Madame Bovary and Written on the body Essay Example for Free

Madame Bovary and Written on the body Essay Madame Bovary and Written on the body, penned by Gustave Flaubert and Jeanette Winterson respectively, encapsulate the essence of gender while breaking free of the stigma attached to it. The actions of both the protagonists from these works reflect a complete divorce of the influence of their genders from the course of action they took. The ambiguity of the sex of Winterson’s character along with the Volatile nature of Flaubert’s Emma twist many facets of gender and society together into solid plots. Both are narratives of the highest order and equally reflect ideas which are considered radical. Both novels place sexual structures and explanations of gender into question, i. e. is the male sex really superior? Are woman really constricted by their femininity? Through the narrative on Emma we get a taste of a woman who goes again societal norms and at times acts more masculine than feminine. Then we have the I-narrator in Winterson’s novel that continually transcends boundaries set for sexes because of his/her own unidentified and undefined gender. Similarly, one would have to notice that Winterson’s novel shuns sexes completely. Instead of working within a space where there is a fixed gender, which is further placed into a categorically constructed culture and society in order to pinpoint the wants and needs of an individual, we are left with imagery that shows us a being, which has an identity and subsequently wants and needs things based on that identity. (Sonnenberg 3) Typical to this fact both the characters tip toe around the limitations of the sexes. This is the reason Winterson’s character is easy to compare to Emma. The novels’ negate the traditional roles of the sexes, in particular they negate the role of women as passive object of exploration by following masculine paradigms, but also in ultimately rejecting such models in favor of reciprocity, they becomes an almost perfect illustration of a refusal of the role of woman and also the refusal of the economic, ideological, and political power of a man. The actions of both characters set them apart from normal behavior (Maynard, Purvis 151). One has to wonder whether Emma is a victim in the traditional sense or has the author deliberately downplayed the masculinity of the three main male characters i. e. Charles, Leon and Rodolphe. (Porter 263). The character does not follow the norms of one gender. This was the reason that Flaubert’s novel was greatly protested. On one hand she is extremely feminine but on the other hand she has extremely masculine markers in her personality. It was Charles Baudelaire who pointed out that Emma’s desires masculinized her, and he labeled her a â€Å"bizarre androgyne. † In reality, in the background of the 19th-century French anticipations about women’s conduct, Emma’s blatant sexuality and far-reaching aspiration did stand out as alien and unacceptable, as the trial of Madame Bovary on allegations of violating public morals showed. (Porter 124). She is definitely feminine in many ways, but very easily slips into the lead of forefront of her relationships which is usually reserved for the male counterparts. An example of this would be her relationship with Leon and also the fact that she wore monocles which was highly unlikely for a woman of that day and age. Likewise the I-narrator in â€Å"Written on the body† seems to be neither male nor female. As tempting as it would be, it does not work for the reader to search for the gender clues in this character, the mention of a shirt, a nipple, a motorcycle – for none of these provides conclusive evidence, there are however, many hints that suggest that the character is in fact female such as the description s/he awards to the objective of his/her affection i. e. Louise. It is that very fact which throws the plot into controversy; a plain tale of adultery would have been rather poetic, one which is filled with ambiguity and revolves around a woman stealing another mans wife is highly bizarre (Farwell 187). Explaining Emma’s character, Laurence porter writes, â€Å"Naomi Schor described Emma as a woman who desired to break the chain of passive femininity but who fails to accede to the phallic writing state. Roger Huss centers similarly on the impossibility of Emma’s incorporation of the masculine, the impossibility of gender plentitude, and the problem of the different itself. † (Porter 125). In a world where men ruled supreme, Emma’s charm stemmed from her education which had taken away some parts of her femininity because of the knowledge she had gained. She was now a part of the male world whether anyone admitted her into that world or not was not even a question. In the same way as the protagonist in â€Å"Written on the body,† who, if indeed a lesbian, failed to separate herself from the masculine side of her personality, and if a man, fell short of acting like the traditional Alpha. Another comparison could be the ideology of love and in fact the myth of romance. The protagonists of both novels have a very cliched understanding of love. They are deluded with their preconceived notions about love and how it is meant to play out in their lives. Emma becomes depressed with her life and her marriage because of this very fact. The narrator in ‘Written on the body’ also feels the same, which is reflected in the following words, â€Å"I was trapped in a cliche every bit as redundant as my parents’ roses round the door, I was looking for the perfect coupling, the never-sleep-non-stop mighty orgasm. Ecstasy without end. I was deep in the slop-bucket of romance,† (Written on the body 21). They are both looking for something which is basically too idealistic and utopian in nature to really exist. One more front on which both the novels collide is adultery. Both the protagonists wholeheartedly indulge. Emma does it by cheating on her husband not once but twice. She craves the kind of love that she had read about in her books and goes around looking for it till she finds it in Leon and Rodolphe. Winterson’s character is also infatuated with the idea of love and goes looking for it in the arms of another man’s wife. There seems to be nothing that can stop the two and their own selfish motives are the only ones they care about. The character in ‘Written on the body’ seems to be a narcissist who cares for no one but him/herself. Emma is indeed selfish