What Does the First Amendment Mean to The Press

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the freedom of the press in the United States. The First Amendment is actually three separate clauses that guarantee not only press freedom, but freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. For journalists its the clause about the press that is most important. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Press Freedom in Practice The U.S. Constitution guarantees a free press, which can be extrapolated to include all news media—TV, radio, the web, etc. What do we mean by a free press? What rights does the First Amendment actually guarantee? Primarily, press freedom means the news media are not subject to censorship by the government. In other words, the government does not have the right to try to control or block certain things from being published by the press. Another term often used in this context is prior restraint, which means an attempt by the government to prevent the expression of ideas before they are published. Under the First Amendment, prior restraint is clearly unconstitutional. Press Freedom Around the World Here in America, were privileged to have what is probably the freest press in the world, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Most of the rest of the world isnt so lucky. Indeed, if you close your eyes, spin a globe and plop your finger down onto a random spot, chances are that if you dont land in the ocean, youll be pointing to a country with press restrictions of some kind.   China, the worlds most populous country, maintains an iron grip on its news media. Russia, the largest country geographically, does much the same. Around the globe, there are entire regions—the Middle East is but one example—in which press freedom is severely curtailed or virtually non-existent. In fact, its easier—and quicker—to compile a list of regions where the press truly is free. Such a list would include the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and a handful of countries in South America. In the U.S. and many industrialized nations, the press enjoys a great deal of freedom to report critically and objectively on the important issues of the day. In much of the world, press freedom is either limited or virtually nonexistent.  Freedom House offers maps and charts to show where the press is free, where its not, and where press freedoms are limited.

Essay on Amadeus - 2353 Words

At the age of the Enlightenment, Antonio Salieri becomes the most triumphant musician in the city of Vienna, however, without any warning his harmonious universe comes to an utter halt. Salieriamp;#8217;s absolute faith in the world, in himself, and in God is all at once diminished by this spontaneous child composer. When the two opposite ends meet, there emerges a fury, a rage, and a passion in Salieri to sabotage the boy that has secured Salieriamp;#8217;s deserved God given talent; to destroy the one pubescent child that has made him so mute and naked now in a world of discordance. Salieriamp;#8217;s entire reputation and boyhood prayer to attain fame thus rests on his ability to annihilate that child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus†¦show more content†¦He thus rationally and intelligently composes the operas in a meditative way. Salieri works on his operas continually with many rewrites, drafts, and edits. Calling up to God, amp;#8220;You know how hard Iamp;#8217;ve worked!; ( 1,12) Salieri indicates his agony. This exemplifies the colossal dedication Salieri devotes in practicing this art. On the other hand, Mozartamp;#8217;s operas do not appeal to audiences during the age of Enlightenment. Instead, Mozartamp;#8217;s musicals exert offense, especially to that of the nobility, and in turn his operas are failures during this age. For example, Mozartamp;#8217;s score of figaro includes a ballet, that was expressly forbidden by the king. However, instead of immediately apologizing and excluding it from his opera, Mozart attempts to go around the decree. He explains that it is not an insertion of ballet, but rather it is a dance and the king does not disallow dancing when it is a portion of the story. Mozart continues opposing the Age of Enlightenment and the commands of the high society by abandoning them through language and themes of his operas. Despite the fact that the nobility will be upset, Mozart aspires to do pieces about amp;#8220;real people; set in a amp;#8220;real place; and in the real language of the people (2,4). He explains to Van Swieten that he wants his operas in German in order to communicate with the majority about the most exciting thing on earth, that is,Show MoreRelatedAmadeus, the Movie Essay796 Words   |  4 PagesAmadeus begins with an attempted suicide by composer Antonio Salieri, who is overcome with guilt about supposedly killing Mozart. His life is saved by his aids and he is sent to what looks like a mental hospital, where a priest is sent to council him. The whole story is told through the eyes of Salieri on his death bed, confessing to his priest. The whole movie takes place in Vienna, Austria. Besides the first few scenes where Mozart is seen as a child, the story begins in 1782 when Mozart is theRead MoreEssay on Amadeus Influential Values686 Words   |  3 PagesAmadeus Influential Values Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus presents to the reader many human values. The most prominent being envy, deceit and self-sacrifice. During the course of the play these features are displayed through Salieri’s actions, emotions and dialogue. The relationship between Salieri and Mozart is like a painting, commencing with splattered envy after Mozart’s extordinary musical talents disrupt Salieri’s clean, white, sanity. Splatters become blotches when Mozart uses Salieri’sRead MoreEssay on Critiquing Amadeus by Peter Shaffer679 Words   |  3 PagesCritiquing Amadeus by Peter Shaffer I believe that there are two ways to critique Peter Shaffers Amadeus. The first, and the easiest for me, is as an artistic work only. As an artistic endeavor, Amadeus is a triumph. Particularly stunning is F. Murray Abrahams performance as the tortured Court Composer Antonio Salieri. Abraham portrays a talented yet mediocre musician who, having revered God all his life, shows us clearly that pride goeth before the fall. It is SalierisRead MoreEssay The play Amadeus and the Destructive Nature of Jealousy533 Words   |  3 Pages The play quot;Amadeusquot; is Mainly Concerned With the Destructive Nature of Jealousy This passage is all too true, both in Peter Shaffers ‘Amadeus and in life in general. However the play is also concerned with the destructive nature of ignorance and naivety. Salieri is jealous not just of Mozarts talent, but of the fact that God gave the talent to â€Å"Mozart †¦ spiteful, sniggering, conceited, infantine Mozart†. He is envious of the vessel of Gods laughter at the ‘patron saint of mediocrityRead More Review of film Amadeus Essay999 Words   |  4 PagesReview of film Amadeus Amadeus is a movie based on the career and the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Viennese during the 18th century. Throughout the film Antonio Salieri tells his story of his growing hatred for Mozart that eventually led to his ?murder?. Through out the rest of the movie you can see where Salieri is getting even more jealous of Mozart. Although Salieri was inspired to become Gods instrument the music of that time ?classical era? did not revolve around the church orRead More equss vs amadeus by peter shaffer Essay1347 Words   |  6 Pages In both Equus and Amadeus Shaffer shows insanity in his characters. He does this not only to stress the characters feelings and state of mind of which they are in. Also, he attempts to cast a blanket over the reader; it gives the reader the feeling that Shaffer designed the characters to express and reflect the beauty in insanity and to convey the ugliness on normality. â€Å"Madness, if not out rightly divine, is at best preferable to the 20th century’s ruthless and uninspired sanity, is in this playRead MoreEssay about The Film Amadeus1561 Words   |  7 PagesThe Film Amadeus This paper will take a look into the movie Amadeus, to see if the film accurately depicts the history of Amadeus and the enlightenment of the characters. The time period that the film takes place in is the 18th century. There is a mixture of social class in this film. There are rulers and commoners shown in this film. The main characters in the film which are Mozart, Salieri, and Emperor Joseph represent actual historical figures. The film was made in 1984Read More wolfgang amadeus mozart Essay1190 Words   |  5 Pagesis the fact I do believe he is the best musician/composer of all time, and his life story is of a tragic but gifted young soul. Later on you will find out about his family, his teachings, his tragedies, and of course his accomplishments. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, Jan. 27 1756. His parents were Leopold Mozart and his wife Anna Maria Pertl. His dad like Mozart was a successful composer, violinist and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. He also had an older sisterRead More Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay1202 Words   |  5 PagesWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as he is generally known, was baptized in a Salzburg Cathedral on the day after his birth as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. The first and last given names come from his godfather Joannes Theophilus Pergmayr, although Mozart preferred the Latin form of this last name, Amadeus, more often Amadà ©, or the Italiano Amadeo, and occasionally the Deutsch Gottlieb. Whatever the case may be, he rarely - if ever - used Theophilus in his signatureRead More Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay1138 Words   |  5 PagesWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mozart is perhaps the greatest musical genius who ever lived. Mozart s full name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Most people called him Mozart or Wolfgang. Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. His father, Leopold, perhaps the greatest influence on Mozarts life, was the vice Kapellmeister (assistant choir director) to the Archbishop of Salzburg at the time of Mozarts birth. Mozart was actually christened as Joannes Chrysotomus Wolfgangus Theophilus,

