Planning Law & Ethics in Michigan Avenue Corridor Assignment - 1

Planning Law & Ethics in Michigan Avenue Corridor - Assignment Example The council also aspires to maintain activities that are environmentally friendly to the Red Cedar River. For the purpose of tackling and solving the urban decay in an effective way, redevelopment will assume diverse forms in order to facilitate its redesign. The redevelopment project will put into consideration factors such as the conditions of the building and conditions of living ­. The redevelopment project must, however, put into consideration the regulations of Renewal Authority Ordinance (URA) that help structure owners go through both complicated and technical processes. This process of redevelopment aims at restructuring dilapidated and old buildings whose living conditions are poor. The process will replan and rebuild the Avenue sites to accomplish clear environmental as well as social benefits (Brandon 297). In addition, redevelopment plan also targets the available open spaces and facilities of the community. The URA will, in addition, carry out assembly of larger areas of land for comprehensive planning. The comprehensive planning would create room for the restructuring of open space, transport network and local roads. Consequently, the company will achieve proper and better utilization of land resources as well as improving overall Michigan district environment. Planning efforts has a purpose of engaging the Lancing region to define a unified vision for Michigan Avenue, also known as Grand Avenue Corridor. The project aspires to extend eastwards to the town of Webberville. The Red Cedar project has an estimation of $200 million dollars slated for both residential developments and business to revitalize former Red Cedar Golf Club. The process will also create great renovation along the Lansing and East Lansing Michigan Avenue in the area around US 127. The redevelopment project set to break ground will be an establishment across the street from Frandor.  

Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Law - Essay Example â€Å"When at the desire of the promisor, the promise or any other person has done or abstained from doing, or does or abstains from doing, or promises to do or abstain from doing something, such an act or abstinence or promise is called a consideration for the promise.† â€Å"A contract is an agreement enforceable at law made between two or more persons by which rights are acquired by one or more to acts or forbearance on the part of the other or others.† (Quoted in ReportBD.com) Since both the plaintiff and defendant maintained social relationship, the agreement between them was a bit social in nature, as there was no intention of either of the parties to enter into any legal remedies against non-compliance of either of the parties to the contract. There are two types of agreements i.e. Social agreements are the agreements which are just promises between two or more persons or parties, but do not enjoy the status of contract. For example one person invites another at his office to have dinner with him, but if he fails to host the promised dinner, no legal remedy can be demanded, as it is social agreement in nature. Such promises do not bind the parties, to fulfil the promise, thus no legal rights between the parties are created, as in the case of Balfour and Balfour (1919) 2 KB 571: â€Å"When a husband failed to pay a promised allowance, the wife sued. The court announced the judgement in these words: "There are agreements between parties which do not result in contracts within the meaning of that term in our law. The ordinary example is where two parties agree to take a walk together (or) arrangements which are made between husband and wife. They are not contracts because the parties did not intend that they should be attended by legal consequences. Each house is a domain into which the Kings writ does not seek to run.† (Quoted in Duhaimes Canadian Contract Law Centre) On the other hand,

Barbara Kruger Art Style Analysis

Barbara Kruger Art Style Analysis Barbara Kruger, an American graphic designer who brings to light modern day problems of society using her art as a message conveyer of society problems. Her artwork consists of various pictures spliced together and newspaper like letters as captions for what she is conveying. Her artwork unlike others doesnt immediately go into a museum or on a world tour instead its towards advertisement. This brings in more viewers and allows her to display what she what problems in society she wants to convey. Some of these artworks that bring to light issues are a picture of Adolf Hitler with his eyes blocked out and written on top of his photo the phrase If you dont control your mind someone else will, or the one I will be focusing on the most You are a captive audience. The first thing I want to bring up before I go into her work is shes seen as an artist with mixed reviews, because shes so open revealing political problems in the world. An article in The New York Times praises Barbara Kruger for using her art to bring attention to these issues but also criticizes it for sometimes sugarcoating things, thus losing its edge and full effect. The example used is her Your Body is a Battleground. It depicts a womans face in black and white showing it doesnt matter what race your body is still a battleground for what you choose to do. It was created to support the pro-choice belief of most feminists. It was an attempt to legalize abortions birth control and strengthen womens rights. Now from my perspective I dont think she sugarcoated this problem at all. In the text of the artwork it clearly states support legal abortion, birth control, womens rights. She wants us to know she stands for pro-choice womens rights and thinks it needs to put into the limeligh t and dodged around. Another example can come from You are a captive audience. This work of art pictures what I presume a man putting on his lovers finger a wedding ring. There is another version of it with dental work and a tooth being removed from a patient. This caption says people are so easily captivated by extreme versions of our emotions. The ring version shows how easily as a society people can be easily captured by emotions of joy and happiness. Now the same thing can be said with fear. The dental version shows the tooth being removed from a patient and without a numbing agent of some kind this would hurt a person quite a bit. People love emotions even the more dark and negative ones like horrified and disgusted. Going back to a previous artwork mentioned If you dont control your mind someone else will. This piece is rather dark if you think about it. Since its talking about someone controlling your mind which weve seen throughout history can happen if you choose not to think for yourself. To bring this up to the world you cant sugarcoat it especially using a figure the world revers as a symbol of dark times and tragedy. Barbara Kruger doesnt try to scare people with the phrases she uses but rather the phrases she uses can be moving. Using another work, she created which most of America knows as Your comfort is my silence. What makes this piece so moving is the simple fact of if your happy Im happy. No one can complain so someone elses comfort can be someone elses silence because they dont need to say anything to begin with. In an interview caption it says when someone asks someone what they think about Barbara Kruger they say she was obviously important during early 1980s but now she isnt so relevant and they cant name any of her more recent works. I once again disagree with this because she points out problems with modern day things to. Her work Remote Control points out how easily the society we live in has gone to basically machines doing everything for us. This is a pressing issue with the growing obesity in the nation among other things. With all this said I say Barbara Kruger is doing well with her art and is not sugarcoating anything and is taking a stand to reveal the problems of society in a memorable way. When someone judges her work, I think they need to realize the artwork she does is not for visual appeal as it is to make you think and realize what it means. Word Count 757 Works Cited Bishop, Claire. Interview With Barbara Kruger. MAKE Magazine, 9. Cottner, Holland. Art In Review. The New York Times, C29. Hagan, Charles. Barbara Kruger : Cover Girl. The New York Times, June 14, 1992, 82. Linker, Kate. Love For Sale. New York Times Book Review, 3.

Incorporating Global Consideration for Local Instructional Practices :: Essays Papers

Incorporating Global Consideration for Local Instructional Practices The modern Women’s studies classroom has been subjected to many changes stemming from discussions about proper and efficient discourse and method of instruction. Issues such as Socratic/discussion-led teaching or inclusion of different theories of feminist thought have made the Women’s Studies course the achievement of pedagogical compromise. The work of Third-world and anti-racist feminists has contended for inclusion of issues that affect all women and has brought feminism to place based around more global issues. Now, while these debates have led to a complete, thorough and well-balanced course, the applicative and non-theoretical aspects of the classroom need to be addressed in creating the ideal â€Å"safe space† classroom. Beyond any discussions about the specific course materials or required readings, every element of the classroom needs to be structured to create the environment that is conducive to respect and mutuality. Especially for those new to Women’s Studies, a film has the potential to be read differently than the intended reading would be. Ella Shohat discusses the Algerian nationalist film La Battaglia de Algeria (The Battle of Algiers) as one example of an anti-colonialist film with feminist ideas that, in context, misses real elements of feminism (Shohat 1997). In the film, women are portrayed as being as strong and determined in overcoming the rule of the harsh French colonialists as the men are. However, acting the same way in any other arena is frowned upon, as the visible strength of the women in the film is shown â€Å"only insofar as they perform their sacrificial service for the ‘nation’† (ibid). Also seen in this light is the film Wedding in Galilee, a P alestinian film in which the self-inflicted â€Å"de-flowering† of the bride â€Å"allegorizes the failure of an impotent patriarchy to lead toward national liberation† (ibid). These films represent the idea that women and men together must fight for the independence and freedom of a nation, but as soon as the nation is secured the equal sharing of society ends. Films with such a message serve only to create discussion and should be treated carefully when exposing students with little or no Women’s Studies background to feminism. For those times when the classroom is more than the forum for discussion and learning, the classroom becomes the locus for social interaction of students. The prospect of food and a â€Å"party† is a fun and relaxed way of relating to others usually when concluding a class or celebrating a holiday.