in the same way because she cares only for her own self-satisfaction and disregards the pain she could cause her husband when she finds out about her affairs. Madame Bovary reflects the 19th century French society, while Winterson’s expose is from more recent times. What the works show us is that sexuality and gender have been conflicted since a long time and continue to stay so. Society will always gape and be appalled at such pieces of literature because they go against the dead rules that have been constructed for the existence of mankind. Traditionally men and women have both been assigned their places in the world and those places are not to be tampered with; one of the most sensitive areas one can go experimenting with is sexuality. In some ways both works reflect how anyone from a particular gender cannot stay happy once it has tasted the waters from the other side. The knowledge of the other side gives them an insane desire to climb onto it repeatedly, thereby causing friction and in fact a chaotic contradiction the roles that society had already laid out for them. Work Cited Farwell, Marilyn R: Heterosexual Plots and Lesbian Narratives: 1996 Flaubert, Gustave: Madame Bovary: 2004 Maynard, Mary Purvis, June: Hetero) sexual Politics: 1995 Porter, Laurence M: A Gustave Flaubert encyclopaedia: 2001 Sonnenberg: Body Image and Identity in Jeanette Wintersons Written on the Body†: 2007 Winterson, Jeanette: Written on the Body: 1994

The Effects of Relocation of the Capital City in Korea Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Relocation of the Capital City in Korea Essay Abstract Many people had suggested a negative effect of the relocation of the capital city in Korea. They argued that a decrease in population in the present capital region (Seoul) would result in income loss because total factor productivity (TFP) in Seoul is higher than in any other province. On the other hand, when we decompose TFP into TECs and technological progress (TP) in this paper, it shows that the technical efficiency changes (TECs) in the Chungnam region has remarkably improved. In addition, the labor productivity in the Chungnam area is found to be higher than in the Seoul area. Therefore, this study shows positive effects to the literature of the debates regarding whether the government should shift the capital city or not. Introduction Shifting the country’s capital city was a key pledge in President Roh Moo-Hyun’s 2002 election. Although the Parliament passed the law to create of a new capital city in Chungnam Province area, there have been many debates so far. The basic motivation for changing the Capital City from Seoul to another location (Chungnam Province) is that there are too many people living in Seoul. Presently 48 million people are squeezed in Seoul so that it creates unbalanced economic development. However, there are also some critics of the capital movement. One reason for the opposition is the project’s enormous cost. The project cost varies from approximately $45 billion estimated by the Parliament to $125 billion by some private institutions. Furthermore, history shows that purpose-built capitals have taken more time and money. For example, Brazil’s new Capital City, Brasilia, added to the country’s economic huge debts. Suh Kim (2004) discussed this matter in terms of the income effects of 5% of the population moving from the Seoul area to the new capital city. They said that if 5% of the current population relocates to Chungnam Province, 1.7% ~ 1.9% of the gross domestic product would be decreased. The reason for this is that total factor productivity (TFP) in the Seoul area is greater than in the new capital city. The purpose of the paper is to estimate TFP for both Seoul and the new capital city area, Chungnam Province, and decompose it into technical efficiency (TE), technological progress (TP), and input changes. Unlike Suh Kim (2004), the decomposition of TFP proposed by Han, Kalirajan, Singh (2002) not only explains the scale of the TFP, but also shows the characteristics and details of the TFP. It is when the local government has an economic policy -decision making. The second part of the paper surveys the literature of TFP as well as TFP related studies for relocation of the capital city in Korea. The third part studies decomposition of the TFP method proposed by Han, Kalirajan, Singh (2002). The fourth part reports the sources and uses of the data and the empirical results. The final part provides some concluding remarks. A survey of literature in TFP (Total Factor Productivity)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The total factor productivity is a variable, which represents the productivity of the whole economy. It analysis encompasses residual production output that cannot be justified by production factors.   Therefore, the total factor productivity is used as a method of measuring changes in production process efficiency. According to Solow (1956), an increase in output depends solely on technical progress in the long-term, however, in the short-term; capital accumulation plays an important role.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to this viewpoint, Solow (1956) perceived total factor productivity as a concept that includes productivity based on technical progress and other production factors, which is defined as the Solow Residual. Its increasing rate that is measured by subtracting the contributions of labor and capital stock from the growth rate of gross domestic product is a comprehensive concept including technical progress and others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many studies on TFP growth, particularly in East Asia. According to Han, et al, (2002), most of the studies followed the growth accounting method using various production functions including trans-log and meta production functions.   However, we used to measure our Solow residuals until Nishimizu Page (1982) attempted to decompose TFP growth in Yugoslavia for the period of 1965-1978. TFP related studies in relocation of the capital cities in Korea   Suh (2004) estimated TFP in Seoul by the growth accounting method without the capital stocks recently. TFP in the near-Seoul area (including Kyungki Province) and strictly in the Seoul area shows as 0.039-0.047 and 0.042-0.048 respectively during 1990-2001.   This figure for Seoul area shows that TFP for non-near-Seoul area falls by 0.026. This gap has been widening as time goes by because the productivity in near-Seoul area is increasing faster than in non-near Seoul area.   