The Debate Over Multicultural Education In America Essay Research Paper Example For Students

The Debate Over Multicultural Education In America Essay Research Paper The Debate Over Multicultural Education in AmericaAmerica has long been called The Melting Pot due to the factthat it is made up of a varied mix of races, cultures, and ethnicities.As moreand more immigrants come to America searching for a better life, thepopulation naturally becomes more diverse.This has, in turn, spun a greatdebate over multiculturalism.Some of the issues under fire are who isbenefiting from the education, and how to present the material in a way so asto offend the least amount of people.There are many variations on thesethemes as will be discussed later in this paper. In the 1930s several educators called for programs of cultural diversitythat encouraged ethnic and minority students to study their respectiveheritages.This is not a simple feat due to the fact that there is much diversitywithin individual cultures.A look at a 1990 census shows that the Americanpopulation has changed more noticeably in the last ten years than in any othertime in the twentieth century, with one out of every four Americansidentifying themselves as black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, orAmerican Indian (Gould 198).The number of foreign born residents alsoreached an all time high of twenty million, easily passing the 1980 record offourteen million.Most people, from educators to philosophers, agree that animportant first step in successfully joining multiple cultures is to develop anunderstanding of each others background. However, the similarities stopthere. One problem is in defining the term multiculturalism.When it islooked at simply as meaningthe existence of a culturally integrated society,many people have no problems.However, when you go beyond that and tryto suggest a different way of arriving at that culturally integrated society,Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what will work.Sinceeducation is at the root of the problem, it might be appropriate to use anexample in that context.Although the debate at Stanford University ran muchdeeper than I can hope to touch in this paper, the root of the problem was asfollows: In 1980, Stanford University came up with a program later knownas the Stanford-style multicultural curriculum which aimed to familiarizestudents with traditions, philosophy, literature, and history of the West.Theprogram consisted of 15 required books by writers such as Plato, Aristotle,Homer, Aquinas, Marx, and Freud.By 1987, a group called the RainbowCoalition argued the fact that the books were all written by DWEMs or DeadWhite European Males.They felt that this type of teaching denied studentsthe knowledge of contributions by people of color, women, and otheroppressed groups.In 1987, the faculty voted 39 to 4 to change thecurriculum and do away with the fifteen book requirement and the termWestern for the study of at least one non-European culture and properattention to be given to the issues of race and gender(Gould 199).Thisdebate was very important because its publicity provided the grounds for theargument that America is a pluralistic society and to study only one peoplewould not accurately portray what really makes up this country. Proponents of multicultural education argue that it offers students abalanced appreciation and critique of other cultures as well as our own(Stotsky 64).While it is common sense that one could not have a trueunderstanding of a subject by only possessing knowledge of one side of it,this brings up the fact that there would never be enough time in our currentschool year to equally cover the contributions of each individual nationality. This leaves teachers with two options.The first would be to lengthen theschool year, which is highly unlikely because of the political aspects of thesituation.The other choice is to modify the curriculum to only include whatthe instructor (or school) feels are the most important contributions, whichagain leaves them open to criticism from groups that feel they are not beingequally treated.A national standard is out of the question because of the factthat different parts of the country contain certain concentrations ofnationalities.An example of this is th e high concentration of Cubans inFlorida or Latinos in the west.Nonetheless, teachers are at the top of theagenda when it comes to multiculturalism.They can do the most for childrenduring the early years of learning, when kids are most impressionable.Byengaging students in activities that follow the lines of their multiculturalcurriculum, they can open up young minds while making learning fun.in onefirst grade classroom, an inventive teacher used the minority students to heradvantage .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 , .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .postImageUrl , .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 , .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:hover , .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:visited , .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:active { border:0!important; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:active , .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0 .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u232548df939f854a0de4d1fe93441fe0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Drug Use Essay We will write a custom essay on The Debate Over Multicultural Education In America Research Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

The new product development process

