Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Humble Beginnings of Internet Discovery

The year is 1957 and the USSR has just launched the first artificial earth satellite. In response America launches the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) within the Department of Defense (DOD) to create America†s lead in science and technology. The Internet had its humble beginnings here, The Internet has become one of the key symbols of today†s pop culture: everything has a â€Å"dot com† address; people do not say â€Å"call me,† but instead its â€Å"I†ll E-mail you;† and the new word on the stock market is â€Å"E-business. The Internet has not always been such a key figure in American life; in fact it was The theory for the Internet first started being published in 1961 with Leonard Kleinrock†s document on packet-switching theory, â€Å"Information Flow in Large Communication Net. † This document presented the theory behind the first problem of the Internet, and how to solve it1. The problem was this: when a large document is sent then pieces of it become lost in transfer and the entire document has to be resent, but then different pieces are missing from the new copy of the document. This is a major problem and the obvious solution is to â€Å"chop† the information up into smaller pieces and then transmit the smaller ieces2. Then another problem was realized, how does the computer know where to put these small bits of information? The solution to that was what has come to be known as packet-switching (PS). In PS, the entire document is sent in a bunch of tiny â€Å"packets,† these packets contain the information of the document â€Å"wrapped† in its placement on the page. The receiving computer then sends a message back to the transmitting computer telling it which packets were corrupted or missing and the transmitting computer then re-sends the lost The next problem that the Internet faced was first discovered at the ARPA†s networking project, ARPAnet. Since it was militarily connected, the leaders of ARPAnet wanted a way that information could be moved between two computers without requiring a direct connection in case the direct link between two computers failed (was destroyed). The way that the ARPAnet project dealt with this was by having the network bounce the information around without it taking a direct path to the receiving computer4. The result of this was that almost no two packets will travel the same path and there will always be a The final problem that ARPAnet came across was the fact that most omputers did not run exactly the same hardware or software as another. Their solution to this was to build smaller computers (called Interface Message Processors or IMPs) that were in direct contact with the main computer and also in connection with the other IMPs on the network. All of the IMPs were built to the same specifications so that one could easily communicate with the other5. In 1968 all three of these developments were put into action when ARPA sent out proposals and requests for contractors. Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, Inc. (BBN) were awarded the contract to build the IMPs, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was awarded the Network Measurement Center contract, and the Network Working Group (NWG) was formed to develop host protocols for the soon to be developed ARPAnet. Nodes are set up as soon as BBN builds the IMP for that location. The first node was at UCLA and installed on August 30, 1969. It was the Network Measurement center and ran on the SDS SIGMA7 operating system. The second node was setup on October 1, 1969, at Stanford Research Institute. It was the Network Information Center (NIC) and ran on the SDS940/Genie operating system. Node three was installed November 1, 1969, at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). It served as the mathematical engine for the network and ran on the IBM 360/75 operating system. The fourth, and final, node of the ARPAnet was put at University of Utah in December. This computer ran the graphics for the ARPAnet, and ran on the DEC PDP-10 operating system6. The connecting of these different operating systems and computers showed that the idea behind the IMPs really worked. On October 29 the first packets were sent by Charley Kline at UCLA as he tried logging into SRI. The system crashed as the letter â€Å"G† of â€Å"LOGIN† was being The ARPAnet was a far cry from the Internet of today: there was no e-mail, no web pages, and no AOL. This began to change in the 1970†³s. The first step was the cross-country link between UCLA and BBN. As a result of this, fifteen nodes (twenty-three hosts) were connected to the ARPAnet. BBN also developed a cheaper IMP, and a new IMP that supports up to sixty-four hosts, instead of the old four hosts. Then Ray Tomlinson developed an E-mail program for the ARPAnet, and in the following year, Larry Roberts wrote an E-mail management program that allows people to selectively read, file, forward, and respond to messages. Quickly after that development the first computer-computer chat occurs and is demonstrated at the International Convention on Computer Communications. Then the first international links to ARPAnet are installed in the United Kingdom and Norway. In 1974, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn publish â€Å"A Protocol for Packet Network Interconnection† that outlined, in detail, a design of a Transmission Control Program (TCP)7. During the same year, BBN opened Telnet, the first public packet data service (a commercial version of ARPAnet). Vint Cerf also draws the ideas for gateway architecture on the back of an envelope in a hotel lobby. Three years later his ideas are employed as BBN provides the gateways for the first true Internet (one that uses Internet protocol, which was then a part of TCP). Shortly after that, in 1978, TCP is split up into TCP/IP (Transmission Control In 1979 there was a new development in the ARPAnet with the addition of the Packet Radio Network (PRNET). To conduct experiments of the PRNET computers were literally loaded up in vans and driven around until they could not communicate. Also, on April 12, Kevin MacKenzie sends out a message suggesting the use of emotions (such as â€Å":)† for happy) and is heckled by most f the people he sends an E-mail to. None of these folks had any idea that it would become the huge phenomenon it is today. Later on, in 1982, the Internet begins to become a reality when Norway leaves ARPAnet and connects using a TCP/IP connection over the SATNET (Satellite Network), and ARPA finally designated TCP/IP as the protocol suite for ARPAnet and the term â€Å"Internet† is born. Now the entire world is open for communication by the connecting of the specific countries networks to those of the SATNET. Then, in 1985, Symbolics. com becomes the first registered domain name, and NetNorth is connected to provide Canada with coast-to-coast onnectivity one hundred years to the day after the last spike for the November 2, 1988, the day the net stood still. Robert Morris Jr. , son of NSA chief scientist Robert Morris Sr. , sent out what will forever be known as the â€Å"Morris Worm. † The Morris Worm clogged up about ten percent of the Internet–a small amount, but enough to crash the Internet and land Mr. Morris (Jr. ) a hefty fine and prison time. Earlier in that year, Internet Relay Chat was developed; something that has become one of the key factors in Internet usage In the ten years since the Morris Worm the Internet has gone mainstream. After the ARPAnet ceased, the Internet had an explosion in usage and has become the giant that Americans know today. It has transformed from its humble beginnings, when it crashed on the first attempted remote LOGIN, into an economy driving, pop culture staple. Few people have heard of men such as Leonard Kleinrock, but none can say he has not contributed to America today. So, when you think about the Cold War, think about Sputnik and the Internet it Hafner, Katie; Lyon, Matthew. Where Wizards Stay up Late: The Origins of the Kristula, David. â€Å"The History of the Internet. â€Å"

Strategic Global Management

Multiple-choice Chapter 6 Which of the following is not true for a capability? A) it cannot be traded B) it changes over time C) it can be easily described in detail D) it can improve value Which of the following is not a necessary condition for the effective implementation of a pay for performance system? A) employees must be able to control the pace of production B) there should be a lower bound on product qualityC) managers should receive a high bonus for the piece rate work of their employees D) team members should have roughly the same preferences for effort Which of the following is not an activity in the value chain? A) outbound procurement B) marketing C) technology development D) operations Chapter 7 A key assumption underlying theories of vertical integration is: A) Opportunistic behavior B) Suppliers and buyers have the same size C) Suppliers and buyers are located in the same country D) Firms are boundarylessIn the strategic sourcing framework, firms vertically integrate when A) the firm’s need to control and its ability to perform an activity are both high B) there is high uncertainty surrounding the transaction with the supplier C) the need to control and the ability to perform the activity are uncorrelated D) the supplier has invested in high technology 14. The two most studied types of uncertainty that influence vertical integration decisions are: A) exchange rate and volume B) labor cost and technological C) material cost and labor costD) volume and technological The standard theory of vertical integration over the industry life cycle states A) vertical integration occurs primarily in the early and late stages B) vertical integration increases in the shakeout C) vertical integration increases throughout the life cycle D) vertical integration decreases over the life cycle Chapter 8 Which of the following is generally a motivation for the formation of technology partnerships among large firms? A) coalition formation in the context of stand ards competition B) sharing complementary technologiesC) interfirm learning of process innovations D) all of the above In which industry are partnerships based on patent sharing prevalent? A) data communications B) semiconductors C) biotechnology D) pharmaceuticals When does the ability of a potential partner to cooperate effectively become apparent? A) when it promises to follow the rules of the alliance B) when it is certified by an appropriate agency C) when the network of partnerships in the industry develops D) all of the above Chapter 9A nationally segmented industry is one in which: A) country specific advantage and firm specific advantage are both high B) country specific advantage is high and firm-specific advantage is low C) country specific advantage is low and firm specific advantage is low D) none of the above Which of the following promote technological spillovers within a region? A) managerial transfers B) labor pooling C) regional associations D) all of the above Por ter’s diamond model contains which of the following factors? A) technological spilloversB) cultural constraints C) export policies D) demand conditions Chapter 10 Which types of new business will a corporation’s financial capital contribute the most to? A) larger businesses in mature industries B) smaller units in growing industries C) larger businesses in growing industries D) smaller units in mature industries Diversification paths of firms in the same industry vary across countries because: A) the resources and capabilities of the firms in the same industry differ systematically across countriesB) countries differ in the institutions that present diversification opportunities C) countries are located in different geographical locations D) the firms’ top management teams differ systematically across countries When an acquisition announcement occurs, acquisition targets often tend to: A) Enjoy a positive stock reaction B) Suffer a negative stock reaction C) Mai ntain their stock price D) Outsource more Chapter 11 Traditionally, firms that have grown through unrelated diversification have faced which of the following problems?A) the businesses were managed to support short-term corporate financial goals B) the complexity of the business portfolio exceeded corporate management’s capability C) there was no enduring economic rationale at the level of operations for the business units to be in the same corporation D) all of the above A transfer using a mandated market price is most effective when the downstream unit A) is attempting to establish its market position based on a cost advantage B) is attempting to establish its market position based on a value advantage C) has already achieved a dominant market position D) has failed to achieve a dominant market positionVertical integration, as represented among profit centers in a multi-business firm, is A) always superior to transactions in the market B) never superior to transactions in t he market C) not necessarily superior to transactions in the market D) none of the above Open questions Describe the two key strategic motivations for international expansion? Why do multinationals emerge? How have Zara’s practices and policies regarding its boundaries contributed to its growth and performance? What was the source of tension between Stephen Davies and Christopher Carson in the BRL Hardy case? What are its strategic implications?