Suh (Suh Kim [2004]) in another study estimated the income impacts of decentralization of population in Korea. Suh study suggested that if 5% of the current population of the Capital Region relocates to Chungnam Province, 1.7%-1.9% of GDP would be decreased. The main reason is simple that TFP in Seoul Region is higher than in non-Seoul regions. This conclusion is based and consistent with Suh earlier report in 2001. He added that the determinants affected for the Seoul to be higher than non-Seoul areas are such as the existence of high-technology industries as well as the infrastructure. On the other hand, there are several crucial criticisms in Suh’s study. First, he used the gross output as an output without a double deflation. According to Mahadevan (2002), one may use the value-added output by single deflation. However, the gross output should be deflated twice – corrected for purchases of intermediate inputs. Second, he assumed the share of the labor and capital in the production function: This could be very sensitive to the TFP estimation. Especially, his study lacks of the details of the information in TFP. The comparisons of TFP in Seoul and non-Seoul would suggest nothing but the figures of growth unexplained by the labor and capital stock increases. Decomposition of TECs, TP, and Input changes   According to Han, Kalirajan, Singh (2002), the frontier approach is able to decompose output growth into input growth; technical efficiency changes (TECs) and technological progress (TP). That is, Output Growth = Input growth + TFP growth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = Input growth + TECs + TP   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Above equation is algebraically described in graph A. The vertical axis measures outputs, and the horizontal axis measures inputs. Assume that a country faces two production functions, F1 and F2. The points on these functions represent the efficient production for period 1 and 2, respectively. In period 1, if the country is producing with full technical efficiency by following the best-practice techniques, its realized output will be y1* at the x1 input level. However, the country may not have efficient production, due to many constraints such as a lack of efficient organizational structure and a proper incentive structure for workers. In this case, the realized output y1 is less than the maximum possible output y1*: Technical efficiency TE1 is this gap between y1* and y1. Now, let us further assume that the production function shifts from F1 to F2 due to technological progress, including the improvements in human and capital inputs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     * Graph A: Decomposition of TFP (Total Factor Productivity)   The decomposition can be mathematically expressed as follows: D   = y2 – y1 = A + B + C = [y1* ââ€" ª y1] + [y1** ââ€" ª y1*] + [y2 y1**] = [y1* ââ€" ª y1] + [y1** ââ€" ª y1*] + [y2 y1**] +[y2*ââ€" ªy2*] = [y1* ââ€" ª y1] + [y1** ââ€" ª y1*] ââ€" ª [y2* y2] + [y2*ââ€" ªy1**] = {(y1* ââ€" ª y1) ââ€" ª (y2* y2)} + (y1**y1*) +(y2*ââ€" ªy1**)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = Change in TE + TP + yx*  Ã‚   = TFP Growth + yx* Data Used Four different data sets are utilized for this analysis. First, manufacturing industry’s total gross nominal output, number of employees, value of tangible fixed assets (capital input), and cost of production (intermediate input) are taken from the Report on Mining and Manufacturing Survey (various issues). The sample period of the data is 1980- 2002. The second data set includes the same variables for Seoul during the same years. The third set of data is for the Daejon area, and it contains the period from 1988 to 2002. The last set includes the same variables for Chungnam Province from 1980 to 2002. The gross output and the total costs are deflated by the wholesale price index (1995= 100) from the Bank of Korea, while the capital deflator from the Ministry of Statistics deflates the tangible fixed assets. Results   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Table A shows the results of the decomposition. First, in the period of 1980-2002, the total manufacturing industry had 144% increase of output, while the output increased by 88.7% and 197% for Seoul and Chungnam. For the period, Chungnam has a higher output increase. Furthermore, one can see that the labor productivity, defined simply by the total output divided by the number of the labors in the region, skyrocketed in Chungnam compared to that of Seoul in Figure 4.1. Figure 4.2 shows the ratio of the increase in the labor productivity. In this ratio, Chungnam has 14 more years higher than Seoul. We can notice that the labor productivity in the year 2000 in Chungnam is 2.3 times higher than Seoul’s. Second, comparing TE1 against TE2 gives an idea how the technical efficiency improved in the regions. For the total, TE has improved so much that 20.2% of output change is due to TE, while this figure shows no improvement for Seoul, and the small amount of improvement is due to this figure. However, one can see that there is a tremendous improvement for Chungnam, so that TE causes 228.7% of the increase of output. Table A Results of the Decomposition    y2 y1 (output change) y1* y1 (TE1) y2* y2 (TE2) TE1+TE2 y1**– y1* (TP) TE+TP y2* y1** (input change) Total 1.438 -0.002 -0.292 0.290 -0.455 -0.165 1.603 (1980-02)          (0.202) (-0.316) (-0.114) (1.115) Total 0.764 -0.031 0.001 -0.032 -0.015 -0.047 0.811 (1988-02)          (-0.042) (-0.020) (-0.062) (1.062) Seoul 0.887 0.004 0.004 0 0.195 0.195 0.692 (1980-02)          (0.000) (0.220) (0.22) (0.780) Seoul 0.385 -0.003 0.014 -0.017 0.213 0.196 0.189 (1980-02)          (-0.044) (0.553) (0.509) (0.491) Daejon 0.596 -0.151 0.005 -0.156 -0.113 -0.269 0.865 (1988-02)          (-0.262) (-0.190) (-0.452) (1.451) Chungnam 1.972 -0.008 -0.012 0.004 -0.027 -0.023 1.995 (1980-02)          (0.002) (-0.140) (-0.138) (1.012) Chungnam 1.487 3.398 -0.002 3.400 -3.463 -0.063 1.487 (1988-02)          (2.287) (-2.329) (-0.042) (1) D+C 1.252 -0.004 -0.05 0.046 -0.248 -0.202 1.454 (1988-02)          (0.037) (-0.198) (-0.161) (1.161) (The numbers in the parenthesis indicates the percentage of the output change.) Third, comparing TP in the regions shows the highest increase for Seoul. 