An American Family vs. Keeping Up with the Kardashians

An American Family vs. Keeping Up with the Kardashians Although these two shows depict different time periods, they can arguably be a model for American culture or possibly a gauge in the temperature of what American culture looks like. In American Family there is a scene where one of the young men is talking about California and how he feels about it. Just the use of his language or the words in which he chooses gives the audience an idea of the language that was used during that time period.Another example of this is when the family visits the art gallery. In the television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians although they are rich, they also give a gauge of American culture through the way in which they talk as well as the activities in which they go about on a daily basis. These two shows are very different but are somewhat based upon the same premise of being a reality show. An American Family was a 12 episode series that chronicled the lives of the Loud family of Santa Barbra, California (Ruoff, 1998).While Keeping Up with the Kardashians has run for 6 seasons so far since it began in 2007. This show is presented to viewers as reality TV but as mentioned in a prior class it is more or less a sitcom and not capturing the family in a documentary style the way in which An American Family is. An American Family challenged traditional forms of documentaries and violated viewers expectations of what a documentary was supposed to be about (Ruoff, 1998). The way in which this show is shot and edited also gives is more of a narrative feel than a documentary style.I would argue that the way the it is broken into different episodes especially the time period of the 1970’s would make it seem more of a narrative as during that time there weren’t many shows to compare its different, documentary style to. The show is centered on the upcoming divorce of the mother and father and this seems to drive the story line as well. Although again it is not a sitcom, the narrative of the story seems a bit tampered with, as it is known that the parents will be divorcing very soon.Capturing the moments that lead up to the divorce can be considered to surround a narrative structure. Keeping Up with the Kardashians being based about the life of the Kardashian family with ongoing events that take place is nothing like An American Family. Although many Americans in 1973 may have been able to identify with the characters in An American Family it did not have a crazed pop culture appeal the way in which Keeping Up with the Kardashians does. This show has become somewhat of a brand but its realness or reality is questionable.Most of the happenings of the family are devised plans to collect audiences and maintain the following that they have. They typical sitcom structure of the show also gives away the reality part of the show. There is no truth or cinema verite in this show it’s all just basically pre-planned by the producers. Their extravagant lifestyles and events don’t even compare to the simplistic structure of the Loud family about to split because of the divorce. These shows are very different but on the surface seem alike because essentially the viewer is following the lives of a family.

Analysis of the Fast Food Industry Essay

Introduction Airline industry is the topic I researched in this analysis. Companies in this industry provide scheduled domestic and international passenger transportation, mail and freight transportation. Major US companies include American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United Continental, as well as the air operations of express delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS. The industry key survival factors are efficient operations, reliability of services, and safety. The drivers of change are internet economy, globalization, and low cost competition. Based on the key survival factors and drivers of change, large companies enjoy economies of scale in purchasing and the ability to provide more extensive services. Small airlines can compete by serving local or regional routes. All the information was collected from online journals, news, and research and report papers. The sources include industry reports such as Hoover, Bloomberg, and Forbes. The data was organized by folders and then summarized i nto Words before putting in the paper. Each source was written in a separate Word file every time it was used. The analysis uses the Porter’s 5 forces and PEST analysis. Key Survival Factors In airline industry, demand depends highly on the health of the economy, which affects spending on business and leisure air travel. Since many costs are fixed, efficient operations act as a core factor to determine the profitability of airlines companies. The basic operations of airlines include acquiring and maintaining airplanes and airport facilities, acquiring passengers and/or freight, managing staff, and operating flights. The flight equipment (airplanes) that an airline uses is crucial to efficient operations. The next key survival factor for airline industry is safety. Air traffic is growing rapidly, airports are more congested, and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"with two million passengers in the United States boarding more than 30,000 flights every day, maintaining that safety record will be a challenge.† Therefore, all airline companies should have a procedures encompassing the theory, investigation, categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulatio n, education, and training. The company could have lost the public image if they don’t have a procedure in advance to response quickly enough in case of emergency. Last but not least, reliability of service is another key survival factor for airline industry. A positive public image could be developed among customers due to a reputation for reliable services, which can lead to more repeat business. Reliability in the airlines industry includes: reports of mishandled baggage, the on-time arrival of flights, involuntary boarding denials from overbooking flights, and passenger complaints. Those airlines that are able to control these elements could provide better service to the customer, and thus offer more reliable service. Drivers of Change The internet and e-commerce has completely altered the airlines distribution (the booking and ticketing of passengers for air travel). Nowadays, travelers can book e-tickets on their flights through the airlines’ websites or a third-party website. This has allowed airlines to eliminate paperwork, reduce operational expenses, and bypass travel agent commissions. Moreover, the potential in the global travel market makes airlines companies focus more on globalization. To facilitate international growth, U.S. airlines are lobbying for â€Å"open skies† treaties between the U.S. and other nations. These treaties are bilateral agreements that essentially deregulate travel between the involved countries, thus opening up certain markets to competition. â€Å"The U.S. currently has signed more than 60 open skies treaties with nations around the globe.† Finally, the rise of the low-cost carriers has forced a change in the competitive environment of the air travel industry. Southwest, and JetBlue implement low-cost strategies that allow them to offer relatively low airfares. These low fares change the entire industry and force rivals to lower their costs and decrease their fares in order to stay competitive. Overall Assessment The airline industry is currently not very attractive. Both business and  tourist travel are reduced when the economy slows. â€Å"Global aviation traffic typically rises and falls at twice the pace of economic output, so a change in the economy can double the impact for airlines.† Because of relatively high fixed costs of airplanes, airport facilities, and labor, airlines can’t easily adjust to reduced passenger traffic. Based on the financial results on Hoover’s database, the industry has a very low growth rate of personal consumption expenditures as of 2014, and it was forecasted to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4 percent between 2014 and 2018. Works Cited Mouawad, Jad, and Christopher Drew. â€Å"Airline Industry at Its Safest Since the Dawn of the Jet Age.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . â€Å"Competitive Environment of the Airline Industry.† Competitive Environment of the Airline Industry. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . â€Å"Good times for the Airline Industry.† The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. . Fulton, Jeff. â€Å"Airline Industry Key Success Factors.† EHow. Demand Media, 29 July 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. .

Clinical Health Psychology Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Clinical Health Psychology Assignment - Essay Example Limitations of the current research are discussed. The cognitive and emotional experience of cancer is associated with a broad range of reactions, from fear and anger to reconciliation and hope. Throughout the development of psychology science, cancer had always been one of the most problematic and challenging aspects of psychological strategies. Based on what the current research tells us, it is at least ridiculous to believe that psychologists can prevent cancer: they can either effectively alleviate the emotional and cognitive difficulties that necessarily emerge the moment the individual is being diagnosed with cancer, or contribute to the development of rational self-assessment and medical evaluation behaviors, which will help individuals, especially those with the genetic predisposition to cancer, to reduce the risks of being diagnosed with cancer when it is too late. The question of whether psychologists can prevent cancer is actually a question of whether psychology and individuals’ mental health are the basic predictors of cancer in various groups of patients. Postmodern medical science displays the tendency toward recognizing mental health conditions and complications as important contributors to other complex health states like asthma, diabetes, and even peptic ulcers (Nevid, 2008). Stress is cited among the most widely spread chronic health conditions that add their share of complexity to coronary heart disease and regular headaches (Nevid, 2008). For this reason, psychologists could provide individuals with effective support and reduce the risks of asthma and cardiovascular diseases associated with stress. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to the question of whether cancer is the result of psychological influences. The extensive body of research proves psychology counseling to be an effective instrument of alleviating

Personal Philosophy of Education Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal Philosophy of Education - Coursework Example Specific philosophies I plan to incorporate into the classroom include life lessons, as well as Native North American, Western and Eastern philosophies. These specific philosophies will allow me to instruct my students with a form of learning that is based off of actual events that produce positive outcomes. Student will be able to see and understand how specific actions produce specific goals. When a student works hard, they will gain knowledge which will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Students will also be able to see how negative choices have negative effects. A constructivist approach to instruction allows for me to be able to instruct students with the best instruction I can provide. I personally believe that this teaching philosophy reflects my personality and contribute greatly to my own classroom management style. A behaviorist approach will not totally be ignored, but a constructivist approach is definitely favored. Each will contribute to my own personal philo sophy towards education.