Caribbean Studies Free Essays

CARIBBEAN STUDIES QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS: CAPE 2005 MODULE ONE: CARIBBEAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE 1. Identify the geographical sub-region to which St Lucia, Grenada and Antigua belong. (1 mark) – The Lesser Antilles 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Caribbean Studies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Name the chain of islands in the Caribbean which is located entirely in the Atlantic Ocean. (1 mark) * The Bahamas * 3. Explain what is meant by a ‘historical’ definition of the Caribbean region. (2 marks) * This describes those islands that saw the impact of colonialism, slavery and indentureship 4. Identify TWO of the boundaries of the ‘geological’ Caribbean. 2 marks) * North- the line of the Greater Antilles * East – the line of Lesser Antilles * South – a line through Trinidad, Northern Venezuela and Colombia * West – the Western pacific Coast of Central America 5. Outline TWO different interpretations of the term culture. (4 marks) * Culture defines and characterizes aspects of lifestyles that may be peculiar to a particular society * Culture refers to the beliefs of a group of people 6. List TWO ways in which the term ‘society’ can be defined. (2 marks) * People having a shared common purpose People occupying a define d territorial space * Citizens within a defined space 7. Describe TWO problems that may arise in Caribbean society because of hybridization. (6 marks) * Hybridization can lead to the creation of new cultures, when two or more cultures come into contact with each other. * Hybridization may lead to two or more cultures trying to claim cultural, economic or political space * Some races may assume a sense of superiority over races, based on the old plantation system and social stratification. 8. Describe TWO responses of Caribbean people to oppression. 4 marks) * Creation of Trade Unions * Migration – intra Caribbean and extra regional * Crime and Violence * Riots * Active Resistance – disobedience, revolts, rebellions and revolutions 9. Explain ONE way in which religion has impacted on Caribbean people. (2 marks) * Religion was used as a means of retaining ancestral links * It was a decisive element in multi- religious societies, for example, Trinidad and Guyana (Christia n, Hindu and Moslem) * It was a factor used in the expansion of education in Caribbean territories. In the aftermath of emancipation, many primary schools were opened by missionaries and religious organizations and today they continue to work. * Religion offered a source of comfort or a source of empowerment while experiencing violence, oppression and genocide 10. Describe TWO ways in which the Cuban residents in the United States impact on American politics. (4 marks) * They formed pressure groups to coerce Washington to continue to enforce the economic blockade against Cuba. * A large population of Cubans in Miami influence voting and governance in the US. They actively supported the Helms Burton Act of 1996 which seeks to establish and maintain international sanctions against the Castro government and plan for a transitional government leading to a democratically elected government 11. Explain ONE way in which Caribbean migrant labour impacts on the economies of the countries of North America. (2 marks) * Helps to keep wages very low as a very large amount of migrants keep wages at minimum wage levels MODULE TWO: ISSUES IN CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT 12. Explain what is meant by ‘development’. 2 marks) * Development is the ability of a country to advance economically, measured by changes in its per capita income as well as by the human development index which includes life expectancy and educational attainment. 13. List TWO indicators of development. ( 2 marks) * National income * Levels of unemployment 14. Identify TWO factors that influence development. (2 marks) * Distribution of wealth * Political ideologies * Gender equality * Natural disasters * Impact of the productive sector – investment 15. Explain the term ‘globalisation’. (2 marks) 16. Identify ONE international organization that facilitates globalization. (1 mark) 17. State One effect of globalization on EACH of the following: Labour, Trade, Ideology 18. Identify TWO challenges faced by either Carifta or The West Indies Federation. ( 2 marks) CARIFTA * Unemployment rates and poverty * Leadership issues: Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago * Inabilty to implement regional decisions * Wide disparity among members in terms of per capita income WEST INDIES FEDERATION Disputes over movement of people from one country to another * Insularity/ parochialism * Leadership issues: Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago * Federal Government had no power 19. State how EACH of the following institions has contributed to development of the region: CTO: Caribbean Tourism Organisation * Creation of a single voice in the international arena * Provision of a sound body of knowledge through data collection, collation and research * De velopment and promotion of regional travel tourism programmes to and within the Caribbean * Provision of a sound body of knowledge 20. How to cite Caribbean Studies, Essay examples Caribbean Studies Free Essays Today, education programs at all levels face intense criticism, and physical education programs are no exception. In fact, as school budgets shrink and administrators cut â€Å"frills,† physical education may be one of the first programs to go. If we are to secure a place for physical education in the school curriculum, we must answer two questions: (1) What are the physical, psychological, and intellectual effects of physical education upon the total development of the child? and (2) Given these effects, can physical education be considered a frill? What are the physical benefits of physical education? Recent research has shown that degenerative diseases begin in early childhood. We will write a custom essay sample on Caribbean Studies or any similar topic only for you Order Now As Kaercher (1 98 1) wrote, â€Å"There’s increasing evidence in youngsters of high cholesterol in the blood, high blood pressure, obesity and other conditions that are associated with heart disease, stroke and other disorders† (p. 20). Bucher (1982) stated that medical specialists blame deaths due to heart disease, cancer, and stroke largely on â€Å"changes in lifestyle characterized by factors over which doctors have little or no control† (p. 13). Research suggests that regular physical activity, begun in childhood, may help prevent degenerative diseases. According to Hanson (1974), â€Å"The necessity of physical activity for a growing child is well-documented in terms of growth and fitness needs. Physical activity increases muscle tone, improves respiration and circulation, benefits digestion, aids in controlling obesity, promotes rehabilitation after illness and surgery, and stimulates proper growth and development. Physical benefits alone could be sufficient reason for supporting physical education programs†¦ † (p. 2). And Reiff (1977, p. 26) reported that high school students involved in an eight-week program of physical activity showed gains in fitness. In addition, Fentem and Bassey (1982) pointed out that â€Å"Exercise is a valuable adjunct to dietary control in prevention and treatment of obesity because it increases energy expenditure and improves energy balance† (p. 2). Studies indicate that children in free play settings will not engage in physical activity vigorous enough to produce physical benefits or enhance health, thus supporting the need for physical education (Reiff 1977, p. 6). What are the psychological/social benefits of physical education? Physical activity enhances a person’s life both socially and psychologically. Studies have shown that physical activity may modify anxiety and depression (Sachs 1982, p. 44). Layman (1972, p. 5) gave evidence that poor physical condition predisposes individuals to poor mental health. Hanson (1974, p. 2) stated that â€Å"physical activity contributes to the general feeling of well-being †¦. It is an avenue for expression of anger, aggression and happiness . . a means for discovery of self as well as a social facilitator. † Moreover, according to Espenschade (1960), â€Å"The status of the elementary school child with his peers is dependent to a great extent on his motor skills and his behavior in game situations† (p. 3). Clarke (1982, p. 10) added to these statements, suggesting that the child’s realization of personal and social effectiveness relies heavily on guidance within the physical education experience. Guidance helps the individual adopt desirable modes of behavior and improve interpersonal relationships. What are the mental//intellectual benefits of physical education? Research shows a positive relationship between physical activity and academic achievement. In one study, begun in 1951 in an elementary school in Vanves, France, the school day was divided so that four hours were devoted to academics and one to two hours to physical education, art, music, and supervised study (Bailey 1976). By 1960, not only were health, fitness, discipline, and enthusiasm superior in the experimental program, but academic performance also surpassed controlled classes. Similar experiments in Belgium and Japan produced comparable results (Carlson 1982, p. 68), illustrating the importance of physical education to a successful academic program. How does physical education affect children’s development of wholesome recreation habits? The importance of wise use of leisure time was supported as early as 1918 in the Seven Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education (National Education Association). Children need recreational skills and a positive attitude toward exercise to enhance their use of leisure. Indeed, â€Å"Research indicates that motor skills learned in physical education classes may be the stimulus for increased activity during leisure time (Seefeldt 1977, p. 3). Gilliam and others demonstrated that physical education programs involving vigorous activities encourage participants to use leisure time more actively (p. 3). Thus, physical education can play a major role in promoting an active, healthy lifestyle. How to cite Caribbean Studies, Essay examples

Effect Factor For Students Deviant Behaviour

Question: Discuss about a review of the article emphasising upon the deviating behaviour of the student and key people responsible for the changes in the behaviour of the student? Answer: Introduction The study contains the review of the article emphasising upon the deviating behaviour of the student and key people responsible for the changes in the behaviour of the student. It contains various theses that highlight the altered behaviour of the student. The reasons for the changes in the behaviour are shown in the study with the scale of comparison between the thesis of the current article and theses of others (Costello, Anderson Stein, 2014). Although the author has discussed genuine and appropriate points in the articles but there are some section in which the idea of deviation factor of the student is not covered fully. Summary of the article The article describes the behaviour of the students that is mainly not accepted by the society. Therefore, several regulation and rules have been discussed in the article by the author that highlights the reasons of abnormal behaviour of the students. In addition, the role of the key people mainly teacher and parents is also involved in the study that highlights the changes in the behaviour of the student (Chapple, Vaske Worthen, 2014). The author opines the banning of policies stating to beat the student in the school has encouraged them to get involved with the bad section of the society. Therefore, society is another sector that plays a significant factor in destructing the behaviour of the students (Rocheleau Chavez, 2014). The students are now engaged in several deviated activities that influences them towards the misleading section of the society. Mainly, the relationship between the teachers and student, society and parent- student relationship is highlighted that is peek when the questions arise concerning their behaviour. In addition, the author also discussed the efforts that force the student to be restricted to a certain boundary of rules and regulations that have not succeeded due to current obligated rights assigned by the government (Feinberg, Dufur, Famelos Fisher, 2014). As a whole, the author prescribed the facts relating the significance of behaviour management of the students mainly during their teenage, as it is the crucial stage for the students to understand about their bright career growth. The author has also stated the example of Taiwan stude nt, who was mostly influenced by its family. The positive attitude of the family has encouraged positivism in the students behaviour as well. Personal critique upon the article According to me, the significant factors leading to deviated behaviour of the students included in the articles does not highlight the personal development ideas which is really important for the student to know. Yes, it is very true that relationship of the student with their teacher and parents is significant but at the same time, students must also be advised by their parents about discussing the issues they face is their lives and the factors that has driven that particular student in such behaviour. Conclusion The review highlighted the background of the article and evaluated the significance of behaviour concerning the students who are in their teenage. In addition, the study also reviewed the reason behind the scene that resulted to the encouragement of the current review. References List Chapple, C., Vaske, J., Worthen, M. (2014). Gender Differences in Associations with Deviant Peer Groups: Examining Individual, Interactional, and Compositional Factors. Deviant Behavior, 35(5), 394-411. doi:10.1080/01639625.2014.855098 Costello, B., Anderson, B., Stein, M. (2014). Self-Control and Adverse Drinking  Consequences. Deviant Behavior, 35(12), 973-992. doi:10.1080/01639625.2014.901075 Feinberg, S., Dufur, M., Famelos, A., Fisher, V. (2014). Senseless Messaging: Advertising Images of Illegal Driving and Deviant Behavior. Deviant Behavior, 35(11), 843-858. doi:10.1080/01639625.2014.897114 Rocheleau, G., Chavez, J. (2014). Guilt by Association: The Relationship between Deviant Peers and Deviant Labels. Deviant Behavior, 36(3), 167-186. doi:10.1080/01639625.2014.923275

