Sunday, December 29, 2019

Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas Essay - 2204 Words

Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas In the tomes of history, many philosophers have outlined their visions of a perfect society. Until recently however, few have ventured into the waters of religious tolerance. One such philosopher was John Locke. Writing in the late 17th century, Locke advocated a complete separation between church and state. He argued for an unprecedented tolerance of people of all faiths. Although Lockes views became widely popular throughout Europe and the Americas, they did not meet with unanimous approval. Many earlier philosophers disagreed with Locke. Two such philosophers were Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas disagreed in three key respects: Compulsion, toleration, and authority. Aristotle, on†¦show more content†¦Firstly, he argues that the Care of Souls cannot be entrusted to a Magistrate more than any other man. People are individually responsible for their own salvation, and no man has been given a natural authority over another mans salvation. After all, accordi ng to the dominant religious traditions, all men are equal in the eyes of God. Even in the absence of natural authority, one cannot even confer an artificial authority to a Magistrate. Why? Because salvation is an individual responsibility. But what if the Magistrate were to enact a law contrary to religious belief? In such a case, civil obedience would mean hypocrisy - and this would be immoral. One must never be made to choose between religion and state. Secondly, the Magistracy wields only an outward force, whereas true salvation lies in ones inward resolve. He writes: Such is the nature of the Understanding, that it cannot be compelld [sic] to the belief of any thing by outward force.2 Moreover, enjoining righteousness is not the monopoly of the Magistracy; it is a right belonging to all people. Thirdly, Locke argues that with so much disparity between religious opinions, all states would be in conflict. In such cases, he argues: One country along would be in the right, and all the rest of the World put under an obligation of following their Princes in the ways that lead to Destruction; and that which heightens theirShow MoreRelatedPhilosophy C100 Quiz 121572 Words   |  7 Pages  Which of the following statements about Plato and Aristotle are/were true?    | They were interested in practically every subject then known. |    | They spoke (and wrote) intelligently on philosophical topics. |    | One or the other (or both) formed the metaphysics for Christian theology up to the present day. | X   | All of the above. | 16.   According to the text, the first comprehensive theory of knowledge was developed by    | Aristotle. |    | the Sophists |    | the Cynics |   X |Read MoreAnalysis Of David Hume s Theory Of Justice2868 Words   |  12 Pagesto be the point of contention. What is seen as ethical or morally right by one is not seen in the same way by another. As far back as Plato and Aristotle philosophers have offered many different definitions. Even today we can see that ownership is not clearly defined for all to agree to. Plato argued that land was owned by the community while Aristotle said it was owned by the individual: A debate which still continues today. While these two philosophers lived about the same time frame, their viewsRead MoreThe Case Against Monarchy1627 Words   |  7 PagesThe Case Against Monarchy The idea that a monarchy is the ideal form of government is a fallacy. Al-Farabi and Aquinas’ ideas about government are wrong, and are filled with irreparable holes. In modern times, the idea of a monarchy has become counter-intuitive and counter-productive. A democratic republic paired with an educated and empowered middle-class is the solution to the quandary of how to create the perfect government. While the ideas of the Arabic philosophers are interesting, there ideasRead MoreParis1378 Words   |  6 Pagesthey have pleasure, engagement, relationships, meaning or accomplishments. The psychological and philosophical pursuit of happiness began in China, India and Greece nearly 2,500 years ago with Confucius, Socrates, Epicurus Mencius John Locke Marie Jahoda Aristotle and so on. We can find remarkable similarities between the insights of these thinkers and the modern â€Å"Science of Happiness. The ideas of major thinkers, from East and West, who devoted much of their lives to the pursuit of happiness. ThereRead MoreEuthanasia: An Ethical Dilemma Essay1810 Words   |  8 Pagescontemporary thoughts, and (4) the thoughts of Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas. The author has attempted to present the basic history of euthanasia dating from ancient Greece and Rome to the contemporary. There has been a discussion of the legal formalities of this ethical issue, which included the cases of Washington v. Glucksberg, Gonzalez v. Oregon and Baxter v. Montana. This study also presents information that looks at the thoughts of Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant and Nemeth and th eir views on euthanasiaRead MoreDo You Believe? God? Essay2362 Words   |  10 Pagescannot be touched or seen? Some people believe that there is a higher power known as â€Å"God† and others do not believe that someone can exist that cannot be seen or touched. God is known to be â€Å"Infinitely good† according to philosopher Saint Thomas Aquinas, but other philosophers such as Fredrik Bendz’ do not believe that a God can exist because it simply is not logical. Everyone has their own reasons to why or why not God exists, but in this essay I am going to discuss why I believe in God, the evidenceRead MoreWhat Constitute Happiness to Man6479 Words   |  26 Pageshave given rise, in the tradition of western thought. There seems to be no question that men want happiness. Man wishes to be happy, Pascal writes, and only wishes to be happy, and cannot wish not to be so. To the question, what moves desire? Locke thinks only one answer is possible: happiness, and that alone. But this fact, even if it goes undisputed, does not settle the issue whether men are right in governing their lives with a view to being or becoming happy. There is therefore one furtherRead MoreThe Mill s Greatest Happiness Principle1543 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to Aristotle, the most choice worthy goal of human action is to be happy. Virtue is choosing the mean between two extremes of deficiency and excess. Furthermore, virtue is doing the right thing, in the right way, in the right amount, at the right time, to the right people. Aristotle felt that