22% of the output change stems from TP, while this ratio shows a negative number for Chungnam. It might be a main reason that many economists criticize the relocation of the capital cities, in terms of productivity. The seventh column shows the TE+TP or TFP for the regions. Seoul has a higher number than Chungnam Province. TE and TP cause 22% of the output increased, while a negative number is resulted for Chungnam. The last column suggests that the majority of the output change occurred from the increase in inputs, labor and capital for Chungnam. * Graph B: Comparisons of Labor Productivity for three regions * Graph C: Ratio of increase in the labor productivity in three regions When using the time-span of 1988-2001, the only period available for Daejon area, one can see that TE for the Seoul area has deteriorated, while it has tremendously increased in Chungnam. Thus, for Chungnam, TE has induced two thirds of the output change. However, as far as TP is concerned, the exact opposite phenomenon has taken place. For Seoul, this figure for TP is 0.195, and 55.3% of the output change is due to TE, while Daejon, Chungnam, and Daejon + Chungnam (D+C) show negative effects of TP on their outputs. Moreover, 49.1% of the output change is induced by the increase of the inputs in Seoul, when the majority of the output increase has occurred from the increase of the inputs for Chungnam and D+C. Conclusion Ever since President Rho Moo-Hyun’s pledge to shift the country’s capital city was announced, the issue has been a debated several times in Korea. Much research is being conducted to ascertain the economic appropriateness or validity of shifting it. One can hardly find the productivity analysis related. Suh Kim (2004) in the study analyzes the effects of income when 5% of Seoul area’s population moves to a new capital city: There would be an income loss of 1.7%-1.9% of GDP. This is because the Seoul area has higher TFP than any other area.   However, this paper further searches the characteristics of TFP in which we decompose its causes into technical efficiency, technological progress, and input changes.   It seems that the Seoul area has been flourishing with its increased output caused by the higher TFP, the total addition of the technical efficiency, and technological progress greater than in the Chungnam area so much that Suh and other criticizers of shifting the country’s capital city suggest not changing the location of the capital city. However, when we decompose and compare the TFP into TE and TP, it can be noticed that the Chungnam area has had a higher TE than Seoul, but vice-versa for TP. One can also see that the labor productivity in Chungnam has been higher than in Seoul, and this difference is even growing greater. Thus, our study adds to the literature of the debates regarding whether the government should shift the capital city or not, in that one may at least say that there would be some positive effects in TFP analysis. References Aigner, Dennis, J., C. A. Lovell, and Peter J, Schmidt (1977), â€Å"formulation and Estimation of Stochastic Frontier Production Function Models,† Journal of Econometrics, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 21-37. Barro, Robert J.and Xavier Sala-I-Martin. 1995. Economic Growth, New York: McGraw Hill. Charles I. Jones, Introduction to Economic Growth, 2nd edition, W.W.Norton, 2005. Han, Gaofeng, Kaliappa Kalirajan, Nirvikar Singh (2002), â€Å"Productivity and Economic Growth in East Asia: Innovation, Efficiency and Accumulation,† Japan and the World Economy, Vol. 14, pp. 401-24. Mahadevan R.(2002) New Currents in Productivity Analysis, Asian Productivity Organization, Productivity Series 31. Nishmizu, Mieko, and John Page(1982),† Total Factor Productivity Growth, Technological Progress and Technical Efficiency Change: Dimensions of Productivity Change in Yugoslavia, 1965-78, † Economic Journal, Vol. 92, pp. 920-36. Solow, Robert M., A Contribution in the Theory of Economic Growth, Quarterly Journal of Economics 70, Feb. 1956. Solow, R. M.(1957), â€Å"Technical Change and the Aggregate Production Function,† Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 39, pp. 312-320. Suh, Sung-Hwan. and   Kim, Kabsung(2004), â€Å"The Income Impacts of Decentralization of Population in Korea,† Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 65-78. Data Source Bank of Korea Economic Statistics System(ECOS)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Available at : http://www. ecos.bok.or.kr Korea National Statistical Office(KNSO)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Available at : http://www.nso.go.kr/eng2006/emain/index.html

Gender Discrimination In Education In Afghanistan Sociology Essay

Gender Discrimination In Education In Afghanistan Sociology Essay Afghanistan is one of the toughest regions for women to survive. Although the country has a highest number of school-going populations, gender disparities in education remain high. Women discrimination in the education system is a pervasive practice, which the political systems have not considered it seriously. Many girls opt to attend to their domestic duties because of the fear they have about insurgents and other group, which usually attack them in various learning institutions. Compared to boys, the societal norms and practices do not favor the girl because they hold minor roles in the building of the society and culture. Research question What are the reasons of gender discrimination in the education in Afghanistan? Proposed claims During the Taliban rule, women oppression and denial to access education has been evident by several attacks insurgent have orchestrated in schools. It is good to note that, this political system exercised male dominance and hegemonic practices against the women because of their position in the society. Socio-cultural norms and practices within the Afghans contribute largely to the discriminative way of sharing resources like education in the community. At the primary school level, the literacy level of girls for aged 15-24 stands at 18%, while the literacy level for bay at the same age bracket remains at 50%. More than half the boys have a chance of completing education compared to girls (Brodsky, Portnoy, Scheibler, Carrilo, 2012). Cultural practices and traditions encouraged boys to further their studies because of the leadership positions they occupied in the society. According to a report filed by the Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan, parents