Bullying and Relevant Instructor Guidance Essay

Prior to completing this discussion, please read Chapter 5 in the textbook, review the information from Chapter One about Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological theory, read the Shetgiri et.al (2012) article, and review any relevant Instructor Guidance. Utilize Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to address the topic of motivations for and influences on bullying. †¢Identify and describe how a child’s environment might pre-dispose him or her to bully others. Use each of the five systems in Bronfenbrenner’s theory. Bioecolgical theory lies on the side of nature/nurture continuum that favors environmental influences over maturational development Mossler, R.A. (2011). Microsystem- Has a daily, direct impact on the child, contexts like school, peers, neighborhood, and religious affiliation make up the setting in which the child lives Mossler, R.A. (2011). Mesosystem- represents the interaction of the various components of the microsystem, like parental involvement in school and a child’s friends Mossler, R.A. (2011). Ecosystem – includes community and socioeconomic variable that have more indirect impact on the child. For example, there are circumstances when parents have to (or choose to) work more hours or where there are fewer resources for childcare and supervision. These conditions may change a child’s life Mossler, R.A. (2011). Macro system- represents the cultural contest, such as lases, traditions, and customs. For instance, some governmental and cultural institutions have programs that support health, education, and welfare of children; in others, simple being a girl will restrict access. Chrono system- shows the social and historical context within which the other systems operate, and how the four systems change over time Mossler, R.A. (2011). †¢How might parents be an influencing factor on whether or not a child is prone to bullying? Depends upon parenting style there are for different type that I read about in chapter five in chart 5.2 Parenting types. Authoritarian, Permissive, Authoritive, and Neglectful. The lack of parental control can lead to a greater risk delinquency. Without parental emotional rewards to guide a child’s behavior, the child will seek external reward which can be bullying. They tend to seek respects form peers. I only say this because I was child once was I remember kids being bullied by other  kids and it was not fun at all. I often wonder myself was something going on in that child’s home and they took out on the next kid just to make themselves feel good at the time. I can’t say I was bullied but I did fill like I was under attack and that was because certain boy like me in reality so he had make his self-look good in front of his friend but come to find out in his ou r high school years that he really like see I was what you call ugly duckling most girls were more developed and going through adolescent stage early and I was still in my natural state meaning I was not being grown before my time. †¢Find and report (with proper citation) one current statistic on the factors influencing school bullying behaviors. Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15% and 30 % of students are bullies or victims. A recent report from the American Medical Association on a study of over 15,0000 6th- 10 th graders estimates that approximately 3.7 million youth engage in, and more than 3.2 million are victims of, moderate or serious bullying each year http://www.nasponline.org. †¢Does this statistic seem to follow the same trend supported by Bronfenbrenner’s theory? If not, explain how it challenges the theory. Yes because it has become a widespread problem in school in our communities kids being threatened teased harassed and it has even went to cyber bullying and also have led to suicide just last year in my daughter school and around this area there were at three suicide during the her freshmen year in high school last year because of kid making comments on Facebook or twitter social media is the worst it is anti-social behavior that is learned through influences in the environment, home , school, peer group, even the media. Brfendebrenner’s theory confirms all the above. †¢Reflect on friendships in childhood and adolescence and address the positive and negative influences they can have on bullying behaviors. I can’t say that I was bullied but I did fill like I was under attack. That was only because a certain boy like me in reality so he had make his self-look good in front of his friend but come to find out in his our high school years that he really like see I was what you call ugly duckling most girls were more developed and going through adolescent stage early and I was still in my natural state meaning I was not being grown before my time. †¢Utilize problem-solving techniques in exploring developmental issues, grounded in child development, in order to provide one unique solution to  reduce or stop bullying. I would get the parents involved I am parent and if my daughter come home and tell me some is picking on her I want go straight to the source that means parents and all I would like to sit down and have meeting all the parts that are involved some we can get things resolved because after all a child behavior and how they act starts form home. Having positive environment and early intervention would good to more teacher training as well. . http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/index.html http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/bullying_fs.aspx Mossler, R.A. (2011). Child and adolescent development. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc

Ethical Issues in Businesses Today Essay

Ethical issues in businesses today There are a million ethical issues in today’s businesses and unfortunately there is no perfect decision measurement for all these ethical issues in business. The ethical issues in international businesses are much more complicated and much more delicate, along with being tenfold in numbers. According to Wiley (1995), â€Å"ethics is concerned with moral obligation, responsibility, and social Justice. † She goes on to say that â€Å"ethics reflects the character of the individual and more con temporarily per haps, the character of the business firm, which is a collection of individuals. Mauro et all, 1999) It is evident that ethics play such a crucial role in businesses if we consider the instances like the â€Å"Enron company’s ethical break down†. Not only in â€Å"Enron†, but Dilemmas involving discrimination, harassment, fraud, contractual breaches, favouritism and consistent policies regarding pay, rewards and discipline are common occurrences in many organizations. (Hartel, C. E. J, Fujimoto, Y, 2010) â€Å"Industry Wide Ethical Issues in Business Following is a list of industry wide ethical issues in businesses. The problem with these ethical issues in business is that they are not only really routine and frequent ut they are also more wide-spread Bribing powerful officials in order to get bids and tenders accepted and bribing competitor employees to get informational leaks is a serious ethical issue in business. In fact, it is a crime that is legally punishable in most countries today. Labor related issues like gender discrimination at workplace, employee harassment, minority community participation, working conditions and child labor are also some general ethical issues in busines