Colonial Latin American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Colonial Latin American History - Essay Example Gender and family of the Andean nun I have the notion that the society in this colony is having a big change in the direction of the gender and family ties. The Spanish America is experiencing the change in the way nuns try to empower themselves as they were presenting themselves as the brides of Christ in the community. I see that they take the scene with the dowries, which is then pooled together and managed by salaried men. This act was instigated by the colonial administration of the government where the promotion of Catholicism created a safety haven for the orphans and single mothers. Marriage is permitted, tied by the destinies of the two involved individuals, which is contrary to their own cultures. The government has mandated the instigation of the catholic religion to the population. Despite the introduced religion, stipulate the marriage system be done under the influence of consent from the involved parties the families of the elite were made in the fashion of arranged marriages. Initially the societies in the region were more compact and observant of to the ideas and norms the cultures they had presented. The case of the Andean nun is more specific as many in the convents went to escape the atrocities that came with marriage. The native race being wiped out by the fornication and interracial relations created the new races in the Latin America. Being a member of the Spanish troops, it was clear to view of plight of the woman in the Andes came as derogatory and nerve wrecking. The way the husbands treated, the so-called wives made the women run for the convent to escape the humiliation. They resulted into the comfort of the convents where they devoted their lives to religion. As the elite focused on retaining the wealth in their circles, arranged marriages made the women want to feel as independent people instead of a person’s property (Bethell, 1995). This was instrumental in the shaping of the family ties in a different perspective. The core of the marital denotation of the elite colonial society entailed a sex/gender structure of honor therefore meaning not only to distinguish women from men but also to divide people by class.   The colonial elite were notable amid people who had honor, gentle decent, and people who did not show lack of latency.   Therefore, when a woman opted or accepted a connection of prostitution, she lost her reputation and reinforced her lower-class standing.   The society here was of the dual standard embedded in this masculinity structure, as the upper-class men would not recede their honor when they had mistresses of a lower class or race, simply if they married them. This was infuriating to some of the Andean women who opted to revolt in their own way. The convent was a good way to escape the chauvinist world and get a good life in the convents. Caste/class/race Another aspect of change I experienced in the society that experienced change was the paradigms in the class, social order and the race. The colonial governmen t the Mexico was very strict in the depiction of class and racial status. The laws were stringent to the miscegenation but the society was not

Perceptions of Crime in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perceptions of Crime in the Media - Essay Example The murder of a six-year-old girl, JonBenet Ramsey, in 1996 received great attention with the media taking a close follow up with each new unfolding. The occurrence of such crimes receives great attention from many people most of whom rely on the media for information regarding the case. As such, the media is compelled to take a keen interest in the cases simultaneously ensuring that no important unfolding is left out. Additionally, the media is always on the lookout for seemingly newsworthy stories that will receive great attention from the public. Taking a look at the JonBenet case, it seems to have all the desirable ingredients to spark people’s attention. The death of a six-year-old girl by strangling is not an ordinary day to day scenario hence there lies many questions about the incident. With this increased public interest in the case, the media could not be left out as it sought to report on the case development. However, in the course of reporting on such sensitive ca ses, the media is seemingly negligent of the wellbeing of the victims. This is especially from the perspective where the media is seemingly negligent of the implications of the statements used to describe the case. For example, in JonBenet’s case, the media gave an implication that JonBenet’s family was responsible for the murder. The media reported on the growing suspicions of the parents and this took a quick turn for the family from victims to villains. The public suddenly took a different stand from sympathizing with the parents to thinking of them as the perpetrators. This sudden twist was greatly fueled by the media’s efforts to report on each unfolding oblivious of the implications presented by giving sensitive information. The Ramsey’s tried to prove their innocence in the media for a long period of time but the suspicions were seemingly far from over.

The Atlantic Economys Contribution to the Industrial Revolution Essay

The Atlantic Economys Contribution to the Industrial Revolution - Essay Example In addition, the bullion trade with the Americas created a concentration of capital that allowed for the economies of scale required for the promotion of the specialization of labor and large-scale investments. While all these components contributed to the Industrial Revolution, they were in fact small contributions that hastened and enforced the Revolution, but were not the primary cause. Transportation was instrumental in stimulating trade in the centuries before the Industrial Revolution, but may of made only small contributions to the overall economy. Bristol, during the 17th century was the central hub for the voyage to the Americas. While by 1630 there were relatively few vessels making the trans-Atlantic crossing to the American plantations, by the turn of the 18th century this number would swell to over half of the vessels leaving the port (Sacks). These ships were bound for Virginia, the West Indies, or Newfoundland, and by 1700 commercial American sugar and tobacco had become a trading staple (Sacks). Certainly trade was important for Britain during this period for raw materials as well as exports of goods to the slave driven plantation system. However, even as late as 1790, after the Industrial Revolution was well under way, the Americas only accounted for 18% of European exports, while exports to Africa to support the slave trade amounted to only 1% (O'Bri en, 4). The real growth in trade would not take place until the 1840s when Clipper Ships were able to make more voyages and handle more fragile cargo (Jones). Trade and transportation to the Americas may have contributed to the growing export market, but was not a major cause for the Industrial Revolution. While the export market had only a marginal effect, the importation of agricultural products may have been even less significant. The agricultural processes necessary to support a growing urban population had been in effect well before the discovery of the Americas. In addition, raw materials needed to sustain long-term production and growth were already available in Europe. According to O'Brien, sugar and cotton had been transplanted to Italy, Iberia, and Southern France prior to 1492 (11). The introduction of maize from the Americas would have no substantial impact on the English diet until the middle 19th century after the Industrial Revolution had been under way for some decades (O'Brien, 11). More important to the Industrial Revolution than raw materials was the mercantilist system of protections and the reservation of the final processing into finished goods (Darity, 165). This assured that capital would continue to flow into Europe. Raw materials and the foodstuffs necessary t o sustain the factory system and an exploding population were all available outside the Atlantic economy well before the Industrial Revolution. The formulation of the Industrial Revolution demanded a ready supply of capital for investment. Bullion from the Americas created a hard international currency, but it was not been instrumental in developing concentrated capital. The large-scale introduction of precious metals from the Americas resulted in a high rate of inflation. This

Assignment2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment2 - Essay Example Just when you think you have yourself figured out you learn something new. Though no matter what a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers on it tells you, how someone really acts cannot be deflected on a piece of paper. When setting up the game, it took a little bit of time to figure out how exactly to execute the game in a way that it would cover the vast verities of personalities that are spread among my group of friends. Sure, we have all played games together before, but not for the purpose of analyzing the way that my friends’ personalities fit into the way that they strategically play a game. So, I decided to take a normal card game, and add a twist to it. Phase 10 is a simple card game where the players go around in a circle and pick up and discard cards and the hope to complete the phase that is required before another player goes out. It is usually a game played with several individuals competing together, but instead, I broke my friends up into groups. Since there we re 5 friends, one player had to play alone, leaving them at a disadvantage from the beginning. So I chose the friend who scored the highest in the assertive category, to test their true assertiveness. Each group received the same amount of cards as each other and played the game as usual. Though, the team who came in last had to choose another player to eliminate. If the single player was eliminated, the team who won would have to divide and play individually. Now, within the game there are skip cards, which allows a player to skip the next team, but what I allowed was the person who held the skip card could strategically skip which team they would like. This allows them to have some control of who has the ability to go out of cards first. I knew what I was going into this expecting, the assertive person would do what they needed to win, and the people who saw the world as unfair would surly rant and rave as they lose the game, the equalitarian would feel guilty causing another play er to lose, and the person with the high introspective score would over analyze the game a little too much. I myself did not participate in the game. I did not want to skew the results, and boy am I glad that I did not play. The game started out as I had expected, but quickly the tables had turned. I might as well have thrown the personality test out the window, because when it came down to it, everyone was assertive. There was this competitive nature that came out in everyone and people where in the game to win it. I know that people do not like to lose, but it really surprised me how into the game people really had gotten. Usually when we play games together people are slightly competitive, but maybe it was because I was an outsider observing I had the chance to really see how things were. My friends who scored the lowest on the assertiveness section defiantly outshined the assertiveness of the friend who scored the highest. There wasn’t one person who thought of the game a s treating them unfairly, or the world around them for that matter during the time the game was played. There were also people who I figured would over analyze the game and really think about everything that was going on and try to figure out others strategies, but that was not the case either. Everyone was so focused on winning that they paid more attention to what they needed to do, rather than focusing on what everyone else was doing. So, I knew that the

The field of psychology addresses the constant question of whether Research Paper

The field of psychology addresses the constant question of whether humans are born hard-wired with specific characteristics and - Research Paper Example However, when it comes to understanding the causes behind severe behavior problems like addiction, anger, aggression, criminal bent of mind, sadism, depression, anti-social behavior etc., then understanding the role of nature and nurture in the development of these patterns becomes an important. Hence, people in the field of psychology and psychiatry continuously make efforts to find out what it is that makes human beings behave in certain way, nature or nurture. That is, they try to know if people are genetically programmed to behave in a certain way or if their behavior is shaped by the environment. However, studies in psychology have given a hope to human beings by showing that even though human beings are programmed through their genes to behave in certain way, the environment has the power to break the genetic programming and modify the behavior pattern of human beings in positive way by strengthening the ‘good’ genes and weakening the ‘bad’ genes. The Role Of Genes Variations In Genes Genes play an important role in the development of behavior and personality pattern of human beings. Different genes are responsible for development of different habits and behavior pattern in people. Every human being has same 20,000 genes present in the body but what makes them different is its ‘variants’ or ‘flavors’ (Frehley, 2010, para.1). ... However, it is important to note that scientists are not 100% sure of this information as it is not a statement but a ‘speculation’ (Frehley, 2010, para.2). Also, it is interesting to know that every human being possesses all the genes but what makes them differ in behavior is the â€Å"less than 1%† variance in the genes (Frehley, 2010, para.5). According to Ebstein et al. (1996), the variations in ‘specific’ geneses result in different social behavior patterns in different individuals (Nicolaou & Shane, n.d., p.2). It makes one wonder if such a small amount of genetic variation is ‘major’ enough to control the will power in human being. That is, can human being acquire skills or behavior pattern that he is not genetically programmed to acquire? Evolutionary psychology, also known as ‘modern Darwinism’, is the field that helps in answering this ‘nature or nurture’ question (Nicholson, 1998, p.135). Desire For Se curity It is a natural understanding that if the circumstances and the conditions of living change, then the behavior of human beings should also change. However, according to the evolutionary psychology, human beings living in today’s modern world, still display the same ‘survival’ traits that their ancestors living in the Stone Age had displayed to survive the threats in the environment (Nicholson, 1998, p.135). This shows that even if the environment and the surrounding situations change, human beings still carry the ‘innate’ fear from surrounding and are ‘hard wired’ to behave in certain way when they sense threat. For example, people from Stone Age were genetically programmed to gather and store enough food and have