Friday, August 30, 2019

How Today’s Managers Use Scientific Management Essay

An overview During the past 57 years, Pakistan’s experiences with democracy have been transitory, as brief democratic rules have been followed by prolonged military regimes.As a nation, Pakistanis have time and again refused to delearn the incremental lessons in parliamentary democracy. Due to this fact, the four military regimes that Pakistanis saw finally reverted to controlled and guided democracy in quest for legitimacy. ‘Basic democracy’ of General Ayub Khan and ‘Islamic democracy’ of General Ziaul Haq were the efforts to appease popular sentiments and ‘sustainable democracy’ of General Pervez Musharraf is also not different from the two previous experiments with democracy. All the three military dictators patronized and promoted their own factions of Pakistan Muslim League — the party claimant to be the founder of the country — to block the way of normative political forces. In order to supplement their efforts to monopolize the political sphere, the military rulers as unfair referees framed biased rules for the political game. The outcome was a paralysed parliament run by privileged puppets. So-called intellectual brigades mostly comprising retired generals and former bureaucrats nursed not only militarization of state and society but also pleaded for authoritative presidential system. However, with the exception of Ayub Khan none of the military rulers succeeded in such efforts. Ayub Khan’s so-called presidential system immediately collapsed  with his ouster from the political arena. Shockingly, such debates still exist to eclipse the future of parliamentary democracy in Pakistan. The argument derives its logic from the experience of certain East Asian nations that mortgaged their political liberties for economic growth in first place. In this scenario, a qualitative judgement on Pakistan’s democratic experiences can only point to trends and perceptions. Integrity of a nation state The lack of continuity in the democratic process meant that most of the interests groups in the country, whether economic or sub-national at one stage or the other, feel that the system is not fully responsive to their interests. It is generally perceived that during the undemocratic regimes, sub-nationalist forces grew in their disenchantment with the state and governance pattern. Conversely, whenever there have been even quasi-democratic governments, these sub-national entities felt to be part of the system and voices of dissent against state have been considerably mild. To that extent, the democratic experience in Pakistan has played some part in assuaging the concerns of the federating units. Interestingly, with the exception of a few hardcore jihadi outfits, all major religiopolitical parties have been stakeholders in the democratic process. Despite their cherished theological dream and desire of caliphate, the religious parties competed and contested all general elections in the country. The story of ethnic and nationalist voices from periphery namely smaller provinces — Balochistan and NWFP — is not different. These forces have fully participated in the democratic institutions to plead for their demands. Democratic institutions Juxtaposed to above-mentioned trends, the governance and the democratic institutions have not been sufficiently participatory and democratic in their conduct, and failed to cobble up some institutional mechanism for making decisions democratically. The conflicts between the opposition and ruling party often led to use of state apparatus against the opposition parties. Thus, it has been common to see rulers of yesterday as prisoners of today. Therefore, the democratic empowerment remained an illusive dream, and execution and exile emerged as alternatives for the politicians. Many  political observers agree that although the country’s political leadership commendably fought for democratic governance whenever they faced a military rule, there own actions in power have been autocratic.â€Å"Despite making struggle for restoration of democracy, they have failed to build a legal framework, create a pro-democracy environment and most importantly build a policy framework in which   conflicts may be resolved through negotiations, by making bargain, and by building consensus.† (Saeed Shafqat — Democracy in Pakistan: Value Change and Challenges of Institution Building) In this context, no wonder that conflicts between different political forces in the 1980s and 1990s were resolved through the military mediated coercive state powers. Both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto launched major military operations in Karachi to counter Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Though the conflict was not entirely political in nature, during the course of events such operations backed by the military establishment somewhere crossed lines from merely a law and order restoration to political vendetta. Present discontentment among Baloch nationalists over the alleged abuse of their resources by the federal government, especially in Gwadar, points to the inability of the state to satisfy the federating units. Moreover, the way these concerns are being addressed exemplify that nothing has changed in terms of coercive methodologies employed to settle major political issues. Constitutional amendments In order to evolve and erect a fair social contract between the state and the citizens, Pakistan has had three constitutions in 1956, 1962 and 1973, two interim constitutional arrangements in 1947 and 1972, and two major attempts of constitutional engineering in 1985 and 2002. All these attempts were to oscillate the power pendulum towards the designer. The casualty in the process was the rule of law and a viable social contract between the rulers and the ruled. In spite of these odds, Pakistan has exhibited unique resilience to survive. The critical question, however, remains that whether instability would stay as the professed policy of the powerful civil-military establishment or Pakistan would finally witness any moment of democratic triumph? Flawed legislation Legislation process that traditionally flows out of the constitution and contemporary needs of the society is often considered as the most important function of democratic institutions. Unfortunately, this process has been highly flawed even in the democratic eras. In the statute books, majority of the laws are those inherited from the colonial rulers, whereas the second biggest chunk is the set of presidential ordinances (though these are later converted into acts of parliament without any major changes), and very few laws that epitomize the brain of legislators. The tradition of private member bill has never been encouraged in Pakistan. Role of state institutions in protecting citizens The state has miserably failed in protecting life and property of its citizens. The actions to curb the crime have been selective and demonstrative, and that too marred by corrupt practices of the functionaries in different state agencies responsible for providing protection to masses. The state of affairs in the country’s police department and judiciary is no secret, and popular perception is that all efforts on part of the state have been mere an eyewash. Registration of cases by the police even on commission of a crime of heinous nature is very difficult for a common citizen, particularly the poor. In some instances, cases are registered even months after commission of a crime and obviously this leads to loss of critical evidence to prove the cases. Not only this, even if an aggrieved person gets a case registered, the rampant corruption in judiciary makes the accomplishment of justice impossible for the weak and vulnerable segments of the society. Thus, this state of affairs has badly shattered the public confidence in the state institutions, leading to aggravation of situation at the grassroots through giving further boost to the lawlessness and prevalence of uncertainty among the masses. Decision-making and people’s voice Lack of a culture of public debate before legislation is one of the major reasons that today there may be thousands of laws on the statue books but their enforcement is very weak. Sometimes, multiple laws to address any  single issue empower the law enforcers to employ their discretionary powers. Drivers of legislation are often self interests of the ruling class, expediency or some external pressures when it comes to things that have a global perspective. Constitutional amendments to strengthen the interests of the ruling party or one-sided amendments by the military rulers are also not uncommon. Therefore, the present lawmaking system has been unable to keep pace with the changing realities. The government often comes up with quantitative figures to project its legislative performance that in fact is nothing more than minor amendments to the existing laws. Similarly, policy formulation also remain highly personalized and outside the ambit of the parliament. Lack of credibility of elections Country’s record in holding fair and free elections is also not very impressive. It has become a common practice of the defeated parties or politicians that they invariably blame the state for manipulating the elections, and the reason for such scepticism is ingrained deep in the country’s political history. Understandably, when the state institutions (military and civil bureaucracy) seem to have a lucid tilt towards a particular political force or the other, the losing party has all the reasons to suspect the transparency of elections. Moreover, the results of the elections are further manipulated when it comes to the formation of a government. Many a time, the party that has gained larger number of votes or larger number of seats is kept out of the power through post election alliance making. This exercise could be a positive development if entirely left to the dynamics of politics alone, as this could lead the political parties to create some kind of minimum consensus. But contrary to this fact, the outside players, like intelligence agencies, take up the responsibility of forging the alliances. Such manipulations not only create further doubts about the democratic process but also have inbuilt flaws and instability. Such alliances mean that the government has no connection with the masses. Pakistan’s history also testifies to another fact that though the people are allowed to elect governments, they have rarely been given an opportunity to vote out governments. The elected governments have been mostly removed through some arbitrary and discretionary power vested in the head of the  state or by direct military intervention. In a sense, people in the country are not fully aware of the power that their vote may have. Communication gap between political parties and masses Despite a majority of people in the country accepts that democracy is the best system of governance, political parties have not really been able to capitalise on this broad consensus. As the infrastructure of the political parties over the past two decades has lost the ability to educate masses at the grassroots level, and the parties are less interactive with them, the creed known as political workers is becoming extinct. Political parties are now talking to the electorate through media alone, and this practice has led to an ample communication gap between the parties and the people. While this gap increases, some other impediments in the development of democratic culture continue to influence the common man’s mindset. Textbooks taught in schools do not talk favourably about political parties as institutions. Rather these books target some of the elected leaders while eulogising the military rulers of the country. Even the overall sense of the textbooks does not come out positively for a democratic system of governance. The common perception propagated vehemently by the establishment that members of the parliament do not remain in touch with the electorate once they are elected. Although a deep look at the mechanisms of politics suggest this may not be true, as it might have almost been impossible for politicians to get reelected if they completely lose contact with the electorate, it is largely true in case of big landlords who  have such clout in their constituencies that they cannot be defeated whatever the situation may be. However, in case of some politicians from the urban centre, the past elections have proved this perception wrong. Public perception of democracy Despite all odds pitched against vibrant and transparent democratic governance, 88 per cent Pakistanis value democracy as a good political system. In a survey, conducted between August 15, 2001 and February 28, 2002, 2,000 people were interviewed, and only four per cent of respondents preferred military rule over democratic governance. However, the level of  trust in political parties was pretty low as compared to the civil service and the armed forces. See table below: Answers Questions Yes in % Is democracy a good political system? 