there was no reason to be too specific with this explanation, because if you are virtuous you know what to do. There is really no guidelines to follow with this, because it is based on your characterRead MorePhilosophy Essay on Self1800 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Locke where he places self-consciousness and memory as the variables to comprehend self. In addition, it contests David Humes proclamation of the self as fiction (Robins on, H., 2012). The theories of self and identity gradually developed over a historical timeline resulting in modern thought on the subject. In this regard, it is important to understand its development initiation from religious conception in the west. Curiosity on these issues can be traced back to accounts of Aristotle, whereRead MoreEuthanasia and Assisted Suicide1645 Words   |  7 Pagesoptions in the care of dying or severely ill patients. It is noteworthy that the present debate about assisted suicide and euthanasia, among academics, has drawn so slight from its rich history – from Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece to Augustine and Thomas Aquinas in the Middle Ages, and Locke, Hume, and Kant in more modern times. Some views and practices centering on suicide are engrained in specific cultures and politics, which have little significance for modern society. For instance, in the

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Essay John Kenneth Galbraith - 1144 Words

John Kenneth Galbraith, born on October 15, 1908, was one of American’s more influential economists, longtime Harvard professor, and a U.S. ambassador to India, an author, an economist, and â€Å"used caustic wit and an iconoclastic temperament to help set the foundation of modern economic thinking† (http://www.csmonitor.com). He, along with another famous economist, and longtime rival, Milton Friedman, believed that everyone has an idea, and that every idea matters, and were masters of the debates and are both very smart people, however, Dr. Galbraith was more to the progressive tradition, and his work was never really accepted, and criticized. Yet through the presidency of John F. Kennedy, he was a trusted adviser, and the author of more†¦show more content†¦Through 1937 to 1938, he was had postgraduate work at Princeton university, and in the same year, 1937, he became an American citizen and married Catherine Atwater. In 1938, he traveled to Europe for sev eral months, were he developed his ideas of economic standings while attending the international economic conference. In 1930, Galbraith was appointed as the assistant professor of economics at Princeton; while in 1940 to 1941 becoming the economic adviser to the National defense advisory Commissions. His later economic overview During World War II, the United States were still feeling the effects of the great depression, and wartime productions, deficits and accommodating monetary policy, and runaway wage prices seemed to be a reality, Dr. Galbraith joined first as an assistant administrator, than later as a department administrator, in charge of price division in the Office of price administration in 1941 through 1943, in hopes to keeping inflation from crippling the war effort. Upon retiring in 1943, he became a member, and the board of editors, to fortune magazines, and directed the U.S. strategic bombing survey which was a way to assess the results of the bombardment the U.S. did over Nazi Germany at the time, in which Galbraith came to the conclusion that general ineffectiveness of strategic bombing trying toShow MoreRelatedJohn Kenneth Galbraith : Written Profile827 Words   |  4 PagesJillian Baggao Marsha Economics John Kenneth Galbraith - Written Profile John Kenneth Galbraith known as the most influential economists in the 20th century who wrote many bestselling books regarding economics, but also wrote books about art history, memoirs and novels. Galbraith was born in Canada and moved to the United States in the 1930s. He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of California in Berkeley One of his major bestselling economic books, â€Å"The Affluent Society†Read MorePoverty, By John Kenneth Galbraith1775 Words   |  8 PagesPoverty is a huge issue which never seems to ever go away or be fixed. There are many options as to what can be done to eliminate poverty but, not all options please everyone. John Kenneth Galbraith in his essay â€Å"The Position of Poverty† argues that â€Å"to eliminate poverty, we must invest more than proportionately in the children of the poor community (Jacobus). Money has been a very important tool that has divided the world and given humans labels as wealthy or poor. The wealthy seem to have workedRead MoreConventional Wisdom, By John Kenneth Galbraith1119 Words   |  5 Pages John Kenneth Galbraith, created the phrase â€Å"conventional wisdom†, and found that social and economic behaviors prove to be complex. The passage uses an example of the homeless in 1980s in the U.S. A spokesperson for the benefits of th e homeless states that there were around 3 million homeless in the U.S. The American public found that this was absurd, since this meant that 1 in every 100 people was homeless. However, it was found that he made up those amounts. Another example of this so called conventionalRead MoreThe Great Depression By John Kenneth Galbraith829 Words   |  4 Pagestopic for historians and economists. There has been much debate, and no agreement has been reached. In the mid-20th century, John Kenneth Galbraith published one of his bestsellers, the Great Crash, 1929. In less than 200 pages, the book vividly recounts the history of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, covering the lead-up, actual occurrence, and aftermath. Professor Galbraith, with his witty prose, keen insights, and crisp narration, argues that the blind optimism and excessive speculation kept up theRead MoreThe Dependence Effect1100 Words   |  5 Pagesreasonable statement or argument. Prestige-admiration for someone or something based on the quality. Repugnant-something unacceptable or disgusting. B) 1. The text was written by John Kenneth Galbraith a Canadian born economist and proponent of American Liberalism. Credence should be given to John Kenneth Galbraith because he had several best seller books from the 1950s through 2000 and he was also a professor of economics at Harvard University, a very prestigious university for over 50 years.Read MoreConsumerism in Post World War II Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pages The American economy in the 1950s is simply defined by increased output and increased demand. The primary economist of the 1950s