Quantitative analysis of Guatemala for Guatemala

Quantitative analysis of Guatemala for Guatemala Demographics Total population and population growth since 1960 Guatemala has enjoyed a constant rise in the total population since 1960. With a period of five decades, the population has grown from an estimated 4.16 million in 1960 to 14.75 people in 2011 (Knudsen 19). Within the first decade (that is between 1960 and 1970), the population rose by 31% from 4.16 million to 5.45 million people.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Quantitative analysis of Guatemala for Guatemala specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The population growth per annum has remained generally constant. In fact, there has been little change in population growth every consecutive year. Between 1960 and 1970, the percentage averaged at 2.70%. Since then, the average per every ten years has not been changing by a large margin. For instance, the average annual growth for the Guatemalan population between 1970 and 1980 was 2.56%, while that recorde d between 1980 and 1190 reduced to 2.38%. By the end of the 20th century, the population growth rate averaged at 2.31%, but gained by a small margin to reach 2.47% by 2011. This means that for the last 50 years, Guatemala’s population growth has averaged at 2.48%. Crude death rate It is quite difficult to examine the demographics of any country without an analysis of its death rate (Mittal 12). In this case, we examine the crude death rate (deaths per 1,000 people) in Guatemala since 1960. Statistics indicate that Guatemala’s crude death rate has been reducing significantly over the last 50 years. In fact, it is worth noting that by 1960, the crude death rate stood at 18.995, but by the end of the 21st century, it has reduced by 12.718 to reach 6.277, which is estimated at 70% decrease. This is quite a commendable achievement, whose contributing factors have been explained under health and income rates analysis. Between 1960 and 1970, the annual decrease in crude death rate stood at 16.90%, but this decreased by more than 4%, achieving an average annual death rate of 13.0% by 1980. Similarly, there was significant reduction in the country’s annual death rate, with statistics showing that it the average death rate (crude) for the national population stood at around 10.09 by 1990.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Towards the end of the 20th century, the country had achieved a reduction its average death rate (crude), which had now reached about 7.58%, although the country did not reach its target rate of less than 5% by the turn of the century. However, over the first one decade of the 21st century, Guatemala increasingly reduced its crude death rate, which now stands at 5.76% (by the end of year 2011). This is a great achievement for the country, given its ability to significantly reduce its annual death rate for t he last 50 years. In addition, this is a sign that within the next few decades, the country might be able to achieve a reduction of its crude death rate to less than 2.0% per annum. Economically, this could have been due to an increase in the country’s annuals gains, as indicated by an increasing population of the middle class, increasing volume of GDP, health and education development as well as a revolution of its industries (Vanden and Prevost 56). Crude birth rate Like several other nations in the region, Guatemala has shown its ability to reduce its crude birth rate (number of births per 1000 people) per annum for the last 50 years. For instance, in 1960, the annuals birth rate stood at 46.65, but by the end of the 20th century, the rate had reduced by more than 10 points, reaching 36.61. In addition, this trend continued over the first one decade of the 21st century, with statistics showing that the country’s crude birth rate stood at 31.97 in 2011. Again, this i ndicates a reduction of more than 5 points within a span of 10 years. In fact, this is the largest reduction in the rate of birth per 1000 people per decade over the last 50 years. This is in line with the country’s new policies on industry, agriculture, health and birth control policies that have targeted achievement in reducing both the number of birth and death rates.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Quantitative analysis of Guatemala for Guatemala specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, it is an indication that the country could achieve a constant birth rate of less than 20 per 1000 people within the next few decades. The question on the population’s fertility rate in Guatemala can be examined with an analysis of the number of births per 1000 women over the last 50 years. Here, the country shows a steady decrease in its fertility rate, with statistics showing a decrease of more than 3.0 units. For instance, in 1960, the fertility rate for Guatemala was estimated to be 6.53, but by the end of 20th century, it had reduced by more than 2.5 units, reaching an approximated rate of 4.8. In addition, the reduction was witnessed over the next one decade, with the current statistics showing that the fertility rate has reduced significantly, reaching 3.92 in 2011. These statistics clearly indicate a good trend in maintaining a healthy population in a country considered as a third world nation. In fact, an important factor indicates a good rate of economic and social development. Theoretically, it would be possible to see Guatemala as a country where the number of births per household has reduced by more than 50% of the period of 50 years. It is an indication that the country’s middle class is on the rise, while the people living poorly, especially due to lack of jobs and good education, and is on the decline. Despite the constant political and economic problems facing the country, it is worth seeing the real changes in its population from the perspectives of social development, as indicated by these statistics (Watson and Kirby 127). Age structure Population structure The structure of population in Guatemala can be used as an important aspect to explain the observed changes in its social and economic development over the last 50 years.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, looking at the ratio of males to females, young to adults and the aged and the employed to unemployed people, we are in a better position to explain why the rate of poverty, literacy and economy have changed in a given way over a given period. In this case, we choose to look at these rations within a span of 50 years from 1960 to 2010 as well as including the current statistics taken by the end of year 2011. With these statistics, it is possible to reflect Guatemala’s social and economic development and perhaps predict what should be expected within the next few decades, assuming stability in its political and civil situations. First, it is worth looking at and analyzing the proportion of the children in the country’s population. Between 1960 and 2000, the number of children between the ages of 0 to 14 years, taken as a percentage of the total population per annum, has been reducing, albeit by only a small margin, every 10 years. For instance, in 1960, ch ildren within this age category made some 45.71%, but a constant reduction saw this group of young people account for 44.01% by the end of the 20th century. In addition, this change has been observed within the last one decade, with the number of children in this age category now making 41.14% of the total population. However, it is worth noting that between 2000 and 2011, the change has been large and more significant than in the previous decades. It is worth noting that within the first one decade of the 21st century, the number reduced by almost 4%, which means that there has been some changes in population trend within this period. It may also provide us with an insight into the country’s rate of industrialization, economic growth and development as well as the impact of these on social and cultural factors (Kintner 51). Within this context, it is important to consider the changes in Guatemala’s ratio of adults against the young people. However, we cannot take it f or granted that the adult population is constant because there are several categories in this age structure. In addition, dividing the population of the adult people into distinct age groups per age will give us an insight into the country’s production potential, its size of labor force and liabilities in terms of the number of dependent (aged) people (Bloom, Canning and Seville 93). Looking at the number of people aged between 15 and 64 years, it is evident that the country’s working population is quite large and has gained over the last 50 years. For instance, by 1960, Guatemala’s population of the people in this age category stood at 51.68%, which means that this was the largest group of people in the country, exceeding half of the population by 1%. An increase in this group of people is significant. In fact, this age category has never reduced within any period of 10 years since 1960, although in some years, it has been increasing by minimal digits. However, in total, the country has increased its population of working population from 51.68% in 1960 to about 54.12% in 2010 and currently stands at 54.5%. This is an indication that within a span of 50 years, the country has achieved a 3% increase in its working population. It is worth noting that again, the largest change in this category has been experienced within the first one decade of the 20th century because this is the period in which the country gained by around 3% in terms of the number of people in the 15-65 age category. This further shows some changes in the country’s social and economic sector within a period of just ten years. In addition, it is an indication that the country’s future in terms of economic and social development could be headed towards a second world status, but only if the political and economic leadership remains commendably healthy (Weber 43). The population of the aged people (beyond the age of 65 years), on the other hand, has been experie ncing the least significant change within the last 50 years. It appears that the average rate of ageing in Guatemala could be compromised. For instance, between 1960 and 2000, the country’s population of the aged gained from 2.62% of the total population to only 4.31% in 2010. In fact, the 0.31% was only gained between 2000 and 2011. Overall, the country’s aged population gained by less than 2.0% within a span of 50 years, which indicates that despite having a constantly growing number of the working class and a reduction in its rate of dependency, there could be a crisis because most people do not reach the age of 65. In addition, this could provide an indication that the life expectancy in Guatemala could be less than 65 years for an average person. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the trend in the life expectancy in Guatemala over the same period. Nevertheless, it is important to look at the country’s population in terms of the number of females to the n umber of males in order to look at the life expectancy later in the analysis. Surprisingly, Guatemala seems to be one of the countries in the world that has made significant gains in increasing the life expectantly of its citizens. For instance, by 1960, the country’s people had a life expectancy of just 45.75 years, which in this case was characteristic of underdeveloped nations. However, the country experienced a significant growth in the life expectancy, reaching 52.04 years by the end of 1970 (Sheehan and Koh 21). This indicates a growth of more than 6.5 years within a period of ten years, and an average annual growth of about 0.67years. The change continued over the 1970s, with the life expectancy rate reaching 57.31 years by 1980. Similarly, the country made significant gains over the last two decades, with statistics showing that it the life expectancy in Guatemala had reached an average of 62.29 years in 1990 before jumping again to 67.74 years by the end of the 20th century. Within the first years of the 21st century, Guatemala has experienced a significant growth in the people’s life expectancy, with 2011 statistics showing that an average person in Guatemala is expected to live up to an average of 71.10 years. In fact, this is an increase of the expectancy rate by more than 25 years within a period of 50 years. The average growth in life expectancy for every 10-year period in a series of five categories of 10 years since 1960 indicates that the country has been gaining all through. For instance, between 1960 and 1970, the country gained by 6.2 years, which is equal to an average change of 0.62 years. In addition, it indicates that the country’s population was expected to live up to an average of 48.70 years within that decade. However, between 1970 ad 1980, the people were expected to be living up to an average of 55.26 years, an average improvement of around 6.56 years. Secondly, the periods between 1980 and 1990 and from 1990 and 2000 experienced some significant growths in life expectancy, with the population expected to live up to 62.29 years by 1990 and up to 67.74 years by the end of the 20th century. Within the first one decade of the 21st century, the country’s life expectancy has continued to increase significantly, with the latest statistics showing that a normal Guatemalan is expected to live up to the age of 71 years. From this analysis, it is worth arguing that the country is on the right track because an increase in life expectancy is an indication of positive economic and social growth. There have been tremendous improvement in life expectancy per gender, with the trend showing a higher expectancy rate for women that that of men (Martins, Yusuf and Swanson 73). For instance, a Guatemalan male had life expectancy of48.88 years in 1960, but has been increasing significantly over the years. By 1970, an average person in the country was expected to live up to 50.1 years, 55.23 in 1980 and 59.39 in 1990. This trend continued, with the male life expectancy reaching 64.77 in 1990 and 67.34 by the end of 2000. Over the last one decade, life expectancy for males in the country has reached an all time high of 68 years. Similarly, female life expectancy has enjoyed massive growth since 1960. For example, in 1960, females were expected to live up to the age of 46.66 years, but increased to 53.396 by 1970. Between 1970 and 1980 and between 1980 and 1990, the average life expectancy for women experienced tremendous improvement by reaching 59.45 and 65.32 respectively. By 2000, the figure had risen to 71.4 before jumping to an all-time high of 74.72 in 2010. It is also worth noting that women have always had higher than that of males, with the disparity increasing every ten years. For instance, the disparity between then in 1960 was just 1.78 years, but by 2010, it had increased to 7.1 years. This indicates that the country has invested much on social and health affairs, espec ially in reducing maternal death rate (Mittal 32). Bloom, David, David Canning, and Jaypee Seville. Economic growth and the demographic transition. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011. Print. Kintner, Hallie. Demographics: A Casebook for Business and Government. Washington, DC: Rand Corporation, 2012. Print. Knudsen, Shannon. Guatemala. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2011. Print. Martins, Jo, Farhat Yusuf and David Swanson. Consumer Demographics and Behaviour: Markets Are People. New York, NY: Springer, 2010. Print. Mittal, Anderson. Planning for Urban and Economic Development. New York, Ny: Mittal Publications, 2010. Print. Sheehan, Sean and Magdalene Koh. Guatemala. TarryTown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2011. Print. Vanden, Harry and Gary Prevost. Guatemala- Politics of Latin America: The Power Game. London: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Watson, Anna and David A. Kirby. Small Firms and Economic Development in Developed and Transition Economies. New Yo rk, NY: Springer, 2011. Print. Weber, Lars. Demographic Change and Economic Growth Simulation on Growth Models Physica. Mason, OH: Cengage learning, 2010. Print.