88 Is democracy despite its problems better than other political systems? 82 Is military government good for Pakistan? 4 Is a strong leader better to make decision without consent of the 34 Parliament? Should technocrats make key decisions rather than elected 19 government? Is Pakistan run by big interest groups who looked out for themselves 89 rather than the benefit of the people? Are you satisfied with handling of country’s affairs by the gov ernment 43 (military government)? Are you happy with the country’s political system? 8 Do you have confidence in political parties? 28 Do you have confidence in civil service? 50 Do you have confidence in armed forces? 86 Would like to have higher economic growth? 76 Would like to have more say in decision making? 4 Would like to see improvement in law and order situation? 57 Would like to see higher economic growth? 76 (Data Published in Daily Times on November 24, 2004.) The survey was published as part of a publication: Human Beliefs and Values. The lead author was Ronald Inglehart, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan and president of the World Value Surveys Association. The book is a cross-cultural scorebook based on surveys in 82 countries conducted between 1999 and 2002. According to another opinion poll, conducted by the Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Consortium (PLSC), in Pakistan 45 per cent people believe that political parties are essential and necessary for democracy but 62 per cent think that the parties primarily serve their own interests. Only 13 per cent consider political parties do serve the public interest. These figures show the political parties have to put their house in order to gain wider acceptance and reclaim their lost ground. Mushrooming of political parties Political parties have mushroomed in Pakistan in the past couple of decades. Every shade of political opinion or religious/sectarian group is now organized as a full-fledged party. Thanks to the constitution, there is no condition of the minimum membership for registration of a political party. Presently, over 90 parties submit their internal election certificate and annual income and expenditure statements to the Election Commission of  Pakistan to qualify for an election symbol. As many as 62 participated in the general elections in 2002, and 16 parties and two alliances got representation in the National Assembly, 12 parties and two alliances won seats in the Senate, and a few   more in the provincial assemblies. This is the highest number of political parties to reach the democratic institutions in Pakistan. Interestingly, seven out of 15 parties have just one legislator and another one — Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (Patriots) later renamed and registered as the Pakistan People’s Party — parachuted from the opposition to the treasury benches after the establishment facilitated division of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians. Amazingly, majority of defectors hailed from Punjab and many of them have been given ministerial slots. Role of intelligence agencies in politics The role of the intelligence agencies that are mostly controlled by the military establishment is also a major impediment in the growth of democratic culture. The attempts to downgrade the political forces have been a consistent strategy for the establishment. These outfits work behind the scene to purchase loyalties or force politicians for forging alliances to serve the purposes of the establishment, particularly the military. Infliction of political parties by corruption A large number of Pakistanis believe that corruption inflicts political parties, and that political leaders have failed democracy.In Global Corruption Report 2004, published by the Transparency International, Pakistan figures in a category of states where investment in political parties can yield desired policy outcomes sought by the investors in the game. This study conducted by World Economic Forum to expose the extent of political corruption around the world is based on the results of 2003 Executive Opinion Survey in the Global Competitiveness Report. The report places Pakistan in the category of the countries with ‘medium political corruption’ where the culture of irregular payments in government policymaking, policy consequences of political donations and odd reality of illegal political donations do exist. However, the facts belie the popular  perceptions about political corruption. Who is really tainted? An answer came on February 28, 2003 when a federal minister told the National Assembly that the National Accountability Bureau had recovered Rs1.8 billion from 87 senior officials and Rs770.10 million from 149 officials working at lower levels. The second biggest recovery of Rs450.10 million was made from military officers and the much-maligned politicians were at number three as Rs260.20 million were recovered from 17 politicians. Abrupt policy changes In fact, Pakistan first time experienced across the board general elections in 1970 and people clearly voted in favour of the parties that were challenging the established order. Though these elections resulted in the break up of Pakistan, still the process is described as the most transparent one. After creation of Bangladesh in 1971, the remaining part was led by a leader who tried to establish supremacy of the elected leadership over bureaucracy. This gave a new impetus and confidence to the polity to aspire for civilian control over state institutions. But General Ziaul Haq’s martial law tried to reverse whatever had been achieved by the polity. There were many steps like party-less polls at the local level and also later at the federal and provincial levels. Creating new breed of politicians and doling out state funds for development work to strengthen them were some of the steps that affected the political process negatively. However, as soon as an elected parliament was in place the tussle for supremacy once again started. Driven by demands of the electorate for development, jobs and resolution of their problems by 1999, the polity in fact had increased influence and autonomy to an extent where it started to vie for control over the military appointments. In 1999, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ultimate downfall was a consequence of an attempt to replace the army chief (General Pervez Musharraf) with a general of his own choice, as earlier he had succeeded in securing resignation from General Musharraf’s predecessor (General Jehangir Karamat) in October 1998. Before  that, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had removed an army chief in 1972. Except the two mentioned instances, the military mostly decided its affairs on its own, without allowing a civilian chief executive to do so. Role of civil and military bureaucracy The elected representatives had largely been powerless. This could be judged easily through role of deputy commissioner as envisaged by the British when they introduced this office for the basic administrative unit (district) in the then India and the functions a deputy commissioner performed till introduction of a new local government system (or devolution of power by the Musharraf regime) in 2001. Through introduction of a new local government system, the Musharraf regime institutionalised the supremacy of elected public representatives at the district level over deputy commissioner. It handed over many powers of the deputy commissioner to the district nazim. In a way, the wish of the polity to have a better control over state affairs at the local level has been granted and accepted. However, in this case too the establishment opted to provide a lease of life to traditional political elite by allowing them to contest for election to the office of district nazim. This way, the fresh blood was recruited as councillors with 33 per cent representation of women. Second odd that goes against the spirit of meaningful devolution of power is that the role of military has been institutionalised at the federal level with a president who is also the chief of army staff and the National Security Council that has representation of the armed forces and is headed by the president. In the words of Jehangir Karamt, a former chief of army staff, the new amendments in the constitution including the one under which the National Security Council has been established were an attempt to settle the question of civil-military relationship on terms of the military. Even at the district level the military establishment is not ready to allow party-based elections as that would mean strengthening the political parties at the grassroots level and once able to organise would again be ready to challenge the military dominance in the affairs of the state. Role of people In the whole equation, where do the people stand? For the people, the elected members remain the only access to the legislatures. However, Pakistani democracy is yet to reach a level where access to parliament means that their issues are debated and laws are framed to safeguard the public  interests. An opinion poll, conducted by the IFES in 2004 on behalf of the Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Consortium with support from the USAID, revealed that the people tend to be satisfied with the closest tier of government. However, the disturbing finding of the survey was that majority of the respondents fall in the category of â€Å"don’t know† and it reflects their apathy towards democratic governance. Satisfaction/dissatisfaction with institution Institution Very/somewhat satisfied % Army 58 Union Council 28 District Government 19 Town/Tehsil Council 18 Judiciary 18 Provincial Assembly 15 National Parliament 14 Election Commission 12 The Senate 10 Very/somewhat dissatis fied % 10 23 22 23 27 19 20 17 18 Don’t Know % 33 49 59 59 56 65 66 70 72 Public Opinion in Pakistan-2004 Role of judiciary In functioning democracies a void is filled by the judiciary. But besides corruption, the lack of proper infrastructure and interference of executive in the domain of judiciary are some of the major impediments. Only in the Supreme Court of Pakistan 25,000 cases are pending, though the Chief Justice of Pakistan claims that during the last year a record number of cases were disposed of. The number of pending cases in the lower courts also runs in hundreds of thousands. In absence of speedy justice, medieval jirga (tribal jury) system competes with formal judiciary in various parts of the country. â€Å"There is a backlog of civil and criminal cases at the level of subordinate judiciary in all provinces. In the province of the Punjab, the number of cases presently pending is 111,839 sessions cases, 343,732 criminal cases and 439,460 civil cases. In the province of Sindh, the number of pending cases comes to 109,833, in NWFP the figure is 96,332 whereas in Balochistan, it is 5,454.