was John Kenneth Galbraith. According to Galbraith’s The Affluent Society, the economy’s production proliferation in the 1950s created consumerism, forming a beneficial relationship that would serve each others’ needs. Galbraith states that the drive for economic security motivated corporations to increase production. Men seek to extinguish insecurity and establishRead MoreEssay on Advertising Age 2266 Words   |  10 PagesProduction is expanding with high speed due to the same reason. This essay will discuss the basic aim of advertising – to convince customers they not only need but also want a certain product – by comparing and contrasting the opinions of John Kenneth Galbraith, a noted scholar, and F.A. Hayek, a professor and Nobel Laureate in Economics. Advertising nowadays is a powerful phenomenon; far more powerful than several years ago when social networks and the internet were not a part of everyone’s dailyRead MoreIs Advertising Creating Artificial Needs?2662 Words   |  11 Pagessatisfied. However John Kenneth Galbraith, a well-known economist who defends anti-consumerism, says that everything people want beyond their basic needs is neither â€Å"urgent†, nor â€Å"important†. But addressing Abraham Harold Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, in order to live normally, human beings require more than just to satisfying the â€Å"physiological†, because people have inborn need for â€Å"safety†, â€Å"love†, â€Å"belongingness†, â€Å"esteem†, and â€Å"self-actualization† needs. Considering that a truth Galbraith is not rightRead MoreSocial Entrepreneurship921 Words   |  4 Pagestaught, I wouldnt have started Teach for America. The bottom line in summarizing this analysis of social entrepreneurs is that they recognize a social problem and use their entrepreneurial principles to achieve social change. 3 As John Kenneth Galbraith said, â€Å"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. This isRead MoreThe Simulation Project3665 Words   |  15 Pagessimilar is their â€Å"open door† policy in the work place, managers are accessible at all levels and this makes it very familiar. The two economic theories that will be compared and contrasted are Walt Whitman Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth and John Kenneth Galbraith Equilibrium of Poverty for the domestic and gloabal economic environments identified above for US Airways Group. The US has a mixed economic environment and is classified as a first world country. The reason the US does not fit into one specific

Friday, December 13, 2019

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three Free Essays

â€Å"WHAT DID YOU DO?† I was sitting on the end of a row of seats at Jill’s fashion show almost a week later, in downtown Palm Springs, waiting for things to start. I hadn’t even known Trey was at the show and was startled to suddenly find him kneeling beside me. â€Å"What exactly are you referring to?† I asked him. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"There are about a million things I can take credit for.† He scoffed and kept his voice pitched low, which wasn’t too necessary with the dull roar of conversation around us. Several hundred had turned out to see the show. â€Å"I’m talking about Slade and friends, and you know it,† Trey said. â€Å"They’ve been really upset about something this week. They keep complaining about those stupid tattoos.† He looked at me meaningfully. â€Å"What?† I asked, putting on a face of innocence. â€Å"Why do you think this has anything to do with me?† â€Å"Are you saying it doesn’t?† he asked, not fooled in the least. I could feel a traitorous smile playing over my lips. After raiding Keith’s apartment, the Alchemists had made sure his tattooist partners no longer had the means to administer illicit tattoos. There’d also been no more talk of Zoe replacing me. It had taken days before Slade and his friends had realized their connection to performance-enhancing ink was gone. I’d been observing their furtive conversations with amusement this week but hadn’t realized Trey had noticed as well. â€Å"Let’s just say that Slade may soon no longer be the superstar he’s been,† I said. â€Å"Hope you’re ready to step up and take his place.† Trey studied me a few moments more, apparently hoping I’d add something else. When I didn’t, he simply shook his head and chuckled. â€Å"Anytime you need coffee, Melbourne, you come see me.† â€Å"Noted,† I said. I gestured toward the still-growing crowd. â€Å"What are you doing here anyway? I didn’t realize you were interested in today’s hottest fashions.† â€Å"I’m not,† he agreed. â€Å"But I’ve got a couple of friends working on the show.† â€Å"Girlfriends?† I asked slyly. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Friends who are girls. I have no time for silly female distractions.† â€Å"Really? I figured that’s why you got your tattoo. I hear women go for that kind of thing.† Trey stiffened. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I remembered that Kristin and Julia had mentioned how strange it was that Trey had a tattoo of his own and Eddie had later mentioned seeing it on Trey’s lower back in the locker room. Eddie had said it looked like a multi-rayed sun made of very ordinary ink. I’d been waiting for a chance to tease Trey about it. â€Å"Don’t play coy. I know about your sunshine. How come you always give me such a hard time, huh?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was truly at a loss. More than that. He looked uncomfortable, worried – like this was something he hadn’t wanted me to know about. That was weird. It wasn’t that big a deal. I was about to question him more when Adrian suddenly made his way to us through the crowd. Trey took one look at Adrian’s stormy face and immediately got to his feet. I could understand his reaction. Adrian’s expression would’ve intimidated me too. â€Å"Well,† said Trey uneasily. â€Å"Thanks again. I’ll catch you later.