Chemical vapor deposition- principles and implementation Research Paper

Chemical vapor deposition- principles and implementation - Research Paper Example CVD has wide applications which include provision of wear and corrosion resistance, formation of barriers and net shape components. INTRODUCTION Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is a versatile technique of applying required coats of metals on surfaces of components. Unlike other types of painting techniques, this technique applies a coat of the wanted solid on all the accessible surfaces of a component. This therefore makes this technique very appropriate for coat application on surfaces which are of unorthodox nature. In this report, the principles and implementation of CVD are examined. In examining the principles of CVD, the CVD process is closely examined by specifically discussing what takes place inside the reaction chamber of a CVD reactor. The types of CVDs are also discussed. On the second part of this report, the implementation of CVD is discussed whereby the complete equipment set for typical CVD set up is examined. The types of CVD reactors and the applications of CVD are also discussed. PRINCIPLES OF CVD Under this section, the principles of CVD are examined. Specifically, the CVD process is discussed and types of CVDs are also examined. CVD Process The basic principle of the CVD process is the reaction of gaseous precursors to form a solid coating on a heated substrate (ATL 1). This process takes place in the reaction chamber located inside the CVD reactor. ... The temperature will depend on the level of coating required, the gaseous precursors involved and the substrate type. After the substrate has been heated to the required temperature, a controlled gaseous precursor (from the left in the above diagram – Fig. 1) is introduced into the gas chamber. The type of gaseous precursor to be used will depend on the type of deposit required. Figure 2 (ULTRAMET 1) For illustration purpose if metal M is to be deposited on the surface of a substrate, then a gaseous precursor such as MCl2 can be used. It is imperative that the precursor has to be in a gaseous form. After introducing a controlled flow of MCl2 gas, a controlled flow of hydrogen is also introduced. The mixture conditions are adjusted in such a manner that the mixture only reacts when in contact with the substrate surface (ATL 2). MCl2 + H2 = M + 2HCl The reaction on the surface of the substrate releases the metal atom and exhaust gas hydrogen chloride. The metal atom is bonded on the surface of the substrate while the waste gas is drawn out of the reaction chamber by use of a vacuum pump. In the schematic diagram above (Fig 1) the gas is removed to the right. The vacuum pump creates a constant flow of reacting gases into the chamber and waste gases out of the chamber (ATL 3). At the start of the reaction process, the metal deposition is localized (deposited on particular points on the substrate) but as the process progresses the atoms are evenly deposited all over the surface of the substrate. The deposition of the metal applies to all the accessible surfaces of the substrate no matter what shape the substrate has. The process is allowed to progress until the desired thickness of the metal is achieved. In some cases the coating is left to

Communicators of the Sea Essay Example for Free

Communicators of the Sea Essay

Its The Beauty Pageants Media Essay

Its The Beauty Pageants Media Essay By definition, the beauty pageant is a competition in which young women are judged by physical appearance alone. As the old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty, as determined by a panel of judges (the beholders), means that someone who is considered attractive to one person may not necessarily appeal to another, and it allows judges to set the standard of what is beautiful or not. If this was a perfect world, maybe everyone would follow the wise words of this old saying and admit that evaluating beauty is only a matter of personal taste and contemporary standards and trends. However, society often turns every aspect of a persons life into a competition. The beauty pageant is perhaps one competition society could do without. Beauty pageants are an unnecessary entertainment of society because they set unrealistic beauty standards for an audience of easily influenced young women, they encourage judging a persons worth based on appearance only, rather than on a persons character, and they objectify young women. In the world of beauty pageants, there is only one kind of beauty. This one kind of beauty is Barbie: tall, long-legged, tiny waist, straight white teeth, long thick hair. These beauty pageants can be misleading and harmful, not only to women without this body type, but to society as a whole. The standard that beauty pageants strive for is not an all-encompassing idea of beauty, but one that is shallow and looks only at a womans physical appearance. Beauty pageant organizers have striven for years to ensure that contestants have an opportunity to show their skills before they are crowned a beauty queen, but the reality is that a woman not fitting the physical standards of beauty competition would nev er be considered to enter a competition. Beauty pageants promote the idea that looks are superior to a persons abilities, feelings and heart. These young women are judged only on the basis of physical appearance. The talent component of competition just does not have much weight simply because an ugly person (a person who does not have a body fitting with the accepted standards of the time) could never win a competition, and often would not compete at all. Judging young women primarily on their looks takes important character developments out of focus because other qualities, such as intelligence, are not seen as part of ideal femininity and therefore not as things to which women should aspire. Miss USA 2002 went to a tall, blonde Texas woman who won the crowd when she stated that education was important and that you can tell if someone has an education by looking at them (Cornforth, 1). Perhaps her intent was to promote the value of education, but the statement instead implied that important character traits and intelligence can be summed up by a glance. (Dont judge a book by its cover, to use another familiar saying.) Young women are judged mainly on their physical appearance, while their personal qualities and talents are not judged. Beauty pageants include quizzes in which the contestants show their intelligence by answering questions that are really just demonstrations of adhering to the social norms of the time. These questions are always very simple, broad questions involving current issues such as health care, gay marriage, and abortion. The contestants are discouraged from answering in a way that demonstrates their own personal opinions; if a girl is on a stage being evaluated by a panel of liberal judges in front of a liberal audience, she would never speak against gay marriage or abortion, but would give the answer that would most likely please the crowd. In this way, she is only learning to give the popular answer and not analyze what her own beliefs are, and then learn to defend those beliefs. Beauty pageants are misleading to young women. Very few women are born with a body that fits the current standard of beauty. A majority of young women dont have a body which adheres to the current social standard of the time. These young women tend to be viewed as plain but they can clean up and look beautiful but they cannot stand the pressure. After watching beauty pageants, plain young women often lower their self esteem (these young women dont do this on purpose) and some young women then try to make themselves look more attractive. Besides, for beauty pageants winners, their success often gives them the need to do after ward is to keep up and improve their physical beauty (physical body), and as a result many no longer live up to further education or other ways of professional development. Beauty pageants strongly promote the negative aspect that young women are seen as objects of sexual interest. These contests fail to challenge harmful political attitudes to young women. They do nothing to aid the liberation of young women. By promoting looks as the most important feminine quality, they harm young womens liberation in general. On the 17th of February the Campus National Organization for Women protested the Miss MAO Beauty Pageant (Gats, 1). They handed out four-hundred protest flyers which stated their disgust with Florida Blue Key and the University of Florida for holding a sexist pageant where women must be checked out in swimsuits and parade themselves in skin-tight evening gowns in order to be awarded scholarship money. (Gats, 1) In this way, beauty pageants encourage young women to see and promote themselves as an object (like a car) to be judged by men. Beauty pageants hurt young women by treating them as objects held up to a strict standard of beauty, a standa rd that is painful, time consuming, and expensive for young women to try to achieve. Beauty pageants can be misleading by having young women lower their personal standards of sexuality. At what age is it appropriate for a young woman to be called sexy? Young women have a huge role model role in a little girl. Little girls look up to these young women because they are beautiful, if these young women are wearing immodest clothes to be sexy, then these little girls will want to do the same. These little girls should not be worried about trying to be sexy, they should enjoy a healthy childhood as girls who are developing talents and interests and whose worth is evaluated by their poise, intelligence, hard work, kindness, and grace. Beauty pageants are well promoted by the media with television and images, which influence young womens opinions on appearance. The participants of these pageants are poor role models for these young women as they set a standard for an almost unhealthy body weight, unrealistic breast size, and flawless complexion standards. Only a small minority of women can realistically achieve this ideal female body. The media pressures all young women to conform which can encourage unhealthy dieting and eating disorders, tanning, cosmetic surgery, and simply to keep working to achieve unrealistic, temporary goals that often have irreversible damages. An article, titled Thoughts about Miss Teen USA, out of a local American magazine was written by a young women teen in 2005, who had just watched Miss Teen on NBC. Her wrap up of the beauty pageant was; White teeth. White teeth. Prom-style dress. Blonde. White teeth. Blonde. Chandelier earrings. Tan. Blonde. Tan. Strapless gown. followed by, Thats al l you need to know (Callow, 1). The statement made by this young women teen is not one that is from a minority. She is one of thousands that view this as the norm for a woman of beauty. It is not healthy or realistic for a young woman to think there is one type of beauty or one type of accepted body. It is harmful and could lead to both physical and emotional damage. The media has so many affects of young women; they wish to be as perfect as the beauty queen on television, magazines, and internet. These young women will do anything it takes to become the next beauty queen, even it causes them to go on diets or get plastic surgery. In a high percentage of Hollywood films, even those in which the young woman should be portrayed as a strong willed, independent heroine, usually feature young women being played off as sex objects. Though there is nothing wrong with a woman being classified as sexy, it should not be the main focus. One made of uniqueness, intelligence and charm is what should be promoted. Movies such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Charlies Angels send the same message to young woman that beauty pageants do, which is that only one kind of body is acceptable. This is harmful to a majority of young women as beauty pageants are encouraging men to treat them as an object rather than young women with opinions and uniqueness. Joel Yager, M.D. writes: Every society has a way of torturing its women, whether by binding their feet or by sticking them into whalebone corsets. What contemporary American culture has come up with is designer jeans. (94). With media pressuring young women to be thin and a millions of dollars spent towards dieting, higher rates of eating disorders in the population are growing (Gats, 2). Many beauty pageant contestants suffer from some form of eating disorder. Anorexia (starvation to loose weight) and bulimia (binge eating) are the two main eating disorders. Young women who suffer from anorexia have the fear of being fat so severe that they starve themselves to weight loss, often leading to death (Gats, 2). Even when anorexic young women are thin, they think of themselves too fat. A low self esteem causes them to fear even taking a small amount of food. Bulimia is binge eating that following a pattern such as, eating compulsively and then throwing it up. After a binge young women eats, they try to control themselves by throwing up their food through vomiting. Young women have extreme habits of both eating and exercising. Ideally, beauty pageants should be healthy role models, but this is not the case. To be beautiful in the world means that a young woman never feels decent about herself, she is always putting herself down. If a woman does not see her body as acceptable, she will often be driven to change it, and these changes are often drastic. Plastic surgery can be used to alter any body part: the breasts, lips, thighs, and stomach are among the most popular. Plastic surgery can be especially harmful to adolescents. When a young women have plastic surgery done at such a early age, the risk for diseases such as breast cancer are extremely high. Many young women are striving to look their best, and they feel that plastic surgery is the only way to go. They do not stop to think about the long-term consequences of the surgery. They want instant results, meaning that they will often pay thousands of dollars to alter bodies that had nothing wrong them in the first place. The promotion of this single standard of physical beauty is harmful to women everywhere because it discourages girls to love the body they are born with. The simple and realistic truth is that there are some physical aspects of a persons body that are impossible to change, and promoting the tall, slim, supermodel figure as being the only accepted body type excludes different styles. Every year more than one million people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the United States. Despite this fact, hundreds of thousands of people routinely visit tanning salons (Cornforth, 1). Tanning beds generally give off 93% to 99% UVA radiation (Cornforth, 1). This is three times the UVA radiation given off by the sun! Over time, the effects of too much UVA exposure can lead to many different problems such as eye damage, immune system changes, wrinkles and premature aging of the skin, and skin cancers. The most common cancer is malignant melanoma, it is the deadliest form and its degree is flat out rising in young women under 40 (Cornforth, 1). Beauty pageants are an unnecessary element in society because they set unrealistic beauty standards for an audience. There are beauty pageants out there which attempt to create a judgment of well-balanced young women. These sorts of competitions are trying to promote the intelligence mixed with beauty side, which should be heavily commended. However, beauty pageants in which beauty is emphasized as a solitary basis for winning are dangerous and harmful to society. Young women are fragile, as they try to find a place for themselves in this world. When someone sees the pain of a young women struggling with eating disorders, hears a young women beg to convince her parents to allow her to get plastic surgery because they cant stand a certain part of their body, it can be concluded that beauty pageants do a great disservice to the winners, the losers, and all children. Personal hope would be that an organization such as to find a better way to lift up the spirit of our young women. WORK CITED: Gats, Thomas. Are Beauty Pageants Harmful?. October 27, 2008 >. Cornforth, Tracee. Are Indoor Tanning Booths Safe?. September 09, 2009 . Callow, Clare. How Beauty Contests Harmful. Septemeber 10, 2009: 2004.