† — The figures have been taken from speech of the Chief Justice of Pakistan on beginning of new judicial year on October 4, 1999, available at: http://www.ljcp.gov.pk/ Continuous tussle between different power centres in the country has also led a large number of cases of political nature being decided in the superior courts. In a sharply divided society that translates into question marks over the credibility of the judiciary. Judiciary has not served its cause well by accepting supra-constitutional arrangements to work under. Pakistan’s superior judiciary till date is working under an oath administered to them after promulgation of the  Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) 1999. The PCO 1999 was introduced to facilitate General Musharraf. Constitution was restored in 2002 but the judiciary has so far not taken a fresh oath. The lawyers community has been very critical of this role of judiciary, and even today all the major bar associations of the country continue to question the credibility and legitimacy of courts. The Supreme Court Bar Association has for the first time in the country’s history published a whitepaper about the undemocratic role of the superior judiciary and continues to campaign for supremacy of the constitution and independence of judiciary. The collusion between the judiciary and the autocratic rulers has had a very adverse impact on the country’s political and social fabric. Many of the laws that were brought on the statute books by the military rulers to back their particular agenda could not be repealed. Many controversial laws now have the religious seal of approval. This means that even democratic majority cannot amend and change these laws as it fears that such a change may bring adverse reaction by the aggressive religious lobbies. Many of these laws have a potential to be used for selective justice against minorities, women and marginalised sections of the society. This is evident from the laws like blasphemy and Hudood laws. Attempts to change these have met stiff resistance despite attempts by some elected members across the party divide but these have often hit roadblocks. Functioning and outlook of political parties In Pakistan, democracy’s inability to sustain and deliver on the long-term basis not only lies in the unwillingness of the military establishment to let political process take its own course but also in the way the political parties function and grow. The political parties in their outlook remain personality oriented. Each party is recognised by the name of one person. Even breakaway factions if they do not try to give themselves a proper nomenclature and try to stick to the parent party’s name will be recognised with the name of prominent leader heading the faction. The elitist leadership of most of the populist parties limits their ability to articulate, propagate and protect the interests of all societal groups. Majority of the mainstream parties excluding those representing religious right are dominated by the landowning classes. These classes bring their  traditional mode of control and manipulation to party politics also. As a result the political parties whenever they had an opportunity have strengthened a system of governance that is more paternalistic where the local political influential provide solutions like jobs, development, etc, but in the process constitutional governance is ignored. People’s participation in policy formulation at the party level is also scant. Most parties believe in the top down approach and tend to follow the decisions of leadership on critical matters. Party workers most often than not will be wondering what way their leadership is going or what kind of compromises these parties are making to win power. Religious parties have another kind of internal conflict in their discourse about democracy and democratic governance. The religious right has participated in most of the elections since the creation of Pakistan with the best electoral performance in 2002 when these parties joined hands and contested from a single platform. Now at least in one province, the alliance is running a government and in another is a coalition partner. On the other hand, the jihadi offshoots of the religious right do not agree that democracy is the path that can bring the change they desire for. Role of media and freedom of expression During the last 57 years, the pattern of governance in Pakistan thrived on the culture of secrecy and information blockade. Resultantly, Pakistanis suffered bad and corrupt governance. Apathy and cynicism emerged as the logical by-products of such closed culture that retarded the citizen’s capacity to monitor public institutions run on taxpayers’ money. However, now there is a new hope. This hope can transform into good governance and engaged citizenship provided the government functionaries internalize the new spirit of open access to information. Amongst the non-party political influencers, media besides some organised civil society groups play an important role. Pakistani media environment is going through a rapid transformation. Besides privately owned vibrant print media, a number of new FM radio stations, cable television networks, satellite televisions and interactive websites on the Internet are catering to the citizens’ information needs. The unprecedented proliferation of new media outlets  could be attributed to the open media policy of the government. Since March 2002, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) is engaged in providing enabling environment to media entrepreneurs. The role of new enabling information and communication technologies and their cost effectiveness also cannot be ignored. Encouraging feature of this entire scenario is that emerging media voices are no more confined to urban centres alone, and rather rural areas, though at small scale, are also on their way to alleviate their media poverty. All this will have long-lasting impact on the way society and politics have to move over the next decade or so. The most lasting of these was the introduction of media friendly laws that after years of martial law provided breathing space to the country’s print media. Pakistan’s media has in fact fought long and hard for its freedom. The changing world realities also played a major part in ensuring that media is given space and opportunity to play its role. But all said and done, it would be highly risky to conclude that the media is free of any pressures from both the state and non-state actors. While guarding its freedom, media is quite cautious of the fact that whatever freedom it enjoys must be used with care and caution. And a large part of that caution means that some institutions and personalities are not probed enough through quality investigative journalism. Columnists and commentators can express their opinions rather freely. In a recently conducted nationwide survey by the Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Consortium, it was revealed that for 43 per cent people the source of information on political situation is state-controlled Pakistan Television, for 16 per cent Radio Pakistan, for 13 per cent Geo TV, for 12 per cent daily Jang, for nine per cent BBC Radio and for equal percentage daily Nawa-e-Waqt. Among the rest are ARY TV (seven per cent), FM Radio (five per cent), Indus Vision TV (four per cent), Kawish newspaper (four per cent), family and friends (37 per cent), ‘Hujra,’ ‘Chopal,’ and ‘Bethak,’ etc, (12 per cent). The reasonably high percentage for family, friends, ‘Hujra,’ ‘Chopal’ and ‘Bethak’ provides a hint that the media and the medium that exists at proximity remains an enriching source of information. Citizens need information to follow and scrutinize actions of the government. Accurate and timely information enables them to have a meaningful say in decision-making processes and enhances their ability to hold the government accountable. Globally, the idea of citizens’ right to  know is gaining grounds as a proactive concern and today more than 57 countries of the world, including Pakistan, have formally acknowledged it by adopting freedom of information laws. Resultantly, the culture of openness is replacing the centuries-old practices of secrecy in the arena of governance. A democratic government is expected to function in a transparent fashion so that the citizens know what their government is doing at taxpayers’ expense. This enables them to keep a check on the executive and legislative powers, and assess the efficiency of these vital pillars of a state. It ensures transparency in social and economic fields, facilitates rule of law, equality and fair competition. Free flow of information helps citizens articulate their informed political and economic choices. In democracy and governance discourse, information is described as ‘the oxygen of democracy.’ The logic is that if people do not know what is happening in their society, if the actions of those who rule them are hidden, then they cannot take a meaningful part in the affairs of that society. The president of Pakistan promulgated the Freedom of Information Ordinance on October 26, 2002 that came into force at once. Its manifested purpose is to provide for transparency and freedom of information to ensure that the citizens of Pakistan have improved access to public records to make the federal government more accountable to its citizens. The Local Government Ordinance 2001 also envisages that the meetings of District Council shall be open to public unless the council by resolution decides to hold any in-camera meeting. Similarly, the Tehsil Municipal Administration is supposed to seek approval of the Tehsil Council to the plans prepared after due process of information dissemination and public inquiry. Tehsil administration as per law is also required to maintain with the assistance of district government, union and village councils a comprehensive database and information system for Tehsil Municipal Administration and provide public access to it on nominal charges along with maintaining municipal records and archives. Through the Local Government Ordinance 2001, the Tehsil Municipal Administration has also been asked to assign or contract out any of its functions to any public-private, public or private organization only after inviting public objections. The functions of tehsil nazim envisage presentation of a performance report at least once in six  months. The law has provisions to collect and maintain statistical information at union level for socio-economic survey and asks to disseminate information on the matters of public interest. The law requires that Union Council will place a monthly and the annual accounts and other necessary statements at a conspicuous place for public information. Similar clause exists regarding information about the staffing and the performance of the office of a local government during the preceding month. The law also empowers the citizens to have access to information about any office of the district, tehsil and union administration on the prescribed forms on payment of fixed fees. Presently, these enabling provisions are not being used effectively. Perhaps, the government institutions have not divorced the mindset of secrecy and the citizens are also not adequately trained and capacitated to make use of these laws.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Twelve O'Clock High a Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Twelve O'Clock High a Position Paper - Essay Example Therefore, everyone is viewed as a potential leader and in trained as such. Even those who are in a leadership position currently will not always be in that position, so individuals must be able to move between the two roles quite readily. Also, once a leader begins to lose his edge and his results begin to suffer, he will be replaced. This is because since there are lives at stake, a leader cannot afford to lose the confidence of his soldiers. There is no time for loyalty towards a formerly good leader because people will die if a leader loses his effectiveness. The Army should keep the status quo in its quest to find good leadership because there is the potential for everyone to be a good leader at some point and also leaders who are not getting the desired results should not be permitted to lead in the long term. The first thing that a leader in the Army must remember is to Be. This means that this individual must hold the qualities that are becoming of a true leader. Leaders should be people who are honest, competent, and inspiring, as â€Å"Army leadership begins with what the leader must Be, the values and attributes that shape a leaders character† (Cavanagh et al, 2004, P. 9). This is because a true leader is someone who people wish to follow. If the leader does not have the values and attributes that other would wish to follow, then the leader will not be very successful. This can be applied to civilian life as well. If a manager at a store does not appear to be a very good leader, the staff will lose respect for this person and, therefore, will not follow him or her. This will cause the store as a whole to under-perform, which will negatively affect the store’s bottom line. The leader in every situation must truly â€Å"Be† a leader who people want to follow and wh o people believe in. If he or she is not, then the organization as a whole will not succeed. An example of this can be found in the film and