Related Literature on Study Habits free essay sample

The younger students were matched with the older groups on four characteristics: sex, major field of study, semester credit load, and class standing. All 56 participants were undergraduate students (sophomores or juniors) who were registered for the fall 1 982 term. The participants kept running records of their study habits, patterns, and difficulties for an academic year. In general, older and younger students showed similar patterns in terms of how much they studied, what activities were engaged in while studying, the time distribution, and places for studying.There was some evidence that older students studied slightly more per credit hour than did younger students. While the total numbers of difficulties encountered in studying were about the same for both groups, the character of the difficulties was noticeably different. Both older and younger students reacted very favorably to having a mixture of the age groups in their classes. Recommendations for working with adult students and suggestions for further study are offered. We will write a custom essay sample on Related Literature on Study Habits or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Appendices include interview schedules and a study log form.Author/SW) INTRODUCTION It is an understatement to say that the standard of education in Nigeria has fallen. However, it has been realized that students who possess adequate mental abilities sometimes do not perform well in their academic work either because they do not know how to study effectively or they do not use the most effective method of studying. Many questions have been raised by teachers, parents and students themselves on why students perform so poorly academically. Even the state government has shown some concern ever this in recent times by introducing low costs books for both primary and secondary schools.Although this was meant to create the desire to study by students, it has not helped the situation much because, students do not read these books. Many of the students complained of lack of time and conducive environment for study, others who try to study complained of lack of understanding. There is no doubt that these complains evidently point to one fact. That is, lack of effective study habits. It is this problem, the researcher sizes to investigate as it appears to be one of the root causes of the dwelling standard of our educational system today.Research questions: * What proportion of junior secondary school students possess good study habit than those in senior secondary school? * Will male students in junior secondary schools perform better than female students in senior secondary schools? Hypothesis: The following conjectural stat ements were postulated for this study: * There is no significant difference in the study habits of junior and senior secondary school students in Igor Local Government Area f Eddo State. There is no significant difference in the study habits of male and female students in junior and senior secondary schools in Igor, Local Government Area of Eddo State. * There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male students in the junior secondary schools and female students in senior secondary schools.

Assingment Essays

Assingment Essays Assingment Essay Assingment Essay A haiku can have more beauty and thought in three short lines than any full Ii night poem has in twenty. To have something so short and so complex, only to be matched d by an even more complex pace is truly inspiring. The haiku presents intense emotion and a vivid images of nature (THAT are designed to lead) to a spiritual awakening. At first it may seem that having such a short amount written might not give someone much to interpret, but in fact it makes the imagination run wild. In Mattson Bassos under Cherry Trees he paints a beautiful picture of nature, and being among it. Bash spent many years traveling through Japan, this haiku could h eve been torn straight out of his journal, just a moment when he stopped to eat a meal, sit Eng under a cherry tree watching the petals fall, letting himself be one with his surroundings. Wit h humble simplicity, Bash didnt need a page to describe an event, his mastery of haiku allowed him to bring his readers into that moment, and reminded us to perceive what was be fore us, and not to over analyze. Looking at Carolyn Seizers After Bash , she shows the depth of haiku with the use of metaphors. Kaiser describes the moon taking its evening position in the sky, p allied, scared, not as notable as the sun that came before, but still well known. In this clever meta horn she describes how a person working in the (shadows) of Mattson Bash might feel knowing t hey (would/will) be compared to the best. Finally, Sonic Sanchez Cmon man hold me , is the most complex of the three haiku (and) its magnificence lies in its complexity. This haiku has no punctuation, its Ritter how someone would speak casually, and the possibilities of its meaning our endue as. One could interpret this haiku as depicting the fleeting nature of time and the last mom .NET we share with someone before we are nothing more than a memory. Haiku is the most important and beautiful form of poetry due to its complexity y and depth. Haiku poetry brings about spiritual insight of the world and of life.

Analysis of tesco

Analysis of tesco Introduction The company that our group has chosen to analyse is Tesco. Tesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen who began his new venture by selling surplus groceries from a stall in the east end of London; One his first day he made  £1 profit and  £4 of sales (Tescoplc.com [history]). Tesco has come a long way since then and is now one of the largest food retailers in the world, operating around 2,318 stores and employing over 326,000 people. Not only has Tesco managed to monopolise the food sector, they have also diversified into a number of other sectors, some of which being insurance, mobile networks, clothing, and electronics. However, this report shall have a focus of the food sector in the United Kingdom. Albeit that Tesco has 2,200 stores locally, it is categorised as operating in a globalised environment. Currently Tesco has stores in seven European countries; the United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and the Republic of Ireland. Furtherm ore also operates in Asia, stores can be found in China, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan (Tescoplc.com [community plan]; Tescoplc.com [core UK]). The long term business strategy of Tesco is currently fivefold; to be a successful international retailer; to grow the core UK business; to be as strong in the non-food arena as the food arena; to develop retailing services- such as tesco.com, Telecoms, and Tesco personal finance; and to put community at the heart of what they do (Tescopl.com [long term strategy]). How Tesco chose to implement the corporate strategy is via a steering wheel model; that all of the key elements of the business, customers, operations, people, finance, and community, are dealt with an equal and balanced scorecard (Tescoplc.com [CR strategy]). It has been stated by Tesco that the steering wheel has been implemented to place emphasis on the fact that corporate responsibility is not a specialist function in Tesco, it is a part of everybody’ s job every day (Tescoplc.com [CR strategy]). Tesco works off the business value that their â€Å"core purpose is to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty† (Tescoplc.com [our values]). Great emphasis is placed within â€Å"people†, without their customers and employees Tesco’s success would not have been possible. For the remainder of this report the variables that can affect Tesco’s competitive advantage shall be considered and evaluated. Value chain When considering the value chain of Tesco there are a number of primary variables that can either add value (+), lose value (-), or have the potential to add value (P+). For the primary activities; Inbound logistics These have an integral importance in the creation of the value chain as they provide the earliest opportunity to create value, therefore because of the elements related to the logistics Tesco try to achieve and maintain the level of consumer choice in store (+). The ef ficiency of distribution system of Tesco does need to be improved (+), and the quality control system should be managed by the company efficiently so that the cost of losses are not imposed upon the customers (P+).

International Trade Operations group project Essay

International Trade Operations group project - Essay Example The United States (U.S) is one of the countries that invest mostly in large scale production of dairy products and is in top ten in the production of dairy milk worldwide. Most of the dairy products in U.S. are exported to other countries, one of them being Egypt. Indeed, Egypt’s relations with the U.S in terms of trade has been very good (Kotschwar & Schott, 2010), and this is evidenced by the fact that Egypt is one of the largest importers of agricultural products including milk and dairy products from the US. This memo will discuss the level of development and economic status of Egypt, fiscal and monetary conditions, imports market status and the general willingness of the country to import Content Cow's products from the US. Level of Egypt Economic Development In Egypt, the ministry of international cooperation and the ministry of economic development are the ones mandated to take control of economic development. In addition, because Egypt is situated around Nile Valley, i ts economic and gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate is always very high. The only problem in Egypt is that, although the economy is very good most of its citizen still live in poor conditions due to political instability. There has been reduction in government revenue in Egypt in the recent past due to slow growth of economy propagated by political problems. Because of this slow growth rate of economy in Egypt, a reform plan was made to stabilize the economy; this was to include free market economy (Knaus, 2009). To begin with, social policies and proper procedures were adopted and put into action to promote economic growth in Egypt. Again, checks and balances were made on demand for money and savings procedures, including developing ands regulating prices of products, and privatization policies of underperforming government institutions. Lastly, the Egyptian government made reforms monetary policies related to local and international trade in order to encourage investment. The introduction of these reforms in Egypt led to economic development, and this can be evidenced by the continued economic growth rate in the recent years. Indeed, the recovery and growth of the economy has made Egypt to enjoys significant international trade with many countries including U.S (Kotschwar & Schott, 2010). This also boosted Egypt’s competitive international energy prices and agricultural products prices. This market-oriented idea, reforms and policies strengthened Egypt economy, albeit under fragile political climate. However, like other African countries, a large population in Egypt is still living in poverty coupled with insecurity, unemployment, and underemployment. Again, there are always heightened protests in Egypt due to bad leadership, corruption cases, lack of political freedom, and poor living standards. This political unrest has been frequent in Egypt and cases of the youth forcing the president to step down was seen in 2011 where president Hosni Mubara k was overthrown from government due poor economic policies as well as lack of political stability and peace in Egypt (Aggour, 2013). In addition, it is important that the Egyptian government should be involved in more economic development and invest more in its citizens, thus enhancing stabilization of the government. Again, political unrest has scarred investors in Egypt; also, poor market and economic growth has placed the

