The Bribery Scandal at Siemens Ag

1. †¢ In your opinion, is â€Å"bribing† unethical & illegal or just a cost of doing business? Discuss this in light of Siemens’ bribery scandal. We believe that bribing is unethical because it takes away the fairness of a business transaction between bidders of a contract. Bribing also has a negative impact on competition because it allows for oligopolies and monopolies to emerge in an industry due to smaller competitors being unable to financially compete with the amount of the bribes. This in turn   creates a barrier for entry for prospective companies and promotes the oligopoly or monopoly in place.The lack of competition affects consumer choice by reducing their options which then stifles innovation within the industry as there is no need to generate a competitive advantage to attain customers. The legality of bribing depends on the laws of the home country that the business is based from. For example, Siemens is a German based business and German law states that bribing officials of another country to win business contracts is illegal. So, under German law, Siemens was guilty of bribing an official when it bribed employees of the Italian company Enel to gain a contract as Enel was 68% owned by the Italian government.The counter-argument is that bribing is the cost of doing business. We disagree with this because the economic benefits gained from bribing are not outweighing the cost to a company’s reputation. As we see in this case, Siemens paid a 6 million euro bribe to secure a contract valued at 450 million euros which would seem like a cost of doing business for Andreas Kley and Horst Vigener but the legal and political cost almost triple the value of the contract in euros and a loss of reputation.These executives were fortunate to escape imprisonment for the illegal actions that were committed. A company must avoid bribing government officials to win business contracts however they can ask their own government for some type of aid in the situation. We believe that having your home government involved in fostering or mediating the trade relationship with another company can potentially give better results than bribing. Siemens should have gone on a business trade mission with German officials to another country because trade missions can help form a relationship and are sources f contacts which are valuable tools to win business contracts. †¢ What options do companies have to win business contracts without bribing, especially in foreign countries? Companies can use a combination of a number of alternatives to gain a business contract without violating the law. Internally, the organization can build a better product through investing money into research and development which would then provide them with a competitive advantage to entice other businesses to choose them over a competitor.Externally, the organization can (1) contribute to the host country, (2) use complementary relations, (3) establis h the status as a market leader, (4) provide attractive business trade agreements, (5) offer outstanding business intelligence, and/or (6) differentiate service with quality contractors. Contributing to a host country would include assistance in a country’s development in terms of infrastructure, job generation, investments, and through imports. The use of complementary relations is a common practice in the business world.An example would be the relationship between car manufacturers and host countries. For a foreign company to enter the Chinese auto market, they need to establish a joint venture agreement with a local car manufacturer. It is a policy that the Chinese government imposed to protect the local auto business from strong foreign competitors. (source cited http://factsanddetails. com/china. php? itemid=349&catid=9&subcatid=62 ) Establishing the status of a market leader is less risky for a company with strong sales and a promising market for its products.This can b e an advantage in securing a deal with a strong company status in the industry. Providing attractive business trade agreements by making bigger concessions when negotiating a deal can be a great way to win a business contract. By offering a larger bulk order discount or other forms of compensation such as a royalty after a set number of units sold. This shifts the bribe from an illegal under the table pocketed amount of cash to an above the board legal bonus contingent on performance.Offering outstanding business intelligence skills is the ability to transfer organizational skills to better manage costs, strategies, and tactics in developing quality products and services in the foreign country. The transfer of these skills will most likely develop a long term relationship between the company and the foreign nation it operates in. In addition, companies value intelligent partners. With this in place, companies can stand out with this knowledge or expertise. 2. †¢ Was the board r ight in not extending Kleinfeld’s term, especially in view of his over performance as a CEO?The decision to refrain from extending Kleinfeld's term was undoubtedly a difficult one for a number of reasons, however it was the right decision given the awkward circumstances surrounding his term   as CEO. The primary concern with this decision was that Kleinfeld had brought many benefits to Siemens in a short time. In just two years under his direction Siemens' stock price shot up and there was a shift in the way the company did business as the importance of Siemens' customers was stressed as equally important to their technology.Kleinfeld's drastic reform of the corporation, although disliked by some of the older fashioned managers, was visibly effective. This previous concern also sprouts another, by not extending Kleinfeld, Siemens would now have to find a replacement CEO; a task that would surely be difficult after the public backlash resulting from the scandal. However, des pite both of those concerns the decision to neglect to extend him was made. One of the reasons is that although he was impressive in his short tenure, all of the successes of the corporation under his guidance are now questionable.In other words, how much did the corrupt practices of bribery that Siemens was accused of impact the increased success of the company in that same time. This thought alone tainted the view of Kleinfeld's time as the CEO. Even if Kleinfeld was truly fully ignorant to these corrupt practices, it does not absolve him because as the CEO it is his duty to be in full control of Siemens. He failed at clearly explaining to the entire corporation their code of conduct with regards to bribery and the consequences, therefore he is personally to be held responsible for the actions of his employees. It is for these easons that Siemens needed a clean slate if they were to reform their public image. If Kleinfeld had been retained then much of these beliefs would continue and it would have been harder still for Siemens to recover from such a devastating scandal. A new leader was needed to represent an ethical overhaul of the corporations code of conduct in order to effectively rebound from the backlash of the events. †¢ What is likely to be the impact of his departure on the company? Kleinfield’s departure as a CEO from Siemens had an impact on the employees, the board of directors, the company’s revenues, and the intellectual property.Kleinfied was very popular in the company and a charismatic leader to a number of young and proactive employees, there is a possibility that these employees to follow his departure. Also, because of the employees’ admiration of Kleinfield’s management style there is a possibility that these workers might regress to the old fashioned ways of doing things in the company. Another element in the company that was affected by Kleinfield’s departure was the board of directors. We know that Kleinfield did a major restructuring in Siemens, but didn’t create a good relationship with the supervisory board.This potentially made him expendable when the corruption scandal hit, and opened the eyes of everyone on the board of directors to a new change in conduct and social responsibility. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, another way where Kleinfield’s departure might affect the revenues of the company would be in the future election of a new CEO. Given the bad reputation Siemens acquired, it stands to reason that they will have to overpay a new qualified person to become the CEO because that person will have to deal with resucing the company in the wake of this scandal.Nevertheless, one of the biggest impacts of Kleinfield’s departure from the company is the loss of intellectual property. By losing a very efficient CEO, who transformed the company in a short period of time, Siemens lost a great asset that can also become a threat to the company if hire d by a competitor. †¢ Was Siemens really at fault or was it just unfortunate to have got caught given the perception that many companies have to resort to bribing to win contracts?We believe Siemens was unfortunate to get caught but that it is also their fault. Firstly, we think it is unfortunate because there are many other companies that bribe in the world. Being one of the few companies caught bribing made Siemens’ situation unfortunate, but it didn’t exempt it from being the company’s fault. Since the company decided to bribe, they fully understood the consequences of getting caught. Compare this with a thief: just because all the other thieves are stealing, it does not mean robbing someone is without recourse.In the end, because Siemens acted illegally by choosing to ignore its corporate social responsibility and by abiding the rules of the country, it is reasonable to recognize the company made a mistake by taking a poor risk and having it backfire. W ork Cited Helen Deresky,  International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures, 7th ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011), 61-71. Facts and Details. â€Å"Foreign Companies & Foreign Investment in China†. Last modified April, 2012. http://factsanddetails. com/china. php? itemid=349=9=62