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

REFLECTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

REFLECTION - Essay Example However, the persuasive lesson encourages me to use knowledge and skill that I had not realized that I already have. Nonetheless, the classroom games were the basic concepts that introduced me to the basic concepts for convincing or lobbying for something I deemed indispensable for me or rather something I needed from my fellow student through persuasive arguments or reasoning. Additionally, during the course, I learnt to choose my own persuasive words and statements towards analyzing different definitions associated with persuasive techniques (Souter and Billout, 2007). After learning the different persuasive techniques applied in oral argument, I am now capable to apply different, independent persuasive techniques in different writing activities as well as in analyzing other students’ works in line with their effective use of persuasive techniques. Despite the technicality in the strategies used in developing persuasive writing, the course taught me numerous, persuasive strategies toward effective, persuasive writing. Among the most vital persuasive wring strategies is the understanding the concepts of the subject (Souter and Billout, 2007). I achieved this technique through listening and analyzing various persuasive speeches and writings that were found in other media of communication including the newspaper, television, magazines, and internet. Through reading and use of these media of communication, I learnt to look for words, word phrases, and persuasive writing techniques including reasoning, counterarguments, repetitions, and comparisons. These techniques improved my reading and thinking skills (Souter and Billout, 2007). Other essential element of persuasive writing that I learnt during the course is the breaking down persuasive elements either to be used in a speech or writing. The essence of breaking persuasive elements is to have a clear introduction to the argument (Souter and Billout, 2007). Moreover, I through this requirement,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Macroeconomics - Essay Example In 2012, the performance for 2nd quarter was almost 50% lower than that of the first quarter. It appears that the most significant growth takes place in the 4th quarter. That happened in 2009 and 2011, but certainly not in 2012. In 2010, the growth rates were somewhat evenly distributed in each of the four quarters. Because of the recent thrust of the Federal Reserve to provide stimulus funds for the attainment of the ideal of full employment, 2013 should have a much higher growth rate and lower unemployment rate. On a per quarter basis, there is a 50% probability that the growth rate in the 2nd quarter will be higher than the first quarter. Since the 2nd quarter was lowest in 2009 and 2010, lower than the first quarter in 2012, but higher in 2011 than the first quarter, the probability of having a lower GDP growth rate is 75%. The 3rd quarter will be higher than the 2nd quarter and most probably higher than the 1st quarter since this is what happened in the past four years. By the 4th quarter, assuming no major calamities will disturb business operations, USA real GDP should experience the highest growth rate so far since the time of the recession. First, it is because the Fed has been supportive of the need for more money supply. There is a determination to bring down the unemployment rate in the USA. The People have been complaining about the high unemployment rates and performance of the Monetary Board in easing the financial difficulties of the country for several years now. Secondly, the government is more prepared to adjust to unfavorable climate changes. And thirdly, there has been news about improvements in the way the economic problems in Europe are being handled, e.g. the way Greece economic crisis is being resolved. Europe is a major trading partner of the

Monday, August 26, 2019

In What Ways Has Technology Impacted the Way We Train Employees Research Paper

In What Ways Has Technology Impacted the Way We Train Employees - Research Paper Example Training is an integral part of human resources. Recently the human resource industry has adapted to a lot of changes due to the developments in technology. Nowadays human resource managers have to be prepared for organizational transformation and adaptations. Hence the HR function must be capable of guaranteeing the employability of collaborators without compromising the flexibility of the organization. This is due to the fact that people form a part of the organization due to their talents and abilities and not because to their past knowledge. At a certain point of time, when the managers feel that a particular employee is redundant to the organization then they have to leave them in a situation where in an employee can easily incorporate into another work profile or a new job. Human resource management policies must be designed to emphasise more on accepting change and the changing attitudes. In a way these policies are designed to make employees responsible for their own achievem ents. A technical system needs to be developed which helps to facilitate the employees to solve most problems related to their job themselves and without the intervention of higher hierarchical levels. In the human resource field, this idea needs to be incorporated as technology can make it possible for employees to manage their own database, update and access it directly, get online training, performance assessment, transfer or any other miscellaneous official matters which affects the employee. This idea is known as employee self – service. In order to facilitate the successful implementation of this idea, certain technological development needs to be made. Chief among this is the existence of intranet. This is a tool which facilitates collaboration and communication in the organization. It helps to streamline processes and provide updated information to the staff with updated information. This is a useful tool as it makes possible to reach employees working in the same fir m but whose work place may be located across the globe. Training modules can be updated on the intranet and the human resource can update and impart online training to overseas as well as domestic employees. (Gasco, Llopis & Gonzalez, 2004). Nowadays a lot of organizations are leveraging technology to create virtual teams which can work at the same time from difference places by using video conferencing, e – mails, teleconferencing and instant messages. The same tool has been incorporated by the human resource to provide virtual training to employees. A human resource leader may impart training to various employees located at different places at the same time by using any of the above mentioned tools. However an important challenge lies in using and identifying the proper technology suited to meet the purpose. Especially in case of online training it is recommended that one selects the right method to impart online training. This is especially because this kind of training do es not allow any scope for face – to – face interaction. Hence, the trainer must choose the proper medium of training which will facilitate the trainees to clear doubts online. Also the trainer should see that the technology selected for this purpose is user friendly. In other words, the trainees and the trainer should have expert knowledge on the kind of technology used for the training to

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Art history term Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Art history term - Assignment Example 56). it is an ancient Roman statue in Rome Italy. It is made of bronze and is 4.24m tall. It shows many similarities t the standing statues of Augustus. The original one is n display in the Capitoline Museums (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 56). they were initially described by a German archeologist. They were delineated from the excavation of wall paintings at Pompeii. The pictures also tell about the prosperity of the area. The principal purpose of the frescoes was to minimize the claustrophobic interiors of Roman rooms (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 56). it has a halo around the head of Emperor Justinian. He stands in the middle. Empress Theodora is depicted as the goddess. The mosaic with her shows figures moving from left to right of the church (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 72). the symbolism declares the promised salvation of man in the next world. The four lunettes from across. The picture shows that Jonah was cast from a ship. He then went into a belly of a whale (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 72). it is the site of 6th and early 7th centuries. One of them contained an undistributed ship burial. It sheds light on a period of English history. The has been crucial to understanding the Anglo-Saxon kingdom (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 72). it contained many grave goods and two female human skeletons. The interment of the ship into its burial mound dates from 834 AD. The parts of the ship date from around 800. The ship seems to be older (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 72). the most visible symbol was the palace itself. The palace chapel was placed in a central octagon. The Statute was intended to be set up with a fountain in front of the chapel. At the time, it was called the Renovation (Hourihane and Colum, 2012, P. 72). There was the inclusion of traditional symbols. The symbols are the Eagle of John, the Lion of Mark, and

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Educational leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Educational leadership - Research Paper Example School Based Management (SBM) is a model of instructional leadership which sets out clear guidelines for decentralised school administration and is successfully introduced in several countries (Dr. Pushpanadham 2006 p.41). Decentralised educational planning requires organised participation to substantiate the efforts of educational reforms. Past entities that functioned towards decentralised education such as Parents Teachers Association, Village Planning Committees and School Development Committees did not have an organised plan or statutory recognition that clearly pointer out powers and responsibilities. Community participation is considered as the central facilitating criteria to ensure quality education that is par with the principal’s initiative, professionalism of teachers, organisational flexibility, teacher collegiality, accountability and pedagogical flexibility. Similarly the cycle of disempowerment prevalent in marginal communities can be broken only if there is a criteria for evaluating and monitoring school performance that includes accountability to local administration in the region. Research indicates that effective decentralisation of management depends on an effective leadership. In school management an effective principal must offer leadership in promulgating change in school policies and programs. An effective leader can successfully resolve disciplinary issues and advice and direct teachers to abide by policies that can create a positive impact on the performance of the school and institutional climate. There is also a positive correlation between teacher’s job satisfaction and school climate. School Based Model encourages principals, students, teachers and parents to exhibit more control over the educational policies by offering the responsibility to decide about the personnel, budget

Friday, August 23, 2019

NFL Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

NFL Public Relations - Essay Example The game is also dominant in America because fans love the game, not only their teams. It is a social game that is practiced since childhood and the love develops henceforth. The game has also been promoted to dominance by the NFL community which is united in promoting the game. Henceforth NFL has recognized the effort of players, former players, coaches and the management as ambassadors of the game. NFL has also made efforts to market the game outside America which has helped it earn more fans in America and in the whole world. The success of the game since the 1980s has been attributed to good management that has enabled to market it among its fans through improved public relations. One of the men who have been accredited with improving the public relations of the game has been Rogers Goodell. Roger S. Goodell was born on February 19, 1959 in Jamestown, New York. He is the son of the late US senator Charles E. Goodell who was a republican form New York. The Goodell family moved to New York in 1971. He was a sport star while in Bronxville High School and played football, basketball, and baseball. He was captain of the three teams and was declared an athlete of the year while in Bronxville School. From high school, he joined Washington Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, Washington and graduated with a degree in Economics in 1981. In 1982, Goodell began his career in NF... He rose in ranks quickly and in 1987, he was appointed assistant president of the American Football Conference who was then Lamar Hunt. He worked under the commission Paul Taglibue executing various football and business roles. He was later appointed the executive Vice President of the NFL and in 2001 appointed the Chief Operating Officer. Goodell was chosen on August 8 2006 to succeed Paul Tagliabue who had served the league for a long time and Goodell assumed office on September 1 2006. Tagliabue is attributed to having led the league well and it was during his tenure that revenues skyrocketed for the 17 years he was at the helm of the office. It is estimated that the league will collect about $10 billion mainly on TV rights for the next 6 years under the leadership of Goodell and the base laid by Taglibue. Goodell had a lot of effects on NFL during his tenure as a commissioner. According to Broncos (2006), he led the 1994 initiative for rules, created senor football operations, introduced the instant replay system and restructured the officiating department. He is attributed to having improved the league image especially on public relation. He is attributed of having instilled discipline in the league. In April 2007, he announced a person Conduct Policy and consequently a number of players were suspended for having broken the Personal Conduct Policy. According to Williamson (2007), among the victims of the policy initially were Tennessee Tiatnce Pacman Jones and Cincinnati Bangals Chris Henry. By August 2007, Goodell had suspended four players on matter of their conduct both in field and off-field. In his tenure as a commissioner, he also addressed the drug problem. The use of drug in the league had