The new product development process Organizations today are constantly facing increasing global competition in the marketplace that demands more frequent innovation of goods and services that are of a high quality. The challenge such organizations face is to be more customer focused, responsive to their needs and provide goods and services that are cost effective.Advertising We will write a custom dissertation sample on The new product development process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This can be achieved by value delivery and creation where value delivery entails order fulfilment by ensuring the flow of materials, products and services through production and distribution while value creation entails new product or service development activities that identify the customer’s needs in the form of new products or services (Handfield, et al. 2000). The new product development process is a series of interdependent and often overlapping stages during which a new pro duct or service is brought from the idea generation stage, business or technical assessment, product or service conceptualization, product engineering and design, to the readiness stage for production or manufacturing. As the product or service concept moves through these various stages, the idea is refined and evaluated for business and technical feasibility where the design is fine tuned and prototypes are developed for testing. The design is then finalized and preparations are made for the full scale production of the product or service (Handfield et al, 2000). The new service development process which is derived from new product development is mostly concerned with the development and marketing of services instead of goods. A service is an act carried out to a customer that is intangible, inseparable and heterogeneous (Luteberget, 2005). Customer Involvement in New Product/Service Development Customer involvement in the product or service development process is the interaction o r collaboration between the users of the product or service and the employees of a company during the period of product development to actualize it into a commercial product. The customer’s involvement in the development process entails an active engagement in the process with the developing company (Pinegar, 2000). As Pinegar (2000) states, the customers role in the product or service development process is viewed in terms of their expressed wants and desires, the satisfaction that the good or service offered to them, their relationship with the developing organization and their response to previous product and/or service innovations. The customer is seen to be critical in the product or service development process because he/she is viewed as an integral component in the business strategies of an organization.Advertising Looking for dissertation on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The role of customers in new product development has recently been the subject of discussion and study by researchers in the product development field. According to Pinegar (2000) the role of a customer can be classified into four categories which are coaching, partnering, reporting and advising. These classifications are used to explain the user involvement in the different stages of the product or service process. Coaching involves the identification of product problems and opportunities in the market place and generating ideas that will be used in the product development process by conducting customer surveys to find out whether the current products meet the changing needs of consumers. The partnering category involves the evaluation and analysis of alternative methods of product implementation while exploring the possible applications of the product other than those it was designed for. A business analysis is conducted where the customer partners with employees of the company to see whe ther the product or service will be viable in the market place. The analysis of new innovation ideas will involve methods such as attribute analysis which has three approaches that can be used in generating new product or service ideas. The determinant gap analysis approach entails considering the attributes of the marketplace in determining which product or service innovation a company should undertake. These attributes can be the competitor’s products/services or previous products and services the company has produced (Anandan, 2009). Perceptual gap analysis is used to analyze ideas when the attributes of the products or services in the marketplace are unknown. The similarity and dissimilarity analysis involves the evaluation of previous products/services by analyzing their similarity or dissimilarity to each other based on product/service attributes. Similarity analysis evaluates products on the same set of attributes while dissimilarity analysis focuses on the different a ttributes of the product/service (Anandan, 2009). After the idea has passed through the business analysis stage successfully, the next step will involve the actual development of the product and prototype testing. During this stage the idea is translated into more concrete and tangible terms with regards to a product while for a service it is translated into a doable act. This stage involves the consideration of customer satisfaction and technical feasibility by analyzing customer surveys and researching of the market to find out whether the product is satisfying their needs (Avlonitis and Papastathopoulou, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom dissertation sample on The new product development process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The advice category involves the use of product development specialists to identify product or service problems and opportunities by monitoring the trends in the market place and also the activities of their competitors. This stage is useful in the idea generation stage and also in the product testing stage of the product/service development. The product is tested in-house by the design team, a process known as alpha testing or