American Revolution the war, the article of confederation and the constitution

The paper discuses the United States of America road to self governance from hands of British colonialism. First it looks on the war between the United States America and Britain. The war took place in late 18th century when the thirteen states of America colonialist joined forces to overthrow the British emperor. Although the states militiamen were untrained and used simple weapons, they were determined to topple down Britain from America. The paper also focuses on how the militiamen though inexperienced in war, caused sleepless night to the British army.With time the war seemed unending until reached a point where a deal had to be reached to end the war. The war was ended with a deal being reached between the United States of America and the Britain. A Paris treaty signed in France between the parties in war ended the stalemate. The article of confederation is looked into. This document (the articles of confederation), outlined the rules governing the operations of the united thirt een states. The article outlined the powers of the confederation government and how the states had to relate to each other.The strengths and weakness of the article is outlined in the paper. Article of confederation was replaced by constitution soon after America attained her independence. At the end the paper compares the American Revolution with other world revolutions such as, French revolution, the Russian and the Iranian revolutions. The British army and the militiamen During the last half of 18th century, the thirteen colonies of North America overthrew the governance of British emperor and merged to become the nation of the â€Å"United States of America†.The colonies regrouped to form one self governing state that fought with British army. Americans lacked trained army and each group of the colonies relied on militia groups which had simple arms and slight knowledge on fighting for defense. Although, this militia had no fighting skills, their high number gave them an advantage over the few British soldiers in the battle fields. â€Å"In 1775, America established a regular continental army to give more support to the militia in battles. The British army was about 36,000 men, but within the course of war, Britain hired more soldiers from Germany† (Savas, 2006).The combined army was huge, but its strength was weakened by the virtue of being spread across large regions of Canada and Florida. The revolutionary war on North America started when the commander in charge of British army sent his men to seize ammunition held by the militiamen in Massachusetts. On arrival, they found that the Minutemen (a group of men from the colonial militia) had been alerted of unexpected visit by the British army. This group of militia (minutemen) consisted of young and more mobile men who were ready to fight British army any minute they are called to do so.A battle started between the two sides with the British army killing a number of militia. As the war conti nued, a great damage was inflicted on British army, as thousands of militia fought them, before reinforcement was brought to help them to prevent more damages. On their way to capture Canada from British emperor, the militiamen were grouped into two groups with each having a leader. The group lad by Richard Montgomery with more than 1500 men attacked northern Canada forcing the governor of Quebec to escape. The second group led by Arnold, was not a success because many men succumbed to smallpox.Although Montgomery was killed, the groups after merging again, held the city of Quebec until British war ships arrived to get hold of the siege. The militia played a cat and mouse game to the British army. They could engage the British army in fighting, retreat and the came again when the army was not aware. The militiamen were determined, courageous and ready to overthrow the British emperor at all cost for their independence. Paris Treaty In 1777, France and her allies (Spain and Dutch) en tered in the war to support the Americans.Her involvement proved decisive when the second British army surrendered to her naval army. â€Å"As a result a treaty had to be signed to end the American war and recognize the sovereignty of United States of America over the territory bounded by what is now called Canada to the north, Florida to the south, and Mississippi river to the west† (Bobrick, 1998) As the political support of war plunged, the British prime minister resigned in 1782 leading to the house of common to vote in favor of ending war with Americas.Signing of preliminary peace articles followed in Paris but the war ended when the Paris treaty was signed between America, France and Britain in 1783. The American-French alliance proved too strong to British army. As a result, British government together with American representatives in Europe began peace negotiations to stop the alliance against Britain. In the negations Britain negotiator was supposed to acknowledge th at he was negotiating with American states not colonies.â€Å"First the French and Spanish military were to besiege fortress of Gibraltar, which was the seaway connecting Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea† (Burnett, 1941). What followed is that the alliance was weakened and France relentlessly accepted a preliminary peace treaty between Britain and United states which was formalized later. The treaty was signed in September 1783 despite British parliamentary protest of some of agreements contained in the deal. The Article of Confederation â€Å"The article of confederation was the governing constitution of thirteen independent and sovereign states style â€Å"(United States of America)† (Ward, 1952).The article was proposed in 1777 and ratified in 1781 uniting the states into the â€Å"United States of America† as a union with confederation government. The article gave the states the power to all government functions not posed by the central government. The article stipulated the rules for operation of the â€Å"united states† confederation. The article allowed the confederation to make war, negotiate agreements and settle maters concerning the western territories. However, the confederation had no power to mint coins or borrow with or outside United States. Each state had its own currency.The main reason for drafting the article was to provide a plan for securing the freedom, sovereignty and independence of United State. The article stipulated that the confederation to be known as â€Å"the united States of America†, each stated to retain its freedom, independence