† I murmured a goodbye and watched as Adrian slipped past me. Micah sat beside me, then Eddie, and then two empty seats we’d saved. Adrian sat down in one of them, ignoring Eddie’s greeting. Moments later, Lee came hurrying in and took the other seat. He looked troubled about something but still managed to be friendlier than Adrian. Adrian stared stonily ahead, and my good mood plummeted. Somehow, without knowing why, I had a feeling I was the reason for his dark mood. We had no time to pursue it, though. The lights went down and the show began. It was emceed by a local newscaster, who introduced the five designers showing tonight. Jill’s designer was third, and watching the others go before her made the anticipation that much more intense. This was worlds away from the practice sessions I’d seen before. The lights and the music took everything to a more professional level, and the other models seemed so much older and seasoned. I began to share Jill’s earlier anxiety, that maybe she was out of her league. Then Lia DiStefano’s turn came. Jill was one of her first models and emerged wearing a flowing, silvery evening gown made of some fabric that seemed to defy gravity. A half mask of pearls and silver covered up her part of her face, obscuring her identity to those who didn’t know better. I would’ve expected them to tone down her vampire features a little, to possibly give her a little more humanlike color. Instead, they’d played up her unusual looks, putting a luminescent powder on her skin that enhanced her paleness in a way that made her look otherworldly. Every single curl had been arranged into place, artfully falling around her and bedecked with tiny glittering jewels. Her walk had improved vastly since that first practice. She’d practically slept in those high heels and had gone beyond simply not trying to fall over. There was a new confidence and purpose that hadn’t been there before. Every once in a while, I’d catch a faint glimpse of nervousness in her eyes or an adjustment in her stride as she managed the tall silver heels. I doubted anyone else noticed those things, however. Anyone who didn’t know Jill and her traits well would see nothing but a strong, ethereal woman striding down the catwalk. Amazing. If she could transform this much with only a little encouragement, what more was to come? Glancing at the guys beside me, I saw similar feelings mirrored in their faces. Adrian’s was filled with that brotherly pride he often had for her, all traces of his earlier bad mood vanished. Micah and Lee both displayed pure, unfiltered adoration. To my surprise, Eddie’s expression was adoring too, along with something else. It was almost†¦ worshipful. This was it, I realized. In coming out as this beautiful, larger-than-life goddess-like creature, Jill was giving flesh to all of Eddie’s idealistic, protective fantasies. She was the perfect princess now, with her dutiful knight waiting to serve. She appeared two more times in Lia’s line, stunning each time, though never quite matching that initial debut in the silver dress. I watched the rest of the show with only half an eye. My pride and affection for Jill were too distracting, and honestly, most of the clothes I saw tonight were way too flashy for my tastes. There was a reception after the show, where guests, designers, and models could mingle over refreshments. My little group found a corner near the hors d’oeuvres to wait for Jill, who had yet to make an appearance. Lee carried an enormous bouquet of white lilies. Adrian watched a waitress go by with a tray full of champagne glasses. His eyes were filled with longing, but he made no moves to stop her. I was proud and relieved. Jill, balance, and alcohol were not things we wanted to mix. When the waitress was gone, Adrian turned to me, and I finally saw that earlier anger return. And, as I’d suspected, it was directed toward me. â€Å"When were you going to tell me?† he asked. It was as enigmatic as Trey’s earlier opening line. â€Å"Tell you what?† â€Å"That the financial aid isn’t going to come through! I talked to the registrar’s office, and they said you knew.† I sighed. â€Å"I wasn’t keeping it from you, exactly. I just didn’t have a chance to tell you yet. There were kind of a lot of other things going on.† Okay, I actually had been putting it off, for exactly this reason. Well, not exactly. I hadn’t anticipated he would get so worked up about it. â€Å"You apparently had enough time to pay the auditing fee, though. And enough money. But not enough to fund new lodging.† I think what was more upsetting about this than the topic was the insinuation that I had somehow chosen to act in a way that would inconvenience him. Like I’d purposely subject myself to this if there’d been some way to avoid it. â€Å"A onetime payment was easy to slip in,† I told him. â€Å"Month-to-month rent? Not so much.† â€Å"Then why bother at all?† he exclaimed. â€Å"The whole point of this was to get me money to get out of Clarence’s! I wouldn’t be taking these stupid classes otherwise. You think I want to ride the bus for hours each day?† â€Å"Those classes are good for you,† I countered, feeling my own temper rise. I hadn’t wanted to lose control, not here and certainly not with our friends witnessing everything. Yet I was appalled at Adrian’s reaction. Couldn’t he see how good it was for him to do something useful? I’d seen his face when he showed me his paintings. They’d given him a healthy channel to deal with Rose, not to mention a sense of purpose for him. And besides, it killed me to see how casually he could just toss aside those â€Å"stupid† classes. It was another reminder of the unfairness of the world, how I couldn’t have what others took for granted. He scowled. â€Å"‘Good for me?’ Come on, stop being my mom again! It isn’t your job to tell me how to live my life. If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.† â€Å"Right,† I said, putting my hands on my hips. â€Å"It’s not my job to tell you how to live your life – just my job to make it as easy as possible for you. Because God knows you can’t suffer through anything that’s a little inconvenient. What happened to all those things you told me? About being serious about improving your life? When you asked me to believe in you?† â€Å"Come on, you guys,† said Eddie uneasily. â€Å"This isn’t the time or place.† Adrian ignored him. â€Å"You have no problem making Jill’s life as easy as possible.† â€Å"That is my job,† I growled back. â€Å"And she’s still a girl. I wouldn’t think an adult like you would need taking care of the same way!† Adrian’s eyes were filled with emerald fire as he glared down at me, and then his gaze focused on something behind me. I turned and saw Jill approaching. She was back in the silver gown, her expression full of radiant happiness – happiness that plummeted as she got closer and realized there was an altercation going on. By the time she was standing next to me, all her excitement from a moment ago had been replaced by worry and concern. â€Å"What’s happening?† she asked, looking between Adrian and me. Of course, she had to already know because of the bond. It was a wonder his dark feelings hadn’t messed up her performance. â€Å"Nothing,† I said flatly. â€Å"Well,† said Adrian. â€Å"It depends how you define ‘nothing.’ I mean, if you consider lying and – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it!