by providing a sample to the intended market users a process referred to as Beta testing. The alpha and beta testing methods are mostly used by developers of computer software who provide beta versions of their software for testing to computer experts. Gillette Company is well known for its ability to successfully launch new products into the market and meet its consumer’s needs. This is largely due to their continued use of the alpha and beta testing methods (Avlonitis and Papastathopoulou, 2006). Focus groups are also used in this stage to test product samples by looking at what other applications the product can be used for. The last phase is the product launching phase into the market. During this stage, company finalizes and implements the pr oduction or service operations plan and also the marketing plan. The customer’s involvement in this stage will be to purchase, use and provide feedback about the product. The reporting category is useful to the company as it enables the users of the product or service to provide feedback on the tests conducted on the new innovation by carrying out customer surveys, market research and customer visits (Pinegar, 2000). Managing Customer Involvement in the Product Design Process The early stages of the product design process are sometimes characterised by uncertainty when it comes to identifying product concepts that will lead to the development of a successful product that will be acceptable by the market. Poor management of customer involvement knowledge in these early stages might lead to problems involving customer acceptance and product design in the final stages of the development process which might prove to be expensive to reverse. Because customers are the final stakeho lders of the product, involving customers during the first stages of the development process will reduce uncertainty that is usually associated the process (Bogue and Sorenson, 2006). In order to manage customer involvement effectively and efficiently, Bogue and Sorenson note that market orientation should be considered by companies that are pursuing new product innovations. Companies that have market orientation are viewed to be more proficient in gathering and analyzing information collected from consumers in the market. Customers are viewed by these market oriented organizations to be significant designers because they make important contributions to the product design.Advertising Looking for dissertation on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Market oriented companies are expected to have a clear understanding of the needs of the customer which will allow them to manage the customer’s involvement and the knowledge they provide in developing the product which will in turn enable them to develop products or commodities that are of a superior quality to meet the customers needs resulting in a positive influence on the innovation activities of the company. Customer involvement management can be done by carrying out facilitation in the concept development stage by using techniques such as focus groups, sensory analysis and conjoint analysis methods. These market oriented techniques can help the company to determine the feasibility of the product design and its acceptance to the market (Bogue and Sorenson, 2006). Users of New Product/ Service Development in Companies: Volvo and Skype Skype, the global free telephony Company that is rapidly expanding in its operations around the world involves customers in its new servic e development process. In Skype’s service development, customers are allowed to co-produce the directory by downloading Skype software and then registering as users of the software. The customers can then expand the directory by recommending Skype to their colleagues, family and friends. As their friends register, they can also download the same software and expand their directories in the same way. Skype does not need any mainframes since it incorporates the unused capacity in its registered users. This means that it is the users who facilitate the creation of value in Skype’s services by sharing and developing in Skype’s services. The customers also have the opportunity to run the help desk (Edvardsson, et al. 2006) In its product and service development process, Volvo uses the program Concept Lab Volvo to inform its customers and users of its products and services about its design principles and also about emerging car design concepts. The users are allowed t o provide feedback on these car designs and they can also have one on one chat sessions with the developers and design team. The developers use this information in their ongoing design work. Volvo also uses target groups in its idea sourcing stage where people in trend sensitive markets and areas with a high design capability are invited to design parts or components of the whole car. An example of this target group is the Your Concept Car which was designed by eight women (Edvardsson et al, 2006). Success and Failure of New Product Development Sampson (as cited by Luterberget, 2005) in his 1970 studies described a new product or service to be successful by looking at whether it has satisfied the needs, wants or desires of customers. He also described a successful new product as possessing outstanding performance when compared to other products that were designed for the same purpose. Products which undergo minor or major changes might fail to meet the classification of successful n ew product innovations. A major source of successful competitive advantage for organizations in the future will be the consistent and successful development of new and modified products and services. However the product life cycles are reducing as the product variety increases because of niche market penetration. In the case of a group of consumer products introduced in the 1920s, the average time