and sovereignty. The article also established the United States as league of states united and freedom of movement across the states. In the article; each state was allocated one vote in congress of confederation, the central government was only the one to conduct foreign relations and declare war.The article further stated that; expenditures by the United Stat es would be paid by funds raised by state legislatures, defined the powers of central government and the admission of new state was to be approved by nine states. The article also mandated a committee to be a government when the congress was in session. In addition, the article reaffirmed that the confederation accepts war debt incurred by congress before the articles. Finally it declared that the article was final and only could be altered by approval of congress.Some of the weaknesses of the article includes; power of central government was weak because each states had powers, there was no balance between the large and small states in legislative decision making, the congress lacked taxing authority hence could not plan on expenditures, some argued that the provisions of the article were no favorable for effective government, and under the article, congress did not had powers to regulate trade. Its main strength was that it gave direction to the continental army and thus helped to win the American revolutionary war.Ways that the Constitution remedied the flaws in the Articles The article of confederation was replaced by the U. S. constitution which changed the government from confederation to federation. The constitution is the supreme law that outlines the organization of United States of America. Constitution defines that the government has three branches namely; the legislative, an executive branch led by the president and judicial branch headed by Supreme Court. The document also states the powers of each branch and reserves rights of each state, hence establishing United States federal system of government.â€Å"The constitutional reallocation of powers created a new form of government, unprecedented under the sun. Every previous national authority either had been centralized or else had been a confederation of sovereign states. The new American system was neither one nor the other; it was a mixture of both† (Collier, 2007) The constitution estab lished the manner of election and vested all legislative powers to the congress of United States of America which consisted of; senators who headed states and House of Representatives who represented the lower house.The executive branch outlined the qualification of president and also makes provision for the post of vice president. The vice president was given powers to succeed the president incase the president; died, resigned, removed or unable to discharge duties. The constitution requires that there will be one court (supreme), but the congress could create lower courts that judgments are reviewable by the Supreme Court. The constitution sets all the cases and defines who to hear the same. The constitution defined the relationship between the states and the federal government and amongst the state.The state government was prohibited from discriminating against citizens of other states. There must be fair treatment to all citizens regardless of which state he/she comes from. Lega l basis of freedom of movement and travel amongst the states was laid in the constitution. This provision was not taken more seriously as it was the case in the time of articles of confederation, where crossing of states lines was costly. Within the constitution, there provision for creations of new states and the congress is given the power to make rules concerning the disposal of federal property.The United States is required to allow each state to have a republican government and protect the states from all attacks. The constitution and laws of states were to set in such a way that it did not conflict with the laws of the federal government and incase of conflict, judges were supposed to honor federal laws over those of states. Constitution addressed the freedoms of; religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. States were give were right to keep and maintain militia and individuals to poses arms. Government was prohibited from using private homes to keep soldiers without cons ent of owners.The constitution required that; a warrant of arrest be issued, prohibited repeated trial, guaranteed a speedy trial for criminals and forbade excessive bail or fines. How was revolutionary revolution The American Revolutionary was actuary a revolution, there was change of power and change in organizational structures. American wanted a change; wanted to be represented in the parliament, wanted to get benefits of the tax they paid etc. It was the result of the war and signing of Paris treaty that Britain moved from America and America was declared independent.This is a political revolution where a political regime was â€Å"overthrown and thereby transformed by a popular movement in an irregular, extra constitutional and/or violent fashion†(Ward, 1952) The U. S. constitution replaced the articles of confederation, which change government from confederation to federal one. Both the French, American, Russian, and Iranian revolution were accompanied by turmoil and b lood shade. The French revolution was transformation of government from anarchy to a form based on reason, nationalist, citizenship and inalienable rights.Russian revolution was made to change the nature of society and transform the state with replacement of Tsarist autocracy with Soviet Union The Iranian revolution transformed Iran from a monarchy to an Islamic republic. In general all the revolution involves transformation of government from one form to another, although American underwent both government transformation and change of land ownership. Reference Bobrick, Benson (1998). Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution. Penguin, paperback reprint Burnett, Edmund Cody (1941).The Continental Congress: A Definitive History of the Continental Congress from Its Inception in 1774 to March, 1789 Collier, C. (2007) Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787. New York: Random House. Savas, Theodore, P. and Dameron, J. David (2006). A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution, New York. Ward, Christopher (1952). The War of the Revolution: History of land battles in North America, 2, New York: Macmillan. Greene, Jack P. (1987). Introduction. The American Revolution, Its Character and Limits. New York University Press: New York.