Econimic impacts on Emirates Airline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Econimic impacts on Emirates Airline - Essay Example Operating in 55 countries and to 77 destinations, Emirates airlines is one of the major airliners in the world at present. It has started its operations from Dubai in 1985 and currently serving in almost every major destinations of the world. It has won the best airliner award many times because of the excellent services it offers to the customers. But still it is facing stiff challenges at present due to the recession. This paper briefly analyses the economic environment of airline industry in general and emirates airlines in particular. Financial experts believe that Emirates airlines future could be determined by Dubais sister emirate, Abu Dhabi government (Milmo et al). Currently Dubai is undergoing a severe financial crisis and the reports from Dubai shows that one of the biggest organizations in Dubai, â€Å"Dubai world† is on the verge of destruction because of financial crisis. Dubai government is waiting for Abu Dhabi’s help in sort out the economic problems. â€Å"Emirates is owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, which is in turn controlled by the Dubai government† (Milmo et al). The current financial crisis of the Dubai government may force the government to think in terms of a merger between Emirates and the Abu Dhabi counterpart Al-Itihad. The increased focus on diversification by neglecting other areas of business has created a strategic failure in the Emirates’ airline business. Emirates blindly went after acquisition strategies to extend the wings by overlooking other areas like the service sector. Stakeholders and their interests were overlooked by the company when they concentrated more on other aspects of the operations. The customer service standards have been adversely affected and the reputation of the airline has been affected badly in the last few years. The bargaining power of the sellers is low at present especially because of the current global recession. At the same time increased

The Town on the Beaver Creek Essay Example for Free

The Town on the Beaver Creek Essay In her â€Å"The Town on the Beaver Creek† Michelle Slatalla presents humorous and lively writing in order to present intimate and enchanting history of a 20th-century frontier. The author evokes place and time to make people remember. â€Å"When he was seven, my uncle Jack saw a man dying of rabies on the county courthouse lawn. The man wore bib overalls, and as he convulsed and choked, his boot heels flung divots into the air. He begged for water. Someone brought a dipper cool from the pump, but he could not swallow. After an ambulance took the farmer away and Hesta reappeared on the concrete steps in a rush to catch the next Sparks Bros. bus, Jack tried to forget the strange scene†. In such a way the author starts her narration making people acquainted with a small Kentucky town. Actually, the author tells a story of small town Martin specifying the life stories of three generations of her family before the town was bulldozed. Michelle finds appealing approach and inquisitive mind to shed light on the life and glory of Martin, â€Å"built by the hardy†, which population amounts about 860 people. Aparent strength of the book is that Slatalla prefers novelistic style to make her narration more realistic and true to life. She manages to be remarkably thorough without seeming academic or sterile. The author excellently had done her job and her characters have appeared very expressive and vivid. For example, Doc Walk Sumbo, who rode down the church aisle on horseback and ran – successfully – for sheriff after a stint in prison for embezzling government money, whereas Stumbo’s opponent was running an ad in the town: â€Å"I will give the office personal attention, as I have nothing else to do†. Actually, the author tends to show that politics in the town is inexhaustible source of jokes and humor. She writes that in another unlikely election, an outhouse cleaner was named county coroner over an undertaker, solely by virtue of his fortuitous first name, Judge. Therefore, the book illustrates both political and social life of the town in a rather sarcastic and humorous way. As it is mentioned above the author tells a story of her family: of her mother who was so nostalgic for the town she had to leave as an adult, of her father who managed to build a scale model of small town in their family basement. Slatalla notes that â€Å"the results looked like a movie set created for a heartwarming Frank Capra film†. Nevertheless, the author writes that nothing would be the same as their native town. The model carted by her father, for example, failed to reproduce the stash of courageous, scary, heartrending and hilarious stories which filled the lives of inhabitants in Kentucky town in the beginning of the 20th century. Further, the author mentions that she aware that Martin tow was going to be demolished and a new locale would be built. And that fact caused her to act and to struggle for her native city. She writes that she was outrageous and really furious that old traditions and memories weren’t appreciated and only material wealth was emphasized. Michelle realized that some things would be lot forever, though they would be kept in memories and records and she made such an attempt. Therefore, she decided to grab â€Å"as many of the old stories as I could carry†. So, her recollections are transformed and presented in a really delightful book. Her expert hands managed to show her husband Fred, her Uncle Red, great-grandmother Hesta, grandmother Mary, her grandfather Elmer and the town physician, Doc Walk very alive and vibrant : â€Å"Sometimes a town is past saving, but its history shouldnt be†. The author seems so anxious at times not to leave anything out. Slatalla was very proud of her native city. Summing up the book is a fitting memorial for an unusual town and makes one wonder how many other towns stories have been lost. References Slatalla, Michelle. (2006).The Town on Beaver Creek: The Story of a Lost Kentucky Community. USA: Random House Publishing Group.

Self-Determination in the Basque Country Essay -- Persuasive Argumenta

Self-Determination in the Basque Country The Basques, settled on the Franco-Spanish border, are a people who do not have a country that exists as an entity of its own. They are not recognized internationally. Their borders are not respected, and their culture is repressed. Thus the history of the Basque Country is one of contentious protest against imposed conditions, unremitting effort in defense of its identity and a relentless search for a means of democratizing public life. They have not been able to practice or pursue the right to self-determination as stated in the international covenants on human rights (above) and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples from Algeria, July 4th, 1976, that, â€Å"Every people has the fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination. It defines its political status in all freedom, without any external foreign interference." Spanning approximately 20,000 square kilometers, with three provinces in the â€Å"north† under French rule, and four provinces in the â€Å"south† under Spanish rule, the Basque people enjoy a strong sense of pride in their culture. This pride stems mainly from their unique language; the true essence of Basque identity. Its roots trace to before the invasion of the Indo-Europeans, around 4,000 years ago. Therefore, it is the oldest known language in all of Europe. The Basques have struggled to keep language as the cornerstone of their culture. However, under Spanish rule this has been greatly challenged, especially in the 20th century. In the first decades of the last century, children caught speaking Basque in schools were beaten as a means to discourage the use and growth of the language. And while the majority of the... ...on should achieve autonomy and independence, yet others, as is the case of the Basque Country, should not? The Basque people are entitled to self-determination. They have been persecuted and discriminated against for long enough. Their language and their culture deserve to be respected and protected. If this does not occur, attacks will continue, their anger will fester, and all their passion and frustration will perpetuate more violence, completing the circle, only to start again. BIBLIOGRAPHY Astrain, Luis Nunez. The Basques: Their Struggle For Independence. Welsh Academic Press. Wales. 1997 Sullivan, John. ETA and Basque Nationalism. Routledge. London. 1988. www.elpais.es Zirakzadeh, Cyrus Ernesto. A Rebellious People: Basques, Protests, and Politics. University of Nevada Press. Reno. 1991.