Battle of Friedland in the Napoleonic Wars

Battle of Friedland in the Napoleonic Wars The Battle of Friedland was fought June 14, 1807, during the War of the Fourth Coalition (1806-1807). With the beginning of the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806, Napoleon advanced against Prussia and won stunning victories at Jena and Auerstadt. Having brought Prussia to heel, the French pushed into Poland with the goal inflicting a similar defeat on the Russians. Following a series of minor actions, Napoleon elected to enter winter quarters to give his men a chance to recover from the campaigning season. Opposing the French were Russian forces led by General Count von Bennigsen. Seeing an opportunity to strike at the French, he began moving against the isolated corps of Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Sensing a chance to cripple the Russians, Napoleon ordered Bernadotte to fall back while he moved with the main army to cut off the Russians. Slowly drawing Bennigsen into his trap, Napoleon was foiled when a copy of his plan was captured by the Russians. Pursuing Bennigsen, the French army became spread over the countryside. On February 7, the Russians turned to make a stand near Eylau. In the resulting Battle of Eylau, the French were checked by Bennigsen on February 7-8, 1807. Departing the field, the Russians retreated north and both sides moved into winter quarters. Armies Commanders French Napoleon Bonaparte71,000 men Russians General Levin August, Count von Bennigsen76,000 men Moving to Friedland Renewing the campaign that spring, Napoleon moved against the Russian position at Heilsberg. Having taken a strong defensive stance, Bennigsen repelled several French assaults on June 10, inflicting over 10,000 casualties. Though his lines had held, Bennigsen elected to fall back again, this time towards Friedland. On June 13, Russian cavalry, under General Dmitry Golitsyn, cleared the area around Friedland of French outposts. This done, Bennigsen crossed the Alle River and occupied the town. Situated on the west bank of the Alle, Friedland occupied a finger of land between the river and a mill stream (Map). The Battle of Friedland Begins Pursuing the Russians, Napoleons army advanced over several routes in multiple columns. The first to arrive in the vicinity of Friedland was that Marshal Jean Lannes. Encountering Russian troops west of Friedland a few hours after midnight on June 14, the French deployed and fighting began in the Sortlack Wood and in front of the village of Posthenen. As the engagement grew in scope, both sides began racing to extend their lines north to Heinrichsdorf. This contest was won by the French when cavalry led by the Marquis de Grouchy occupied the village. Pushing men over the river, Bennigsens forces had swollen to around 50,000 by 6:00 AM. While his troops were exerting pressure on Lannes, he deployed his men from the Heinrichsdorf-Friedland Road south to the upper bends of the Alle. Additional troops pushed north as far as Schwonau, while reserve cavalry moved into position to support the growing battle in the Sortlack Wood. As the morning progressed, Lannes struggled to hold his position. He was soon aided by the arrival of Marshal Edouard Mortiers VIII Corps which approached Heinrichsdorf and swept the Russians out of Schwonau (Map). By midday, Napoleon had arrived on the field with reinforcements. Ordering Marshal Michel Neys VI Corps to assume a position south of Lannes, these troops formed between Posthenen and Sortlack Wood. While Mortier and Grouchy formed the French left, Marshal Claude Victor-Perrins I Corps and the Imperial Guard moved into a reserve position west of Posthenen. Covering his movements with artillery, Napoleon finished forming his troops around 5:00 PM. Assessing the confined terrain around Friedland due to the river and Posthenen mill stream, he decided to strike at the Russian left. The Main Attack Moving behind a massive artillery barrage, Neys men advanced on the Sortlack Wood. Quickly overcoming the Russian opposition, they forced the enemy back. On the far left, General Jean Gabriel Marchand succeeded in driving the Russians into the Alle near Sortlack. In an attempt to retrieve the situation, Russian cavalry mounted a determined attack on Marchands left. Surging forward, the Marquis de Latour-Maubourgs dragoon division met and repulsed this attack. Pushing forward, Neys men succeeded in penning the Russians into the bends of the Alle before being halted. Though the sun was setting, Napoleon sought to achieve a decisive victory and was unwilling to let the Russians escape. Ordering forward General Pierre Duponts division from the reserve, he sent it against the mass of Russian troops. It was aided by the French cavalry which pushed back its Russian counterparts. As the battle re-ignited, General Alexandre-Antoine de SÃ ©narmont deployed his artillery at close range and delivered a stunning barrage of case-shot. Tearing through the Russian lines, fire from SÃ ©narmonts guns shattered the enemy position causing them to fall back and flee through the streets of Friedland. With Neys men in pursuit, the fighting at the southern end of the field became a rout. As the assault against the Russian left had moved forward, Lannes and Mortier had endeavored to pin the Russian center and right in place. Spotting smoke rising from a burning Friedland, they both advanced against the enemy. As this attack moved forward, Dupont shifted his attack north, forded the mill stream, and assaulted the flank of the Russian center. Though the Russians offered fierce resistance, they were ultimately compelled to retreat. While the Russian right was able to escape via the Allenburg Road, the remainder struggled back across the Alle with many drowning in the river. Aftermath of Friedland In the fighting at Friedland, the Russians suffered around 30,000 casualties while the French incurred around 10,000. With his primary army in shambles, Tsar Alexander I began suing for peace less than a week after the battle. This effectively ended the War of the Fourth Coalition as Alexander and Napoleon concluded the Treaty of Tilsit on July 7. This agreement ended hostilities and began an alliance between France and Russia. While France agreed to aid Russia against the Ottoman Empire, the latter joined the Continental System against Great Britain. A second Treaty of Tilsit was signed on July 9 between France and Prussia. Eager to weaken and humiliate the Prussians, Napoleon stripped them of half their territory. Selected Sources Battle of Friedland: French Order of BattleNapoleon Guide: Battle of FriedlandHarvey, Robert. (2006) War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815. New York: Carroll Graf.

9 consejos a turistas para comprar vivienda en EEUU

9 consejos a turistas para comprar vivienda en EEUU Si est pensando en  comprar una vivienda en Estados Unidos pero le preocupa porque tiene estatus de turista, bien porque ha ingresado con una visa de esa categorà ­a o bien sin visa, por ser ciudadano de un paà ­s incluido en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visados,  tiene que saber que no sà ³lo es posible sino que es relativamente fcil.  Ã‚   En este artà ­culo se resuelven las dudas ms frecuentes,  desde tipo de propiedad a cà ³mo financiar la compra y cà ³mo entender correctamente las opciones migratorias reales para obtener una tarjeta de residencia permanente en Estados Unidos por inversià ³n en un bien raà ­z. 1.- ¿Quà © tipo de inmuebles  se pueden comprar en EE.UU.  con estatus de turista? Casas, fincas rà ºsticas y condominios, conocidos estos à ºltimos popularmente como condos. En cuando a los  apartamentos en rà ©gimen de  co-ops, es ms complicado adquirirlos, a menos que se trate de cooperativas que se administran siguiendo reglas de los condos. La razà ³n del problema radica en  que para comprar un co-op es necesario, como regla general, tener los ingresos y la mayorà ­a del patrimonio en Estados Unidos, requisito que no se da en la mayorà ­a de los casos de turistas extranjeros temporalmente en el paà ­s. 2.