Analysis Of Pacific Coffee In Festival Walk

Analysis Of Pacific Coffee In Festival Walk Pacific Coffee is a Hong Kong home-grown coffee brand established in 1992. The mission of Pacific Coffee is to provide the perfect cup anytime, anywhere. Pacific Coffee is active in making contributions to society and communities, while at the same time emphases the importance of protecting environment in their business. Strength ii. Reading-book service (make Pacific Coffee a multi-functional place for spending leisure time); iii. Special seat for people working with their own computers (may not increase revenue in short run but in long run can increase consumer’s loyalty); iv. Inside area has dark decoration with soft light offering a relaxing atmosphere for customers spending times with families, chatting with friends or working on their own business. But for people who prefer bright environment, they can choose outdoor open area which brings a different atmosphere and feeling. Up-to-date technology with long-time partner PCCW: free Wi-Fi service, on-line order service an d several computers in the shop are offered for its consumers. No matter for business or leisure, the availability of these services is essential for a great number of consumers. High-quality employees-crucial human resources: nearly all employees are proficient in both Mandarin and Cantonese while also have at least basic master of English. Employees are smiling and patient when they talk to customers. Pacific Coffee fully realizes the importance of this crucial resources and offer various training to its employees regularly so that they can provide excellent service and ultimate customers’ satisfaction. Local brand and good reputation-vital intangible resources: Pacific Coffee has been recognized as the ‘Best Coffee in Hong Kong’ and has won several honor in Hong Kong Magazine’s ‘Readers Choice’. And since Pacific Coffee has always devoted itself to community affairs, environment issues as well as promoting fair trade, it has a pretty good c ommunity image and good reputation among customers. High quality product–professional coffee beans: collecting top plateau coffee beans from all over the world. Today more and more customers are not satisfied with instant coffee anymore and focus more on the quality of coffee. So the quality of Pacific Coffee is quite crucial for its success.

Recognition of depression and aknowlegement of depression among Asisan Essay

Recognition of depression and aknowlegement of depression among Asisan American and Hispanic Americans - Essay Example Slant: Depression is a common and highly treatable disorder that affects over 17-20 million Americans annually. It is next to cardiovascular diseases in terms of mortality. Depression is also the leading reason for suicide cases in the United States. Depression however can almost always be successfully treated once identified. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis and under-treatment is common especially within the African American community. (www.Nami.org) One sentence description of your article: Healthcare providers as well as Americans need to understand and recognize signs and symptoms of depression so that it can be detected earlier for effective intervention and treatment. Myrna M. Weissman, PhD, and Mark Olfson, MD, MPH: Depression in US Hispanics: Diagnostic and Management Considerations in Family Practice: Journal of American Board of Family Practice, July-August 2005, vol. 18 no 4.