from the introduction to the peak production of the product was approximated to be 28 years. For a group of similar products introduced in the 1960s-70s the approximate time for peak production was estimated to reduce to 10 years. This trend is seen to continue and will pose a threat to the product development process (Barclay, et al. 2000). In a 1987 case study of 149 UK engineering based companies, surveys conducted found that the average product life cycle was 12 years and the average development of a new product was 22 months. The same surveys were conducted again in 1996 and they show ed that the product life cycle had now become eight years while the development of a new product would now take 15 months. Such estimations show that the number of new products introduced into the market in the next five years would be twice that of the last five years (Barclay et al, 2000). When research evidence on the success and failure of product or service development is examined, the failure rates have remained at 30% for the last 60 years. This evidence shows that companies are not improving in their product development activities and that they are also becoming more expert and critical in the approaches to new product or service development. An example of a product design that failed in the past is the Premier Safe Cigarette which was seen to be one of the biggest design failures of all time. The basic idea behind this cigarette was to have an inner cardboard tube with holes along its length which would hold the tobacco. At the end of the tube was some charcoal which when l it released nicotine. The nicotine passed through the holes in the tube which reduced the chances of smoke and tar. After seven years of development, test marketing was conducted which showed that the cigarette was difficult to light and it had a terrible taste. The failure of the cigarette cost the developing company, RJR Nabisco $500 million, a result which was partly attributed to the break up of the company. A service design that failed in the recent past was the Internet University (UkeU) which was launched in September 2003. The program was abandoned after 900 of the expected 5,600 students enrolled for courses that cost  £44,000. The failure was due to that fact no previous market research had been conducted to determine if there was any demand for e-learning. The losses incurred amounted to  £50 million (Hollins and Shinkins, 2006, p.131-132). Conclusion and Recommendation The ability to produce a steady flow of successful new products or services consistently is one of the key factors that lead to an organizations success. The role of a customer in product and service development is a fairly new concept that is yet to fully catch on with most companies when it comes to developing new innovations. However the general feeling about incorporating the user’s views while developing the products/services is optimistic and good. Researchers have also shown involving customers in the development process increases the success of the goods or services in the market in terms of launching and sales. Customer involvement will also lead to improved quality in company products or services with customer value being taken into consideration. The performance of the product in the market can also be monitored by looking at how involved the customer was in the development process. Organizations should therefore view customer involvement in the development process as vital since the success or failure of a product or service will depend on whether it meets the needs and desires of its target market. Companies should ensure there is user involvement in their new innovations as this ensures that the needs in the target market have been met, satisfied and incorporated into the new product or service. Companies should also have a clear view of what they want to achieve by customer involvement in their product and service innovations. References Alam, I. (2002) An exploratory investigation of user involvement in new service development. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Vol.30 p.250-261. Anandan, C. (2009) Product management. 2nd Edition. New Delhi : Tata McGraw-Hill. Avlonitis, G.J. and Papastathopoulou, P. (2006) Product and services management. London: Sage Publications Barclay, I., Dann, Z. and Holroyd, P. (2000) New product development: a practical workbook for improving performance. Great Britain: Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd Bogue, J., and Sorenson, D. (2006) Managing customer knowledge during the concept  d evelopment stage of the new food product development process: Department of  Food Business and Development. Ireland: University College Cork Burmann, C., and Arnhold, U. (2008) User generated branding: state of the art  research. Berlin, Germany: Transaction Publishers Edvardsson, Gustafsson, Kristensson and Magnusson (Eds) (2006) Involving customers in new service development. London: Imperial College Press Gruner, K.E and Homburg, C. (2000) Does Customer Interaction Enhance new product success. Journal of Business Research, Vol 49, p.1-14. Handfield, R.B., Monczka, R.M., Ragatz, G.L. and Frayer, D.J. (2000) New product development; strategies for supplier integration. Milwaukee, US: American Society for Quality press Hollins, B., and Shinkins, S. (2006) Managing service operations: design and implementation. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Pp. 131- 132 Luteberget, A. (2005) Customer involvement in new service development: how does customer involvement enhance new service succes s? Master’s Thesis in Information and Communication Technology. Agder University College: Faculty of Engineering and Science, Vol (2) 12-16 Pinegar, J.S. (2000) Customer involvement in industrial product development: creating superior products. Power point presentation [online]. Web.