† I cried, raising my voice in spite of my best effort. The room was too noisy for most to notice, but a couple people standing nearby glanced at us curiously. â€Å"Just stop it, Adrian. Can you please not ruin this for her? Can’t you just for one night pretend there are other people in the world who matter besides you?† â€Å"Ruin it for her?† he exclaimed. â€Å"How the hell can you say that? You know what I’ve done for her! I’ve done everything for her! I’ve given up everything for her!† â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Because from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like – â€Å" I caught sight of Jill’s face and promptly cut myself off. Behind the mask, her eyes had gone wide with dismay at the accusations Adrian and I were slinging back and forth. I’d just told Adrian he was selfish and not thinking of Jill, yet here I was, continuing to engage with him on her big night, in front of her and our friends. It didn’t matter if I was right – and I felt certain I was. This was no time to be having this discussion. I shouldn’t have let Adrian bait me into this, and if he didn’t have the sense to stop things before they got worse, then I would. â€Å"I’m leaving,† I said. I forced as sincere a smile as I could for Jill, who now looked on the verge of tears. â€Å"You were amazing tonight. Really.† â€Å"Sydney – â€Å" â€Å"It’s okay,† I told her. â€Å"I’ve got some things to do.† I groped for what they would actually be. â€Å"I need to, um, clean up the stuff Keith left behind. Can you get her and Eddie back to Amberwood?† This was directed to Micah and Lee. I knew one of them would step up. I felt no need to make any such provisions for Adrian. I honestly didn’t care what became of him tonight. â€Å"Of course,† said Lee and Micah in unison. After a moment, though, Lee frowned. â€Å"Why do you need to clean up Keith’s stuff?† â€Å"Long story,† I muttered. â€Å"Let’s just say he left town and won’t be back anytime soon. Maybe never.† Inexplicably, Lee seemed bothered by this. Maybe during all the time Keith had spent at Clarence’s, the two guys had become friends. If so, Lee owed me. Jill still looked upset. â€Å"I thought we were all going out to celebrate?† â€Å"You can if you want,† I said. â€Å"As long as Eddie’s with you, I really don’t care.† I reached awkwardly to Jill. I almost wanted to hug her, but she was so elaborate and magnificent in her clothing and makeup that I was afraid of ruining her. I settled for a halfhearted pat on the shoulder. â€Å"I meant it. You were breathtaking.† I hurried away, half-afraid that either Adrian or I would crack and say something stupid to the other. I had to get myself out of there. My hope now was that Adrian would have enough sense to let the topic go and not make this night any worse for Jill. I didn’t know why the fight with him upset me so much. He and I had been bickering nearly since we’d met. What was one more quarrel? It’s because we’d been getting along, I realized. I still didn’t think of him in human terms, but somewhere along the way, I’d come to regard him as a little less of a monster. â€Å"Sydney?† I was stopped by an unexpected source: Laurel. She had touched my arm as I passed by a group of girls from Amberwood. I must have looked really mad because when I fixed my gaze on her, she actually flinched. That had to be a first. â€Å"What?† I asked. She swallowed and stepped away from her friends, eyes wide and desperate. A fedora covered most of her hair, which – I’d heard – she still hadn’t been able to restore to normal. â€Å"I heard†¦ I heard you might be able to help me. With my hair,† she said. That was another favor Kristin had done me. After letting Laurel suffer for a few days, I’d had Kristin put out the word that Sydney Melrose – with her dorm room pharmacy – might be able to fix what was wrong. I’d also made sure, however, that it was understood that Laurel wasn’t my favorite person and that it would take a lot to convince me. â€Å"Maybe,† I said. I tried to keep my face hard, which wasn’t difficult since I was still so upset over Adrian. â€Å"Please,† she said. â€Å"I’ll do whatever you want if you can help me! I’ve tried everything on my hair, and nothing works.† To my astonishment, she shoved some yearbooks at me. â€Å"Here. You wanted these, right? Take them. Take whatever you want.† Another five days of scrubbing with heavy detergent would actually fix her, but I certainly wasn’t going to tell her. I took the yearbooks. â€Å"If I help you,† I said, â€Å"you need to leave my sister alone. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes,† she said quickly. â€Å"I don’t think you do. No more stunts, bullying, or talking about her behind her back. You don’t have to be her best friend, but I don’t want you interfering with her anymore. Stay out of her life.† I paused. â€Å"Well, except to offer an apology.† Laurel was nodding along with everything I said. â€Å"Yes, yes! I’ll apologize right now!† I lifted my eyes to where Jill was standing with her admirers, Lee’s flowers in her arms. â€Å"No. Don’t make this night any weirder for her. Tomorrow’s soon enough.† â€Å"I will,† said Laurel. â€Å"I promise. Just tell me what to do. How to fix this.† I hadn’t expected Laurel to approach me tonight, but I had been expecting her one of these days. So, I already had the small bottle of antidote ready in my purse. I retrieved it, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as I held it in front of her. â€Å"One dose is all you need. Use it just like shampoo. Then you’ll have to re-dye it.† She reached for the bottle, and I jerked it back. â€Å"I mean it. Your harassment of Jill ends now. If I give this to you, I will not hear one more word about you giving her a hard time. No more grief if she talks to Micah. No more vampire jokes. No more calling Nevermore and asking about tall, pale people.† She gaped. â€Å"No more what? I never called anyone!† I hesitated. When the tattooist had mentioned someone calling and asking about people who looked like vampires, I’d assumed it was Laurel running with the vampire joke. From the baffled look on her face now, I no longer thought that was true. â€Å"Well, if I hear about any of the other stuff continuing, then what happened to your hair will be nothing in comparison to what happens next. Nothing. Do you understand me?† She nodded shakily. â€Å"P-perfectly.† I handed her the bottle. â€Å"Don’t forget.† Laurel started to turn away and then cast another uneasy glance at me. â€Å"You know, you can be scary as hell sometimes.