Environmental Factors to Improve Individual Development

Environmental Factors to Improve Individual Development Nicoline Bromwell Scenarios 1) A 65-year-old female, recently diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease. She has previously been a very active and vibrant woman, living on her own since her husband of 35 years died 5 years ago. 2) A 14-year-old minority female, facing the very real possibility that she may be pregnant. She has always struggled in school (she has been failed a grade already), and is currently a freshman in high school. Address the following questions/issues for each of the two scenarios you selected: 1) How would you design an environment to improve this persons situation and future development? 2) What kind of environmental factors would hinder this persons development? In other words, what environmental issues would make their situation worse, or what would you hope not happen in this persons world? 3) Discuss how the person is affected in the three domains of development (Biosocial (Physical), Cognitive, and Psychosocial). How might decreases or increases in development/maturity/ability affect the person? Basically, do several If/then discussions for each of the three domains. For example, If this woman has a poor psychosocial support network (like have no family or having an unsupportive family), then I would think that she may experience A love one diagnosed with Alzheimer can be very troubling for a family. Alzheimer’s disease can be a challenging journey, for all those who are involved both family members and loved ones.Taking care of someone with Alzheimers is overwhelming at times, but the more knowlegde and support the individual has, the better he/she will be prepared for the challenging road ahead and is able to seek the best long-term care options for a loved one. The best environment to help the individual development as time progresses would be one that provide loving care whether at home or in a designated facility for Alzheimer’s patients. Firstly, if she is still lucid enough, since she’s recently diagnosed I would encourage her family to get her wishes down on paper so they’ll be preserved and respected by all members of the family. I would then recommend that the family discuss the situation with her doctor , keeping in mind her wishes , see what would be the best treatment for her. They would then be armed with the knowledge of how to care for that love one. She will at some time need around-the-clock care and family members usually have their own health issues, jobs, and responsibilities. I would advise them to communication with each other to make sure that the wants and needs of the Alzheimer’s patient is met. If they cannot provide the care at home, since she was living alone, she could be relocated to live with a family member, which I would recommend, although it may be difficult, a care giver could be employed to care for her and that the caregiver would have the support of the family member to meet her needs. It will be diificult for her and her family as they have to watch her deteriorate slowly, but at home she will be monitored by love ones and most likely get the care she needs, although as the disease progresses, she may need to be hospitalized in a facility, if it becomes too hard for the family and caregiver. However for now the home environment is best. I would suggest that a sense of structure and familiarity is kept. A daily time for activities such as waking up, mealtimes, bathing, dressing, sharing family time, and bedtime. Keeping these things at the same time and place can bring a sense of familiarity to her. Let her know what is going to happen even if there is no certainty that she’ll truly understands. Use cues to start the various times of day. For example, when she wakes up you can say, â€Å" Rise and shine Mary , it’s another wonderful day.† At bedtime, you can play some quiet music or read to her, to indicate its bedtime. Also get her involved in daily activities as much as possible, as long as it is safe. For example, water the plants, folding clothing, or any other simple thing that she can do. These things will not improve her condition. But it will aim in making her more comfortably as she struggles with this disease The most that can be done for her is to make her feel loved. The worse care scenario would be if her family members are not able to get her a caregiver or put her in an institution for Alzheimer’s patient and they have to take care of her, with little or no training or knowledge of her condition. This would definitely worsen the situation. As her Alzheimer’s progresses, there will be changes in her communication skills, she’ll have trouble finding words, her hand gestures will increase, she’ll be easily confused, she’lldisplay behavior you never would have thought possible. Alzheimer’s will cause substantial changes in how she behaves, such as embarrassing or inappropriate outbursts, wandering, hallucinations, and violent behavior. Everyday tasks like eating, bathing, and dressing can become major challenges. This will become frustrating for the family members, as they don’t know how to deal with it. Imagine watching your mother change before your eyes, worsening daily and you cannot do anything about it. The family member offering care can become overwhelm and depress, he/she may even start blaming him/herself and may become too embarrass to go out, so he/she may isolate himself, or even harm the patient not willingly but as a result of being overwhelm. At some point, the care giver won’t be able to leave her one alone. Nighttime behaviors may not allow the care giver to sleep, confrontational or aggressive behaviors may exceed her ability to cope or feel safe. As the disease progresses help will definitely be needed and possible placing her in a facility that is better able to take care of her. Therefore, if this can’t be done the situation would not be hopeful. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Cognitive, physical, and psychosocial development is decreased. There is decline in memory and other aspects of cognition, such as word-finding, vision/spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment, getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, using poor judgment, and having some mood and personality changes. She’ll have problems recognizing family and friends. She’ll be unable to learn new things, carry out tasks that involve multiple steps (such as getting dressed), or cope with new situations. People with severe Alzheimer’s cannot communicate and are completely dependent on others for their care. Taking all of this in consideration whether if she has a strong or poor psychosocial support, it woul d not make much of a difference to her as all her cognitive skills are declining and will soon be gone. Physically she’ll may soon be bed ridden, Knowing no one and not able to take care of herself. The disease takes everything away from her. A student who is 14 years old facing a real possibility that she is pregnant and struggling in school faces many challenges. On her own it’s a frightening struggle. She needs supports, guidance and education, At this time family is very important. Therefore, the prefect environment for her would be one where she feels love and support. She needs someone she can talk to and trust, who can offer guidance and support. Sometimes the father is not present and this is usually the case. She is now frightened at the fact that she now has to face this alone, the realization that a new is life growing inside of her is quite unsettling as she is not prepared and she doesn’t know how to cope. She questions herself, â€Å"How am I going to take care of a child?†, â€Å" What are my peers going to think about me?†, â€Å"How are they going to treat me?†, â€Å"Should I keep the baby?†, â€Å"I am failing in school, How can I take care of a child?† , â€Å"Who is going to take care of me?† She has so many questions; she needs help getting those answers. She needs help finding herself and moving into the right direction. The environment that would be ideal for her would have to help her deal with the situation she is in and help with her future development. Firstly I would encourage her to make sure she is pregnant before doing anything else, and if she is then I would help her find someone she can trust and is able to talk to, such as a counselor, a family member or a teacher, so that she can make informed decisions. She would now need to tell her parents and if they are willing to help her, we can start from there. If they were not, she would need someone who is willing to offer support, for example an organization for pregnant teens, where she can relate with others in her own situation, or a supporting relative. When this is accomplished, She now needs to continue school, which will be difficult, but quite necessary, and she needs to decided whether or not she is able to keep the baby, and if she chooses not to, she can have an abortion or give the child up for adoption, which I would encourage, then continue on with her schooling.Hopefully, she will learn from her mistakes and get help in order to improve her grades ,therefore doing better in school. If she is with a supportive relative, she can get an after school job to help herself and through education she’ll have a better future. However, if she chooses to keep the child, which would not be wise at 14, with her social situation, she’ll need to also finish school and get help in improving her grade. She’ll also need a job to help support herself and her child. However if her parents offer to help she’ll have some support in taking care of the child. Otherwise keeping the child would be a very hard task for 14 years old on her own. Therefore, she would need to make an informed decision taking into consideration what is best for herself and the child.This she would do with the help of a responsible adult. I would advise her if she has no help to give up