Oral Report Tips for Speaking to Your Class

Oral Report Tips for Speaking to Your Class Does the thought of giving an oral report make you queasy? If so, youre not alone. People of all ages and occupations- even those with public speaking experience- feel the same way. The good news is that there are many things you can do to prepare and feel calmer during your talk. Just follow the tips below to gear up for a super performance. Tips for Presenting As with many things in life, delivering an oral report will be much easier if you take time to prepare for it. Preparation will give you confidence and help you focus on what matters when youre finally in the spotlight. Write your report to be heard, not read. There is a difference between words that are meant to be heard in your head and words that are meant to be heard out loud. Youll see this once you begin to practice what youve written, as some sentences will sound choppy or too formal.Practice your report out loud. This is very important. There will be some phrases that you will stumble over, even though they look simple. Read out loud when you practice and make changes to any phrases that stop your flow.On the morning of your report, eat something but dont drink soda. Carbonated beverages will give you dry mouth, and caffeine will affect your nerves and make you jittery. Stick to water or juice instead.Dress appropriately, and in layers. You never know whether the room will be hot or cold. Either could give you the shakes, so prepare for both.Once you stand up, take a moment to gather your thoughts or relax. Dont be afraid to give yourself a silent pause before you begin. Look through your pa per for a moment. If your heart is beating hard, this will give it an opportunity to calm down. If you do this right, it actually looks very professional, too. If you start to speak and your voice is shaky, take a pause. Clear your throat. Take a few relaxing breaths and start again.Focus on someone at the back of the room. This has a calming effect on some speakers. It may feel weird, but it doesnt look weird.Take the stage. Pretend youre a professional on TV. This gives confidence.Prepare an I dont know answer if people will be asking questions. Dont be afraid to say you dont know. You can say something like, That is a great question. Ill look into that.Have a good ending line. Avoid an awkward moment at the end by preparing a strong conclusion. Dont back away, mumbling Well, I guess thats all. Other Advice More generally, you can prepare for an oral report by deeply researching your topic and practicing your speech before a mirror or video camera. Know your topic well. If you feel confident about your knowledge, you will feel confident when it comes time to share that knowledge with others.If possible, make a practice video and watch yourself to see how you sound. Pay attention to your posture and tone of voice. If you have any nervous tics- such as saying um or ah- try to reduce them as much as you can.Dont pick the day of your report to experiment with a new style. It may give you an extra reason to feel nervous in front of a crowd.Walk up to your speaking location early to give your nerves time to calm down.

IFRS (ADIDAS) VS. US GAAP( nike) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

IFRS (ADIDAS) VS. US GAAP( nike) - Essay Example The generic accounting principles include four types of financial statements: balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and retained earnings statement (Nikolai et al, 2009). The balance sheet is one of the core accounting documents produced for all business entities, which provide the financial position of a company, with details on its assets, liabilities and ownership equity, at any given point in time. The income statement is a reflection of the profit and loss details that the entity generated over a particular period of time. Reflecting the operation of the enterprise, profit and loss statements, a term commonly used to describe the income statement, include the revenue generated from sale and the expenses that are incurred over the reporting period used for the document. The cash flow statement is a report that details the various activities undertaken by an entity, linked to investing and financing. Lastly, the statement of retained earnings is a snapshot of the ch anges that have taken place in the earnings of the entity over the reporting period that is in place as part of the accounting policy. The objective of the financial statement is variable to the stakeholder utilising the information. Organizational owners and managers use financial statements as a resource to base strategic decisions on, by assessing the overall operational efficiency of the business. On the other hand, investors look into the reporting data as a way of judging the viability of the institution, especially in context of the security and benefit it would create for any investment. The government bodies would use institutional financial statements within their due diligence and auditing process, to ascertain the declarations made by the entity, especially in relation to taxes and duties (Ding et al, 2007). Furthermore, financial bodies use this form of organizational documentation to decide the security