elucidate that major challenges affecting their daughters is insecurity and accessibility of education. Others stated that a girl child ought to attend to domestic duties, engage in productive activities to enable her family earn a living and children marriages (Whitsel Mehran, 2010 p. 504). The Islamic the Islamic rule under the Taliban government did not allow women in public areas. For this reason, other girls opt to remain indoors for fear of execution of assault by law enforcers. This situation influenced the way girls attended schools as opposed to boys who had the time to acquire knowledge. Factors contributing to gender discrimination in education in Afghanistan The Brutal Taliban Rule The Taliban became prominent in 1994 after they took power and ruled the Afghanistan in a dictatorial way. The group targeted women in such a way that many succumbed to health complications, others lost their lives, and the majority lacked the power to acquire knowledge at institutions of learning. Since most of the schools in Afghanistan are gender-segregated, the insurgent group conducted several attacks on girls in order to deprive them from acquiring basic education. It was a rule that girls ought to stay away from public places; the school was a public place where they socialized. According to the Taliban rule, oppressing women was a show of winning despite losing the victory at the battlefields. In Takhar province, the Taliban group poisoned 40 girls student, some of which succumbed to severe health complication (Facar, 2006 p. 31). This group burnt girls schools because they wanted to get rid of the enlightened generation of women, which could challenge their political ideolog ies and power. Before the Taliban assumed power, Afghanistan was a peaceful place, which ensured equality between boys and girls with regard to knowledge acquisition. Thereafter, when the Taliban ruled, they perpetrated egregious acts of violence against young girls. Such actions induced fear in girls who were at learning institutions because they knew anytime they face attackers (Spink, 2005 p. 197). In a certain incidence, In Tukhar province insurgents attached a girls school at night, raped students, assaulted and kidnapped others. For this reason, many abandoned learning as they moved to Iran and Pakistan for refuge. In 1999, Talibans jailed and deported a female worker who was helping Afghanistan women in engaging in home-based work. In Kabul, female teachers lost their jobs, a move that crippled learning in some institutions. Since these teachers attended mainly elementary classes in girls schools, children missed fundamental of education making some to record poor marks in examinations. The Taliban also restricted female from enrolling at the Kabul University. The rationale behind it was the facility was full to capacity and that women should wait for the government to construct another facility. Society norms and practices According to norms and practices of the Afghans, women had no authority over certain traditional practices like marriage. In the video, it was stated that many parents married off their young daughters without their consent because the parents wanted to raise resources, which could sustain the rest of the family (men). Following this initiative, many girls were pulled out of schools or deprived the right to education because they will get married. Some families forced their girl children to stay indoors because they were afraid of fines and penalties, which societal leaders could charge upon exposing their siblings. Brodsky, Portnoy, Scheibler Carrilo, (2012) asserts that the culture has a requirement, which states that girls should not compete with men in any way; going to school as boys do was a form of competition, which the society did not allow. Moreover, culture also required that girls and boys should be segregated in any gathering or event. This doctrine was also exercised a t government institutions, which had a mandate of building schools and allocating other resources. Such an environment does not promote healthy competition during learning. There is a possibility that girls will perform poorly. In the Video, Parish Will of World Edition state that, the society has had a perception that girls should only acquire basic primary education, which sometimes is not essential. With this in mind, many parents had not until recently realized the importance of supporting their daughters education. How working knowledge influenced topic selection In my relationship with female colleagues, i interviewed a few who stated that the major problem, which they face in their pursuit of education, was discrimination and oppression from men. Many asserted that male dominated societies could not favor them or support their educational needs. Apart from that, I noted that the number of female teachers and other workers at various places of work was low. I wanted to establish the rationale behind the situation. I considered that the topic was important for research because I wanted to explore the problem and establish some of the problems, which have led to the situation. Misunderstandings about the topic During the time women were oppressed and discriminated, I do not understand the reason why insurgent and the Taliban targeted women. The explanation given does not give a clear reason for the brutal activities women went through. I consider that Afghanistan men could have been target of Taliban because they can challenge their rule of law. The Islamic rules and practices have given women an equal opportunity as men to pursue various sectors and acquire knowledge in order to develop the society. The Taliban were also Islam, but did not adhere to this requirement. There has been no evidence showing or explaining why women were denied the right of education. Conclusion Indeed women in Afghanistan were denied the right of education. The Taliban used their authority to oppress and deprive women from learning because they wanted to eliminate the likelihood of having enlightened future leaders, who could challenge some of their political ideologies. Although the society still holds that women should remain passive to societal practices and activities, I will carry out sensitization campaigns, which will enlighten women and teach some fundamental rights that they need to demand from the authority. In addition, religious leaders will also be used in teaching the society against the