- ¿Se necesita tener todo el dinero en efectivo o asegurar financiacià ³n en el paà ­s de origen? No, ni lo uno ni lo otro. Los bancos de Estados Unidos pueden financiar siempre y cuando se adelante un porcentaje importante en concepto de pago inicial, conocido en inglà ©s como  down payment. El porcentaje puede variar de banco a banco y, tambià ©n, de estado a estado. Por ejemplo, en la ciudad de Nueva York puede ser necesario abonar el 30 por ciento, en Miami el 50 y en zonas de Texas entre el 25 y el 30 por ciento pero estas cantidades pueden variar segà ºn las circunstancias de cada caso. Adems, los bancos que financian suelen exigir garantà ­as adicionales como un depà ³sito suficiente para cubrir todos los pagos de la hipoteca de un aà ±o, ms seguros y gastos del inmueble. Tambià ©n se debe tener en cuenta que dentro de Estados Unidos hay una gran diferencia entre estados en lo que se paga como impuesto a las ventas de bienes y servicios  e incluso condados y municipalidades. Este es un dato importante ya que puede suponer un importante gasto con el que no se contaba. 3.- ¿Cul es la mejor forma de encontrar una vivienda para comprar? Contratando a un agente inmobiliario, conocido en inglà ©s como broker. La gran ventaja para el comprador es que no va a pagarle por sus servicios ya que la comisià ³n corre de cuenta del vendedor. Si à ©ste cuenta con su propio broker, en el momento de la venta los dos agentes se dividirn entre ellos las ganancias por sus servicios de intermediario. Adems, si necesitas financiacià ³n el broker puede ponerte en contacto con el banco con el que habitualmente trabajan. 4.- ¿Cunto tiempo puede demorarse la tramitacià ³n de la compra? Una vez que has encontrado el inmueble que deseas comprar, la tramitacià ³n del cierre de la operacià ³n puede hacerse en tan poco como 30 dà ­as. No es necesario estar presente en Estados Unidos durante toda la tramitacià ³n, ya que puedes otorgar un poder notarial, conocido en inglà ©s como  power of attorney,  a un representante. 5.- ¿Puede  girarse todo el dinero que quiera a EEE.UU. para comprar bienes raà ­ces? Desde el punto de vista de USA, sà ­. Si bien las autoridades estudian la procedencia y legalidad del dinero. Adems, debe cumplirse con todas las obligaciones impuestas por el paà ­s de origen del comprador  para transferencias internacionales de dinero y pago de impuestos. 6.- ¿Hay que pagar impuestos por la propiedad que se compra en Estados Unidos? Si se  vende y se gana con la operacià ³n, hay que pagar el impuesto correspondiente. En cuanto al porcentaje va a depender del tipo de acuerdo fiscal entre el paà ­s del comprador y Estados Unidos, si es que hay  alguno firmado. Tambià ©n es posible no pagar si con la venta se financia la compra de una nueva propiedad. Por el contrario, si la vivienda se dedica a alquiler, es necesario   declarar impuestos anualmente en la forma de income tax en EE.UU. Para ello, si no se tiene un Nà ºmero del Seguro Social emitido por las autoridades de Estados Unidos, debe sacarse un nà ºmero fiscal que se conoce como  un ITIN. Es conveniente informarse con un fiscalista porque si se est pagando hipoteca es posible que no exista la obligacià ³n de pagar  durante al menos los diez primeros aà ±os siguientes a la compra. En todo caso, aunque no existiera la obligacià ³n de pagar, sà ­ que hay la de hacer la declaracià ³n de impuestos y presentarla anualmente el 15 de abril o antes. 7.- ¿Por quà © es recomendable crear una sociedad que figure como propietaria del inmueble? Para evitar pagar impuesto de sucesià ³n cuando fallece el propietario de la vivienda, que puede ser muy alto. Pero si el propietario es una LLC, es decir, una  sociedad limitada,  de la que se es accionista junto con una Corporacià ³n Extranjera, en inglà ©s conocida como  Foreign Corporation, entonces despuà ©s del fallecimiento del propietario los herederos no tienen que pagar nada por recibir ese inmueble. Es muy conveniente tratar este asunto con un abogado especialista en este tipo de asuntos. 8.- ¿Puede obtenerse la  tarjeta de residencia por comprar una propiedad en EE.UU.? No, la compra de un inmueble, aunque sea muy caro, no est contemplado en la actualidad como uno de los caminos para obtener la residencia permanente, tambià ©n conocida como green card o tarjeta verde.   Sin embargo, sà ­ que es posible sacar la green card con una inversià ³n a travà ©s del programa EB-5, pero implica muchas ms cosas y no una simple compra de uno o varios inmuebles, por muy caros que estos sean. Tampoco sirve una mera inversià ³n inmobiliaria  como base para poder solicitar con à ©xito la visa E-2 de inversià ³n. Sin embargo, si se convierte en negocio a dicha inversià ³n, entonces podrà ­a servir. En todo caso, los turistas que son propietarios de una vivienda en Estados Unidos  no pueden trabajar ni permanecer continuamente en Estados Unidos y deben respetar su condicià ³n migratoria para evitar una cancelacià ³n de la visa. Por ejemplo, no se puede ser una carga pà ºblica. Eso quiere decir, entre otras cosas, que hay que pagar las facturas mà ©dicas y  no enviar a los hijos con una visa de turista a estudiar a una escuela de primaria o secundaria pà ºblica. Si desean estudiar, deben obtener una visa F-1 de estudiante. Estar en Estados Unidos con la visa incorrecta puede dar lugar a la revocacià ³n de la que se tiene e, incluso, a la cancelacià ³n de la visa de los padres que consienten una violacià ³n migratoria. 9.-Origen de los extranjeros que compran propiedades en Estados Unidos En un sà ³lo aà ±o, los turistas extranjeros invirtieron $82,5 billones (mil millones) en propiedades en Estados Unidos, comprando, principalmente,  Ã‚  en los estados de Florida, California, Nueva York, Texas y Arizona. Los extranjeros que efectuaron  ms compras fueron los canadienses, que prefieren comprar en Arizona y Texas, seguidos de los chinos, si bien los rusos son los que hacen las compras ms caras. Argentinos, colombianos, venezolanos y brasileà ±os destacan tambià ©n entre los grandes compradores, siendo Florida el estado donde ms invierten. Consejos para disfrutar Estados Unidos como turista Estados Unidos es el segundo paà ­s del mundo que recibe ms turistas, sà ³lo sobrepasado por Francia. Sin embargo, es el paà ­s donde los turistas gastan ms dinero en compras. Para los turistas que disfrutan comprando ropa y accesorios de marca,  las sample sales para comprar a precios rebajados  en Nueva York son un destino a tener en cuenta. Por el contrario, para los que quieren disfrutar de las grandes atracciones de Estados Unidos, estas son las 10 ms visitadas. De interà ©s migratorio para todos los turistas Estas  20 causas que pueden dar lugar a que la visa no se apruebe o no se renueve  e, incluso, a que al llegar al control migratorio sirven de base para que el oficial de Inmigracià ³n niegue el ingreso del turista extranjero a los Estados Unidos. Desde el punto de vista migratorio, el principal consejo es evitar problemas. Para ello se recomienda tomar este  test de respuestas mà ºltiples. Frecuentemente, los  grandes problemas migratorios y en el paso de aduanas tienen su origen en ignorancias pequeà ±as. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Medicaid Fraud in the State of Virginia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Medicaid Fraud in the State of Virginia - Essay Example They set up a personal care service center that is duly authorized to provide respite care to Medicaid recipients. Respite care is usually given by the family or another unpaid primary caregiver of the recipient. Having set up authorized respite care centers for Medicaid beneficiaries, such individuals then proceed to file false or fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the Medicaid program. Gilchrist claimed reimbursement for 38 non-existent Medicaid patients for which her company received approximately $294,713 (The United States Attorney General's Office, 2013). Cases of fraud on the Medicaid program have dire implications. This is especially the case when the US Government is lobbying to increase Medicare coverage to more Americans, especially the poor and those who cannot afford health insurance covers. For this reason, states have taken measures to arrest the problem. The state of Virginia, for instance, has set up the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to deal with defrauders.