Health Care Essay

Under indemnity insurance, the insurers guarantee payment to any licensed health care provider for all covered services. In recent years, fee-for-service indemnity plans also have grown more similar to man- aged care plans. Traditionally, fee-for-service indemnity plans gave individuals an unrestricted choice of licensed health care professionals. Care providers were free to determine which services were appropriate based on their professional judgment and were reimbursed for all the care they delivered. Today, nearly all fee-for-service plans have adopted some form of the utilization- management strategies formerly associated with managed care, such as preauthorization for hospitalization or referral to specialists. In my opinion the indemnity design will not be around in the next thirty years it is losing favor with employers. HMOs are the most tightly closed of all managed care systems. HMOs typically provide no coverage for out-of-plan services and require health care providers to share the financial risk for the amount of services provided. Data have shown that, at an aggregate level, premiums are lower n communities with a higher penetration of HMO plans and more intense competition among health plans (Stein, 1997). Restricted provider networks and a strong reliance on primary care physicians have been major forces allowing HMOs to keep health care premiums below those of other plans. However, the tradeoff between low cost and limited provider choice has been unacceptable to ma ny consumers, as evidenced by the recent trend toward looser and more expensive forms of managed care, such as PPOs and POS plans (Sisk, Gorman, Reisinger, 1996, Stroul, 1996). This trend is likely to raise premium levels and individual copayments and deductibles in the future. Because of the rising of premiums I predict that within the next thirty years HMOs will slowly fade away. In the mid-80s, legislation allowing insurers to contract selectively with different providers at different reimbursement rates provided a starting ground for the development of preferred provider organizations (PPOs) (Gabel &Ermann 1985). Generally, the term PPO refers to a third-party payer system that contracts certain providers for patient services on a discounted fee-for-service basis. Patients are encouraged to select these â€Å"preferred providers† with economic incentives including broader coverage, and in-network providers gain a larger patient base in return for their discounted services (Gabel & Ermann 1985). Unlike health maintenance organization (HMO) coverage, PPO patients retain the ability to go out-of-network for care. Although patients are responsible for most of the costs in such situations, there is usually a yearly limit on out-of-pocket payments that allows patients who experience severe chronic conditions to access long-term out-of-network specialty care without prohibitive costs. PPOs have made a huge leap in the past two decades as a model for health insurance (Sengupta & Kreie 2011): In 1988, PPOs represented 11 percent of employer-provided health care; by 2005, 85 percent of large employers offered at least one PPO option (Hirth, Grazier, Chernew, & Okeke, 2007). PPO will be around for the next thirty years because it allows PPO patients to retain the ability to go out-of-network for care. Very long paragraph here 2. Debate whether or not private health insurance violates the standard principles of insurance. Don’t start at bottom of page. Start at top of next page PHI began with coverage principally for hospital and physicians’ services. As political debates in the United States continue regarding health insurance, there has been considerable argument and criticism about the overhead generated by the PHI mechanism (Woolhandler & Himmelstein, 1991). From1960 to 2000, the total overhead costs of PHI averaged about 12 percent of premiums, ranging from about 9 to 16 percent. This total includes administrative costs, taxes, profits and other nonbenefit expenses (Lemieux, 2005). The full cost of PHI administration to Americans including insurer’s administrative cost, net additions to reserves, rate credits and policyholder dividends, premium taxes, and carrier’s profits or losses is estimated to be about 15 percent of total national health expenditures. None of this including the formidable â€Å"hidden† costs to providers for filing claims, collecting data on quality of care, and submitting various financial reports to insurers. Private health insurance is made up of the three principal entities, which is commercial carriers, the Blues, and HMOs plus self- funded plans. The important of PHI as a source of financing for personal health care expenditures has increased slowly, but steadily (Williams & Torrens, 2010). Although there is no denying that some government health insurance programs such as Medicare deliver benefits at far less administrative cost per dollar of reimbursement than the PHI industry, health insurance by itself is not always a profitable business for insurers. This is particularly true at the high end of the market, where self-funded administrative-services-only customers generate relatively narrow profit margins for most group insurers. Indeed, the health insurance industry suffered a net underwriting loss in many years since 1976. Health insurance is beneficial for many insurers because it servers as a vehicle for selling other, more profitable products (such as insurance) and because health insurance premiums generate revenues via investment income (Whitted, 2001). A number of health insurance entities (including commercial carriers and the blue) offer insurance coverage for individuals and their families (pPauly & Percy, 2000). Some f the nation’s largest commercial accident and health insurers sell few or no individuals policies. Ordinary individual policies for basic medical (hospital and the physician coverage are extraordinarily expensive. This is because of adverse selection: insurers assume that the individual knows something that the insurance plan doesn’t future health needs. Therefore, the insurer adds on premium can easily reach $5,000 per year, even for HMO plans with extensive cost-sharing provisions. In addition, underwriting guidelines for individuals policies have become increasingly stringent; so many people who might wish to purchase coverage are not able to do so (Saver & Doescher, 2000). . Analyze the evolution of the promotion of health and disease prevention in the U. S. and identify the point at which a clear shift in the thinking in the dominant culture occurred residing in the greatest impact on the health care insurance system in the United States. Organized public health activities in the United States began in local seaport communities and only gradually expanded to state and federal government agencies. The Constitution of the United States reserves to the state all functions such as health not specifically earmarked to the federal government. For most of our country’s history, public health was an activity that was primarily carried out by a local or state governmental agency, and it was only after World War II that it was received as necessary or appropriate to have a federal cabinet-level Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This development would suggest that our country views public health activities and perhaps health activities in general as a local and state matter; federal government involvement developed mostly after World War I, and mostly because of the abundance of federal tax revenues to be redistributed to states and local governments. The continuing efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government and to return basic functions and funds to local and state government in recent years may be seen as a continuation of this general idea (Williams & Torrens, 2010). According to (Williams &Torrens, 2010), organized public health activities in the United States began with the quarantine and isolation of potential disease carriers, moved on to the improvement of sanitation in the environment, then went on to focus on immunization of children and control of individuals with contagious infectious disease. Almost all the activities focused on acute infectious diseases, regardless of their origins. This has given rise to an unofficial and generally unspoken agreement that the primary mission of organized public health efforts in the United States should be toward the prevention and control of acute illness rather than chronic disease. Organized public health efforts in the United States have focused on out breaks of illness such as diphtheria and polio because of the suddenness and the severity of any outbreaks of this illness. The much more serious and public health problems of the United States are no longer-term degenerative conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Because of the unfortunate political controversies of the 1930’s around a possible national health insurance program, it would have to be admitted that there has been a relatively guarded relationship between the private medical sector and organized public health agencies throughout the country. As long as the organized public health agencies kept to the more traditional public health role of sanitation, immunizations, and infectious diseases control, their activities were generally supported by the private sector. However, whenever the public health sector became more active in the provision of general health services or in the governance or planning facilities and personnel in the private sector, considerable opposition arose. As a result of this opposition, organized public health agencies have been rather cautious about expanding their efforts beyond the boundaries of what were perceived as â€Å"tradition† public health activities (Williams & Torrens, 2010). It is assumed that public health must protect the interest of the public in obtaining access to appropriate health services of high quality, but that has not been an accept role for organized public health in the United States until now. References Gabel J, & Ermann D. (1985). Preferred provider organizations: performance, problems, and promise. Health Aff (Millwood). 1985; 4(1): 24-40. Hirth RA, Grazier KL, Chernew ME, Okeke EN. Insurers’ competitive strategy and enrollment in newly offered preferred provider organizations (PPOs). Inquiry. 2007; 44(4): 400-411. Lemieux, jJ. (2005). Perspective: Administrative cost of private health insurance plans. Washington, DC: America’s Health Plans. Pauly, M. V. , & Percy, A M. (2000). Cost and performance: A comparison of the individual and the group health insurance markets. Journal of the health politics policy and law, 25,9-26 Saver, B. G. , & Doescher, M. P. (2000). To buy, or not to buy: Factors associated with the purchase of non- group private health insurance. Medical Care, 38, 141-151. Sengupta B, & Kreier RE. (2011) A dynamic model of health plan choice from a real options perspective. Atlantic Econ J. 2011; 39(4): 401-419. Sisk, J. E. , Gorman, S. A. , & Reisinger, A. L. , List all authors here etal(1996). EvaluationofMedicaidmanagedcare: Satisfaction, accessanduse. ?Journal of the American Medical Association (1996) 276:50–55. Stein, R. E. K. , ed. Health care for children: What’s right, what’s wrong, what’s next. New York: United Hospital Fund, 1997. Stroll, B. , ed. (Year) Children’s mental health: Creating systems of care in a changing society. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, 1996. Whitted, G. (2001). In S. J. Williams & P. J. Torrens (Eds. ), Introduction to health services (6th ed. ). Albany, NY, Delmar. Williams, S. J. , Torrens, P. R. , (2010). Introduction t health services (7th ed. ). Albany, NY, Delmar. Woodhandler, S. , & Himmelstein, D. (1991). The deteriorating administrative efficiency of the U. S. health care system. New England Journal of Medicine, 324(18), 1253-1258.