the child for adoption because at 14 she is a child herself. She is not physically, socially, or emotionally ready to be a mother. It is obvious that she is not able to make responsible decisions on her own, at her age; her cognitive skills are still developing. Throughout the entire process, I would ensure that she has someone to talk to because she needs this kind of support to get through the situation emotionally. As she is being prepared to deal with her situation and faces the coming obstacles in her pathway, I would hope she learns from her mistakes and realize that this is not the ideal situation for her .If she doesn’t then this could have devastating impact on her future taking in consideration the fact that she is failing in school. This could be as a result of lack of parental guidance, if they are too busy working or doing something else to see what is happening in their daughters life, she has no extrinsic motivation to excel, and she is obviously not intrinsically motivated , she just does what she wants,or is influenced by her peers and at this age teenagers naturally want to explore and try new things, this could be why she is pregnant. Now being faced with and adult issue at an early age,she has to be the one to take her future in her own hand, if she does and decide to move on , she will face , criticism from her peers, and she will stuggle with the fact that she has to g ive up her first child, she is pregnant at 14, and she faces the danger of herself and the baby being malnourished, or being born with illness and deformity as a result of not having adequate medical care. She also faces a higher risk for postpartum depression than adults who give birth, and if left untreated, postpartum depression in a teen can affect her development and her infant’s quality of care, if she keeps the child. She’ll have to misses school for doctors visit, and she is already failing.. She has to deal with these situation daily, using her teenagers abilities. Hopefully, she is able to overcome these struggles with help from an adult and effectively continue with her life. However if she cannot, she may end up pregnant again not having any education. A Guttenmacher Institute study found that a large percentage of teen moms often find themselves homeless, in non-permanent living situations, as they move between the homes of friends, siblings, other family members and baby’s father. So now she may seek the support of the first person offering her kindness, and this may not necessarily be a good thing, she could end up being used and abused with little hope for the future. Living on the streets, or living with an older man at an early age, prostitution and so much more may result from her situation. Her situation now greatly impacts her Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial development. .During this time the mother is still developing physically, she needs proper nutrition in order develop properly, now with a baby growing inside her she’ll need more food from every food group so that the baby can develop properly, if this is not done them they both could be malnourish causing problem with the baby and placing extra stress on her body. If she drinks alcohol this can cause the baby to develop fetal alcohol syndrome which occurs when alcohol passes through the placenta, causing potential physical and mental defects. However if she is properly nourish then most likely she will develop fine and her baby will be healthy. Also her cognitive development will be hampers as she will miss school,even drop out and during this stage cognitive development is marked by an increase and missing out will impact the teenagers advancement in knowledge and understanding. Research has shown thatâ€Å"The dropout rate among teen mothers in the U.S. is high, and this population represents a large percentage of the total high school dropouts. Only about half of teen mothers earn a high school diploma by the time they turn 22, and earning a diploma may be more difficult for teen moms who have a second child.† As a result the teenager is not educated, cannot hold a good job and lives in an impoverish condition.Statistics have shown that this behavior is usually repeated with the teenagers children. Psychosocial development is also hampered as during this stage of psychosocial development, according to Erickson, teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self.Being pregnant at this stage , the teen as no sense of self or personal identity, she is struggle with the situation, She is identified as a teenage mother, her sense of self is distorted. She is confused, and frustrated and easily mislead into situations that may be worse for her. However if she has support and someone to offer good council this situation may change, her self-esteem can be build and she will not look at herself through the eyes of others, but she will see her potential and see the present situation as a learning experience.

How Genuine is the Paradox of Irrationality? :: Davidson Paradoxes Irrational Essays

How Genuine is the Paradox of Irrationality? ABSTRACT: In light of interpreting a paradox of irrationality, vaguely expressed by Donald Davidson in the context of explaining weakness of will, I attempt to show that it contains a significant thesis regarding the cognitive as well as motivational basis of our normative practice. First, an irrational act must involve both a rational element and a non-rational element at its core. Second, irrationality entails free and intentional violation of fundamental norms which the agent deems right or necessary. Third, "normative interpretation" is only possible for objects that are both natural events and capable of mental operations which presuppose some freedom of will as well as constructive representation of the surrounding reality. Fourth, there is always a question of whether we strike the best balance between fitting individual mental items consistently with the overall behavior pattern and keeping our critical ability in following certain normative principles which constitute our ra tional background. Fifth, the paradox of irrationality reflects and polarizes a deep-seated tension in the normative human practice under the ultimate constraints of nature. Finally, the ultimate issue is how we can find the best lines on which our normative rational standards are based-"best" in the sense that they are close enough to limits of human practical potentialities and are not too high as to render our normative standards idle or even disastrous. In "Paradoxes of Irrationality," Davidson has the following remark, which arises from, but is not limited to, the explanation of weakness of will: The underlying paradox of irrationality, from which no theory can entirely escape, is this: if we explain it too well, we turn it into a concealed form of rationality; while if we assign incoherence too glibly, we merely compromise our ability to diagnose irrationality by withdrawing the background of rationality needed to justify any diagnosis at all. (1) Many theorists who try to provide an adequate explanation of weakness of will and its bearing on the issue of rationality fail to fully appreciate the implication of the above remark, which I believe is an important thesis for any attempt to understand the source of many apparent puzzles around akrasia. Perhaps this failure is partly due to the fact that Davidson himself does not make it clear how central this thesis will be for exploring the cognitive as well as motivational basis of our normative practice. In this paper, I shall discuss in section I the conceptual ingredients of being irrational, viz.

The Formula of Succinic Acid :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

The Formula of Succinic Acid Succinic acid is a diprotic, which means it donates two protons per molecule. Succinic acid can be completely neutralised by sodium hydroxide. The indicator most suitable for this experiment is phenolphthalein, it is colourless in acids and pink in alkalises. The half way stage is about pH 9.3, this is when it will either change from colourless to a very pale pink or from pink to colourless. To determine the relative formula mass of succinic acid I am going to do a titration against sodium hydroxide. The equation for the reaction is given below. To make the equation easier to read, HOOC(CH2)nCOOH will be condensed to H2A because of the two hydrogen atoms at either end. H2A+2NaOH Ã   Na2A+2H2O (CV) H2A = 1 (CV) NaOH 2 I am going to use the NaOH as 0.1M because I don’t want it too concentrated, so therefore I am going to use H2A as 0.05M because of the ratio 2:1. In the formula of succinic acid below n is a whole number between 1 and 4. So therefore first I need to calculate the relative molecular mass of succinic acid. HOOC(CH2)nCOOH H = 1 O = 16 C = 12 Mr when n = 1 1+16+16+12 (12+2) 12+16+16+1 = 104 Mr when n = 2 1+16+16+12 [(12+2) x2] 12+16+16+1 = 118 Mr when n = 3 1+16+16+12 [(12+2) x3] 12+16+16+1 = 132 Mr when n = 4 1+16+16+12 [(12+2) x4] 12+16+16+1 = 146 From these calculations I can see that I need between 104g and 146g in 1 litre to equal 1M. But I want the solution in 250cm3, so therefore I need to divide the weights by 4: n = 1 104 = 26g So I need between 26g and 36.5g in 250cm3 to make a 1M 4 solution. n = 4 146 = 36.5g 4 I also want to make the solution to 0.05M because of the ratio 2:1, so therefore I need to multiply each weight by 0.05. n = 1 26 x 0.05 = 1.3g n = 4 36.5 x 0.05 = 1.8205g So the range I can work with to weigh out the anhydrous succinic acid is from 1.3g to 1.82g,which will make a 0.05M solution in 250cm3. Preparing a standard solution ============================= Having calculated the weight I can use (1.3g-1.82g), I must weigh out the solute using an accurate electronic balance that goes to three decimal places. I must make sure I clean the balance with a fine brush assuming that it may not have been cleaned after the last time it was used and set the balance back to 0.