† I wondered if the Alchemists had had any idea what I’d be doing when it came to this job. At least this settled one thing. Laurel’s desperation convinced me the vampire jokes had only been a tactic. She didn’t really believe any of them were true. It did, however, raise the unnerving question about who had asked about vampires at Nevermore. When I was finally out of the building and heading toward my car, I decided I really would go to Keith’s. Someone needed to sort through his belongings, and it seemed like a safe way to avoid the others. I still had a couple of hours before curfew at Amberwood. Keith’s apartment hadn’t been disturbed since the Alchemists had raided it. The telltale signs from before were there, where we’d discovered his stash of Clarence’s blood and silver supplies. The Alchemists had done little more than retrieve the essentials they needed and had left the rest of his belongings behind. My hope in coming tonight had been to get ahold of his other ingredients, the ones not used to manufacture illicit tattoos. It was always handy to have extra amounts of those chemicals on hand, be it for destroying Strigoi bodies or making dorm room chemistry experiments. No such luck. Even if his other supplies hadn’t been illegal, the Alchemists had apparently decided to confiscate all chemicals and ingredients. Since I was here, though, I decided to see if any of his other possessions were items that would be of use to me. Keith certainly hadn’t held back in using his illicit funds to furnish the apartment with every comfort of home. Scratch that. I doubted his home had anything like this: a California-king-sized bed, giant flatscreen TV, a theater-worthy sound system, and enough food to throw parties every night for the next month. I peered through cupboard after cupboard, appalled at how much of that food was junk food. Still, maybe it’d be worth taking some of it back for Jill and Eddie, so I bagged up the more portable sweets for them, organizing by color and size. I wondered also about the practicality of hauling the TV back to Amberwood. It seemed like a waste to leave it for the Alchemists’ repo crew, though I could already imagine Mrs. Weathers’s expression if she saw us dragging it up the stairs. I wasn’t even sure Jill and I had a wall big enough to hold it. I sat down in Keith’s recliner to ponder the TV issue. Even the recliner was top of the line. The luxurious leather felt like butter, and I practically sank into the cushions. Too bad there was no room for it in Ms. Terwilliger’s room. I could see her relaxing back in it while drinking cappuccino and reading old documents. Well, whatever became of the rest of Keith’s stuff, it was going to require the rental of a moving truck because Latte certainly couldn’t handle the TV, chair, or most of the other things. Once this was decided, there was no reason for me to stay any longer tonight, but I hated to go back. I was afraid of seeing Jill. There was no reaction of hers I welcomed. If she was still sad from the argument, that would make me feel guilty. If she tried to defend Adrian, that would upset me too. I sighed. This chair was so ridiculously comfortable, I might as well enjoy it a little longer. I dug into my messenger bag, looking for homework, and remembered the yearbooks. Kelly Hayes. I’d had almost no time to think about her or the murders, not with all the drama surrounding Keith and the tattoos. Kelly had been a junior when she died, and I had a yearbook for each of her years at Amberwood. Even as a freshman, Kelly took lots of space in the yearbook. I remembered Mrs. Weathers saying Kelly was a good athlete. No kidding. Kelly had participated in nearly every sport Amberwood offered and been exceptional at all of them. She’d made varsity teams during her first year and won all sorts of awards. One thing I also immediately discovered was that Kelly was definitely not a Moroi. That much was obvious, even in black and white, and confirmed in the sophomore-year color spread in the middle. She had a very human build and tanned skin that clearly loved the sun. I was skimming the index of the junior yearbook when I heard a knock at the door. For a moment, I didn’t want to answer. For all I knew, it was some loser friend Keith had made while here, looking to eat his food and watch TV. Then I worried it could be something Alchemist related. I found the Kelly tribute section I’d been seeking and set the yearbook down before tentatively approaching the door. Looking out the peephole, I caught sight of a familiar face. â€Å"Lee?† I asked, opening the door. He gave me a sheepish smile. â€Å"Hey. Sorry to bug you here.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† I exclaimed, beckoning him inside. â€Å"Why aren’t you back with the others?† He followed me into the living room. â€Å"I – I needed to talk to you. When you said you were coming here, it made me wonder if what my father had said was true. That Keith isn’t here anymore?† I sat back down on the recliner. Lee took a spot on the nearby loveseat. â€Å"Yup. Keith’s gone. He was, uh, reassigned.† Keith was off being punished somewhere, and I said good riddance. Lee glanced around, taking in the expensive furnishings. â€Å"This is a nice place.† His eyes fell on the cabinet that had held the alchemy supplies. Its door still hung precariously from its hinges, and I hadn’t bothered tidying up where the Alchemists had cleaned out its other contents. â€Å"Was this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lee frowned. â€Å"Was this place broken into?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I said. â€Å"Keith, um, just needed to find something in a hurry before he left.† Lee wrung his hands and looked around some more before turning back to me. â€Å"And he’s not coming back?† â€Å"Probably not.† Lee’s face fell, which surprised me. I’d always gotten the impression he didn’t like Keith. â€Å"Will another Alchemist be replacing him?† â€Å"I don’t know,† I said. There was still some debate on that. Turning Keith in had stopped me from being replaced by Zoe, and Stanton was now considering just having me fill in as the local Alchemist since the duties were light. â€Å"If someone does, it may be a while.† â€Å"So you’re the only Alchemist in the area,† he repeated, sounding sadder still. I shrugged. â€Å"There are some in Los Angeles.† That inexplicably perked him up a little. â€Å"Really? Could you tell me their – â€Å" Lee stopped as his focus dropped to the open yearbook lying at my feet. â€Å"Oh,† I said, scooping it up. â€Å"Just a research project I’m doing on – â€Å" â€Å"Kelly Hayes.† The cheerful look was gone. â€Å"Yeah. Have you heard of her?