Reasons Why Cloning is Unethical Essay

From the day that ‘Dolly the sheep’ made it to the headline news, the controversy regarding her existence has never ceased. It is quite amazing, how the issues surrounding a sheep could create such a great divide on public opinion, stir up much debate in scientific halls, and whose implications caused a dilemma that reached a magnitude which needed a presidential decision. Needless to say, the debate did not concern agriculture or animal rights, but on how she came to be — by cloning. Contrary to popular belief, these clinical ventures though, were not done by sheer sense of adventurism, or by simple acts of human arrogance of ‘playing God’. Instead, this breakthrough in the field of biotechnology, along with other related cases, was carried out with the legitimate purpose of propagating livestock that carry desirable traits. Breeders can easily then raise farm animals that have the preferred traits and thus increase productivity and yield. Also, lab research for the noble intention of developing drugs, require numerous testing on animals before it can finally be declared effective and safe for human use. Cloning would allow them to produce test-animals that display similar or identical characteristics and thus help validate results. There are several other reasons why cloning is held by many scientists as an essential means for improving human condition. However, such so-called conditions had now been raised to the point of fulfilling needs other than physical necessities. Man’s many woes and flaws in life such as the pain of losing a loved one or childless couples having to bear the unfulfilled desire of loving and rearing their own children, are just a few of the many disadvantages that confronts finite man. Today through science, man is longing to challenge and ‘correct’ these impossible odds. Would cloning be the answer? II. Man’s Contemporary Alternative: Merits of Cloning-to Produce-Children Distinguished British philosopher Mary Warnock, expressed her support in favour of utilizing the technology of cloning to produce children. She believes that there is nothing wrong with this procedure and thereby there should be no question on the ethical soundness of such an endeavour (Connor, 2002). Together with the rest of those who agree with her, they believe that cloning offers an excellent solution for the following problems: A. To Help Sterile Parent/s Obtain Biologically Related Children Individuals or parents who long to have their own offspring, but are hindered by sterility or some other reason — the only presented solution so far have been adoption. There are different reasons why some had found this unsatisfactory. With cloning, a sterile man can now have the opportunity of producing a child that bears his own characteristics. The need to find a sperm donor is eliminated, and consequently eliminates the possibility of their child acquiring and passing on undesirable traits to future generation outside the couple. Such a method also opens for an attractive possibility not only for sterile couples but for homosexual couples and individuals who desire to raise a child of their own but do not want the entanglements of a marriage union. B. Pass-on a Genetic Disease Individuals or parents who carry defective genes such as a genetic disease can now hope to eliminate passing the disease to the following generations. Cloning would assure the parents of being able to raise children who will not be troubled by the heritable disorder. C. Pain of Losing a Loved One The grief of losing a loved one can now be alleviated by cloning the dying or dead significant person. Since cloning involves the passing on of exact physical characteristics, producing a cloned individual would invariably cause ‘replication’ of the deceased loved one or relative. Those who are left, will be comforted by ‘seeing’ their dead spouse, child or relative ‘live again’ on the cloned individual. Although, there would be major differences in experiences which would make it entirely impossible to make an exact copy of an individual in all aspects, cloning would bring a connection of the lost loved one with the grieving members. D. Society’s Desire to Have Individuals with Superior Abilities or Qualities Cloning brings families and societies to have super-human individuals by cloning outstanding athletes, musicians, men and women renowned for their beauty, or geniuses. By replicating these individuals, it is presumed that these superior qualities are determined by certain genetic make-up and thus, will be passed on through cloning. III. Reasons for Argument Cloning violates the ethics of human experimentation on the following grounds: A. Concern on Safety Of utmost concern when cloning humans is the high risk involved. As of the moment, the cloning procedure being done in experimenting mammals has shown how unsafe it is to be even applied in humans. Many embryos got wasted as it took 277 attempts before finally producing Dolly the sheep (Gawler, 2000). Barely just being six years old later, Dolly became severely ill and had to be submitted for euthanasia. Careful examination revealed that her chromosomes had shown premature signs of aging (â€Å"Cloning†). The possibility of creating inborn abnormalities or congenital defects caused by the procedure should even bring parents with a hereditary disease not to employ cloning. While it could hold promise of not passing on genetic diseases to their child, the latter is also vulnerable for congenital malformation. Also, since several donor eggs and substitute mothers are needed before achieving success, this places risks on several women. Experiments on animals had shown that there is high occurrence of premature abortion on cloned fetuses. If done on humans, continous abortion could lead to greater possibility of maternal death. B. The Issue of Consent Cloning also undermines the right of the cloned individual. In contrast to the risks that could bring to surrogate mother or the gene donor, the risks posed at the cloned individual do not have the individual’s consent. Most often, the right to exercise freedom is often called by those who promote it. This is often based on the ‘freedom to reproduce’. This means that the constitution protects individuals or parents to freely choose whether they are to have children or not (Eisenstadt v. Baird, 1972). However, in exercising that right, it overrides the freedom of choice on the cloned individual. True, reproductive freedom permits anybody to decide whether to have a child or not without hindrances by the government. It does not however, in any way, allow anyone to do it by whatever means and in complete disregard for the welfare of others. C. Possible Exploitation of Women Since cloning requires numerous tests before any attempts could become fruitful, large quantity of donor eggs will be needed. Getting the egg would subject the woman donor of hormonal treatment that gives high health risks. Furthermore, what would most likely happen is that these women donors would be offered a substantial amount of money, and thus could lure poor women to compromise their health in exchange for financial gain (Council on Bioethics, 2002). IV. Conclusion More often, the concern for safety is limited on the aspect of limiting or perfecting the procedure. It does not consider the possible undesirable effects it would have — after it is accomplished. This perspective of safety does not take consideration on the unexpected effects it would have on the individual, family involved and society in general. The relationships between members of those with cloned children would greatly be altered compared to conventional family set-up. Would the cloned individual of a father be his child or twin? Obviously, cloning will rearrange how family relations will be treated. Before any attempts to cloning-to-produce children be done, would be parent/s should give grave concern on the potential psychological effects this would have on the one being cloned. What also needs special consideration is it’s the social impact caused by confusion. Cloning might open for unnecessary expensive legal battles, over custody as to who really are the child’s parents. Each individual who has a part of the cloned child might fight to claim for custody over the child. Given that such asexual means to produce children is not strange, faulty or imperfect, there is serious error on the purpose by which it longs for implementation. It places more significance on the one which will be cloned by replicating the person, rather than the cloned child. Human experience has revealed that man has the tendency to abuse, and therefore such technology can be used for vain reasons. Cloning somehow claims to provide solutions for man’s problems, the solution however, creates more problems. Given the demerits of the cause, it would far benefit society to keep from toying with strange methods. Works Cited: 1. Connor, S. (2002). Warnock: ‘No ethical reason to ban cloning’. The Independent. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 2. Gawler, DM. Human cloning: Scientific, ethical and regulatory issues. [Electronic Version] Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008

Free Essays on Descartes Mesditations

Descarte’s Meditations View of Mind-Body Relationship West,D Philosophy 101 Rousch, K. Descarte’s overall objective in the Meditations is to question knowledge. To explore such issues as the existence of God and the separation of mind and body, it was important for him to distinguish what we can know as truth. He believed that reason as opposed to experience was the source for discovering what is of absolute certainty. The first meditation acts as a foundation for all those that follow. Here Descartes discerns between mere opinion and strict absolute certainty. To make this consideration he establishes that he must first "attack those principles which supported everything I once believed "(Descartes, Renà ©," Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2003 http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved). He first examines those beliefs that require our senses. He questions whether our senses are true indicators of what they represent. By inspecting our sometimes-firm belief in the reality of dreams, he comes to the conclusio n that our senses are prone to error and thereby cannot reliably distinguish between certainty and falsity. To examine those ideas that have "objective reality," Descartes makes the improbable hypothesis of "an evil genius, as clever and deceitful as he is powerful, who has directed his entire effort to misleading me." By proposing this solution he is able to suspend his judgment and maintain that all his former beliefs are false. By using doubt as his tool, Descartes is now ready to build his following proofs with certainty. In Meditation two, Descartes embarks on his journey of truth. Attempting to affirm the idea that God must exist as a fabricator for his ideas, he stumbles on his first validity: the notion that he exists. He ascertains that if he can both persuade himself of something, and likewise be deceived... Free Essays on Descarte's Mesditations Free Essays on Descarte's Mesditations Descarte’s Meditations View of Mind-Body Relationship West,D Philosophy 101 Rousch, K. Descarte’s overall objective in the Meditations is to question knowledge. To explore such issues as the existence of God and the separation of mind and body, it was important for him to distinguish what we can know as truth. He believed that reason as opposed to experience was the source for discovering what is of absolute certainty. The first meditation acts as a foundation for all those that follow. Here Descartes discerns between mere opinion and strict absolute certainty. To make this consideration he establishes that he must first "attack those principles which supported everything I once believed "(Descartes, Renà ©," Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2003 http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved). He first examines those beliefs that require our senses. He questions whether our senses are true indicators of what they represent. By inspecting our sometimes-firm belief in the reality of dreams, he comes to the conclusio n that our senses are prone to error and thereby cannot reliably distinguish between certainty and falsity. To examine those ideas that have "objective reality," Descartes makes the improbable hypothesis of "an evil genius, as clever and deceitful as he is powerful, who has directed his entire effort to misleading me." By proposing this solution he is able to suspend his judgment and maintain that all his former beliefs are false. By using doubt as his tool, Descartes is now ready to build his following proofs with certainty. In Meditation two, Descartes embarks on his journey of truth. Attempting to affirm the idea that God must exist as a fabricator for his ideas, he stumbles on his first validity: the notion that he exists. He ascertains that if he can both persuade himself of something, and likewise be deceived...

Cross Cultural Managment and Communication at Mitsubishi Essay

Cross Cultural Managment and Communication at Mitsubishi - Essay Example Such a lack of communication is causing problems in the Rand D department in the US. Moreover, there are time delays due to poor communication, lack of coordination and the general employee dissatisfaction of not having the work done between the two departments. With the frameworks, the report intends to identify the problem areas of these two departments and thus be able to come up with a solution to these problems. The frameworks used in the report are Hofstede and the research of Hall. These have been chosen as they will help highlight the problems that the two departments of Mitsubishi are facing. As per Frank, M. (2001) the first framework analyses the organizational culture which is influenced by the national culture. This thus gives a stark comparison of the two cultures and thus the differences once highlighted indicate to the solutions of the problems. The Hall research has been used to analyze because it analyses and highlights the characteristics of the individual employees as well as their collective characteristics as a team. Such characteristics reveal the problems that they face and thus help in understanding the situation better. With the use of these frameworks an attempt has been made to analyze the problems for Mitsubishi and to see how the cross cultural communication and management affects the working of an organization. Moreover, what factors create such problems and make t hings difficult for a firm’s progress are illustrated. Mitsubishi has its operations in US that oversees sales, finance, manufacturing and research and development. However there are stark differences in the culture and management styles in the operations of the firm’s Japanese and American operations. This is because there are cultural, legal, political and economic differences in the two countries which account for the differences in the management styles.