A Trace of James Fenimore Cooper :: Biography Biographies Essays

A Trace of James Fenimore Cooper      In 1828 James Fenimore Cooper spent three months in England, chiefly to conduct business with his British publisher, Richard Bentley, and for most of that time he lived in London at 33 St. James Place. This is the way he described it in Gleanings in Europe: England:    We finally took a small house in St. James's Place, a narrow inlet that    communicates with the street of the same name, and which is quite near the    palace and the parks. We had a tiny drawing-room, quite plainly furnished, a    dining-room, and three bed-rooms, with the use of the offices, &c. for a    guinea a-day. The people of the house cooked for us, went to market, and    attended to the rooms, while our own man and maid did the personal service. I    paid a shilling extra for each fire, and as we kept three, it came to another    guinea weekly. (20)    As Donald Ringe and Kenneth Skaggs point out in their "Historical Introduction" to England, St. James Place represented "a most desirable location" (xvii). It is close to the centers of political power in England--St. James Palace, Buckingham Palace, and #10 Downing Street are not far away. Cooper's neighbors on the street included William Wilberforce and Samuel Rogers, a genial and well-connected writer; Lord Spencer and Sir James Mackintosh lived nearby as well.    The 33 St. James Place of Cooper's time no longer exists, but I wanted to visit the site anyway, to try to get a feel for what it meant for him to live there. If you walk from Trafalger Square to St. James Street, you can go along The Mall or Pall Mall, wide streets flanked by the gigantic architecture of Imperial Britain. St. James Place opens across St. James Street from the Pall Mall; Christie's, the famous auction house, is on the corner opposite. At the south end of St. James Street stands St. James Palace, an imposing brick castle with

International Business- Failure of Joint Venture as a Result of Culture Essay

1. Joint venture between TCL and Alcatel In 2004, TCL Technology Holdings Limited, a multinational electronics conglomerate from Huizhou, China entered into a mobile phone manufacturing Joint Venture with Alcatel, a global corporation in telecommunication equipments, services and applications from Paris, France, in a bid to foray into the global market. The joint venture company – TCL and Alcatel Mobile Phones Ltd (TAMP) – managed research and development (R&D), sales and distribution of mobile handsets and related products and services (TCL 2011). TCL invested 55 million euros to garner a fifty five percent stake while Alcatel put in 45 million euros along with its mobile handset business for the remaining forty five percent share (China Daily 2004). The two corporations each possessed individual strengths that they believed, when joined in partnership, would establish their stronghold in the competitive mobile phone industry and further their geographical reach in sales. TCL is a distinguished brand that fronts the China market and has a vantage point as a low cost manufacturing base in Asia. Alcatel is a leading player in Europe and Latin America and has operations in more than 130 countries. It could contribute an extensive sales network as well as its high aptitude in R&D (TCL 2011). Alcatel also provided patents to TCL, who did not own its own technology, to enable its entry into markets that have intellectual property (IP) rights requirements (Zhu 2005). TCL at that time had faced a waning domestic market and needed Alcatel to help it expand into newer international markets while Alcatel believed that TCL’s lead in manufacturing would improve its product offering that would better meet the varying needs of its customers worldwide. According to Morgan Stanley, a multinational financial services provider, the joint venture (TAMP) had enormous potential to place seventh to become one of the global leaders in the industry (TCL 2011). TAMP began operations in September 2004. However, only 8 months into the joint venture, by the end of the first quarter of 2005, TAMP had reported a loss of 36 million euro (Li 2011). As a result, TCL bought out Alcatel’s 45 percent share in TAMP to solely take over the venture. The TCL-Alcatel (T&A) collaboration had failed. The transaction took place in the form of an exchange of stocks where Alcatel transferred its TAMP shares to TCL in return for a 5 percent share in the latter’s firm. Because the venture had ended prematurely, Alcatel also paid 20 million  euros in compensation to TCL for the withdrawal of IP rights it had rendered to TAMP (Zhu 2005). After the termination of the joint venture, TCL began to draw profits again in the following year (Li 2011). 2. Problems of the joint venture The failure was attributed to high inherent production costs of managing an international corporation and the underlying financial problems of Alcatel that existed prior to the joint venture that impeded TAMP’s profit goals (Zhu 2005) therefore made it hard to revive the business. Ernst & Young’s (2011) financial reports revealed that Alcatel suffered net operation losses of 400 million euro in 2001 and is a plausible reason why it had been eager to sell its shares to TCL in the first place – to rid the loss making assets (Zhu 2005). But to a large extent, stark cultural differences in working styles between the Chinese and French had a role to play in the lead to its eventual failure. Despite their industrious attempt at internationalizing the business, the Chinese had a perennial lack of understanding of the European culture and were inexperienced in managing international human resource (Monks 2012). This caused friction amongst the employees, who are the building blocks of a company, thus eventually eroded the viability of the collaboration. 3. Culture in IB Culture is an integral part of international business. Every country exhibits a unique set of culture that is distinct from another and has a considerable effect on the way people work and function in their workplace. It is a basis upon which organizations strategize and shape their operations and decisions (Reis, Ferreira and Santos 2011) as well as influence the way they negotiate (Graham, Mintu and Rodgers 1994). Therefore it is critical to learn and understand the cultures of the countries in which you are interested to do business because differences in culture potentially give rise to misunderstandings in the workplace where people have inaccurate perceptions  of each other (Wursten,Lanzer and Fadrhonc 2012), so when managers have awareness of differences, they can alter the way they manage their foreign employees. This is supported by Luo (1999), who found that an understanding of host country culture improved overall business performance. Entering into joint ventures with local firms is an advantageous mode of entry that allows foreign MNCs to acquire local knowledge (Makino and Delios 1996) and this was the strategy taken by TCL in its entrance into France. However, the Chinese firm still faced huge problems of ‘culture conflict’ (Yao and He 2005, p.34). 4. Why it faced difficulties Over the past decade, China had been aggressive in reaching out to the world through its outward foreign direct investment (FDI) policies. Figures from the 2006 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment show that outward FDI of China increased 18.5 billion from 2002 to 2006 (Ministry of Commerce of China 2007). Declining domestic demand and ailing revenues had been a motivation and the confidence from having many years of international experience from foreign MNCS operating in its country had primed China for its own global advance (Lyles and He 2008). Yet there lay fundamental problems in the execution. 4.1 Cultural Differences between TCL and Alcatel There are distinct differences in working styles of employees in Alcatel and TCL due to the intrinsic cultural differences between these two countries. How will management adapt to it is specific to culture as managers are products of their own culture with its own set of beliefs and values and manners of expression and will go on to organize its people effectively according to this very culture so it follows that what works for a particular culture might not necessarily work for another (Wursten 2008). Some friction was observed in the interaction between TCL and Alcatel employees and cooperation between the two managements due to personal perceptions of each other. In an interview conducted by Li Jing (2011), associate professor at Simon Fraser University, for the vice presidents of TCL – Well Lu (TCL) and Laurent Labbe (Alcatel) -, the issue of cultural differences between the two firms was discussed. 4.1.1 Conservatives v Risk Takers The French adopts a more conservative approach when it comes to decision-making. Conservatism is associated with the uncertainty-avoidance (UAI) dimension ( Doupnik and Riccio 2006) and France has one of the highest UAI index at 86 indicating that they are not comfortable with ambiguous situations and will take measures to avoid them (Hofstede 2001). They ‘think a lot before doing something’ (Li 2011, p.3), because in their country, mistakes are unacceptable (Bowie 2008). As a result, Frenchmen are averse to risk (Bowie 2008). Out of 500 employees from Alcatel, only 70 remained in the joint venture company because the perception is that there will be no job security and they cannot afford taking this risk (Li 2011). High turnover rates lower the productivity of a business (BizFilings 2012). Conversely the Chinese are more willing to take risks. This is reflected in their low UAI score of 30. They accept ambiguity, are adaptive to change and make decisions based on a pragmatic approach (Hofstede 2001). However a point to note is that, although China is generally open to risk taking, it tends to embark on lengthy considerations that can notably delay decision-making (RSM International 2010). This would test the patience of its French counterpart and frustrate the relationship. This divergence in attitude and multi-faceted culture causes a struggle in reaching decisions when both parties are set in their own ways about an approach. 4.1.2 Individualists v Collectivists Alcatel’s is a predominantly individualist culture where work relationship is upon the basis of a contract, which underlines the concept of professionalism and have marked definition of an employee’s job responsibilities (Li 2011). TCL, in contrast, is primarily a collectivist culture where people work in the interests of the group (Hofstede 2001). This is reflected in its corporate culture where it wants its employees to feel belonging to the company, to treat it like home (Li 2011). But during the joint venture, as the company grows at an accelerated pace, the nature of the jobs became vague and necessitated a TCL working style. The French are a high-minded group so competition typically prevail teamwork (Kenna and Lacy 1994) at the work place which meant many Alcatel employees were removed from their comfort zone. 4.1.3 Varying degree of acceptance of power Moreover, as France is also an uncertainty avoidance society, there was further disorientation when there was no clear example from top management how they were supposed to work (Li 2011). France and China are both large power distance societies but employ different types of power (Zheng 2010). The French are more accustomed to legitimate power, which is the power that imposes a sense of responsibility or obligation on them (Zheng 2010) and value strong leadership and tight controls (Bowie 2008). But this was not the approach used by the TCL as it tended to be more abrasive and did not agree with a very important aspect of Chinese culture – Harmony. Chinese people manage work relationships with harmony in mind and also the concept of giving everyone ‘face’ (Zheng 2010) so the difference in styles puts the French in discomfiture, and the Chinese in confusion as to why the French was being less than efficient therefore affecting the company’s productivity that would affect the bottom line of the business. 4.1.4 ‘Lazy’ v Driven Individuals Lu admits that he ‘used to subscribe to the stereotype that Frenchmen are lazy’ and ‘are more relaxed’ when it comes to work attitudes (Li 2011, p.3). Laziness is perceived as a negative characteristic and might draw disapproval from other co-workers. However it must be understood that the  French are not really ‘lazy’ but are Polychronic people (Hall 2000). Polychronic people are described in Hall’s cultural theory to have a tendency not to keep a tight structure on their time and work at their own pace, also preferring not to make elaborate plans so (Suntsova 2009) therefore giving the impression of being lazy. The Chinese are, like the French, Polychronic (Hall 2000). But to a large degree they are also a masculine society, according to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (2001), with a high score of 66. In masculine societies, people are motivated to be the best they can be, where great emphasis is placed on achievement and success. Labbe (Li 2011) had described the Chinese as workers with tremendous drive and ambition. On the other hand France is a more feminine society scoring 43, which implies that they are more concerned about the quality of life. For example, France has a liberal welfare system in place that entails short 35 hour work weeks. Labbe (Li 2011, p.3) agrees that the Frenchmen are ‘satisfied with just working for a base salary’. Thus TCL (Chinese) employees who are more masculine, will be disposed to think that their Alcatel colleagues (French), who are feminine and polychronic, are lazy and unmotivated workers, which is a careless observation, because eventually the work is accomplished, only the work is done in a different manner. This misconception leads to resentment amongst employees. 4.2 Lack of international management experience To add to the problem, TCL, like many Chinese firms lack real experience in managing an international business. MNCs’ operating in external markets face liability of foreignness (LOF) where they are at a disadvantage to local firms due to unfamiliarity of host country conditions (Hymer 1976). They have to overcome the liabilities by forging competitive advantages against local firms or fine-tune managerial learning about host markets to reduce LOF while local firms do not have to make as much adjustments in comparison (Petersen and Pedersen 2002). Therefore while many years of having foreign MNCs in China allowed these MNCS to accrue experience from their overseas ventures, the Chinese firms, who although to a large measure were part of the internationalization process, were only at the receiving  end and had not really garnered real managerial experience in operating internationally. When it was down to the actual initiation into international markets such as the US and in this case Europe France, China was confronted by its own set of LOF and was unable to reconcile the divergent national and corporate cultures (Thomsen and Nicolas 2008) between the two countries so it faced difficulties in managing its French employees in TAMP. 5. Solution The general idea one gets from reading related literature about culture in international business is that, differences in culture is a source of misunderstandings and miscommunication that will invariably present itself as a threat to the productivity of business. And the solution would be to understand these differences in culture, to have knowledge of them, so that we can reduce some of these problems (Pilhofer 2011). While it is very useful for us to gain cultural understanding, conventional literature conveys a negative notion in relation to it. It seems to be implying an obligation and necessity to learn about culture to avoid failing the business. Essentially there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this notion but this would only lead to people withdrawing from interaction with other cultures altogether if they fear failure and negative situations (Pilhofer 2011). If I were in charge of the joint venture, I would ensure that the employees gain an appreciation and respect for culture. They need to view cultural learning positively, see it as learning how different others’ cultures are from theirs and use it to adapt accordingly so as to achieve the business objectives (Ferraro 2009). Learn that negative situations such as misunderstandings are inevitable, but even those can be regarded positively in terms of a new experience (Pilhofer 2011). It is not as much the knowledge than what you do with it. To achieve this, management must first introduce this idea of openness to its employees to gradually overcome their innate ethnocentrism (Ferraro 2009). With inculcation and education, over time I believe it will form part of the company’s corporate culture. When work is done in a more positive and respectful atmosphere, performance can be more productive (Ferraro 2009), than in a stressful environment. Going forward, TCL needs to gain more experience in managing people internationally by undertaking more international endeavors. However they cannot enter heedlessly and will need to study the new markets and their cultures and create a plan. Some difficulties would still be faced but they could learn from it. 6. Conclusion The joint venture between Alcatel and TCL failed chiefly due to its existing financial situation. However for the most part, the friction experienced by employees from both companies because of 1. lack of understanding of cultural disparities in work styles and 2. inadequate international experience of TCL’s management had undermined the potential effectiveness of the joint venture, inevitably leading to its failure. Culture is a very elemental factor in International Business today. Business partners face challenges in working with people from other cultures. If there is no knowledge and understanding, firms would not be able to make adjustments accordingly to best achieve their business goals. But cultural knowledge should be learned with a positive motivation rather than attaching negative consequences to it. People need to gain an appreciation and respect for other cultures to be able to work in them effectively. Word count: 2640

