big difference exists between black and white people as they live in the same country, with the same nationality.An implicit meaning, that white people are better than black people, could be understood by a critical reader. It will no longer be a matter of ‘cultural advantage’, but a matter of ethnicity. Michigan minority Law students are another example of Gladwell’s assumptions of Ethnicity reasons. He noted that in law studies white student are better than minority students (2008:85), with no origin of this information. He quotes Richard Lempert who wrote his study in 2000. The date of this reference is unfortunately unreliable when comparing the year of Outliers’ publication (2008).I have examined in this essay the arguments and evidence used by Gladwell in his book Ouliers (2008), to support the fact that success is not the result of innate talent, but of practice and of being in the right place at the right time. For that I initially examined the relationship between innate talent and practice through Gladwell’s believes of the ‘Ten Thousands hours’ practice to succeed. But also, by projecting and comparing this theory with a universal point of view. I then moved the second part of Gladwell’s argument which is about timing, opportunities and backgrounds; as being in the right place at the right time.I considered the examples of the hockey players with the aspect of the relative age; then I argued about the demographical advantages, being born in a strategic period of growth; family background was ten presented as being another explanation of success; and finally the aspect of ethnicity. We have seen so far that Gladwell is using acceptable arguments. However , the types of evidence he uses are not accurate. Indeed, the use of anecdote, tables without any reference would not persuade the reader.Moreover his generalizations of assumptions are not convincing, and leave perplexed any critical reader who might not find this book useful as a reference. To my point of view, practice and opportunities are very important to be successful. However, innate talent is vital, as individuals have defences in capacities. Some people would be better in certain field, whereas others would not be gifted. Passion and motivation will then come to guide skilled individuals to the road of expertise, and maybe if the opportunities arises, to the road of success. Referen ces: Gladwell, M. (2008).Outliers Ericsson, K. Ander. ; Krampe, Ralf Th. ; Tesch-Romer, Clemens. (1993). The Role Of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance. Psychological Review, vol. 100, issue 3, pp. 363 Bedard, K and Dhuey, E, (2006). The persistence of early childhood maturity: international evidence of long run age effects, Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 121, issue 4, pp. 1437-1472 Musch, J and Grondin, S, (2001). Unequal competition as an impediment to personal development: a review of the relative age effect in sport, Developmental Review, vol. 21, issue 2, pp. 147-167 Gibbs,B.G. ; Jarvis,J. A. ; Dufur, M. J. (2011). The rise of the underdog? The relative age effect reversal among Canadian-born NHL hockey players: A reply to Nolan and Howell. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. [Online]. Available at: http://irs. sagepub. com/content/early/2011/08/19/1012690211414343. abstract [ Accessed 27 november 2012] Billari, F. C. ; Pellizzari, M . (2008). The Younger, the Better? Relative Age Effects at University. Journal of Population Economics, 2012, 25 (2), 697-739. [ Online ]. Available at : http://ftp. iza. org/dp3795. pdf [ Accessed 27 november 2012]

Freshman English Paper Oliver Sacks

English Wednesday April 4, 2012 â€Å"Perspective Matters† As children, we learn that there are five human senses: sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch. Upon reflection and memory, I realize that sight is always listed first in the list of senses. It may just be a reflex or a habit to do so, or maybe it’s just human nature to place high emphasis on sight. Sight is taken for granted by most of us, and when we encounter non-sighted individuals, we have an emotional and physical reaction that we’re relieved the non-sighted cannot see.Reading Oliver Sacks’ case â€Å"To See and Not See†, about a man named Virgil, gives me a new and interesting perspective on blindness. I have a friend who is partially deaf. She and I communicate with visual cues and our communication is helped by the fact that she can hear some sound and can read lips. In contrast, I cannot say I have had an occasion to spend time with a non-sighted person. While reading about Virgil, however, I felt that I was given an opportunity to learn about the life of someone who lives in a world of only four senses.Virgil was born with sight, he briefly lost it at the age of 3 while ill, and at age 6 developed cataracts which blocked his vision and made him functionally blind. The life he lived was a modest one. He â€Å"had a steady job and an identity, was self-supporting, had friends, read Braille papers and books†¦ Life was limited but stable in its way. † (112) He accepted his blindness as simply part of his existence; Virgil’s life was imbued with passivity. At the age of 47, Virgil became re-acquainted with an old girlfriend named Amy. Their relationship evolved into a committed one within 3 years.With Amy’s insistent encouragement, Virgil assented to have surgery to remove one of the cataracts, despite his family’s misgivings over the disruption to his already stable life and identity as someone who is blind. There is a distillatio n of Virgil’s state of being; as I see it, his life is not his own, other people are making choices for him, and he is not asserting himself. Amy and his mother have strong opinions about if he should live with sight or without sight. Virgil himself sits, waiting for them to make a decision about his destiny.And so began Virgil’s passive journey into seeing – again. Virgil’s situation is not unlike Greg’s from Sacks’ case â€Å"The Last Hippie. † While Virgil was about to regain his vision, Greg, by contrast, was losing his; the result of a stealthy tumor slowly stealing his sight. But Greg, like Virgil, initially had concerns when confronted by his differently sighted future. For Greg, he accepted the explanation of his swami about the loss of his vision being due to â€Å"a deeper spirituality, an inner light. † He was â€Å"an illuminate,† a great honor. 