Personal Development Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal Development Planning - Essay Example Training in the medical field is challenging learning process and requires perseverance, desire and passion to help the society (Heller, 2009). Specialties in the medical field usually take duration from 3 to 6 years of study depending on the field of specialization. Basically it takes an approximate of 12 years to start practicing medicine from the year of joining college. Studying in a medical requires some intelligence in the way one study in order to finally achieve an undergraduate degree. The basic requirement for one to achieve in the medical field is the passion. One should have the passion to learn more, curious in achieving knowledge in the medical field and the desire to have a hand in helping the society (Heller, 2009). The performance in science related studies can be used to gauge the ability to succeed in medical field. Though the science plays an important role in decision to take concerning the medical career, excellent performance in science is not usually a guarant ee to success in medicine (Heller, 2009). It is usually necessary to be strong in science and also have a good relationship with people. Basically being a physicist is taking the task of assisting others. To begin with, the feeling of helping others attributes a good character of becoming a physicist (Heller, 2009). The medical field is broad and involves handling patients in various capacities and in diverse categories. It ranges from specializing in research, practicing in the field and educating doctor. Depending on the course taken, becoming a physicist is always treated with high esteem and honor in the society. Taking a physicist career may guarantee a job security because in an unfortunate event, there is always a tendency of illness to occur. Joining the doctors’ career in a university is highly competitive. The places in medical school are scarce therefore universities would always revise the minimum requirement every year depending on the demand. The career structur e also changes with time (Green, 2009). Basically the profession requires a huge motivation for a person to successfully complete a university course and become a doctor. A typical medical training would take a minimum of 5 years training as student, internship and practice till becoming a full doctor would amount to seven years. Taking medicine as a second career A choice of becoming a full doctor may not be the first choice however a decision to join the career may come later in after achieving in the first choice career. Generally the probability of being considered may be even higher than the fresh candidates joining a career for the first time. Basically this is because of the composure and the ability to properly answer the interview questions gained in the other field. Joining a bachelors degree in medicine The choice of the degree mainly depends on the performance in courses related to physics, chemistry and biology. Basically a year study on these subjects determines the me dical school to join. Usually the studying medicine requires the highest grades in these subjects (Green, 2009). In order to increase knowledge in the field, it is always advisable to take a volunteer work in healthcare activities that would enhance understanding on the field. Higher grades in sciences and at least a qualification of 3.3 in GPA enhance the chances. Application process When applying for the

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Politics in organizations - Essay Example Within the leadership discussion, it would be apt to state that the leaders within the organizational domains have exerted their authority in a positive as well as a negative fashion. What this means is the fact that leaders have usually used all forms of tools that will manifest their control over the subordinates and employees who are working under their aegis. The negativity stems from the fact when politics come about as a major force to reckon with. This is a hugely significant undertaking on the part of any organization which has decided for its own self that politics will be kept away no matter how difficult the circumstances turn out to be for the organization (Storey 2004). The changing world of organizations have seen that leadership and management realms are now depending heavily on the use of power and politics for the sake of meeting their goals and objectives. It is a given that any organization would dearly cherish the idea of a politics-free environment so that the employees could breathe easily and also that no ill-will will come about whilst one is working within the domains of the organization. However this does not always come about as a reality so to speak. The reason for the same lies on the shoulders of the management gurus and top management cadres that literally rule the roost when it comes to gaining an understanding of the organizational realms. There should be sound values and principles within the organizational boundaries which ask of the employees to exert their authority in such a manner that no illegal undertakings are done on their part. This will solve quite a lot of problems for the sake of the organizations as well as the employees themselves. Moving on, the role of management within this discussion is an essential one. This is because any management entity would absolutely appreciate the idea of having a non-partis an, non-political ideology within its work manifestations. It has usually been seen that

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Introduction to the Health Professions I US Health Care System Summary - Essay Example This high cost is mainly caused by the stakeholders, system failures, fraud, overtreatment and lack of coordinated care. The health care scheme in the U.S. is faced with several strengths and weaknesses. The health care system in the U.S. is identified as one of the finest medical facilities (Stark 18). This is attributed by technological development and exemplary human resources. The health care experts in the country are also the best. The health care system in the country is also financed heavily in order to enhance its effectiveness. On the other hand, reforming the health care in the country is a critical issue because it will require capital. There are also medical mistakes that are often made during the treatment of individuals. In the United States, there are approximately 49 million individuals who are not medically insured (Niles 77). Most of these individuals are the poor individuals who do not have the ability to afford health insurance. The citizens in the United States are supposed to have medical cover in order to reduce the mortality rate in the country. It is quite evident that there is immense resistance in the US in regard to universal health care. This is attributed by the verity that it is a single-payer system. This asserts that the government is the only source of finance in the entire healthcare system. As stated above, the United States spends approximately $2.6 trillion on health care (Stark 12). This cost is exceptionally high as compared to the amount that is spent in the education sector. Research asserts that the aging of the U.S. population has a vast impact in the health care industry. This places additional pressure on the revenue support programs for elderly individuals (Stark 23). Based on a health care perspective, the older individuals in the society require prompt health services. There are three leading concerns in the health care industry including access, cost and quality (Niles 98). These problems