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Racial Identity Development Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racial Identity Development Models - Essay Example It is during this stage that individuals ascertain themselves with the majority crowd. They have a habit of downplaying and having negative feelings towards their own ethnic society with little salience in their individuality (Sue et al., 1982). Dissonance is evident in experiences or encounters that are not consistent with a culture’s attitudes, values in addition to beliefs from the initial stage i.e. conformity. Take the case of an individual from a minority group who is not proud of their cultural heritage encountering another person from a different ethnicity that is proud of their ethnic background. During this stage, denial commences and there is a lot of doubt of one’s attitudes and beliefs once held in the first stage. The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. brought about the rapid movement from passive conformity to dissonance stage by a large group of African Americans. As for the immersion and defiance juncture, a minority in society probably has feeling of anger, shame and guilt due to the oppression or racism that they previously had to withstand or tolerate. Ratification of the thoughts of the minority plus the rejection of society’s domineering values marks this stage (Sue et al., 1982). Individuals tend to focus more vivacity towards having a better understanding of them as minorities and the deeper meaning of this in the introspection phase. As opposed to the intense reaction against prevailing cultures in the previous point, the introspection leg appears to be more pro-active in the definition and discovery of the sense of self. The last period that is the integrative awareness stage is a time of development of the knack to be grateful for both the constructive aspects of the influential culture and theirs. It also involves the adeptness to feel secure. At this point, individuals tend to have already

A Bio-Sketch of Marie Curie Essay Example for Free

A Bio-Sketch of Marie Curie Essay Marie Sklodowski was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw the capital of Poland. Both of her parents were school teachers, and they had high expectations for their five children (Zosia, Bronia, Jozef, Helena and Marie). Marie, her sisters, and brother all graduated with the highest grades in their class. The Sklodowski family was very learned and cultured, but they struggled financially. Poland was occupied by Russia and Germany. Many jobs were taken by these unwelcome foreigners. Maries father, Wladyslaw, was a school principal. He lost his job to a Russian because he was loyal to Poland and a patriot. To help meet living expenses, Maries family took in student boarders. The household was crowded with so many people in one apartment. Those crowded living conditions helped to spread tuberculosis, a major infectious disease in the late nineteenth century. Maries mother got the disease from Wladyslaws brother who came to live with them. After several expensive rest cures in the south of France, she died in 1878 from TB when Marie was only nine years old. . Why She Chose Physics Marie was encouraged to study physical science by her cousin, Jozef Boguski. He was the director of the Warsaw Museum of Industry. He allowed her to do experiments in physics and chemistry on the weekends at the museum. When Marie got to the Sorbonne in Paris, a revolution was about to take place. It was not a revolution with soldiers, but a revolution in science. This was a very exciting time to study physics. Physics is a branch of science that investigates the four forces at work in the universe both on a large scale, as in the solar system, or on a small scale, as in atoms. The structure of the atom and the forces which hold it together were still unknown when Marie enrolled as a student at the Sorbonne. Marie Curies Research With Pierre acting as her advisor, Marie spent several years purifying uranium ore. It was a grueling task to isolate the radioactive substances from tons of ordinary rock. Toiling over a giant vat, she worked out of doors or in a drafty shed. This was a blessing in disguise because the vat gave off poisonous radon gas. The Curies were not aware of this. Marie proposed that the radiation came from inside the atoms. Other scientists followed her lead and started to investigate the structure of atoms. She discovered two new elements which the Curies named Radium (after radiation) and Polonium (after Poland). In 1903, the Curies and Henri Becquerel received the Nobel Prize in physics for their combined research and discoveries on radioactivity. The Dangerous Beauty of Radium The Curies had two daughters: Irene was born in 1897 and Eve in 1904. Pierres father took over the childcare duties as Marie and Pierre became more and more involved in their work. Marie became pregnant again, but she suffered a miscarriage probably due to high levels of radiation in her lab. One rainy afternoon in April of 1906, Pierre was run over by a horse-drawn wagon and died. Pierre had been experiencing severe pains in his legs, and this may have caused the accident. Marie was devastated, and she turned to a close friend of Pierres, Paul Langevin, for companionship. Their love affair was exposed by a tabloid newspaper, and a scandal resulted. Maries reputation and career were nearly destroyed. Then the Swedish Nobel committee announced she had won the prize for chemistry! Director of an Institute This probably saved her career in physics. In the following years she was very bitter about the way she was treated. She made a point of hiring people at her lab who also had suffered discrimination by the male science establishment. She also hired several women at her lab and gave them their start in physics. One was Marguerite Perey who began as a test tube washer and, a few years later, discovered the radioactive element Francium. Ellen Gleditsch came to the lab from Norway. At home, Marie was training Irene to become a physicist. Irene reminded her of Pierre; she had the same temperment and the same dislike of school. Because of her service to soldiers during the war, the French public began to think of Marie less as a foreigner and more as a patriotic French woman. She also toured America twice after the war and raised money for her Radium Institute. During these years, she controlled the largest supply of radioactive substances used in scientific research. She shared these with other physics labs engaged in studying the structure of the atom. Marie had the constitution of a horse, but even she eventually succumbed to the lethal effects of radiation exposure. In the last decade of her life, she suffered from severe pains and aches like Pierre had. She also had cataracts in her eyes and constant ringing in her ears. In 1934, Maries bold adventure into the atomic universe came to an end. She died in Paris of leukemia, a cancer of the blood. The Curie Tradition Lives On In 1997, Maries remains were moved to the Pantheon, Frances monument to its heros. She is the first woman to be so honored. Marie Curie was a great Polish patriot, but she had won a place in the heart of the French people.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Law Essays Certain Selling Arrangements