practices, which discriminate against the women. Annotated Reference list Brodsky, A., Portnoy, G., Scheibler, J., Carrilo, A. (2012). Beyond (ABCs) Education, community and feminism in Afghanistan. Journal of Community Psychology, 40(1), 159-181. This journal highlights how Socio-cultural norms and practices within the Afghans has contributed in the oppressive way through which resources and services like education have been shared in the community. The author cites evidence stating that, at the primary school level, the literacy level of girls for aged 15-24 stands at 18%, while the literacy level for bay at the same age bracket remains at 50%. More than half the boys have a chance of completing education compared to girls. Facar, M. (2006). The pendulum of gender politics in Afghanistan. Central Asia Survey, 25(1), 27-59. This source gives a historical perspective of how the Afghanistan society lived during the time before and after the Taliban. The author observes that because most of the schools in Afghanistan are gender-segregated, the insurgent groups have always conducted several attacks on girls in order to restrict them from acquiring basic education. It was a rule that girls ought to stay away from public places; the school was a public place where they socialized. The author adds that oppressing women was a show of winning despite losing the victory at the battlefields. He cites an example in Takhar province, where Taliban group poisoned 40 girls student, some of which succumbed to severe health complication . Spink, J. (2005). Education and politics in Afghanistan: the importance of an education system in peace building and reconstruction. Journal of Peace Education, 2(2), 195-207. In this source, the author gives the picture of the situation after the Taliban assumed power. He explains and demonstrates how women underwent difficult situations in their pursuit of education. He observes that men were favored unlike women who suffered perpetration and egregious acts of violence from the insurgents. Whitsel, C., Mehran, W. (2010). School, work and community-level differences in Afghanistan and Tajikistan: divergence in secondary school enrolment of youth. Central Asia Survey, 29(4), 501-519. In this source the author, identify various problems that lead to the low number of women registration in secondary schools. He observes that traditional norms and practices also deprived women from accessing education by forcing them to stay at home while boys went to school.

Essay --

Most people thing that being an electrical engineer means that you spend your day going to people’s house and fixing their electrical problems. In reality there is more to this career than meets the eye. What they don’t know is that being an electrical engineering is a very advanced field that requires you to invent, design, and construct electrical and electronic devices as well as be able to adapt to different roles when the opportunity arises. For a career in this field you are required a minimum of a bachelors degree of science in engineering and a good computer skills. Electrical engineering has nine divisions, each with its own specialty but even though their field is a bit different they all go through the same steps. The only difference is the product. It could be a computer, a generator or even a robot. According to what can you do second edition, electrical engineers first have to invent and design the device they want to build. This phase is mostly done with computers so computer skills are very necessary for this job. After this phase is complete they begin their construction phase. In this phase they build and test the new built devices. This is the phase where you apply your understanding of electrical components. For this job you are required to work eight hours a day, and make business trips once in a while but this is mostly an office job. For a carrier in the field of electrical engineering, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree of science in engineering is required. To get this degree, you will have to take 4 years of college. I am planning on attending University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The reason I am planning to go there is because they teach this field up to PhD. Therefore, if I e... ...ddition this carrier is found at about anywhere in the world, wherever you are at you have a good chance of getting a carrier in this field. But that is not the only reason that I choose to pursue this carrier. The other reason is that you gain a wide range of knowledge during studies. Even with the basic lessons you improve your knowledge and that knowledge can be applied to many of your daily activities. Another reason is for a better is for a better understanding of computers. Now days computers are becoming a big part of our life, lots tasks are performed by computers and for that good computer skills are necessary. Electrical engineers are challenged with computer problems on every step of their study, field and their everyday life. For electrical engineers, computer play a very important role in their job and without them there will be no modern engineering.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Maria Erich Remarque Essay -- paul, s

Away from the front lines, soldiers are perceived and act as individuals, however when pulled to the front, they come together creating and inseparable bond of camaraderie. Remarque’s All Quite on the Western Front illustrates the true content of war. The soldiers of the front lines fought with a common purpose, putting aside other desires and dining personal needs which created an in ignorable bond of camaraderie making life on the front lines bearable. This is particularly portrayed in Paul’s relationship to other soldiers. Through Paul’s protection of his comrades, the family-like relationship between the soldiers and the development of a close bond during free time, Remarque shows that the most important aspect of war is camaraderie. Soldiers in WWI had only each other to depend on for any chance of survival. Paul explores and puts into these actions time and again by protecting and trusting those around him. One day while pondering, Paul says to himself â€Å"we had to recognize that our generation was more to be trusted that theirs. They surpass us only in phrases and in cleverness†. He is referring to the older generations who are not fighting on the front who describe the war as glorious. Paul