An Analysis Of Italian National Interests Politics Essay

An Analysis Of Italian National Interests Politics Essay National interest incorporates within it many things. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, events have shown us that Italy and many of its leaders and politicians have always found it difficult to opt for a particular direction in both internal as well as external affairs. Whilst fighting against the Hapsburg Empire for independence in the nineteenth century, various Italian politicians proposed several options and alternatives that Italy could take. All of this brought conflict of interests and ideas in Italy and no-one was sure which road Italy should follow. In the quest for independence, the Italians knew what to remove but not what to implement instead. In the twentieth century, national interest changed frequently and much of this depended on the leaders of the time and on external events. The fact that Italian governments have changed so frequently in the past century is a clear example of how Italian governments and politicians never agreed on where their national i nterests lied. This paper will focus on how hard the Italians have found it to agree on their national interests and the reasons behind such a statement. This paper will then analyse to what extent such a statement is true and whether agreements between the Italians and Italian politicians regarding the matter have been reached. Special focus will be given on Italys relationship with Europe and the US and certain domestic policies as well as on the Italians view on the Arab World and the Mediterranean. Italys national interests Italy has had a history of changing alliances at the opportune moment in order to suit its interests. This shows that the Italians were never certain on what they really wanted. In the First World War, Italy joined the Entente when it had been an ally of both Germany and Austria-Hungary for so long. On the other hand, in the run-up towards the Second World War, Italy was attracted to Germany and its way of thinking and, when Germany rearmed and was pictured by many as the current strongest power, Italy did not hesitate to join Hitler in an alliance  [1]  . When Mussolini came into power in the 1920s, national interest lied in that of expansion and irredentismo. Mussolini wanted to promote the grandeur of Italy by conquering territories in Northern Africa and in some parts of Europe. Such an expansionist foreign policy agenda changed abruptly with the fall of the fascist regime in Italy and a new direction of national interest became important. Italian national interest then chang ed again with the end of the war as the Italian population and government sought the help and friendship of the United States  [2]  . The two main rival parties in the period were the Communists and the Christian Democrats and both had very diverse interests and foreign policy agendas. Immediately after the war, Italy promoted its interests in the international arena and this is seen in its quests for European Integration and in that of joining the North Atlantic Alliance yet such notions and ideas had to wait until the arrival of De Gasperi for them to become the new direction of Italys foreign policy: Italy under the leadership of Alcide De Gasperi became one of the founding countries of European integration, when the European Community and NATO were the two main pillars in postwar Italian foreign policy.  [3]   Putting these agendas aside, many argue that, during the First Italian Republic, national interest was not focused on the international context. This statement is quite correct especially when seeing how the culture of national interests did not reach its full potential due to the political elites interest in domestic rather than in foreign affairs. Due to certain issues occurring in Italy today it may seem as though the Italians are more concerned about their domestic affairs rather than their external ones  [4]  . The huge importance given to issues such as Silvio Berlusconis scandals and personal life is a clear example of this. Some newspapers are more focused on these particular affairs rather than what is happening abroad. The fact that domestic affairs was important then and is still so relevant now, brings to mind the thought that, in certain aspects, the Italians have managed to find a compromise between them. Others will say otherwise especially after analyzing Italian foreign policy in the second half of the twentieth century. Italy opted for an active foreign policy agenda as it tried to restore the honour it had lost as a result of The Second World War. Upon joining the European Union, Italys economy flourished considerably as can be witnessed in the 1960s. This was a result of increased industrial development and new economic reforms. When analyzing such issues, it could be said, therefore, that Italys national interests lay mostly in Europeanism as Italy became a strong and active member in European affairs and integration and it benefited a lot from its membership. Most political parties in Italy were and still are very pro-EU and Italy was always amongst the highest in Europe which had a strong public opinion with regards to the European integration process. Though the Communist party was quite anti-European in its policies, it changed attitude during the 1970s when it saw European integration as a means to promote its national interests. Hence, this led to support for integration becoming nearly unanimous in Italy  [5]  . Many believe that Italian national identity was weakened because of the relations between the state and the church in Italy especially during the nation-building process  [6]  . The church has always maintained a strong role in Italy and this is mostly due to the reason that the Vatican City is the centre of Catholicism. Hence, the church has been very influential in events happening both at the national level as well as on the international level and in fact, since unification and even in issues such as Italian-Arab relations, the church has always expressed its views and opinion on what Italys approach to such matters should be. Though Italys activity in European processes and activities was always present, it still wasnt recognized as a major power in the EU but was seen as a large member state among small ones, but incapable of taking its place among the big ones in the Union  [7]  . Italys inability to implement certain European legal norms, as can be witnessed in certain aspects such as that of freedom of expression, has reduced its credibility in the European context and even resulted in Italys less influential role when it comes to decision-making. Italy, however did try to promote its Europeanism especially in issues such as that of a European Monetary Union to which Italy gave much support. It was during Romano Prodis Italian Premiership when Italy became more credible as a result of its joining of the Euro-zone. This credibility was then again lessened with the arrival of Silvio Berlusconi who had a more Euro-skeptical attitude in his foreign policy. Many scholars and analysts believe that this attitude was a main reason of why national interest was seen as unstable and unclear. Until the 1990s, Italy was quite pro-European, however, when Berlusconi became Prime Minister, this changed. In fact, Berlusconi conflicted quite often with other heads of European states especially with the French President and German Chancellor. Further proof of this erosion of Europeanism can be witnessed in the resignation of Italys foreign affairs minister, Renato Ruggiero, who was a pro-European  [8]  . Berlusconi, apart from being Prime Minister, had been minister of foreign affairs and his motives and interests were clearly seen in his policies. Berlusconi preferred to maintain good relations with American President George W. Bush rather than focusing his strength on maintaining excellent EU relations. He wanted the American administration to see Italy as its closest European partner after Britain and that is why, Italy gave America its full support in many issues and crises. Italys conflicting interests between Europeanism and Atlanticism did not start with Berlusconi. Sergio Romano comments on how the Italians believed that the Second World War was not lost by the nation but rather by the fascist government and this explains why, after overthrowing Mussolinis regime, Italy was still willing to seek cooperation with other states. As from the late 1940s Italys cooperation with the US grew especially due to the Marshall Plan which, according to Romano, ebbe maggiore influenza sul profile internazionale del paese e sul sistema politico italiano negli anni seguenti  [9]  . In the meantime, Italy was very confident in the fact that it could play an important role in European as well as in Mediterranean affairs. The world order after World War II was very different than that prior to the war. Not only did countries like Italy lose certain territories such as Istria, Libya, Eritrea and Ethiopia but, now, there was the rise of communism and nation states suc h as Italy had to respond to such crises. The Marshall Plan wasnt only implemented for the restructuring of Europe, but also to combat the communist threat of the Soviet Union. The plan was also aimed to bring unity in Europe and this influenced the policies of Italian politicians and how they behaved at the international level  [10]  . National interest, in a few years, had changed radically from one being aimed to promote Italy and its grandeur to one which promoted Italys activeness and participation in an international community. After 1947, Italys policies started reflecting those of the United States of America. Hence, not only was it interested in economic development and restructuring, but was also intrigued by implementing a democratic government, rights and freedoms as well as having an anti-communist task force. Because Italy followed these concepts, it was also interested in having a united Europe and, as explained above, was among the first to promote cooperation am ong European states. Italys national interest was always divided between that of Europeanism and that of maintaining excellent cordial relations with the US and such a phenomenon may still be said to be going on today. Many countries were against Italy joining the Atlantic Alliance and the Italian government was particularly keen on changing the negative assumptions that these countries had about it. Such countries believed that: Se fosse stata ammessa avrebbe costretto lAlleanza a difendere non soltanto lAtlantico del Nord ma buona parte del mediterraneo, avrebbe dato un contributo insignificante alla difesa commune, e avrebbe probabilmente approfittato della sua partecipazione per avanzare una volta querule richieste coloniali.  [11]   De Gasperi and Sforza saw that these ideas had to change as Italy needed to develop economically as well as improve its security. Without the help of foreign powers it couldnt do much. Even if other countries had no faith in Italy, the latter knew that it could count on the US to provide for Italys needs. The USA was, and still is, considered as a super power and could provide for the security of others apart from itself. The transition that Italian national interest was taking clearly shows how Italian leaders realised that Italy should not be overconfident in its approaches and be as ambitious as it was in the time of Mussolini. Even nowadays, Italy is trying to maintain the best of relations with the US as the former knows that America can provide Italy with financial aid and security. Apart from this, by maintaining a relationship with the worlds superpower, Italy and Italian opinion could become more credible and attractive in the international arena. De Gasperi and Sforzas opposition and criticisms which were coming from within the mainland clearly proves how national interest differed from one party to another. Apart from being criticized by the national liberals, both statesmen found opposition in the Catholics of the left, the socialists and in the communists all of which had considerable influence in Italy  [12]  . Hence, national interest varied in Italy as some opted for expansion and the regaining of national prestige, others for the weakening of the Western front whilst others were willing to make Italy a determining power in international affairs. Nonetheless, both De Gasperi and Sforza tried to establish strong positions not only in the US, especially after joining NATO in 1949, but also in Europe and this is evident when analyzing the relationship Italy had with countries like France. Since the time of de Gaulle, and especially under Georges Bidault, France considered Italy as an important ally and friend. In this issue another phenomenon regarding national interest is evident. This is Italys interest in safeguarding the Mediterranean and Italy, since Mussolinis rule up until today, was one of the major players when it comes to security in the Mediterranean. France, who had interests in Northern Africa, agreed to help Italy in this task and, since EU membership, Italian statesmen, ministers and politicians have promoted the idea of Mediterranean security even more  [13]  . Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, as did many others, maintained good relations with Mediterranean countries including Malta so as to maintain a stable and secure Mediterranean region. Italys interest in the Mediterranean may be a reason why the country is so keen on maintaining stable relations with the Arab world. Since the era of Fanfani and Moro, and even before that, up till today, Italian relations with Arab countries have been quite positive. This can be seen in Italys involvement in the Suez Crisis and in the Six-Days War and also in the fact that Italy always expressed its opinion with regards to the Middle-East conflict and offered means to aid the people affected by the war  [14]  . Many say that Italy has boosted its market-share and maintained a high political profile in the Arab world and in the Persian-Gulf and this is evident in countries like Qatar, UAE, Oman, Kuwait and many others. Embassies have been set up in these countries, exports increased and relations with them have improved due to the issuing of new contracts. Also, with regards to some states, Italy is the only remaining European trading partner as can be seen in the case of Iran  [15]  . Many believe that, though Italy has had a strong pro-European perspective, European enthusiasm has fallen considerably in the past years. According to a survey last year, only a small percentage of the Italian population actually believed that Italy was benefiting from its relationship with the EU. Italy has indeed fought for the strengthening and widening of the European Union, however, with the acceptance of the Constitutional Treaty, the introduction of the Euro and with the incorporation of many new pacts and treaties allowing greater EU say in decision making, Italians are starting to question what role has the national sphere left to play. From the period 2001 till 2006 the European Union was rarely consulted and called upon when Italy discussed matters of policy and foreign affairs. Even though Prodi was a pro-European, the two years he spent as Italian Prime Minister following 2006 werent enough to change the European outlook towards Italy. It seemed that Italy was changing f rom being one of the most active and respected members in Europe into a country which acted as an obstacle to the European Union. Events such as Italys exclusion from key talks on important issues suggest that the above statement is true and that Europe and the European Union had lost faith in Italy  [16]  . In Italy there was always a diverging of interests between the centre-left and the centre-right parties. The issue of multilateralism in this context becomes important. Under Berlusconis centre-right government this process was threatened especially due to the fact that the Prime Minister had little faith in such a process. Berlusconi, always projected as being so Euro-skeptic, has always preferred to maintain bilateral relations with countries such as the US and with certain countries in Europe rather than having many relations on a multilateral level. This statement is clearly supported by the fact that international organizations have never regarded Italy under Berlusconi as an important asset especially since the centre-right participated mostly in multilateral agreements and in international organizations only if there was something to gain from them. Centre-left parties, on the other hand have always taken a different approach and have always preferred to maintain strong multil ateral bonds especially with the European Union and its institutions. On the other hand the centre-left was then skeptic on the relationship with the US and this is evident in the centre-left parties criticisms towards the US and some of its policies  [17]  . Conclusion The fact that so many different governments were set up after 1945 and the phenomenon that only nowadays is an Italian political party managing to stay in government a full term is a clear reason on the state of agreement on national interests is in Italy. The huge number of fragmented parties in Italy means that it is difficult for Italy to come to a consensus on both domestic affairs as well as on international affairs. All the parties have different national interests and this may be the cause of why many believe that the statement that there hasnt been agreement on where Italys national interests lied was and still is the reality of Italy. Even the events of 2008 when Romano Prodis government collapsed is a sign on how the Italians are still struggling to find an agreement on where their national interests lie. Never before in the post-World War II history of Italy, had a government been unsupported by its own majority because of disagreement (within that same majority) on how to run the countrys foreign policy.  [18]   Such an event, however, will not change the real aims of Italys foreign policy and will not affect the reasons of why Italy has acted the way it did in the international arena in the past years. Italian politics in the last decades has always been directed towards achieving a more peaceful world. What Italy has done in the Middle-East and in Europe was done to strengthen unity as well as to bring stability in societies. On this matter, national interest is quite concrete and everyone, starting from Italys political elite moving down to the lowest classes of society, has had the same ideology and realm of interests with regards to having peace in the world. Though this is a huge contrast to the Italy prior to the war, it shows how, though national interest in Italy does tend to change rapidly, the Italian population may find agreement on certain issues especially on matters which are considered important and vital to the international sphere. Hence, it can be concluded that the statement that the Italians have never agreed on where their national interests lie isnt entirely true. Though Italian national interest did change quite frequently along the years, there were times when it was stable and followed a clear path. The fact that Berlusconi was elected for the third time has resulted in national interest to become clearer. Before the end of the cold war, the diverging national interest between that of a pro-European and a pro-American agenda was more evident. Now, with Berlusconi as Prime Minister, it seems that the divide isnt as evident especially with Berlusconis close relationship with the US and his lack of faith in Europe. Agreement on national interest, however, was never entirely present in Italy and may still be seen like that nowadays. It is unclear if Italian politicians are more interested in domestic rather than in international affairs and. Apart from this, Italy still maintains good relations with Mediter ranean countries as well as with the Arab world and is always keen in intervening wherever there is an issue abroad and this further confuses scholars and analysts trying to come out with where Italian national interest really lies.