† I reached for a nearby piece of scrap paper, intending to use it as a bookmark for the tribute section. â€Å"You might say that,† he replied. I started to ask what he meant, and that’s when I saw it. The spread they’d done in honor of Kelly had pictures from all parts of her high school life. Unsurprisingly, most of them were pictures of her playing sports. There were a few from other areas of her social and academic worlds, including one of her at the prom. She wore a stunning blue satin dress that made the most of her athletic figure and was giving the camera a big grin as she wrapped an arm around her dashing, tuxedo-clad date. Lee. I jerked my head up and looked at Lee, who was now regarding me with an unreadable expression. I turned back to the picture, scrutinizing it carefully. What was remarkable wasn’t that Lee was in the picture – though, believe me, I hadn’t figured out what was going on with that yet. What had me hung up was the timing. This yearbook was five years old. Lee would’ve been fourteen at the time, and the guy looking back at me with Kelly was certainly not that young. The Lee in the picture looked exactly like the nineteen-year-old sitting across from me, which was impossible. Moroi had no special immortality. They aged like humans. I looked back up, wondering if I should be asking if he had a brother. Lee saved me from questioning, though. He simply regarded me with a sad look and shook his head. â€Å"Shit. I hadn’t wanted it to happen like this.† And then, he took out a knife. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Influence Of Culture In The Business †Free Samples for Students

Question: Discuss About The Influence Of Culture In The Business? Answer: Introducation The influence of culture in the business of a particular country is prevalent. Business organizations or house need to follow the cultural norms of the contemporary community they are serving. Organizations or individuals, trying to expand their business in a different culture must understand the concept of cross culture management to give their management strategies a generalized as well as subjective dimension as per requirement of the concerned culture, they are willing to work (Thomas and Peterson, 2017, p.11). According to the case of the assessment project, Emily is an Australian entrepreneur working in the field of food. She owns a shop namely, 'The Aromatic Condiment Shop' and small factory in Perth. Her condiments are made of purely organic ingredients and are also free from harmful preservatives. Emily wishes to expand her business to Japan, as she thinks that her products will do good business in Japan. She is planning to planning to introduce items like, chilli sauces, pa stes, chutneys and jams to serve the needs of the Japanese community. Food is an important component of respective culture in the society, which evinces the nature of the culture and choices of the community people (Tjosvold, 2017, p.24). Emily understands that she should a person directly connected with business environment of Japan. Mr. Hamasaki is a fifty year old single man who works as a manager of a popular store in Japan. Emily is about to come to meet Mr. Hamasaki in person in order to gather information about Japanese business etiquette and Japanese market. This essay will concentrate on the relevant areas Emily needs to focus before conducting meeting with Mr. Hamasaki. Hofstede's 5 Cultural dimensions-Australia Vs Japan: According to Hofstede, cultural patterns of different nations can be accessed on the basis of five dimensions. Emily needs to study Hofstede's 5 Cultural dimensions for Japan in order to prepare herself for the meeting with Mr. Hamasaki of Japan. Power Distance: Power distance explains the way in which social inequalities are addressed in a society. Japan can be termed as a society with borderline hierarchy. It scored 54 in the power dimension of the country (Degens et al. 2017, p.37). Foreign business organizations found it most hierarchical as they had experienced slow decision making process in the business environment of Japan. Paradoxically, the slow decision making process of Japan indicates that in Japan, power of decision making is not concentrated within limited hands. Again according to the education system of Japan everyone is equal and they can achieve anything if they work hard. Figure 1: Hofstede's 5 Cultural dimensions for Japan Source: https://www.alinablaga.com/cultural-dimensions-theory-geert-hofstede-japanese-culture/ In comparison to Japan, Australia maintains lower hierarchical in their business environment (Beugelsdijk et al. 2017, p.30). The concept of hierarchy is practiced in Australia to provide transparent services to community people. Senior managers always rely on the performances of junior employee in the business environment of Australia. Business environment of Australia is far more soothing than Japan. Uncertainty Avoidance: Uncertainty avoidance index of Japan is 92. It indicates the fact that Japan always has plans for their future happenings (Serenko et al. 2017, p.41). This is so because Japanese community has to face the severe consequences caused by constant threats of natural disasters like, earthquake, tsunamis etc. So the Japanese business environment is quite predictive in nature. Business organizations there are used prepare themselves for future uncertainties in order to avoid bigger consequences of loss in the business. Whereas, in comparison to the Japanese business industry, Australian business environment is less concerned about the future of the business. Australian uncertainty avoidance index shows a moderate figure of 51. Figure 2: Hofstede's 5 Cultural dimensions- Australia Vs Japan Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-protection-hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-joe-hughes-cissp Individualism Vs Collectivism: In this dimension, the interdependency pattern of the respective society has been shown. Japan scores 46, which shows that business environment of Japan maintains the concept of interdependency (Degens et al. 2017, p.37). They act more reserved than the other Asian countries in the world. While talking about the individualism index of Australia (90), it can be said they more independent in nature. They are self sufficient and are likely to introduce independent business strategies and ideas in their business. Masculinity Vs Femininity: Higher masculine index of the Japan (95) shows that they competition, profit and success in thier business environment. Japan is considered one of the most masculine society in the world (Serenko et al. 2017, p.41). Attempting to be the best and move above the crowd are the concepts that are always get admiration in the business environment of Japan. The business organizations of Japan tries to motivate their employees in order to earn