Children Buying Behavior and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Children Buying Behavior and Marketing - Essay Example The adolescent group is the most vulnerable to such type of advertisements as they are seeking a string association to gain a sense of security. Thus advertisers have clearly created a separate domain for segmenting the boys and girls as separate target groups. The girls are made to feel or establish a feeling of anxiety about their health and body by displaying models that symbolizes their product range. The consumer societies have strongly intervened in this issue and have initiated awareness for both the parents and the youth on the health impacts the advertisements could cause on long-term basis. The gender being utilized in the generating higher consumption of goods is a conventional strategy in business. Though the intervention by consumer societies have helped to tone down the gravity of these advertisements the power of market is so enormous that the awareness programmes cannot be expected to gain a comprehensive success in their mission. Thus the case study is undertaken to evaluate the relative effect of the advertisements on the purchase decisions made by youth in United States. The specific objectives addressed in the study are (i) To understand the influence of consumer societies on the influencing the consumer attitude in young children in the United States. (ii) To assess the impact of the advertisements that portrays women differently in the magazines and further influences the shopping decisions of young children especially across young boys and girls. 2. Literature Children represents a very strong market segment and advertisers recognize these aspects and the extend of brand loyalty that could be carried into the adulthood. Though it is established knowledge that as children don't understand the impact of the strong intentions of marketing it is considered unethical to advertise or display any promotional campaign before they attain a age of eight or nine. The consumer unions have expressed the views that as the children have very low ability to understand the reality and advertising content the advertising matter could in most of the situations distort the view about the world in children. Also, they have very low ability to assess the claims being made in the advertising matter. Also, expert academicians in the consumer behavior too have reinforced this claim that by saying the during the young ages the cognitive structures are in the formative stages and hence the children would be highly sensitive to the external influences (Mizerski, 1995 ). This especially true when such matter appears on the walls of the schools or on the book covers or on the anything related to their domains of closer interaction. These situations makes the children to believe that the contents are legitimate and start developing a positive inclination to the advertisement matter without analyzing the matter. The tender age fails to differentiate the commercial component in such displays and fails to understand the manipulative actions hidden in it. Often the advertisements create a sense of reality in the mind of children and they try to relate them with the regular news features in

Six Sigma Green Belt. Black Belt and Master Belt and differentiations Essay

Six Sigma Green Belt. Black Belt and Master Belt and differentiations among these three belts - Essay Example Therefore, to attain all these, the Six Sigma has different categories of classifying its experts (Gygi et al., 2005). They are champions, green belts, black belts, yellow belts, and master or champion belts. This paper will explore the nature of green, black, and master belts including their major differences. Despite the significant success achieved in quality control and implementation within most organizations, the disparity within the belts means rigorous training is required to have a uniform operation. Numerous belts abound that are used to measure competence in the field of martial arts. However, the Six Sigma Green Belt is concerned with improvement of critical projects under the supervision within organizations. An improvement on Six Sigma Green Belt automatically qualifies a person to the level of Black Belt and it is characterized with several features worth noting. First, to attain a certification, one is compelled to undergo a specific rigorous process that lasts from two to four weeks. This is because Six Sigma Green Belt is the lowest; it incorporates the basic knowledge beginning with the introduction, project definition and project selection process (Wheeler, 2004). Similarly, because it revolves around measure of quality to attain the highest level of perfection, the Green Belt demands a clear methodology of eradication defects because it is data-driven and has standards. Alternatively, because Six Sigma Green Belt integrates problem solving through the holistic approa ch, it has procedural method of utilizing statistical tools. It also includes other processes of interventions in comprehending diverse business processes. Under the Green Belt, one is compelled to investigate the causes of problems through analysis to boost the contributing factors that would eventually ensure improvements. However, unlike the Master or Black Belts, Green Belts are not required to know much in terms of offering improvement

Develop business aptitude skills including communication, Assignment - 1

Develop business aptitude skills including communication, presentation, and leadership abilities - Assignment Example Having several meetings would help in a better analysis of the problem and many issues will be highlighted which may have been missed in a meeting otherwise. It is strongly recommended that the teams comes prepared for every meeting and if the team is too big then the researcher can even break the teams into several sub teams as a few team members may provide a better insight of the problem. Coming prepared for the meeting always helps. The researcher can even ask all the teams to come up with a list of the problems that they think is the problem and if they don’t want to discuss it they can just hand over that page and may be the results are surprising. The researcher should basically look at avoiding two major types of conflict types at the meeting. One is the real profession differences and the other is power struggle and the issues related to personality types (Michelle, 2002). There are chances that different teams don’t like each other so there are a lot of chance s to conflicts to rise. There may be a few members of the team who know a lot but due to certain team pressures can’t say anything so the researcher needs to have strong analytical skills so that he can interpret the situation better. The researcher is suggested to be alert in the meetings as he has to sense the increasing tension in the atmosphere. He needs to quickly analyse who the troublemakers are. In a situation where there are chances for the situation to get tensed so it is better to state the rules for the meeting in advance. For instance, the meeting rules can include things like Individuals not allowed to speak until they raise their hands and just one person is allowed may speak at one time, the researcher needs to keep summarizing what has been said so that everyone understands. One more rule can be that everyone is invited to contribute and not just one person is to over the discussion. Two important questions for IT people One very important question to ask is about the software they are using and reason for using it. The other question can be the benefits and problems they have associated with the current system. The third question can be which system or software they plan to use in future and what are its pros and cons. Two important questions for manufacturing people Two very important questions to be asked from the manufacturing people are the processes that are using currently and what are the problems associated with it. After this the researcher needs to identify the gap areas and come up with suggestions. Two important questions for marketing people Marketing plays an extremely important role in making any business successful. So a lot of important questions are lined up for the researcher to ask. One very important question is to ask the success of the current marketing plan. Ask them how properly they have identified their markets. What do they think is the market potential for their product? And also ask the marketing strategie s that their competitors are using and what measures and procedures do they use o check the competitors strategy. Two important questions for distribution people One of the very important teams in such a business kind is the distribution team. The efficiency of the distribution channel and how quickly they respond to the orders and what feedback they get are few