Successful Reintegration into the General Education Setting Research Proposal

Successful Reintegration into the General Education Setting - Research Proposal Example Teachers and parents of these students will help in providing necessary information such as the challenges that are deemed to hinder reintegration process. The proposed study will span for three months whereby participants who are students with special needs will be undergoing the normal intervention therapies provided by their respective educational organizations. Students with special needs learn for five days with majority of them being in boarding schools and the researcher will try as much as possible not to disrupt the normal school schedule. Therefore, researches will be conducted from break time up to lunchtime. Participants will receive training as a group for three hours per day in five days, which will be an additional training since they are taken through such sessions by their trainers. The researcher will have a team of trained personnel who will assist him in providing this training to the children with special needs. Training sessions will be starting immediately after the introduction and familiarization whereby the team of IEP will be beginning to train the students using the approaches explained under subheading â€Å"analysis†. Effective application of these approaches will help in evaluating the teachability of these students among other behaviors that the research team might find important to monitor. Various approaches will be used so that the research team can analyze them later and establish the most effective one. The researcher will get information from agencies taking care of these students by requesting them to answer questions that will be submitted via email. After these three months sessions, the researcher will recommend students who will be found to be ready for reintegration to the general education. Assessment of the programs for students with special needs will be administered by researchers who are not

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 28

Reflection paper - Essay Example As a proponent of conservative ideologies, Burke opposed the actions of revolutionaries. He maintained that the revolution was likely to cause anarchy and, therefore, presented the threat of terror (Burke 1). Burke maintained that subjects should surrender to established authorities with minimal opposition. It is imperative to maintain the institutions and uphold established order in the society. In Burke’s view, the French destabilized the very institutions that upheld order while justifying their claims as the search for equality. He asserts that France â€Å"disarmed its cabinets of princes of its most potent topics through tyrannous distrust† (Burke 1). Consequently, the French initiated instability and corruption. In defense of conservative ideologies, Burke supported the English form of governance. The English form of governance was a form of monarchy set by rule of law. It was not an absolute monarchy considering English form of governance consisted of a balance between the king’s control and rule of law. Similarly, Burke did not support absolute democracy for fear of control that emanates from the tyranny of the popular numbers. Tyranny and control by majority, in Burke’s view, would not form a perfect form of governance. Marx had earlier established the historical background of the middle-class population. He notes the importance of describing plight of those working for daily wages, usually considered as low class persons or industrial workers (Marx, Engels and McLellan 1). He starts by describing the reality regarding the living status of the proletariats as only able to live depending on the availability of livelihood jobs. He establishes that work mechanization renders this group jobless and vulnerable. Exploitation of proletariat is cyclic, starting at work and extends to the bourgeoisie landowners, bringing about an open revolution. He also notes that apart from the

Financial Incentives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Financial Incentives - Essay Example Financial incentives put a value on the accomplishment made by the member of staff. It serves to encourage brilliant and capable but unenthusiastic employees thus raising their efficiency. In addition, it creates healthy competition among workers thus increasing the turnover. It motivates an employee to focus on the target set. It leads to the attachment of the individual to the company, therefore, growing their level of commitment. Moreover, it links additional productivity with added pay. The other merits of financial incentives are to serve as the machinery of attracting other expert workforce and motivating workers to put forth extra effort. However, financial incentives can sometimes be small and demoralizing if not earned. It can also have a negative impact on unenthusiastic employees, who will fail to meet the set targets. Furthermore, it causes rifts and divisions among the workers, which will in turn negatively affect the productivity, hence the overall turnover of the company. In addition, it may lead to discrimination of the under performers and ineffective evaluation of individual skills since it is based on performance. Lack of training of supervisors on ways to determine the performance, may lead to the incentives not being standard, which leads to discontent among the employees. The downside of offering financial incentives to achieve customer satisfaction is the employees focus is short term, which does not reflect the company’s long-term goals. Moreover, it does not offer a system that measures the value of the employee’s skills. The focus on short-term goals causes the discounting of potential income of business at an elevated rate than is best for the business. The other incentives apart from financial incentives the company can offer include gift certificates, plaques, individual travel program, merchandize prizes, commissions, stocks and shares in the company and achievement recognition of the employees. The company has been in the market extensively to develop goodwill repute for quality, q. This repute is based on the quality of service and customer care distinctiveness.