Law Essays Certain Selling Arrangements Certain Selling Arrangements The introduction of certain selling arrangements has imposed an unnecessary straitjacket on the development of the Keck principle. Not only is the Keck formula too narrow; paradoxically, it is also too broad in that it catches dynamic measures (such as restrictions on advertising) and therefore takes them outside the scope of Article 28 even though they do affect inter-state trade. (C. Barnard, The Substantive Law of the EU. The Four Freedoms (OUP 2d ed.) at 149). Discuss Article 28 (ex 30) EC provides that: â€Å"Quantitative restrictions on imports and all measures having equivalent effect shall be prohibited between Member States†. Although this may initially seem simple, it has caused substantial difficulties when it comes to measures having equivalent effect when the rules are indistinctly applicable (ie. they apply equally to domestic and non domestic goods). As will be seen, the confusion around dealing with these measures was intended by the ECJ to be halted by the judgment in Keck. This essay will critically evaluate the decision in Keck in order to consider whether it has indeed served this purpose. A definition of measures having equivalent effect to quantitative restrictions was introduced by the ECJ in 1974 in the case of Procureur du Roi v Dassonville: â€Å"All trading rules enacted by Member States which are capable of hindering, directly or indirectly, actually or potentially, intra-Community trade are to be considered as measures having an effect equivalent to quantitative restrictions.† Although this definition proved helpful to the Court, its application tended not to distinguish between indirectly and directly applicable measures. It was also very broad, leaving many regulations open to examination by the Court. This in turn lead to large amounts of litigation for the Court to deal with. In Rewe-Zentral AG v Bundesmonopolverwaltung fur Branntwein (â€Å"Casis de Dijon†) a narrower approach was adopted. The case concerned the legality of a German law which prescribed a minimum alcohol level of 25% for certain spirits, including cassis. German cassis was above the 25% level, but French cassis was not. Therefore, although the German law was indistinctly applicable, the result of the measure was to preclude the French cassis from the German market. The ECJ applied the Dassonville formula but went on to state that: â€Å"Obstacles to movement within the Community resulting from disparities between the national laws relating to the marketing of the products in question must be accepted insofar as those provisions may be recognised as being necessary in order to satisfy mandatory requirements relating in particular to the effectiveness of fiscal supervision, the protection of public health, the fairness of commercial transactions and the defence of the consumer.† The case therefore introduced the concept of the ‘rule of reason’ to applications of Article 28 in the context of indistinctly applicable measures. In the Cassis de Dijon case itself it was held that the measure had been enacted in the interests of public health and fairness to commercial transactions, but that it was not a necessary means to achieve these objectives and was therefore in breach of Article 28. The cases concerned the legality of a French law prohibiting the resale of goods in an unaltered state at prices lower than their purchase price. Keck and Mithouard were prosecuted for breach of this law but claimed that the rule was incompatible with EC law. The ECJ considered Article 28 and applied the Dassonville formula. It was stated that the legislation could have the effect of restricting the volume of sales of imported goods as it deprived traders of an important method of sales promotion. The Court then went on to state that:Although the Cassis de Dijon case placed a limit on the very broad approach of the Dassonville formula, it was not without its problems. The application of the ‘rule of reason’ was difficult for domestic courts. The ‘Sunday Trading’ cases demonstrated this when a challenge was made to the legality under Article 28 of national rules limiting Sunday trading. In some cases it was held by the national courts that the rules were just ified, in others that they were disproportionate. As a result of this uncertain approach, a change in the way the ECJ dealt with this problem was clearly necessary. This change came in the form of Keck and Mithouard which â€Å"marks an important turning-point in the Court’s jurisprudence on Article 28†. â€Å"In view of the increasing tendency of traders to invoke Article 30 of the Treaty as a means of challenging any rules whose effect is to limit their commercial freedom even where such rules are not aimed at products from other Member States, the Court considers it necessary to re-examine and clarify its case law on this matter.† The Court then considered the Cassis de Dijon case and the extent to which the application of rules which limited free movement of goods could be justified as in the public interest: â€Å"However, contrary to what has previously been decided, the application to products from other Member States of national provisions restricting or prohibiting certain selling arrangements is not such as to hinder directly or indirectly, actually or potentially, trade between Member States within the meaning of the Dassonville judgment †¦ provided that these provisions apply to all affected traders operating within the national territory and provided that they affect in the same manner, in law and fact, the marketing of domestic products and of those from other Member States.† It was therefore held that Article 28 did not apply to ‘selling arrangements’ and therefore the French law had not been in breach of the EC law. The decision in Keck has been said to be ‘lacking in principle’, yet it has also been praised for its ‘tendency to cut back on unnecessary intrusions into the laws of the Member States in cases where access to the relevant national market is not at stake’. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the decision is the distinction draw between rules that are to do with the product itself, and rules which relate to the selling arrangements in place for that product. Indeed, it has proved difficult to determine exactly what is meant by ‘selling arrangements’. In Hunermund pharmacists were prohibited from advertising, outside their premises, products which they were authorised to sell. It was held that this was a method of sales-promotion and was therefore outside the scope of Article 28. Moreover, in Banchero defendants to a smuggling charge invoked Article 28 in relation to Italian rules reserving the retail sale of tobacco to authorised distributors. The authorised distributors could only gain such status where the national body which held a monopoly over tobacco production in the country granted it. It was held that the system did not impede access to the national market, was a selling arrangement, and was therefore compatible with Article 28. In contrast, measures constituting requirements to be met, such as a Dutch law prohibiting dealings in gold and silver products not bearing certain hallmarks (Houtwipper) and German laws requiring the labelling of the contents of certain foods additional to those specified under EC law (Commission v Germany) are within the scope of Article 28 as they relate to the goods themselves, rather than merely the selling of the goods. The difficulties in lack of workable definition of a ‘selling arrangement’ are seen particularly starkly when considering the Courts’ approach to the advertising of goods. In Leclerc-Siplec the ECJ held that legislation which prohibits television advertising in a particular sector amounted to a selling arrangement. Therefore, even a complete ban on advertising of certain products will not come within the scope of Article 28 if the ban applies to domestically produced and imported products equally in law and in fact, as the Court held when considering a ban on television advertising directed at children under 12 in Komsummentombudsmannen v De Agostini. This means that the free movement of goods can be seriously hampered and the main provision designed to prevent this will have no effect whatsoever. In this sense, the approach offered by Keck is too broad. However, advertising and other measures intended to increases sales have not always been held to be ‘selling arrangements’. In Vereinigte Familiapress Zeitungsverlags- und Vertriebs GmbH v Heinrich Bauer Verlag Austria had prohibited periodicals from featuring prize draws or competitions. The ECJ formed the view that publishers would use such competitions with the hope of increasing circulation. However, the rule was held not to be a selling arrangement as it concerned the content of the magazine, equating to a requirement to be met. Article 28 applied and the Austrian rule was in breach of it. Although the measure was justifiable under the Cassis de Dijon formula, the provisions of Keck were too narrow to include this scenario. This approach therefore does not solve the problem created by the Cassis de Dijon case of uncertainty in application. Furthermore, in Schutzverband gegen unlauteren Wettbewerb v TK-Heimdienst Sass GmbH Austrian legislation provided that bakers, butchers and grocers may offer goods for sale on rounds in a given administrative district only if they also traded from a permanent establishment in that district or an adjacent municipality, where they offered the same goods for sale as they did on their rounds. It was that this amounted to a ‘selling arrangement’ but one which did have a differential impact on domestic traders and others. This approach therefore entails an analysis of market access, which was a factor in the pre-Keck jurisdiction, but which was supposedly outside of the Keck approach. The academic reaction to Keck at the time of the decision was in the main critical and it was argued that Keck placed too much emphasis on factual and legal equality at the expense of market access. It was suggested that denying that selling arrangements came within Article 28 as long as they did not discriminate in law or in fact ignored the importance of market access as trading rules could be formally equal yet still operate so as to inhibit market access. Academics have therefore argued for an approach based on market access, with a main advocate being Weatherill. He has suggested that the correct approach should be to focus on market access rather than just factual and legal equality. To this end he has proposed a modified test: â€Å"Measures introduced by authorities in a Member State which apply equally in law and in fact to all goods and services without reference to origin and which impose no direct or substantial hindrance to the market of that Member State escape the prohibition of Articles 30 and 59 [as were].† This opinion was not confined to academics, and was raised judicially by Advocate General Jacobs in Leclerc-Siplec. Jacobs AG felt that advertising could play an important role in breaking down barriers to inter-state trade and was therefore dissatisfied that it should be outside Article 28. He suggested a modification to involve a test of ‘substantial’ hindrance, so that if a substantial restriction on access to the market was acting then it should be caught by Article 28. However, this suggestion was not applied by the ECJ. Further judicial consideration has come from Advocate General Maduro in Alfa Vita where he stated that while Keck was intended to clarify the ambit of Article 28, it had ‘proved to be a source of uncertainty for economic operators’. He went suggested a three point solution: prohibition of all discriminatory provisions, whether direct or indirect; the requirement that any supplementary costs on cross-border activity be justified and; that any measure which impedes to a greater extent the access to the market and the putting into circulation of products from other Member States should be considered to be an MEQR. From the analysis above it may be concluded that although the Court in Keck attempted to resolve the problems of both the broad approach of Dassonville and the difficult to apply Cassis de Dijon, the result has been far from simplistic. Indeed, it is still unclear as to exactly what factors the court will consider when examining the legality of provisions in relation to Article 28. What is clear though, is that the Court is again willing to reconsider the approach and there may yet be a further attempt to restructure the approach to this area of free movement. Bibliography Barnard, C. (2001), â€Å"Fitting the Remaining Pieces into the Goods and Persons Jigsaw?†, 26 ELRev 35 Connor, T. (2005), â€Å"Accentuating the Positive: The ‘Selling Arrangement’, The First Decade, and Beyond†, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 54, 1, 127 Craig, P. De Bà ºrca, G. (2008), EU Law: Text, Cases and Materials, 4th Edition, Oxford University Press Enchelmaier, S. (2004), â€Å"Four Freedoms, How Many Principles?†, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 24, 155 Chalmers, D. (1994), â€Å"Repackaging the Internal Market – The Ramifictions of the Keck Judgment†, 19 ELRev 385 Fairhust, J. (2007), Law of the European Union, 6th Edition, Pearson Longman Gormley, L. (1994), â€Å"Reasoning Renounced? The Remarkable Judgment in Keck Mithouard† EBLRev 63 Reich, N. (1994), â€Å"The November Revolution: Keck, Meng, Audi Revisited†, 31 CML Rev 459 Roth, W.H. (1994), â€Å"Casenote on Keck and Hunermund†, 31 CML Rev 845 Steiner, J., Woods, L., Twigg-Flesner, C., (2006), EU Law, 9th Edition, Oxford University Press, pg 374. Weatherill, S., (1996), â€Å"After Keck: Some Thoughts on how to Clarify the Clarification†, 33 CML Rev, 885