better profit than others. Success in terms of material production is significant in the business environment of Japan. On the other hand, Australia scores 61 in their Masculinity Vs Femininity dimension index. Australian business environment is more feminine in nature (Beugelsdijk et al. 2017, p.30). Australian society prefers quality of life rather than success in the materialistic production of the society. Australians chooses their professions on the basis of their liking over monetary preferences. Long Term Vs Short Term Orientation: Higher long term orientation index of Japan (88) evinces that business organizations of Japan maintains pragmatic approaches in their business strategies. They prefer to a steady growth in their business rather than periodical profit. It is seen that Japanese used to invest a big amount in their research and development projects even in the critical financial business environment (Degens et al. 2017, p.37). Their purpose is work for sustainable development of the society at large. On the other hand, Australia scores 21 in this index. Australian business organization maintains normative culture in their business environment. They focus more on present than on future. Japanese Business Etiquette: Choices and preferences of the community vary according to the culture of the community. And business organizations have their purposes to follow the choices and preferences of certain groups and community in order to reach the optimum satisfaction level of the group or community. Value of Silence: Japanese value silence in the initial stage of business (Hastings and Castle Bell, 2017, p.1). They link silence with credibility. According to them, the person or business partner who talks much, works little. Group Solidarity: Japanese business culture gives value to group solidarity over individualism. They prefer to work and move together in business and in other activities of life. Value of Business Cards: Japanese value their business cards. Japanese maintain engrained set of etiquettes while dealing with their business cards. They accept the cards by using both hands and handled it care and honour (Takeda et al. 2017, p.179). Placing their business cards in pocket or wallet is considered to be a blunder of etiquette to the Japanese. Value Seniority: Japanese CEOs are generally older than the CEOs of other countries in the world. They used to greet older person before the younger ones in the society. They respect age and seniority. Gentle approach in sell: Japanese follow the gentle approach in the marketing and delivery of their products and services. They prefer to build trust over profit in the business environment. Value of Privacy: Japanese people choose privacy in their life, business decisions and culture. They spent lesser amount of time in social networking sites. Gift Etiquette: In Japan, there is an importance of business gift in the industry. But, one must understand the gift etiquette of Japan before buying gifts for Japanese (Cook and Burdelski, 2017, p.461). As an example, white flowers are used to serve funeral purposes in Japan, so, it should be avoided. Sophisticated table manners: Japanese follow sophisticated table manners. They want others to value their table manners. Value of Small Stuff: Japanese value small and minute details in their life and business environment. One must show sensibility while dealing with the Japanese business environment. For example, one should not blow their nose in public; it is considered as poor sense of taste. Conservative and Unofficial dress code: Japanese value sophisticated dressing in their business environment as well as in their life. Men used to wear conservative suits and women are encouraged to carry minimum jewelleries. Suggestions For Emily: In this essay, several details associated with the business environment of Japan are discussed and explained. On the basis of this assessment report, recommendations for Emily can be developed. Emily should choose her dresses properly for her business meeting with Mr. Hamasaki. She should carry minimum jewellery and avoid to wear low heals in the meeting. She must greet senior and aged members of the community. She should show respect for the Japanese table manners. She should consider to follow minute details while dealing Japanese business managers, like, she should remove her shoes before entering into a Japanese house. She should select business gifts for Mr. Hamasaki cautiously. She may take a language translator with her. She must consider the contents of Hofstede's 5 Cultural dimensions for Japan while dealing with Japanese business managers. She should be to display her knowledge in the concerned field. Her business approach should be bold and polite. Her business strategies should be beneficial for the sustainable development of Japanese community. Reference Lists: Beugelsdijk, S., Kostova, T. and Roth, K., 2017. An overview of Hofstede-inspired country-level culture research in international business since 2006.Journal of International Business Studies,48(1), pp.30-47. Cook, H.M. and Burdelski, M., 2017. (Im) politeness: Language Socialization. InThe Palgrave Handbook of Linguistic (Im) politeness(pp. 461-488). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Degens, N., Endrass, B., Hofstede, G.J., Beulens, A. and Andr, E., 2017. What I see is not what you get: why culture-specific behaviours for virtual characters should be user-tested across cultures.AI society,32(1), pp.37-49. Gelfand, M.J., Aycan, Z., Erez, M. and Leung, K., 2017. Cross-cultural industrial organizational psychology and organizational behavior: A hundred-year journey.Journal of Applied Psychology,102(3), p.514. Hastings, S.O. and Castle Bell, G., 2017. Facing our Heuristic Limits: Expanding the Terminology for Types of Positive Face.Communication Quarterly, pp.1-15. https://www.alinablaga.com/cultural-dimensions-theory-geert-hofstede-japanese-culture/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-protection-hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-joe-hughes-cissp Serenko, A., Sato, O., Palvia, P.C., Turan, A.H. and Sasaki, H., 2017. The Effect of Work-Home Conflict on IT Employees in Japan: The Moderating Role of Conscientiousness. Takeda, T., Kida, N. and Hara, T., 2017, July. Appropriateness and Impression Evaluation of Japanese Seated Bow. InInternational Conference on Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management(pp. 179-187). Springer, Cham. Thomas, D.C. and Peterson, M.F., 2017.Cross-cultural management: Essential concepts. Sage Publications. Tjosvold, D., 2017.Cross-cultural management: foundations and future. Routledge.