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Report - Essay Example The author, Klitzman, gives detailed information on the procedure that would help prevent passing on of the gene mutations (1). The author uses a critical language and calls for attention to the ethical and social issues surrounding the PGD. Additionally, the topic of the article is in the form of a question. It asks whether genetic testing of humans is playing God. This shows that Klitzman calls for attention to genetic testing of humans. The article is comprehensive and articulates numerous instances of the severity of Huntington disease and that of the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis procedure. The author articulates that Woody Guthrie succumbed to Huntington disease. He also notes that some people opt not to be tested because they fear getting a genetic test is similar to acquiring a death sentence. Additionally, the author also articulates how a woman he interviewed was afraid to know whether she had the Huntington disease. Though the woman wanted to safeguard her children against the disease, she was worried too that she would be playing with God. These examples have been used to emphasize on the criticality of the matter in discussion. Klitzman, Robert. "Opinion: Is genetic testing humans playing God? .com." CNN. CNN, 22  Feb.  2014. Web. 24  Feb.  2014. . This article details how the popularity of CNN, one of the biggest News Channel in the world, has gone down considerably because of reporting errors. According to the author, Carr, the biggest blow to CNN was the error report they gave on the defeat of President Obama’s health care law. However, many people still impulsively look to CNN when big news breaks. The broadcasting station also dealt a blow on its reputation after CNN’s correspondent King reported that a suspect had been arrested, which later turned out to be false (Carr 1). The article also

Adapting leadership styles while organising commanies overseas Essay

Adapting leadership styles while organising commanies overseas - Essay Example (Koontz 1986:162). A managing director thus has an all-encompassing task of ensuring functionality of the organization through streamlined working of groups. The managing director must understand that while good people can make any organizational pattern work, it is essential that they know each other's role to work most effectively. (Koontz 1986:161). This essential aspect needs careful consideration when an organization is being established, in an alien environment particularly in relation to the style of leadership adopted by the managing director.There are numerous classifications of styles of leaderships given out by management thought leaders. When based on use of authority and decision-making these have been indicated as autocratic or that denoted by command authority of the leader with a benevolent authoritative being its softer version. Democratic, which has, participative and supportive as its sub types entails consulting subordinates and encouraging their participation in decisions. While a free rein style restricts a leaders role to that of aiding operations of followers. (Koontz 1986 : 400). Another study includes styles as charismatic, servant and quiet which are self-explanatory and in one form or the other follow the pattern denoted by Koontz. (Changing minds.org)

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Report - Essay Example The author, Klitzman, gives detailed information on the procedure that would help prevent passing on of the gene mutations (1). The author uses a critical language and calls for attention to the ethical and social issues surrounding the PGD. Additionally, the topic of the article is in the form of a question. It asks whether genetic testing of humans is playing God. This shows that Klitzman calls for attention to genetic testing of humans. The article is comprehensive and articulates numerous instances of the severity of Huntington disease and that of the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis procedure. The author articulates that Woody Guthrie succumbed to Huntington disease. He also notes that some people opt not to be tested because they fear getting a genetic test is similar to acquiring a death sentence. Additionally, the author also articulates how a woman he interviewed was afraid to know whether she had the Huntington disease. Though the woman wanted to safeguard her children against the disease, she was worried too that she would be playing with God. These examples have been used to emphasize on the criticality of the matter in discussion. Klitzman, Robert. "Opinion: Is genetic testing humans playing God? .com." CNN. CNN, 22  Feb.  2014. Web. 24  Feb.  2014. . This article details how the popularity of CNN, one of the biggest News Channel in the world, has gone down considerably because of reporting errors. According to the author, Carr, the biggest blow to CNN was the error report they gave on the defeat of President Obama’s health care law. However, many people still impulsively look to CNN when big news breaks. The broadcasting station also dealt a blow on its reputation after CNN’s correspondent King reported that a suspect had been arrested, which later turned out to be false (Carr 1). The article also

Producers Reaction to Raw Material Price Changes Essay Example for Free

Producers Reaction to Raw Material Price Changes Essay These days all over the world people use products of crude oil. Most of people cannot imagine their life without products such as diesel or gasoline. However, these are only the finished products, which go through specific stages of production. They are made out of crude oil, which sometimes is called „black goldâ€Å". Fuel; however is not the only production made out of crude oil. Lubricants, asphalt, paraffin wax, tar – all these are product made out of crude oil. As stated by US Energy Information Administration (EIA): estimated consumption of oil in the world in 2011 will be 87. 421 million barrels of oil each day. Obviously, crude oil is an important material in the modern world. It has an important role in economy as well. The cost of crude oil affects economy both directly and indirectly. Nowadays, debates about rising prices of fuel or heating are almost an everyday topic. The price changes of fuel are always mentioned on financial news on TV. Naturally, it is interesting what influences the cost of crude oil. How the rise or fall of price affects the price of fuel, and how businesses deal with the fluctuating prices. 1. Crude Oil as a Raw Material When talking about product price changes it is important to understand how the price of raw material is calculated and how it is affected. The perception of how the price is set for the raw materials gives an opportunity to better understand the price of the final product, and all the fluctuations related to the final products’ prices. Also, it helps to recognize how various political decisions or world-wide events, including disasters or new innovations, affect various markets. As for crude oil prices, the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy called Energy Information Administration (EIA) has defined seven key factors which have an influence on and each contribute to the price of crude oil. 1. Production. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) consortium provides about 60 percent of all the oil production traded on international markets and 40 percent of the world’s oil production. All actions and statements of this organization can and do affect world oil prices, because of the dominant crude supply market share. Changes of the amounts of crude oil production lead to changes in price. If OPEC cuts the production, it generally means a rise in price of oil. 2. Supply. The other oil suppliers still represent 60 percent of the world’s oil supply. Even though non-OPEC suppliers as a group are 50 percent larger than OPEC, they have almost no spare capacity. Non-OPEC suppliers are considered to be â€Å"Price Takers†, rather than â€Å"Price Setters†. They respond to market prices, not like OPEC, who manipulate them. Consequently, non-OPEC suppliers practically produce near to full or at full capacity. Any fault in production has the effect on increasing oil supplies. As well, it gives OPEC the capability to further manipulate world supplies. 3. Global oil inventories. The supply and demand is balanced by global oil inventories. For example, if more oil is produced than demanded, the excess supplies can be stored. This principle also works in reverse order. If consumption exceeds demand, inventories can be used to meet the growing demand. The bond between oil inventories and oil prices makes corrections possible in either direction. If oil futures rise in comparison with the current spot price for oil, the need and urge to store oil will increase. As well, spot oil prices will drop, if market makers notice an inventory build. That is the response to balance demand with supply. 4. Financial markets. Oil is not only sold by its physical form, but also there are trade contracts for future delivery. This type of sales is called â€Å"futures†. In order to avoid future oil price increases, some major customers, like airline companies, purchase futures. That is because oil price changes have a significant impact on their ability to operate profitably. Also, often oil futures contracts are sold to lock in a price for a specific period of time. 5. Demand. The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of U.S., Japan, most of European countries, and other advanced countries. The organization is responsible for 53 percent of the world’s demand for oil. Even though OECD countries consume more than non-OECD countries, the rate of growth in OECD countries is considerably slower. OECD demand went down during the period from the year 2000 to 2010. However, non-OECD countries’ demand went up by 40 percent during the same period of time. 6. Non-OECD demand. For the last decade China together with Saudi Arabia and India had the largest growth in crude consumption among non-OECD countries. There is a direct relationship between the rate at which oil consumption rises and the rate of economic growth. It is not surprising that for China and India, the use of crude oil is increasing at a very fast pace compared to the United States’. Besides that, developing countries also usually have more manufacturing-related industries, which have a tendency to consume higher amounts of crude oil. 7. Spot market. Crude oil is sold all over the world. There are many different â€Å"streams† of crude oil, however they are likely to move in lockstep with one another regarding the prices. All these streams are put in a certain process of production to make product which are used, such as: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricant and other various petroleum products. All of the financial channels on TV are talking about crude oil prices. However the essential point here is the price of the final products. Any events that have the power to disrupt the flow of crude oil and end products have a significant effect on the price of those goods. Geopolitical events, massive oil leaks, natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, terrorist acts, etc. all are included to the list of event which can and do influence the price. Both supply and demand are rather inelastic, this means that any of the above events, or perceived risk of the happening, usually leads to higher prices, espe cially in the futures market. All these factors clearly show how easily the system of oil trading can be shocked, leading to huge swings in the price of crude oil. Also, it has to be pointed out, that most of the world’s oil supply is located in countries or parts of the world that are politically instable. All this explains why the price we pay for oil product is so volatile. Example how natural tragedies affect the price of crude oil: In 2010 April 20th in the Gulf of Mexico a huge oil spill took place. It was one of the biggest oil spills in history. Without a doubt it had a significant impact on the oil prices. Figure 1. History of oil prices. Clearly, the chart shows that the price of oil rose when the clearing begun. This proves, that certain events have influence on oil prices. 2. Gasoline usage Gasoline is the most popular Transportation Fuel in the U. S. Gasoline is one of the most popular fuels consumed in the United States and the main product made from oil. Usage of petrol in 2010 was approximately 132 billion gallons, which means about 360 million gallons a day. Gasoline used as energy for transportation stands for more than 64%, 48% of all petrol consumption and more than 18 % of all consumed energy in U.S. Petrol is mostly used in cars and light trucks. It is also consumed by owners of boats, recreational vehicles ran by fuel and landscaping, farm, construction equipment. Benzine is made year-round, however, the highest demand and the biggest imported quantity is seen in the summer. The graph shows the amount of gasoline consumed in U.S. 1950-2010: Over 260 million vehicles on the streets Nowadays, in the United States, gasoline is the fuel used by most passenger engines. There are more than 260 million vehicles that use gasoline, the amount of them increases each day and they manage to travel over 12,164 miles per year. There are around 170,000 fueling stations that ensure comfortable refueling for users. Above two-thirds of fuel consumed for moving is in the form of petrol. Each benzine station usually sells three types of petrol: * Regular * Midgrade * Premium 3. Determining gasoline prices The changes of gasoline prices affect all the countries and their economies. Each person that owns a vehicle run by petrol is affected individually. Every day the retail price of gasoline changes, but only few people know what exactly makes the prices fluctuate. There are several different factors that has sway on fuel prices. The first and also the biggest reason that influences the price of petrol is the cost of crude oil from which it is obtained. In 2000, average retail price of gasoline was only 2.37$ per gallon and the total price included only 55% of crude oil. After more than 10 years the costs of it grew and the percentage of crude oil now seeks over huge 66%. In the last few years the consumption of petrol fuel grew so rapidly that the producers of these had many difficulties succeeding to fulfill their cutomers needs. The growth of demand of fuel is another huge factor that has affected the cost of petrol. The demand isntantly grew up and the supplies went down. This made a huge influence on petrol price. In addition, another great reason of gasoline price growth is refining costs and profits. In 2000, it made approximately 15% of total price of fuel. After 10 years, the percentage of those costs consisted over 12%. The percentage reduced, but it still remains high and definately makes a huge impact on retail fuel price. Crude oil price change influence on producing gasoline The price of crude oil is one of the main factors that influences the cost of retail gasoline. The cost of crude oil changes each day. The price depends on many different factors. The change of the crude oil price hugely affect the retail price of gasoline. When the price of crude oil grows, eventually the cost of petrol also rises. The growth of crude oils price reduces the production of gasoline, diesel, gas. Producers lowers the production of petrol and fuel and also increases the retail prices of them. When the price reach highest point, the demand of fuel, gas and gasoline reduces. After the price and demand stabilizes, price starts to reduce and demand begins to grow. Conclusion First of all we can say that prices of oil production generally are set by OPEC. They provide crude oil all over the world, so generally they can control prices of oil. Moreover, other suppliers still represent 60 percent of the world‘s oil supply, however they don‘t set prices, they are more like „price takersâ€Å". So OPEC certainly manipulates the power they have. Global oil inventories help to balance supply and demand; the excess supplies are more likely to be stored, when growth of the prices is forecasted. OECD is mainly responsible for the demand of oil. Even though OECD countries consume more than non-OECD countries, the rate of growth in OECD countries is considerably slower. Crude oil is the main material which is used to make gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricants and other various petroleum products, but it doesn’t set the total price of fuel, the main thing is the final product. Moreover, the price of crude oil can be affected if the system is disturbed, because of natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, terrorist acts, etc. Talking about gasoline, it is the most popular fuel consumed in the U.S. and the main product made from oil. Petrol is used in almost all cars, light trucks and boats. Usage of petrol in 2010 was approximately 132 billion gallons, which means about 360 million gallons a day. Gasoline used as energy for transportation stands for more than 64%, over 48% of all petrol consumption and more than 18 % of all consumed energy in the United States. Furthermore, there are around 260 million vehicles that use gasoline, the amount of them increases each day and they manage to travel over 12,164 miles per year. To sum up, the main things which fluctuate prices of fuel are: the fluency of crude oil supply system and the actions and statements made by OPEC. All in all, raw materials’ prices change and influence producers’ behavior. In the case of crude oil production, prices tend to go up, because of relatively inelastic supply and demand. Yet, more efficient technologies are created to minimize or replace use of crude oil products.