APN Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

APN Role - Essay Example Core APN Competencies The APN is a group of nurse practitioners that includes nurses holding a post graduation in nursing as per the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) (Jansen & Zwygart-Stauffacher, 2010; APRN Joint Dialogue Group, 2008). The group ensures a vital role in the future of the health care industry. Contextually, it has been affirmed that there are certain core competencies that together form an efficient and effective APN nurse (Joel, 2013). They are illustrated in detail hereunder. Expert Coaching and Guidance An APN nurse should have the leadership skills to initiate guidance or mentorship in given point of time. This means the nurse should be able to put her vision into action while associating with a particular health care unit. He/she should also need to acquire the skills including proper education, expertise in clinical content and implementation of proper learning principles among others to incorporate the competency (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy & O'Grady, 2013; Bryant-Lukosius, DiCenso, Browne, & Pinelli, 2004). Consultation This is a vital competency to be acquired not only for APN but also for any other health care professional. ... Research Skills In accordance to these competencies, the APN should have the ability to research more and more with regard to derive a thorough understanding. In this regard, evidence-based programs of teachings and implementation of evidence-based literature for clinical practices would be vital aspects to be considered (Cooke, Gemmill & Grant, 2008). Clinical and professional leadership This competency of the APN requires the nurses to act as a change agent in certain cases and advocate for patients. Furthermore, he/she should require acting as a leader in certain circumstances, initiating any decisions of change (Cooke, Gemmill & Grant, 2008). Collaboration Working in collaboration with the members of the health is among the common competencies of an APN. Respecting the work and contribution of the colleagues is a prime requirement in accordance to this competency (Cooke, Gemmill & Grant, 2008) Ethical Decision-Making skills This is an integral part not only for APN but also for a ny other profession. APN’s should act as a moral agent by generating an ethical environment abiding certain principles and fidelity (Cooke, Gemmill & Grant, 2008). Summary of an APN Outcome Research Study The study of Cooke, Robin Gemmill and Marcia Grant (2008) naming â€Å"APN Core Competencies: A Framework for Developing and Testing an APN Discharge Intervention† depicts a vital aspects regarding APN significance. The APN concerning to the research study, conducted various self-care activities to examine the complications that arise in a discharge patient after transplantation. In this stand, it has been further discussed that, core competencies of APN like guidance, consultation, research skills, clinical leadership, collaboration as well as

Supply Chain Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply Chain Management - Assignment Example Supply chain management includes a series of well-coordinated decisions and activities that are used to provide sufficient integrated supplier services, transporters, ware houses and customer. This often ensures that the correct products and services are taken to delivered at the right locations in the right quantities while minimizing the cost of undertaking these activities. The essence of this is to acquire sustainable competitive market advantage. A company supply chain can be immensely complicated because it entails a large number of customers and suppliers. Logistic functions may be used to help the flow of raw material from the producer of the item, to the manufacturer then the distributor and finally the end user of the product(Wisner 104). The internal supply chain involves the manufacturers. In this case, it entails sourcing, distributing and production as a whole. Sourcing is where the company makes some purchases, process orders, make negotiations for contracts and formul ate the purchase process. In production, the raw materials are transformed into components of an end product or the product itself. Distribution is where the flow of material or end product is managed as from the manufacture to the customers. To ensure that the process is done successfully, enterprise resource planning systems should be used. The enterprise resource planning system usually store and processes the data of the company. In addition, it integrates the company’s information system as a whole. ERP is beneficial as it facilitates the flow of all the details in the company and also ensures that the daily company processes are managed appropriately (Wisner222). The supplier networks are also another key component of the supply chain. They may be the organizations responsible for all the direct and indirect service and product provision. For instance, a computer manufacture supplier may include all the organizations responsible for the provision of all items of the com puter. This may include computer chips, motherboards and hard drives just to mention a few. The distribution networks the real movement of goods from the manufacture to the customers. The main focus is on the packaging, storing and how the materials are handled at the receiving ends; the warehouses, docks and the retail stores. One crucial consideration in the distribution process is the mode of transportation and its management. This includes how the external carriers have been managed or how the private carriers are selected. Another important thing to consider is the e - commerce sector. This plays a vital role as it facilitates the flow of funds and information. E commerce is when advanced technology is used to carry out the business transactions in a company. E commerce is conducted in a variety of electronic media. It entails business to customer transactions, business to business transactions, and customer to customer transactions. A few websites that carry out such include e -bay, Covisint, priceline.com and the likes of Amazon.com. The types of electronic media are bar codes, fax, electronic fund transfer (EFT), electronic data interchange (EDI) and many others (Wisner 10). In e- distribution, one is advised on where to pick their supplies and how to use them via the internet or web based environment. E- Procurement has changed the whole supply chain where the distribution and manufacturing bit is concerned. There is a seamless flow of information on fulfillment from the manufact

Family structural theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Family structural theory - Assignment Example Another way to determine if the family is dysfunctional if the family is based on organization and subsystems, this includes interactions between individuals, with assigned roles and expectations (Minuchin1974) From Minuchin perspective, a family is either functional or dysfunctional depending upon its capacity to adapt to numerous stressors which, in turn, rests upon the simplicity and appropriateness of its subsystem boundaries. The way to determine if the family dysfunctional is if the family:- members from brother to sister do not have love to one another which should latter grow into respect to one another; all the family members feeling shamed, slammed, belittled or dismissed when they state what they have in their minds, opinions, wants dreams and desire; It can be determined by how the family members are accountable to one another; if one has made a mistake the and the guilty one doesn’t apologies to the other, failure of allowing reasonable expression of emotions, discouraging siblings to work together (Minuchin1974). From the study we are able to know what is meant by the term dysfunctional family, and how a structural theory can be used to determine a dysfunctional family with the contribution from Minuchin and Gardano. There are various dysfunctional families and this study has given some aspects on how to identify such kind of a family. Silva, E., Tsatskis, Y., Gardano, L., Tapon, N., & McNeill, H. (2006). The Tumor-Suppressor Gene fat Controls Tissue Growth Upstream of Expanded in the Hippo Signaling Pathway. Current biology, 16(21),