English Literature

Causing the Rising in altitude though Create their While slicing lives for Thus only stumps appear Give birth to yourself; don't wait for a mid-wife I know that everybody dies; we know that not everybody lives Can't be done thinking thanks; still holding to the green leaves I haven't made it yet; still have hopes to make it in future Nobody knows tomorrow; the things to happen, we only hope to picture What they take for granted today seemed Impossible yesterday, to structure I want to be used for a greater purpose; far way bigger than myself Life Is good; I want It to be deter for l, Me and Myself.I wrote a letter to time, asking him for more time The things I hope to accomplish in future is enormous; I need more than time Checks and balances; everything being equal, my life is balanced Heard equality is unattainable; many still feed on diets that are not balanced Could it be that life is not fair to some people? Is it then dark?So far there is life, there is hope; this is beyond the slate minds that are blank Imitation is limitation I heard; Am so busy trying to make my own impression My impressions will be baseless If I don't conquer the limits f my limitation Thank God for the gift of life; be happy and free to live your God- giving life Life Is good; Yes! It will be better for all have life and still strife.The future Is so competitive; I have the best In anticipation To the best of memory; All in the past has been solidification of the foundation I pray, the temple of my life your life; let no pirate sail above You are in charge, take control of your ship and sail against the tides of the sea With a focused third eye; all that you seek to look, you will surely see These walls don't keep a secret; Am obsessed with life, want to keep living . English Literature Causing the Rising in altitude though Create their While slicing lives for Thus only stumps appear Give birth to yourself; don't wait for a mid-wife I know that everybody dies; we know that not everybody lives Can't be done thinking thanks; still holding to the green leaves I haven't made it yet; still have hopes to make it in future Nobody knows tomorrow; the things to happen, we only hope to picture What they take for granted today seemed Impossible yesterday, to structure I want to be used for a greater purpose; far way bigger than myself Life Is good; I want It to be deter for l, Me and Myself.I wrote a letter to time, asking him for more time The things I hope to accomplish in future is enormous; I need more than time Checks and balances; everything being equal, my life is balanced Heard equality is unattainable; many still feed on diets that are not balanced Could it be that life is not fair to some people? Is it then dark?So far there is life, there is hope; this is beyond the slate minds that are blank Imitation is limitation I heard; Am so busy trying to make my own impression My impressions will be baseless If I don't conquer the limits f my limitation Thank God for the gift of life; be happy and free to live your God- giving life Life Is good; Yes! It will be better for all have life and still strife.The future Is so competitive; I have the best In anticipation To the best of memory; All in the past has been solidification of the foundation I pray, the temple of my life your life; let no pirate sail above You are in charge, take control of your ship and sail against the tides of the sea With a focused third eye; all that you seek to look, you will surely see These walls don't keep a secret; Am obsessed with life, want to keep living .