understands that the camaraderie is based on common experience, something only the front line soldiers experience and thus understand with Paul. Because they share these common experiences, Paul also shows compassion to especially the younger, new recruits. While in the trenches a young recruit â€Å"lay in utter terror. He had buried his face in his hands. He looked up, pushing the helmet off and like a child crept under [Paul’s] arm, his head close to his breast. The little shoulders heaved. Shoulders like Kemmerich’s† Paul’s compassion f... ...nother than even lovers†¦so intimate we do not even speak† this forever known camaraderie is set in stone for when one part is lost it leaves the group weak. This is shown after Kat dies and Paul is left alone. He realizes there is no one left for him and he gives up. He knew nothing but death and dieing without the camaraderie offered to him. War is a series of deaths for a greater gain for the people who do not fight at the front. However while on the front it becomes a fight for life through battle and friendship. The bonds created allow success and support. The family bond created is the most important effect of war and debatably the only good one. Through this bond Remarque shows this importance as the only light in the never-ending darkness of war. Works Cited Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print. All Quiet on the Western Front by Maria Erich Remarque Essay -- paul, s Away from the front lines, soldiers are perceived and act as individuals, however when pulled to the front, they come together creating and inseparable bond of camaraderie. Remarque’s All Quite on the Western Front illustrates the true content of war. The soldiers of the front lines fought with a common purpose, putting aside other desires and dining personal needs which created an in ignorable bond of camaraderie making life on the front lines bearable. This is particularly portrayed in Paul’s relationship to other soldiers. Through Paul’s protection of his comrades, the family-like relationship between the soldiers and the development of a close bond during free time, Remarque shows that the most important aspect of war is camaraderie. Soldiers in WWI had only each other to depend on for any chance of survival. Paul explores and puts into these actions time and again by protecting and trusting those around him. One day while pondering, Paul says to himself â€Å"we had to recognize that our generation was more to be trusted that theirs. They surpass us only in phrases and in cleverness†. He is referring to the older generations who are not fighting on the front who describe the war as glorious. Paul understands that the camaraderie is based on common experience, something only the front line soldiers experience and thus understand with Paul. Because they share these common experiences, Paul also shows compassion to especially the younger, new recruits. While in the trenches a young recruit â€Å"lay in utter terror. He had buried his face in his hands. He looked up, pushing the helmet off and like a child crept under [Paul’s] arm, his head close to his breast. The little shoulders heaved. Shoulders like Kemmerich’s† Paul’s compassion f... ...nother than even lovers†¦so intimate we do not even speak† this forever known camaraderie is set in stone for when one part is lost it leaves the group weak. This is shown after Kat dies and Paul is left alone. He realizes there is no one left for him and he gives up. He knew nothing but death and dieing without the camaraderie offered to him. War is a series of deaths for a greater gain for the people who do not fight at the front. However while on the front it becomes a fight for life through battle and friendship. The bonds created allow success and support. The family bond created is the most important effect of war and debatably the only good one. Through this bond Remarque shows this importance as the only light in the never-ending darkness of war. Works Cited Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print.

Organisation culture Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Organisation culture Organisation culture can be defined as the collection of relatively uniform and enduring beliefs, values, customs, traditions and practices which are shared by an organisation’s members and which are transmitted from one generation of employees to the next. One view in the field of organisation culture is the culture metaphor. A metaphor is a word or phrase applied to an object or action which it does not literally denote.1 Metaphor can be powerful means of communicating ideas and are in common use in many organisations. It asserts that culture is a mental state that has to be tolerated since it is incapable of being changed by management. It adopted a phenomenological standpoint and conceptualised culture as a ‘process of enactment’ – not as something that exists ‘out there’ separate from people, but which was actually manufactured by company employees as they interacted with one another on a daily basis within the workplace.2 In highlighting the symbolic significance of virtually every aspect of organisation life, the culture metaphor thus focuses attention on a human side of organisation that other metaphors ignore or gloss over. The culture metaphor opens the way to a reinterpretation of many traditional managerial concepts and processes. It also helps to reinterpret the nature and significance of organisation environment relations. Culture of the organisation plays a key role in determining a structure that would suit. The organisation stance towards participation and risk-taking will have an impact on the decision pertaining to number of levels and delegation of authority. Congruence between culture and structure is important. Lack of congruence can result in mixed signals across the organisation. Organisational culture is based on differences in norms and shared practices which are learned in the workplace and are considered as valid within the boundaries of a particular organisation. Therefore the efficiency of an organization structure is determined by how well it fits into the culture in which it is set. The environments affect the structures chosen by organizational decision-makers through their society’s cultural expectations. Organisational structures are designed to insure survival through social legitimacy by reflecting the surrounding culture’s values and beliefs (Birnbaum-More a... ...se of authority here. For the most part individuals are encouraged to perform their tasks with few questions asked though important decisions are likely to be made as a result of political manoeuvring. The greatest strength of power cultures is their ability to react quickly but their success largely depends on the abilities of the person or people at the centre. In conclusion, organisational culture exercises a potent form of control over the interaction of organisational members with each other and outsiders. By supplying people with a toolbox of values, norms, and rules that tell them how to behave, organisation culture is instrumental in determining how they interpret and react to a situation. Thus, an organisation’s culture can be a source of competitive advantage. References 1. Andrew Brown.1995, ‘Organisational Culture’ Chap1, p13 2. David Buchanan & Andrzej Huczynski. 