Illiberal Practices of Liberal Regimes

Illiberal Practices of Liberal Regimes Should liberal societies tolerate illiberal practices? Discuss with reference to Kukathas. Most liberal democracies would claim to be liberal societies with hardly any or no restriction on liberal practices such as freedom of speech, freedom of religious belief, or freedom of information. However, not all of the liberal societies have the same levels of illiberal practices potentially restricting the freedom of their citizens. Liberal societies need to consider whether they should tolerate illiberal practices for various pragmatic and theoretical reasons. Not all of the liberal societies are the same and therefore tolerate different levels of illiberal practices. The level of illiberal practices that liberal societies will tolerate can depend, as will be discussed, on whether there are threats to those societies than can justify illiberal practices being used to safeguard those liberal societies from greater damage. Alternatively, toleration of illiberal practices depends on whether any particular liberal society sees a need to intervene when other liberal societies would not. The following discussion, as to whether liberal societies should tolerate illiberal practices, is with reference to the arguments of Chandran Kukathas in the ‘Liberal Archipelago’ and his other works. Kukathas and his work have aroused controversy especially with regard to whether minority groups should receive extra protection or special treatment in liberal societies, for instance being able to educate their children in separated schools. Discussions of liberal societies have shifted in emphasis to pluralism and whether it should be promoted or not. That change of emphasis from past debates occurred due to a greater recognition of the increased diversity in multicultural societies and the increased social conflicts or disagreement that can entail. No liberal society is free to operate without restraints, whether those are legal restraints or illiberal practices that have evolved over time or have been applied upon an ad hoc basis. Liberal societies have to find a balance between the greatest amount of freedom for every individual within those societies with the need to maintain stability plus law and order. Liberal democracies are regarded as the best form of state that allows liberal societies to flourish with the least number of illiberal practices (Comfort, 1993 p. 345). Kukathas himself contends that although not perfect in practice that ‘democratic states have been kinder and gentler rulers’ (Kukathas, 2003 p. 195). A problem with the toleration of illiberal practices is that people’s definitions of illiberal practices differs widely and is entirely subjective. The illiberal practices of some people are the necessary and common sense measures advocated by others to maintain law and order. Liberalist me asures do not even have to be introduced by liberal societies, for instance Russia, France, and Prussia in the 18th century or present day China have adopted economic liberalism without lessening the authoritarian grip of the state (Held, 1996 p. 70). The acceptable level of illiberal practices tolerated in liberal societies is dependent on how much interference from the state in the political, economic and social spheres of societies is considered justified. Liberalism as a political, economic and social concept had evolved and changed over the centuries. Liberalism has been subject to changes and trends just like the other ideologies such as socialism and conservatism. In its original guise liberalism called for the minimum amount of state interference as possible in social and economic affairs. Liberalism contends that states were only needed to ensure that people had basic legal rights and that the property of the wealthy or businesses was protected. This classical liberalism wa s linked to the political ideas of John Locke and the economic liberalism of Adam Smith amongst others. Kukathas finds Locke’s views appealing, as Locke was a strong supporter of religious toleration and freedom of conscience (Held, 1996 p. 70). Classical liberalism stresses the freedom of individuals to do what they like, when they like and be free to use their money and their property as they like. New liberalism, which developed towards the end of the 19th century, stresses the importance of society and the role that the state has in providing welfare as well as promoting equality. Adherents of both types of liberalism claim that their form of liberalism is the true form, making the other redundant. Classical liberalism gives a greater scope for the acceptance of illiberal practices as it stresses minimum state intervention. On the other hand, new liberalism is more likely not to tolerate illiberal practices, particularly if those practices prevent welfare provision and social equality (Schumpeter, 1954 p.394). Aside from maintaining law and order plus preventing the poorest starving to death, no illiberal, or for that matter well-intentioned liberal practices, were to be tolerated, that was the belief at the centre of classical liberalism. Liberal societies emerged at different times and at different rates. Economic liberalism often emerged before political and social liberalism. This would explain how illiberal societies could embrace economic liberalism without embracing political and social liberalism. From the 19th century a more proactive form of liberalism termed new liberalism emerged that intervened in societies to tackle social and economic problems such as basic levels of welfare provision. As the 20th century progressed liberal societies embraced further interventions to ensure full employment and to counter social issues such as race and gender discrimination. The issues of diversity and multiculturalism have changed the debates over the illiberal practices that liberal societi es should tolerate. These issues have added complexity as to how illiberal is defined and whether some groups should have their illiberal practices tolerated to further diversity or whether no illiberal practices should be tolerated from any group (Bellamy in Eatwell Wright 2003 p.33). The post –war consensus on high spending liberal democracies with ever expanding social and welfare provisions, with an increasing emphasis on the pluralist nature of liberal societies was challenged by neo-liberals such as Fredrich von Hayek and John Rawls. It was such views that had a strong influence upon Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan (Bellamy in Eatwell Wright, 2003 p.39). Hayek and Rawls have also proved influential on Kukathas’ ideas concerning liberal societies tolerating illiberal practices. Rawls believes that economic liberalism needs to be combined with social justice. It is Rawls later works that interested Kukathas the most as Rawls displays libertarian views that he shares with Kukathas. Rawls thought that distinct ethnic or religious groups should receive differing levels of toleration depending â€Å"on the extent to which they can be allowed an equal place within a just system of liberty† (Rawls, 1993). Kukathas himself is an advocate of classical liberalism where state intervention is kept to the lowest possible minimum rather than later versions of liberalism in which the state intervenes more frequently to achieve set economic, social, and political aims. Kukathas has provoked debate by stating in his works that the states of liberal societies should not even intervene to promote the interests of minority ethnic or religious groups, liberal societies should only permit the toleration of these groups. Kukathas believes that the toleration accorded to such groups should not be dependent on how liberal the internal practices of such groups are. Once groups have received toleration then they can run themselves as they please as long as they are not breaking any laws. If any individual members of these groups are unhappy then they should not look to liberal societies to help them, all they need to do is leave their particular group. Liberal societies should not promote the interests o f any groups ahead of all the groups, or any particular sector within society no matter how well intended its motives are, also they should not make such treatment conditional. Toleration is beneficial to the whole of society; special treatment for individuals and groups is not. Discrimination in favour of certain groups does not benefit them in the long term and is harmful to society (Kukathas, 2003 p. 5). Kukathas regards all groups that form voluntarily to be enhancing liberal society, which includes those with illiberal practices. States are the main actors that threaten liberal society when they restrict such groups. The illiberal practices of these groups might not be illegal activities and whilst they remain within the law, no action should be taken against such groups. The motivations for such groups to form can be due to a sense of being different from the rest of society. If liberal societies are truly open and democratic, then they should accept that some people are oppos ed to the majority of the populations’ beliefs and behaviours. For people that wish to safeguard their diversity forming separate groups is a means to live how they want to live. To such groups illiberal practices are a way of maintaining their distinctiveness from the rest of their society. Groups may also believe that their illiberal practices are not illiberal at all and can be justified as part of their culture and beliefs (Kukathas, 2003 p. 36). There is one freedom that Kukathas believes that liberal societies should promote above all other freedoms and rights, which is freedom of conscience. Freedom of conscience is so important for the proper functioning of liberal societies that these societies should be prepared to tolerate illiberal practices to ensure that freedom of conscience is maintained for the maximum number of people and groups within each liberal society. Allowing freedom of conscience is perhaps the best way of achieving and maintaining a diverse and multicultural liberal society. Governments should not intervene in the internal matters of illiberal groups to remove their illiberal practices. If illiberal practices are based upon the freedom of conscience of individuals or groups then liberal societies should tolerate such practices. If individual members of such groups change their opinions and no longer accept the group’s ideological or religious viewpoints then they can leave the group. As long as i ndividual members are free to leave, then there are no reasons to end the illiberal practices of such groups (Kukathas, 2003 p.36). Kukathas does admit that some members of these groups may find it more difficult to leave than others could, for instance women and children. Women in such groups may face disadvantages such as being unable to support themselves outside of their groups through lack of education and skills. Groups may also be difficult to leave because they use propaganda to persuade doubters to remain or intimidate members into staying within the group. Kukathas again argues that liberal societies should tolerate those illiberal practices if groups ultimately allow members to leave them. As soon as illiberal practices become life threatening to members that wish to leave then it is appropriate for liberal societies to stop tolerating illiberal practices. Therefore, state intrusion into the illiberal practices of groups should be a last resort rather than undertaken lightly or with little respect for their freedom of conscience and association (Kukathas, 2003 p. 107). Kukathas contends that there are two main types of religious or social groups. There are those groups that are a ‘Union of Liberty’ and those groups that are a ‘Federation of Liberty’. States are less likely to intervene in the affairs of the Union of Liberty groups than they are to intervene with a Federation of Liberty group. Groups that are a Union of Liberty type are less likely to have illiberal practices, whilst members are more likely to be able to leave these groups without any obstructions. In contrast the groups which are Federation of Liberty type are more likely to have illiberal practices and are more likely to prevent members leaving their fold. The Union of Liberty groups are more likely to have a strategy over shared property rights and the rights of children to leave their membership, as the parents chose to join and the children did not (Kukathas, 2001 p. 43). When liberal societies opt to tolerate social and political freedoms such as freedom of religion and conscience they are voluntarily restricting their rights to intervene in the internal affairs of political or religious groups. However, the rights of states to intervene to restrict such freedoms still remain. The rights to intervene and therefore no longer tolerate illiberal practices can be used if or when groups abuse their freedoms to abuse others. Such views are put forward by those that disagree with Kukathas willingness to tolerate more illiberal practices rather than less. Kukathas’ views on pluralism and multiculturalism plus whether illiberal practices should be tolerated have been criticised by many contemporary liberal writers and academics. Those that argue against Kukathas’ views on tolerating illiberal practices most notably include Will Kymlicka. Kymlicka contends contrary to Kukathas that liberal societies are justified in denying toleration to ethnic or religious groups that have an illiberal or authoritarian hold over their members. Kymlicka sees that the majority of liberal societies tolerate illiberal practices not through choice but because of their benign negligence. Kymlicka views the tolerance of illiberal practices in liberal societies as being undesirable, especially when that the freedoms of individuals are subordinated to the freedoms of the illiberal groups that they belong to (Kymlicka, 1995 p. 239). Liberal societies should not have to tolerate illiberal practices especially when these societies have the ability to stop such illiberal practices at any point they wish to. Liberal societies should certainly end illiberal practices before the freedom and the safety of group members is at risk. Freedom of conscience should not be given priority over freedom of association or speech. At no point should liberal societies decide to place freedom of conscience above the personal safety of any of its citizens. Whilst the state in liberal societies should not have to decide on whether groups should allow their members to leave, the state does have a duty to uphold law and order or public safety or if they are under actual or potential threat. Kymlicka argues that illiberal practices are easily recognisable. Illiberal practices occur when groups â€Å"simply assign particular roles and duties to people, and prevent people from questioning or revising them† (Kymlicka, 1995 p.94). Brian Barry is another critic of the concept that liberal societies should accept or tolerate illiberal practices. Barry is arguing from a different viewpoint than Kymlicka when he criticises Kukathas for proposing that liberal societies should tolerate illiberal practices. Unlike Kymlicka, Barry is not a strong advocate of multiculturalism. In fact he argues that multiculturalism can introduce illiberal practices in to liberal societies that should not be tolerated. The basis of his arguments against the illiberal practices linked to multiculturalism are that minority ethnic and religious groups should not be allowed to exclusively educate their own children. For if these groups educate such children then they may not learn about equality and political moderation. If not monitored groups educating their own children can pass on religious and political extremism on to them. The governments of liberal societies have shown most concern over Islamic schools and the perception that they will increase illiberal practices. Muslims argue that their children are not catered for in non-Islamic schools. For instance, Britain has not provided public funding for Islamic schools, although it does for Christian and Jewish schools. In Northern Ireland, separate Roman Catholic and Protestant schools have arguably helped to maintain the sectarian divisions. By contrast, the French have kept their schools strictly secular since the revolution and will not tolerate Muslims (or any other religious group) trying to bring religious elements into schools. Education is a vital area to consider when it comes to deciding if liberal societies should tolerate illiberal practices. Therefore, deciding what should or should not be permitted and taught in schools is a highly contentious area. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks there has been a closer scrutiny of the education that Muslims receive in schools and mosques and whether tolerating illiberal practices is good or bad for the security of liberal societies (Barry, 2001). Therefore, to some extent liberal societies should tolerate illiberal practices with certain limitations to operate. Liberal societies have to maintain a balance between all the individuals and groups within them. A Liberal society usually attempts to give individuals and groups as much freedom as possible, which is what distinguishes liberal societies from illiberal societies. It should be remembered that illiberal practices are not necessarily illegal and that the state will not intervene if groups with illiberal practices keep their activities legal. Liberal societies tend to tolerate as much as they can. Toleration though has limits. Liberal societies will not tolerate illiberal practices that threaten the safety of individuals or that risk breaking down law and order or inciting violence between groups on racial, ethnic or religious grounds. There are political, social and philosophical arguments as to why illiberal practices should or should not be tolerated. Kukathas’ s trongest arguments in favour of tolerating illiberal practices is that allowing individuals or groups freedom of conscience is more important than the liberal or illiberal nature of their practices. For Kukathas toleration is the key to achieving a well- balanced diverse multicultural liberal society. Toleration is more important than making special provisions for minority groups, which are discriminatory and counter-productive. Critics of Kukathas counter his arguments by stating that liberal societies should not tolerate any illiberal practices that restrict the freedom of individuals, especially if such illiberal practices place people in danger. Much of the debate between Kukathas and his critics hinges around the rights of individuals to leave groups with illiberal practices. The thorniest issue regarding individuals leaving groups is whether children have to remain in these groups even when they did not chose to join in the first place. Kukathas contends that groups should be tolerated as long as members are free to leave. Critics of Kukathas believe that groups with illiberal practices should change those illiberal practices or at least guarantee that members can leave whenever they want to before they are tolerated within liberal societies. Critics of groups with illiberal practices point to the problems that members of these groups can face, such as not been educated, being educated with extremist views, being physically and mentally abused or simply forced to stay in these groups. Governments should not stand by and let those things happen if they can be prevented. The arguments over the toleration of illiberal practices in liberal societies have been brought in to greater focus in relation to issues concerning religious and political extremism, particularly in relation to Islam. The dividing lines between promoting diversity and multiculturalism on the one hand or appeasing to illiberal and possibly illegal practices can be blurred. Bibliography Barry B, (2001) Culture and Equality: An egalitarian critique of multiculturalism, Polity Press, Cambridge Bellamy R ‘Liberalism’ in Eatwell Wright (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London Comfort N (1993) Brewer’s Politics, a phrase and fable dictionary, Cassell, London Held D, (1996) Models of Democracy 2nd edition, Polity Press, Oxford Kukathas, (2001) Can a Liberal Society Tolerate Illiberal elements? Policy 17, No. 2 Kukathas (2003) the Liberal Archipelago: A theory of Diversity and Freedom, Oxford University Press, Oxford Kymlicka W, (1995) Multicultural Citizenship, Oxford University Press