43) This explanation pacified him about his vision, as it also b rought him to a deeper spirituality. Despite their concerns, both Greg and Virgil came to accept their destiny being written by other people in their lives. Amy brought Virgil to her ophthalmologist who reviewed his case and ascertained that the old diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa may not have been accurate and he agreed to operate. Before the surgery, Virgil â€Å"could still see light and dark, the direction from which light came, and the shadow of a hand in front of his eyes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (108) Dr.Hamlin did the cataract removal on his right eye, inserted a new lens implant and after the bandage came off, Virgil could see but only after hearing the surgeon speak to him to attract his attention. The first thing that Virgil saw was not concrete or a firm image, but light, motions and colors. This was only a brief indication of the tangled web of sight that was ahead. Sacks states: â€Å"Everyone, Virgil included, expected something much simpler. A man opens his eyes, light ente rs and falls on the retina: he sees. though there had been a careful surgical discussion of the operation and possible postsurgical complications, there was little discussion or preparation for the neurological and psychological difficulties that Virgil might encounter. † (115) While reading about Virgil, I have to come reflect more upon myself and the sense of sight. Very recently, I was diagnosed with early-onset glaucoma. I received this news from my doctor with heightened emotion and anxiety about what I would do if I lost my vision. I am lucky that my doctor immediately did a procedure to stop the progression of the glaucoma and keep my vision at its current state.I try to put myself in Virgil’s place and have become more empathetic to him and his particular circumstance. I think of my friend who is partially deaf; she says she wouldn’t change it for anything; it is who she is. Is Virgil conflicted about his identity now that he can see? When Dr. Sacks meets Virgil, Sacks is struck by the way he acted; that Virgil was exhibiting behavior of someone who looks but does not grasp the full picture. He is â€Å"mentally blind† or the definition of agnosic – the partial or total inability to recognize objects or persons by use of the appropriate sense – in Virgil’s case, the sense of sight.For example, he sees in pieces: notices facial features, not a composed face. Virgil still continues to use the actions of a blind person for everyday living, having Amy, now his wife, to establish lines for him to walk from room to room in their house. He even says he finds walking â€Å"scary† and â€Å"confusing† without touch, without his cane. (120) Virgil is dealing with being disrupted by massive changes: having surgery and getting married. The confusion he feels about walking without his cane is understandable.The cane was his support for a basic of life; another aspect that is taken for granted, putting on e foot in front of another. Virgil’s independence is being encroached upon and there is an erosion of confidence in his abilities that were part of his identity as a sightless person. Additional aspects of his new life were just as jumbled, as disconnected. Virgil couldn’t identify his cat and dog without touching them while visually investigating them. He’s confused by distances, light, sizes, angles and perspectives. Sacks says that â€Å"Virgil was blinded for a minute, until he put on a pair of dark-green sunglasses.Even ordinary daylight, he said, was too bright for him, too glary, he felt that he saw best in quite subdued light. † (131) During the initial testing Sacks’ conducted with Virgil, they went to a zoo for an outing. Virgil was only able to make out an animal by either the way it moved or by specific visual features, such as height. His heightened sense of hearing was noticed when he heard the lions roaring in the distance. He had a request to touch an animal, and was able to examine a statue of an ape. When he touched the statue, â€Å"he had an air of assurance that he had never shown when examining anything by sight†¦. emanding that he renounce all that came easily to him, that he sense the world in a way incredibly difficult for him and alien. † (132-33) Virgil’s non-sighted and sighted worlds joined briefly in the moment when it became apparent he could visually identify more features of the ape only after touching the statue. In Virgil’s journey to see again, he appears to be finding his way by adapting his skills from his past life to his current existence. There must have been a necessity to do so, so as to bridge the gap and to glue together who he was with who he is, and who he is going to be.Otherwise, I could see the confusion, disruption and erosion of independence would become overwhelming to Virgil and could therefore stymie any potential for improvement after the upcomi ng second surgery. Virgil was experiencing periods of severe visual fatigue and spontaneous distorted vision. The fatigue was understandable; his visual system was weak and unstable, not yet practiced and strong. The