1997, ‘Organizational Behaviour’ Chap 18, p514 3. David Buchanan & Andrzej Huczynski. 1997, ‘Organizational Behaviour’ Chap 22, p681 Additional References l Gaeth Morgan. 1986 ‘Images of Organization’ 2 Laurie J Mullins. 2005 ‘Management and Organisational Behaviour’

Napa Valley Winery Inc

Quintal realized that the quantity of red table wine produced is closely associated to the sales. Ms. Quintal reviewed her past sales in order to predict future sales based on the amount of wine produced in 2008. The issue Quintal faced was the seasonality of wine sales; December being its peak time in sales. After careful consideration, Quintal determined that although her previous forecasting method had worked from an operational standpoint, however, there was still room to improve its accuracy.Quintal has to determine what the forecasting profits will be for the next 16 months (Septet's to DCE 2009) prior to the conclusion of any business deals with Transcontinental. The software that was used in order to predict the future sales was Stools. Stools provided me with four different methods (Moving Averages, Simple, Halt's & Winters' exponential smoothing) of forecasting to identify the most accurate prediction possible. With a Means Absolute Percentage Error (MAPS) of 3. 72% the Hal t's exponential smoothing method was determined to be the best method of predicting monthly wine sales for the next sixteen months (Figure 2).Background/Additional Research on Nap Valley Wineries The Nap valley is known for its stylish and exquisite wine blends. The highly acclaimed Paradox Winery was founded in 1994 and its current wine maker is David Marches'. Paradox is the only winery that is truly devoted to wine blends in the Nap Valley. Paradox has four different estates that produce grapes with distinct attributes that reflect the variations in soil, terrain, micrometer, and exposure. This vineyard has created a blend of zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, along with smaller amounts of Merlot and Petite Sarah to create the first Paradox vintage.One of Paradox's quality wines is the 2006 Postmark Monitor Ledge Vineyard Red Wine. This lend of Zinfandel paired with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot originates solely from our Monitor Ledge Vineyard which is known for producing concentrat ed and structured wines. This wine highlights red cherry and rose petal aromas, with notes of blueberry, blackberry, smoky cedar and cola. The flavors of the red fruit and warm blackberry with a dash of cinnamon spice. Analyzing the Problem The data used was gathered from previous sales from Jan. 2000 through Gauge. 2008.This data will be used in forecasting sixteen month time period starting with Septet. 2008 and all of 2009 wine sales. The forecasting tool used was Stools, which eloped in determining the total wine sales for the next sixteen months. The question that will be addressed: What is Northern Nap Valley Winners projected sales for the upcoming sixteen months? To better answer this question there are four different methods of forecasting (Figure 5 Moving Averages, Figure 4 Simple, Figurer Halt's & Figure 3 Winters' Exponential Smoothing) that will be used, of those four one will give the best prediction based on the past data.Forecasting methods where done dissocialized. The Mean Absolute Percentage Error is important when forecasting data. The closer the MAPS is to zero the more accurate the forecast. This will be the catalyst in determining the accuracy of the forecasts. Runs test (Null Hypothesis of Randomness) Prior to doing any forecasting it is important to determine whether or not the data is random or nonrandom. The software used to conduct the Runs Test for Randomness was Stool's. This test was used in order to determine if there were too many or too few runs in a series of data.Figure 5: Moving Averages I I Forecasting Constant I Forecast I Span 13 Mean Abs Err 1683. 03 631. 59 I I Moving Averages 1460. 00 1480. 16 I Root Mean Sq Err 14. 12% By using Stools a graph was formulated to show the fluctuation of sales from Jan 2000 through DCE. 2009. The moving average in this case for the next sixteen months produced a MAPS of 4. 12%. A MAPS of is considered to be very good so 4. 12% has limited forecasting errors and would be considered an exc ellent forecast. Although, the MAPS for the moving average was considerably accurate, the Halt's method produced a MAPS of 3. 2% which indicative of a more accurate forecast. The difference between the Moving Averages method and the Halt's method is the MAPS of . 4%, which makes the Moving Average less accurate than the Halt's Exponential Smoothing Method. Conclusion and Recommendation It is apparent that wine sales fluctuate monthly which could be based upon changes in the economy, climate, or preference. Annual forecasting is not conducive to wine sales since wine fluctuates on a monthly basis. An example of wine lactating would be in August sales are low but, in sales are at its peak.Ms. Quintal should forecast future sales on a monthly basis in order to maintain a more accurate account sales activity. It is recommended that Ms. Quintal utilize Stools as a means of automating her forecasting task and maintaining continuity of records. According to the sixteen month forecast the a mount of wine produced is closely related to the amount of wine sold. Reference Nap valley wineries. (2011, November 16). Retrieved from http:// www. Banqueters. Com/nap_valley_wineries. HTML (2011, November 16). Retrieved from http://www. Wisped. Org/