Combating compassion fatigue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Combating compassion fatigue - Assignment Example This eventually takes compassion and attention away from victims to the caregiver himself. Essentially, fatigue sets in for the provision of care; thereby jeopardizing the need to give compassion to victims. The cause of depression in caregivers that results in compassion fatigue could best be associated with excessive work that is deprived of rest (Ellard, Barlow and Mian, 2005). Anger Quick temperedness and erupted outburst of anger that is so sudden and uncharacteristic of a caregiver must be seen as a major sign that compassion fatigue is setting into the work and activity of the caregiver. As a care giver, come of the core duties that will generally be expected is the need to give compassion and solace to a heart that is deeply troubled and as such filled with so much inner anger (Day and Livingstone, 2003). When there is anger on the side of the caregiver then, this basic responsibility becomes jeopardized and compromised because it cannot be executed evenly. Once a caregiver b egins to be angry at the least provocation, the tendency is that the victim who decides care would even be angered at and so the level of compassion will be derailed. Such acts of anger are mostly caused by emotional factors that have to do with issues faced in the personal lives of caregivers (Forsythe and Compas, 1987). Absent mindedness Victims who go to the caregiver go to them with a thought that the caregiver is going to be an expert and a professional who is going to bare all the troubles that the victim brings on board. For this reason, it is always going to be expected that the victim would demand for constant attention from the caregiver. For this reason, caregivers who begin to have signs of absent mindedness when attending to victims and other people who are close to them must be aware of the possibility of compassion fatigue setting in. clearly, the caregiver would be absent minded because he or she has had a reduced degree of importance to the issue or case of the vict im and this is what compassion fatigue is all about (Albino et al., 2003). Taking too much work than a caregiver can genuinely deliver is a major cause of absent mindedness; especially when tiredness sets in. Sluggishness In the everyday delivery of their duties, caregivers are expected to be very sharp at what they do. Such acts of sharpness install a lot of confidence in victims. It also increases the trust that they have in caregivers. For this reason, any acts of laziness and sluggishness should be watched critically and be seen as a possible cause of the onset of compassion fatigue. Indeed, if there is no strength to carry out one’s duties and so the person begins to show signs of sluggishness at work, there is no way that person will be expected to deliver the same level or amount of compassion that he or she delivered to victims. Sluggishness is a direct reflection of tiredness and so tiredness and lack of rest could cause it. Stress Psychologists and other social comm entators have attributed stress to be a very emotional and psychological problem that comes with a tired mind. The mind as an organ in the body has its own roles and functions that it plays. Though it is known that the mind controls most activities and functions of the body, the mind also has its own limitations (Cortoni and Marshall, 2001). The mind cannot for instance be expected to be omniscient, knowing all things and doing everything at every

Buddhism Essay -- Papers Religion Buddha Essays Papers

Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as â€Å"the Buddha.† As one of the greatest Asian religion, it teaches the practice and the observance of moral perceptions. â€Å"Buddhism begins with a man. In his later years, when India was afire with his message, people came to him asking what he was. Not ‘Who are you?’ but ‘What are you?’ ‘Are you god?’ they asked. ‘No.’ ‘An angel?’ ‘No.’ ‘A saint?’ ‘No.’ ‘Then, what are you?’ Buddha answered, ‘I am awake.’ His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. The Sanskrit root budh means to awake and to know. While the rest of humanity was dreaming the dream we call the waking human state, one of their number roused himself. Buddhism begins with a man who woke up. Buddha was born a prince named Siddhartha Gautama in a small kingdom in what is now Nepal. Siddharta’s birth is described as a miraculous event, his birth being the result of his mother's impregnation by a sacred white elephant that touched her left side with a lotus flower. The scriptures claim that when Gautama was born â€Å"immeasurable light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire to see his glory" (Evans 141) Shortly after his birth, his father consulted with a number of astrologers, all of whom declared that the newborn prince would become a great king and that he would rule the world in truth and righteousness. Among these astrologers, there was one who declared that if the prince were to see a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a world-renouncing ascetic, he w... ...he physical world and one's perceptions of it as a means towards enlightenment. All activities, including sex, can be used as a meditative technique. This was called Vajrayana, or "The Vehicle of the Thunder-Bolt." The Vajrayanans believed that each bodhisattva had consorts or wives, called taras These female counterparts embodied the active aspects of the bodhisattva, and so were worshipped. One learned the teachings of Tantrism from a master, and then one joined a group of others who had been trained. There one would practice the rituals learned from the master. For the Tantrists, the physical world was identical with the Void and human perception was identical with Nirvana. Buddhism, however, was slowly fading off of the Indian landscape; Tantrism came on the scene just as Buddhism began to slowly lose its vitality.