Weber in University Essay Example for Free

Weber in University Essay Max Weber’s (1958) one aspect of analyzing society involves rationalization in capitalism ( p. 13). His idea is that pursuit of money is not just for the sake of earning but must also be rationalized—in a way that is calculating or earning more profit (Weber, 1958). Highlight of this is the Lutherian input that capitalism gives you a special duty. Fulfillment of that duty is the highest form of performing moral activity as this is moral obligation (spirit of capitalism) (Weber, 1958). Universities never escaped capitalism. It has even become the means for the reproduction of capitalism. University propagates the idea that a man needs to study to be able to work— where the higher education level he attains, the greater is his opportunity to earn more. It is similar with Weber’s idea on task specialization—a student entering the university must choose his specialization or degree program. With this, universities earn profit because more students want to get to college. The main idea being that when you get to graduate from the university with a degree, you are sure to land on a good job with good pay. But earning money is not the highlight on getting a degree. Instead, it is inculcated as a moral obligation to the society which is parallel to Weber’s spirit of capitalism. A better member of society is someone who works hard achieving his tasks than someone who does not strive for success. Looking at how university works, specific duties are performed by specific groups. Professors teach, administrative manages the university and other groups for other significant tasks like counseling and housing for students who serves as the â€Å"customers† though not purchasing market goods but intellect and skills. These duties once fulfilled rationalize the profit earned by universities. Not only is mere fulfillment of duty considered a moral activity but as education is uplifted and seen as significant, so are the professors who mold the future workforce of the world. It is indeed the highest form of moral activity literally and figuratively. These duties/jobs found in the universities comprise the labor—important concept for Weber and Marx. While Marx argues that there is no free labor since people have to sell their labor power to capitalist, Weber argues that selling this is still wage-flexible and calculable (1920, p. 21). Good examples are the janitors and the professors. Both sell their labor power to owners of university. But since both has different labor power to offer (one on manual labor, other is teaching), there would be wage-differences. Thus, it shows how university truly has incorporated calculation with it being a business. As shown, universities, though seen as having noble purpose of educating, are still under the rationalistic capitalism that calculates, profit-oriented and involve special tasks. They bring to the society two valuable products—the profit they earn in terms of money and the students who in turn earns money and profit for themselves after college. This is how universities pattern with Weber’s idea. Reference Weber, M. (1958). The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. New York: Scribner.

Three idiots Essay Example for Free

Three idiots Essay It all started in the college days of three best buddies. Farhan Qureshi, Raju Rastogi, and Rancchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad at the Imperial College of Engineering, India. Farhan, is one of the many college students who was forced to pursue his parent’s dream of becoming an engineer. Rajuis a poor lad who strives hard to get good grades yet he still gets low marks.He hopes to land a good job someday for the sake of his family; while Rancho, the one who stands out among the crowd, studies engineering forhis passion of machines and devices. However, due to his different approachin studying, Rancho incurs the wrath of the dean of college, Professor Viruâ€Å"Virus† Shahastrabuddhe. Rancho criticizes his professor’s style of teachingfor lacking enthusiasm and understanding in discussing their lessons; thusthis leads to a series of conflicts. In contrast, Virus’s favorite student, Chaturâ€Å"Silencer† Ramalingam, believes in memorizing over understanding in order to be a successful engineer.Chatur is the typical student who studies without passion. Things become more complicated when Rancho falls in love withVirus’s daughter, Pia; a girl whom he met when he crashed a wedding party.At their senior year, Chatur was humiliated for giving a ridiculousspeech in front of everybody because Rancho pulled a prank on him. Chaturfound out and then he promised to get revenge by insisting on becomingmore successful than Rancho. After ten years, Chatur, now a successful millionaire, is boastful that hehas surpassed Rancho and he was also looking forward to sealing a deal with a famous scientist and prospective business associate named Phunsukh Wangdu. Having lost contact with Rancho after graduation, Chatur, Farhanand Raju goes on a journey to search for Rancho.On their adventure, they found out that the Rancho they knew of was not the real Rancho. Rancchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad was just a wealthy guy who made a deal with their best friend, Phunsukh Wangdu or the Rancho they knew. When they see Rancho, they discovered that Phunsukh Wangdu is Rancho and the deal with Chatur settled and Rancho wins in their deal.