Rivalry Between Friends

In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, the theme of opposites plays a prominent role. Shakespeare explores several relationships in this play, but the most intriguing is the relationship between Hermia and Helena. Specifically, Shakespeare calls the reader’s attention to the relationship between Hermia and Helena and their distinct differences. It is because of these differences that Hermia and Helena develop a mutual respect and admiration for one another, though in the beginning of the play, the girls have a much rockier relationship. At first glance, these two girls do not seem to be all that different, but as the play progresses, the reader realizes that a relationship of rivalry and jealousy exists. Hermia and Helena are both portrayed as beautiful young women. Helena is in love with a man named Demetrius, who happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Demetrius, however, does not return Helena’s affections, but attempts to woo Hermia. Hermia is not interested in Demetrius’ attempts to win her heart, as she is deeply in love with Lysander. It is within this love triangle that Hermia and Helena’s relationship exists in the form of a rivalry. By the end of the play, a noticeable change in Helena has occurred, and it is obvious that she As the play begins, the reader is thrust into this love affair between Hermia, Demetrius, Helena, and Lysander. Hermia’s father, Egeus, has forbidden her relationship with Lysander, forcing the two lovers to concoct a plan to elope together. In this scene, the reader senses through her actions that Hermia is sure of both herself and her impeding elopement to Lysander. Hermia appears to be completely content with the man who loves her, and very secure in her own skin. Hermia confesses her plans to elope to her friend, Helena, who tells Demetrius of the plan in order to gain favor in his eyes. Helena, too, appears to be confident in her appearance and intelligence. Although she is confused by Demetrius’ obvious disinterest in her, Helena make is very clear to the reader that she thinks very highly of herself. This attitude is apparent when Helena says, â€Å"Through Athens I am thought as fair as she† (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 227). Although Helena appears to be overconfident in herself, she also has a side of her that is very insecure with herself, and envious of Hermia and the attention that Demetrius showers on her. Although Helena has made it clear that she is just a beautiful as Hermia, Helena believes that Demetrius is only in love with Hermia because of her beauty. It is apparent that Helena believes that she has more than just beauty to offer Demetrius when she says, â€Å"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind† (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 134). A short while later, Puck, the right hand to the Fairy King, Oberon, attempts to give Helena her precious Demetrius. The plan, however, backfires, and it is Lysander who is made to woo Helena. When Lysander approaches Helena and tells her of his newfound feelings for her, she doesn’t believe him and thinks that it is a joke. Helena yells at Lysander because she thinks that he is making a fool of her. â€Å"Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?† (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 129-130).   This contradicts Helena’s earlier feeling of being just as attractive as Hermia, and just as deserving of those things that she has. While Lysander is pursuing Helena, Hermia awakens to find her love missing. The reader is again shown how confident and secure Hermia is when she worries that Lysander has been killed. The thought of Lysander being unfaithful to her never enters Hermia’s mind, and she assumes the worst when he is not there when she wakes. At the end of the play we see Helena and Demetrius are together, thanks to the correction of Lysander’s assisted feelings for Helena. Helena seems to have accepted Demetrius’ affection, whether real or not, and decides to be with him. This shows that, contrary to previous actions, Helena is starting to believe that Demetrius’ feelings are true. Whereas earlier in the play she was running away from Demetrius, sure that he was mocking her in his attempts to woo her, now she is marrying him and committing her life to being with him. This marriage and Demetrius’ sudden change of heart also calm Helena’s jealousy for Hermia. Originally, Demetrius had left Helena to woo Hermia, and now in Helena’s mind, order has been restored by Demetrius’ return to her. At the end of the play we see a more secure character and obviously a much happier Helena. In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, every character goes through an evolution and by the end of the play, everyone is wiser for the experiences they endured. In the beginning of the play, we see Helena as an overconfident and jealous girl who is desperately chasing after the man she loves. Hermia is a more stable, self-assured character, completely confident in her relationship with Lysander. As the play wears on, Helena becomes extremely insecure and suddenly unsure of herself, whereas the reader never sees Hermia falter. Hermia runs away from the man that she had been chasing after for so long, and questions his affection for her. In the end, all’s well that ends well for Helena. She accepts Demetrius’ love and affection by marrying him, which creates more security for Helena, and gives her a sense of order restored in her life. Throughout the play, the reader sees Helena mature from an outwardly cocky, but yet inwardly insecure young woman into a self-assured and confident woman. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1980.         

Extracurricular activity Essay

You may not know a lot of people when you start high school. Maybe your friends from middle school are going to a different high school. Even if you know other freshmen, you might feel nervous that you don’t know any upperclassmen. How are you going to make friends among this sea of unknown faces? Most high schools hold a freshman orientation before school actually starts. These are helpful not only because you learn your way around the building and get to meet some of your teachers, but you also get to meet fellow freshmen. That way, when you show up on your first day of school, you may already recognize a few familiar faces. When you talk to people at orientation, you’ll probably find that a lot of them are feeling just like you are. They’re all new to the school and don’t know what to expect. Talking about a common concern with your classmates can spark new friendships. Learning Inside the Classroom How about the workload in high school — is it a lot harder? Again, this is something your classmates are probably worried about, too. The work in high school builds on what you learned in middle school, giving you a more advanced knowledge of many academic subjects. So you may find you have more work to do or that it’s a bit more challenging. But these challenges can make you feel less bored with the usual routine — it feels great when you’ve mastered something really tough. Maybe you’ll find a new appreciation for biology or discover a passion for literature. If you ever find your work too overwhelming, teachers and tutors are available for extra help. While you have more independence as a high school student than you might have had in middle school, there are still many resources to fall back on if you feel the work is too much. Extracurricular Activities High school also has more extracurriculars than middle school did, such as clubs, music and theater groups, student government, and sports teams. This is a fantastic time to explore your interests and try new things. Who said school has to be all work and no play? These activities may take place before or after school, or during free periods or study halls. Because of this, it helps to sharpen your time management skills in your first year. Extracurricular activities are great, but remember to leave free time for yourself. Everybody needs some downtime.

Henry Kissinger 1971 secret trip to China Thesis

Henry Kissinger 1971 secret trip to China - Thesis Example 1 As manifested by historical events, Kissinger’s trip to China could be considered as an essential factor that strengthened the U.S-China relations. Fergusson further noted that the substantial matters discussed during his trip in 1971 enabled the United States’ opening to China, and at the same time, China began to open its relations with the United States, which was actually driven by â€Å"Mao Zedong’s fear of encirclement.†2 Under such circumstance, a potential argument could be justified such that if it was not for China’s opening to the United States, China would not emerge to be America’s largest foreign holder and as to how it would utilize its present economic power is a crucial matter that needs to be addressed, wherein Kissinger, who had a long period of diplomatic relations with China, could offer a better insight regarding the issue.3 In addition, Hanhimaki and Westad mentioned that one of the primary objectives for the opening o f relations was to use China as a support against the Soviet Union towards a triangular diplomacy between Washington, Moscow and Beijing.4 Another significant issue is on the implication of foreign policy, wherein Hamilton emphasized that Kissinger recognized the rivalry between China and Russia, which could indicate that the Chinese would possibly welcome improved relations with the Americans that may cause much trouble to the Soviets. 5 Similarly, Xia also pointed out that Nixon, being a foreign policy president, was firm on restoring and enhancing the United States’ status in world affairs, where he gave an extensive value of improving its relations with China.6 Finally, Kissinger’s secret visit stimulated China’s expectation to gain political benefits, where it would have greater chances to enter the U.N., and as expected by Kissinger, China used its influence

European causes of its 2012 economic crisis Term Paper

European causes of its 2012 economic crisis - Term Paper Example ased the political risks for EU governments and their leaders.6 The economic disaster was weakening the bond between the EU nations and challenging EU’s unity and shared goals. Rapid exhaustion of liquidity left the periphery with unsustainable shortfalls and monetary obligations larger than their GDP. In 2010, a sovereign debt catastrophe, particularly in Greece, stretched throughout the periphery and jeopardized any economic opportunity for the EU.  In 2011, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund took actions to rescue Greece, Ireland, and Portugal.7 Governments of Iceland and Latvia have disintegrated resulting from the public complaints over their administrations for mishandling their economies throughout the tragedy. Sparking the protests even more was the International Monetary Fund’s issuance of emergency loans to the following EU nations: Belarus ($2.48 billion), Bosnia and Herzegovina ($1.52 billion), Hungary ($15.7 billion), Iceland ($2.1 bil lion), Latvia ($2.35 billion), Moldova ($118.2 million), Poland ($20.58 billion), Romania ($17.1 billion), Serbia ($4.0 billion), and Ukraine ($16.4 billion). In February 2009, the World Bank in alliance with the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced a financial assistance grant amounting to $31 billion over two years to aid near-bankrupt banks and industries in Eastern and Central Europe.8 The economic turmoil caused a quick fluctuation in the Euro currencies of Eastern European countries and caused their government debits to climb, destabilizing the attempts of several countries to join the European Union. $1.5 trillion assets in EU banks were exposed in Central and Eastern Europe. In spite of the exposure of the major Western European banks for...This paper elucidates the real reasons behind The European debt crisis of 2012 and describes the effectual response of the EU to that negative economic situation. The five European co untries: Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain (GIIPS) that risked the future of the EU economy and caused various crises regarding the Euro are considered in the paper. Subsequent to the global downturn of 2007, the financial crisis in the peripheral states of the EU worsened: economic activity quickly dwindled; international trade plummeted; and prospects for Europe’s exportation industry diminished. Moreover, the rise of unemployment and distress over the economic chaos sparked protests and thus increased the political risks for EU governments. The response of the EU to the recession was fast and influential. Besides the intervention to steady, re-establish and restructure the banking sector, the European Economic Recovery Plan was commenced for re-establishing reliance and reinforcing demand by increasing the economy’s purchasing power through balanced tactical financial schemes and measures that would support the business and employment sectors. The entire economic incentive, as well as the outcomes of regulated fiscal stabilizers, totals 5 percent of European GDP. Greece, Ireland, and Portugal were given considerable financial supports by the IMF, the Eurozone and EU monetary institutions. Moreover, the generous contribution and dynamic mediation of the ECB to fiscal stability supported the European administration and banking system.