A Critique Paper on the Article Essay

There had been rampant news about economic crises that come and go due to a variety of reasons. More often than not, these crises affected a number of countries, and not surprisingly, a lot of businesses as well, especially those that operated in the affected countries. The issue here now is how a business’s top management will respond when faced with the repercussions of a crisis. Of course, there are many courses of action to choose from, and one of these options is restructuring. Corporate restructuring is entered into by firms that deemed that no other viable options exist but this. The usual form of restructuring is debt restructuring, wherein the creditor and the debtor renegotiate the terms and conditions of the existing debt of the latter in order to make it less onerous to fulfill. It may lead one to wonder why any sensible creditor would agree to this knowing it would be disadvantageous on his part. One of the main reasons why creditors agree to this arrangement is because of its relationship with the debtor. If it is in good terms with the debtor or has a history of mutual benefit, creditors would then consider this option, notwithstanding the detriments on its part. Restructuring is not also limited to corporate bodies. Any types of businesses, may it be small, medium or large enterprises, may use this option. In fact, this paper tackles the restructuring process and the probability of its success based on small- and medium-sized enterprises, given the following variables of determination enumerated in the paper. II. Main discussion a. Summary of the article This paper aims to measure the likelihood of success of a firm’s restructuring process with a bank’s assistance, given identified factors. To empirically test the paper’s hypothesis, the model is formulated as follows: Success in Restructuring = f (firm size, ROA, debt ratio, debt structure, bank debt, restructuring period, value of collateral) The size of the firm, which is measured using a firm’s total assets, is taken into consideration in determining the outcome of the restructuring process. This is so because it determines the level of resources a firm possesses. In the same vein, the value of collateral is considered as well as the degree of collaterized debt a firm has. The firm’s return on assets (ROA) is included as a measure of the firm’s profitability. The debt ratio, which is the portion of total debt on total assets, is considered for obvious reasons. The debt structure is incorporated to determine mainly the percentage of short-term and longterm to the total debt of the firm. The bank debt, measured as the percentage of debt owed to the bank in relation to the total debt, is taken into consideration. This is so because a firm receiving bank assistance for its debt restructuring may be affected because of their liabilities towards the ones helping them during their tumultuous times. Lastly, the restructuring period is added. A longer period would require more resources to be expended on the part of the distressed firm, in turn affecting the likelihood of success of its restructuring. Since this [paper] was made in the context of the Netherlands, the sample of firms and all other relevant data were taken from said country. The researchers gathered and classified 51 â€Å"successful firms† and 22 â€Å"unsuccessful firms†. The paper employed a qualitative response model (QRM), particularly the logit, to test their model in its multi-variate setting. The results of the empirical test were summarized in the subsequent tables (all taken from the paper): Table 2. 1 shows that both classes of firms were relatively comparable in terms of their size despite the difference (Total assets), but this is significant only at the 10% level, meaning, the size discrepancy is not enough to be a source of bias in the results. In the industry level, it can be seen that the Manufacturing and the Services and Transport industries are the ones that experience a lot of financial distress (results were significant at the 1% level, in other words, really significant). However, it is a different story between the two. The Manufacturing industry has more cases of unsuccessful restructurings whereas it is the other way around for the Services and Transport. The Other industries is also significant (10% level), which can mean that the researchers should have considered more industries rather than lumping them all in one. For the reasons of distress, it is surprising to see that only Overinvestment was significant (5% level). This can explain the reason why Manufacturing is on the top of the list: overinvestment has led the firms to grow at unmanageable levels, which was also coupled by a decreasing demand for the firm’s products, leading to their demise. Table 2. 2 answers the main topic at hand, which is the determination of significant factors (firm characteristics) to the probability of successful restructuring. These figures were taken pre-restructuring. The results show that the significant factors were those that relate to a firm’s debt. Moreover, it can be seen that unsuccessful firms had a really high debt ratio compared to the successful firms. It can therefore be concluded that a firm’s debt condition spells out its success or failure in debt restructuring. b. Significance This study can be useful for firms of all sizes and also to banks, the former to determine if restructuring is a wise decision given their debt situation, and the latter to decide if a financially-distressed irm is worth helping given their financial constraints. To put it simply, it helps both parties (especially the banks) to maximize the use of their resources that will reap them the most benefits. This is also not limited to developed countries, since this can also be applied in developing countries like the Philippines. Policy-makers can also get value from the results of this study by implementing the appropriate rules in connection with t his issue to ensure that the economic condition of the country will be protected from any harm that can emanate from this. III. Relation to class discussion It was actually in class that I have first heard of restructuring, and of course how to address the accounting problems posed by debt restructuring. In relation to this article, it actually deviates from the accounting issues learned in class, and takes it to another level, which is applying it in the real-world context. For my part, journal articles like these make me think that there is more to something that what we initially see. For instance, the class opened my eyes to the accounting perspective of debt restructuring, but this article made me appreciate this topic a whole lot more because of the familiarity I have with the topic and the discussion itself. Moreover, it has enriched my knowledge on the said topic. After this, I am really encouraged to read a lot more to quench my thirst for knowledge not only in my chosen field of expertise, but also in anything I am curious about. After all, living a meaningful and satisfying life is not by being ignorant, but by being curious about the things around you.