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

JB Hi-FI Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report

JB Hi-FI Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report Ming Chak Ip Report: Part A For JB Hi-FI there are 4 types of corporate social responsibility to report. The environmental section must be included and it provides information on actions the company is taking to meet carbon footprint requirements. Second are Philanthropic responsibilities stating how the company supports charities through funding. Third is ethical involves workplace safety or the employee health and mainly involves the welfare of employees at the workplace. Lastly are the ethical responsibilities. They are responsibilities of the company to do what is right and without any obligation. Part B On the CSR initiatives employed by JB HI-FI is the Helping Hands program. It is a philanthropic initiative whereby directors, executives and employees offer donations towards the financial gain of community partners and has already raised $10 million for their charity partners (page 15). JB HI-FI also has donation boxes in their stores where customers donate at the point of sale. JB Hi-FI is also a member of Employer Leadership Group (ELG) that creates awareness of workplace giving to support the charitable sector (page 15). JB HI-FI has also disclosed its environmental sustainability statement. Some initiatives include the carbon disclosure project that monitors and reports annual energy consumption/emissions. There is also the Smarter Choice Program for advice on energy efficiency of commodities. JB HI-FI is a signatory to the Australian Energy Packaging Covenant hence commits to reduced effects of packaging on the environment. Others include the mobile phone recycling and re-uses that helps lower entry of mobile phones into landfill, the Cartridge 4 Planet Ark for re-cycling used printer cartridges and recycling of paper, cardboards and old appliances (page 14). Third in CSR are ethical responsibilities. JB HI-FI code of conduct specifies respect accorded to employees, there rights and freedoms, professional ethics and adherence to laws and regulations (page, 10). In the ethics statement, they state responsibility to respect suppliers, employees and customer and protect their personal sensitive information. The firm is committed to a safe working environment to its employees and there is also a diversity statement whereby JB HI-FI fully values diversity of skills, gender, experience and background of its employees (page 9). Part C Various theories support CSR. There are instrumental theories. JB HI-FI tries to maximize shareholder value and thats the reason the company uses the Helping Hands program where employees try to meet social demands. It also involves strategies for competitive advantages. For example, recycling is cost saving to the firm in addition to protecting the environment hence creates competitive advantages. Instrumental theories also involve cause-related marketing. For instance, JB Hi-FI has partnered with charitable firms where it makes donations and in turn builds its brand. The second CRS theories are political theories. JB HI-FI has made major interactions with the society hence had gained corporate citizenship through partnerships. The social contact with environmental bodies and charitable firms mandates the firm to give back to the community as demonstrated by its philanthropic initiatives. Last theory is Integrative theories. The community has social demands that offer the firm some legitimacy (Garriga, Melà ©, 2004). Since greenhouse gas emissions are a social demand, JB HI-FI has to meet such social demands to attain greater social acceptance. It validates the environmental sustainability initiatives implemented by the company. References List www.jbhifi.com.au. (2016). Annual Report JB Hi-Fi. [online] Available at: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/Documents/2016%20JB%20Hi-Fi%20Annual%20Report_ASX.pdf [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017]. Garriga, E., Melà ©, D. (2004). Corporate social responsibility theories: Mapping the territory. Journal of business ethics, 53(1), 51-71.

Monday, August 19, 2019

True Love and Unrequited Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay

In this play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, true love plays a huge role in the play. Several relationships begin true love such as Hermia and Lysander’s and Hypolyta and Thesus’ but some that did not begin in true love, end as true love such as Helena and Demetrius’. Helena and Demetrius in my perspective were meant to love each other so that everyone may be able to love each other in harmony. The love potion was only the push Demetrius needed so that he could be happy forever True love is the most powerful love in this story as it is the sort that hurts no one and is really from the heart. It is demonstrated when Lysander says " There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee, and to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then, Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night" act 1 scene 1 161-164. It shows that during those harsh times their love was strong enough to even risk the anger of their parents. In my opinion unrequited love is the most painful type of love there is in this play. The main example of this is the sad situation of Helena and Demetrius during the early stages of the play. Helena is madly in love with Demetrius and would give her life for just one kind word from him. In this play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, true love plays a huge role in the play. Several relationships begin true love such as Hermia and Lysander’s and Hypolyta and Thesus’ but some that did not begin in true love, end as true love such as Helena and Demetrius’. Helena and Demetrius in my perspective were meant to love each other so that everyone may be able to love each other in harmony. The love potion was only the push Demetrius needed so that he could be happy forever True love is the most powerful ... ...be able to love each other in harmony. The love potion was only the push Demetrius needed so that he could be happy forever True love is the most powerful love in this story as it is the sort that hurts no one and is really from the heart. It is demonstrated when Lysander says " There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee, and to that place the sharp Athenian law cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then, Steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night" act 1 scene 1 161-164. It shows that during those harsh times their love was strong enough to even risk the anger of their parents. In my opinion unrequited love is the most painful type of love there is in this play. The main example of this is the sad situation of Helena and Demetrius during the early stages of the play. Helena is madly in love with Demetrius and would give her life for just one kind word from him.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Vietnam: The Mixture of Protests and Politics Essay -- essays research

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States was unjustified in its involvement in the Vietnam War because, in my opinion, the U.S had little justification to sacrifice thousands of innocent youths for political ideals. It was the longest and most unpopular war in which the United States fought. Many Americans on the home front protested their government’s involvement in the war. Many young Americans felt that there was no reason to fight for a cause they did not believe in, especially in such a strange foreign country. The civil rights movement also strongly influenced many of the war protests. This was because such a large percentage of minority soldiers sent over to fight were being unfairly treated. The African American soldiers were being ordered to the frontlines more often than white soldiers were.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another vigorously protested topics of the Vietnam War was Conscription. Most of two million soldiers who fought in the war were chosen through the Selective Service program. The draft policy has been an imprint of America the Civil War. This policy has been used in every major United States war since. Young adult males were required to register for the draft when they turned eighteen years old. A lottery system decided who would be called to combat. If selected for the draft, the draftee had to serve 24 months of active duty. During the Vietnam War, the hostility Americans felt towards the draft erupted and caused major protests across the nation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They are where many ways people protested the draft. Some eligible draft members avoided the draft by leaving the country for Canada, Sweden, and a number of other countries. Other men protested by publicly burning their draft cards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lyndon B. Johnson won the presidential election on November 1, 1964. Despite the tension between the â€Å"Doves† and the â€Å"Hawks†, president Lyndon B. Johnson stood by his policy of slow escalation. As he began his term in office in 1965, he was confident that his programs to better the nation would be established despite that â€Å"nagging little war in Vietnam†# as News Week reported it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protests have long been a way for people to display their difference in opinion and gain support. One of the many protests against the war that had a powerful effect on public opini... ...been involved in because it was against an unknown enemy in an unknown territory. The consequences of the war far exceed the benefits. The citizens during that period of time would definitely agree. The war caused a severe decrease in the countries moral. Many people no longer trusted the government and grew extremely skeptical of its actions. The recession soon after the war did not help in boosting the spirit of the country. The Vietnam war also exposed many of the United States‘ weaknesses. It showed that our government had planned poorly. It also showed that it was possible to resist the United States as a mass. There is a major difference between one disagreeing voice and a vast number of them. In the end the United States had devastating losses socially and economically. Protests and politics will always go hand in hand when the â€Å"sheep† disagree with the â€Å"herderâ€Å". Bibliography: - Nhu Tang, Truong. 1985. A Vietcong Memoir. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers - Dougan C. & Lipsman S. 1984 The Vietnam Experience: A Nation Divided. Boston: Boston Publishing - McDougal Littell. 2003 World History. United States of America - http://www.pbs.org/

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Punctuality and Time Essay

Advantages: If we be punctual, we can finish up our work at right time. Punctuality checks unnecessary wastage of time. Time is very valuable for us. We can save it only by punctuality. Time and tide wait for none. Seconds, minutes, hours and days pass by in right order. There is a maxim â€Å"We should hold the time by the forelock†. If we be punctual, a single second of us will never go waste. The English men are very punctual. They put on wrist-watches to exercise punctuality. But we, the Indian put on wrist-watches only as ornaments for show. We cannot progress. If we do not be punctual. Punctuality helps us in our progress. It also saves money in other ways. There is a saying. â€Å"A stitch in time saves nine†. So, if we take our food punctually, we will never be sick and so we will never have to spend money on medicines and doctors or to worry our near and dear ones in this connection. And this principle applies well in all other cases. Conclusion: Everybody should be punctual in his everyday life. Every students should make a habit of punctuality. The people who have become great in their lives are very punctual. Punctuality is the first condition for becoming great in life. So, punctuality should be the motto in our life. We should not only be punctual ourselves but also advise others to be punctual. Related Articles.

Friendships Need Care

â€Å"Friendships need care.† I should've listened to this before I got into a fight with my best friend. She thought I was stealing her friends, but I wasn't. I got really infuriated at her and decided that she was actually stealing my friends. My friend thought I was stealing her friends so I got really mad at her for assuming that because I was the one who made those friends and then introduced her to them. She got mad at me because I was â€Å"stealing† her friends. Getting into a fight with my best friend was one of the saddest moment of my life because she was my first friend, she always comforted me, and I had the best moments with her. One reason it made it much worse is that she was my first friend. She stood up for me. Whenever someone was malicious to me, she stood up for me. When I came into the school, she was the one who made me her friend When I came to this school, I thought everybody had already made friends, but she was the one to make me her friend. She made me feel befriended. She made me feel befriended when I was lonely. Next is another reason why this situation was so sad. Another reason it was so depressing is that she always comforted me. When I was sad, she always comforted me. She sat down next to me and started making me laugh. When a teacher or someone hollered at me, she stood up for me. When someone shouted she either, talked to me at recess or she yelled at them. When I got into a fight with someone, she helped me talk through it with them. Next is another reason why it was so dark. The last reason that it was sad to get into a fight with her is that I had my greatest moments with her. I did the Revolutionary War in 5th grade. In 5th grade, we both went on a field trip together. We celebrated Halloween together for 2 years. The first year it was at my house and the second year was at her house. Lastly, we had many reminiscences together. We had tons of playdates and some sleepovers. This fight was so bitter because of all these parts and more. As this essay shows, getting into a fight with one of my best friends was one of the saddest moments in my life because she was my first friend, she always comforted me, and I had the best moments with her. In conclusion, â€Å"Friendships need care†.