periods of distorted vision that lasted for hours or days were not as easy to understand, and therefore more of a worry.The continuation of the distorted vision became apparent with displays of what Sacks calls psychic blindness: â€Å"speaking of seeing while in fact appearing blind and showing no visual behavior whatever. † (136) He exhibited another type of withdrawal of sight, emotional, as well. When his family came to town for his wedding, Virgil began to need Amy to lead him around due to blurred vision. His family did oppose the surgery and despite the verity even then they did not believe he could see. Virgil’s emotional withdrawal of sight only ended after his family left post-wedding.Virgil was treated by his family as his former self instead of as his current self; his past passivity returned and he gave them what they wanted: Virgil as a blind man. His current visual identity must have felt threatened. Due to Virgil’s unpracticed and weak visual state, â€Å"that either neural overload or identity conflict might just push him over it. † (138) After the surgery on Virgil’s left eye revealed that his acuity was the same as the right eye, there was some improvement but not as much as had been hoped for. He was able to focus somewhat better and was able to go back to work after the 2 months since the first surgery.Massage therapy was different for him now that he could see his clients. In order to do his job comfortably, he had to close his eyes and function as a non-sighted person. This experience for Virgil made him revert to functioning as blind rather than sighted, continuing his identity confusion. His continuing experiences for the next few months were memorable: experiencing the holidays with sigh t, seeing his family and home in Kentucky, seeing the ballet with Amy. He interacted with his family while exhibiting visual behaviors, a big step towards change for Virgil. The change was arrested by his becoming critically ill with pneumonia.The result of the illness was lack of oxygen to brain, and Virgil’s vision was receding. He acted as though he could see even when he couldn’t; by reaching for things but saying he could not see. Sacks indicates â€Å"This condition – called implicit sight – occurs if the visual parts of the cerebral cortex are knocked out, but the visual centers in the subcortex remain intact. † (146) At this point for Virgil, he is now experiencing even more change; after his health improves and he leaves the hospital, he is attached to an oxygen tank which leaves him unable to work, and therefore having to move from his home.Of course, these changes have an effect on Virgil’s visual and emotional states, as they wou ld on anyone. Virgil is now blind – again. Even though Virgil has rare moments of minimal sight, he has returned to functioning as a non-sighted person. After the all too-human reaction of rage, Virgil himself has expressed an acceptance of his visual situation. Sacks notes, â€Å"Virgil for his part, maintains philosophically, ‘These things happen. ’† (151) As Virgil says, things do happen. My friend lost her hearing as a toddler; I will be losing my vision and prepare myself for this inevitable future.All of us deal with these stages of life and envelop them into ourselves, our identities. There are different definitions of perspective: point of view; representation of objects as they might appear to the eye; a mental view or prospect. To apply them all to Virgil is to see him as he should be seen, without a need to change him and to accept him with and without sight. Works Cited Sacks, Oliver. An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales. New York : Vintage, 1996. Print. —. â€Å"The Last Hippie. † An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales. New York: Vintage, 1996. 42 – 76. Print.

Essay on Roman constitution essays

Essay on Roman constitution essays In the course of ancient history many nations rose and fell and many forms of government were tried. Some were successful, some were a terrible failure, and others were just sufficient. The Greek historian Polybius believed that the constitution and government of Rome at the time of the Hannibalic War was by far the best of any form of government ever set up by any other nation (Polybius pg. 311). The Hannibalic War took place from 218-201 B.C., Polybius (205-118 B.C.) was writing in the second century B.C. (quotationspage.com/author.php?author=Polybius). To Polybius the greatness of Romes government was that it combined three forms of government; aristocracy, monarchy, and democracy and utilized the best aspects of each while each had some form of a check and balance on the others to help curb the vices of each (Polybius pg. 317). Polybius believed Rome had set up a balanced constitution that had advantages over any others, but he did not foresee the political and social pressu res that led to the downfall of the Roman republic. Roman government consisted of two consuls, the Senate, and the people. Consuls were an elected office. The people were represented by an assembly and elected tribunes, of which there were originally two to match the two consuls. There were other magistracies in the Roman government, but they are not necessary to mention for this paper. The Senate was made up of the men who had held consulship, been tribune, or held any other magistracies (Shelton pg. 207). Once a man was a member of the Senate he was so for life (Shelton pg. 207). The consul, the people and the Senate represent the three kinds of governments (monarchy, democracy and aristocracy) that Polybius believed balanced Romes constitution and set it apart from others (Polybius pg. 311). For Polybius the Roman constitution, its form of government, carried out by three branches, was so interdependent and checked and...