The Importance Of Pre-Modern Society

The Importance Of Pre-Modern Society Human history can be divided into three phases: pre-modern, modern and post modern. There is no definite beginning or end to each of these phases; rather they merge into one another, as not all societies moved forward at the same time. Although most industrialised countries are now considered post modern, a large proportion of the Third World remains modern or in some cases pre- modern. Pre- Modern is the period in society which came prior to Modernity, which began in Europe after the introduction of Industrial society and large scale production. Sociology and modernity are closely intertwined, but it has also been argued that sociology is actually a product of modernity. During this piece I will examine pre- modern society and discuss some of the reasons why the study of this era is important for sociology. What is Pre- modern Society? The pre-modern era spans from before history and can be separated into two phases, before and after settled agriculture. Before settled agriculture, society lives off the land, hunting and gathering. An example of a hunter- gatherer society that exists today is the Arctic foragers, who occupy the circumpolar region of the earth. Due to the lack of vegetation in this area of the world, most Arctic foragers are forced to live on a diet of meat. Many Arctic people are extremely mobile like the feudal societies of pre- modern times. Pre-modern society: The term pre- modern, covers a number of different societal forms: hunter-gatherer, agrarian, horticultural, pastoral and non-industrial. Pre-modern social forms have now virtually disappeared, although they are still in existence in some of todays societies, therefore pre- modern cannot be defined in terms of historical development. In this respect, pre-modern societies can be characterised by a combination of economic, political and cultural circumstances. In pre-modern society, work was not highly specialised and the number of roles necessary to produce things were relatively small, therefore the division of labour was simple when compared to modern societies. Most of the labour forces engaged in agricultural activity and produced food through subsistence farming. The majority of pre-industrial groups had standards of living not much above survival, meaning that most of the population were focused on producing only enough goods for means of survival. The rise of settled agricultural villages meant the build up of storable produce, which represented a cultural advance for civilisation. With the development of storage, in some rare cases came some social unrest, as what could be stored could also be stolen. It should be noted here that in pre- modern times there was very little deviance, as communities were extremely close knit and everybody knew each other. Pre- Modern society was a time without class distinctions and people shared the same sense of values. In Pre- Modern times, a persons sense of purpose was expressed through a faith. Religious officials held the positions of power within the communities and were the intermediaries to the general masses. The population of pre-modern times saw God as the main entity and those closest to him, for example the religious officials, were seen as the community leaders. Persons in pre- modern society did not see themselves as having an individual identity rather a group identity. Social life in pre-modern society also often had religion at its core. Villages were divided into parishes and the observance of religion took place at a community level. In post modern society, the influence of religion appears to have lessened, although it formed the basis for modern penal laws, which regulate human behaviour like religion did in pre- modern times. Industrialisation and the making of Modern Society: In order to understand why the study of pre- modern times is vital to sociology, it is important to look to the Industrial Revolution, as this was a time of great change for European society, and the crossing over from pre- modern to modern society. Industrialisation is the process whereby social and economic change transforms a pre- industrial society into an industrial one. Industrialisation also introduces a form of philosophical change, where people take a different attitude towards their perception of nature. During the Industrial revolution, an economy based on manual labour was replaced by one taken over by industry and the manufacture of machinery. Rapid industrialisation cost many craft workers their jobs and scores of weavers also found themselves unemployed as they could not compete with machinery. Many unemployed workers turned their anger towards the machines that had taken their jobs and began destroying factories and machinery. These activists became known as Luddites and became extremely popular. The British government took drastic measures against the Luddites using the army to protect the factories. The Industrial Revolution saw the emergence of class, urbanisation and the bad conditions in which people had to live and work in. Marxism essentially began as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. As the Industrial Revolution progressed so did the gap between class structures. According to Karl Marx, industrialisation polarised society into the bourgeoisie, and the much larger proletariat. Ordinary working people found increased opportunity for employment in the mills and factories and in some cases had no choice but to move to the towns and cities in search of work. By the early 1900s up to eighty per cent of the population of Britain lived in urban centres (Kumar, 1978, cited in Bilton et al, p.28). Using the clock to time ones self, as a basis of social organisation, was an indicator of the emergence of a modern society. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries both agricultural and manufacturing labour became set by the clock in a way that was very different to pre-modern production. In pre-modern times factors such as hours of daylight set work rhythms, whereas the factories were regulated by the clock, labour was synchronised and took place for a certain number of hours each day and on particular days of the week. For the factory owners and their employees, time now equalled money. The working conditions were often strict with long working hours and a pace that was set by machinery and production. With the Industrial Revolution came an increase in population. Education was still limited and therefore children were expected to work. Child labour was appealing to employers as it was cheaper than employing an adult yet productivity was similar. The machines did not require strength to operate and there were no experienced adult labourers as the system was completely new. By the eighteenth century there was only around thirty percent of the population who engaged in agricultural activity, this enables us to gain some idea of the nature of modern society and the economic changes that took place as modern society developed. The majority of ordinary people were greatly affected by capitalism and industrial production. By the late 1900s Englands Black Country was one of the most industrialised parts of the United Kingdom and in the 1830s was described in the following way; The earth seems to have turned inside out. The coal. is blazing on the surface by day and by night the country is flowing with fire, and the smoke of the ironworks hangs over it. There is a rumbling and clanking of iron forges and rolling mills. Workmen covered in smut, and with fierce white eyes, are seen moving amongst the glowing iron and dull thud of the forge-hammers. (Jennings,1985 p.165) Conclusion: The transition from pre- modernity into modernity was important for sociology as people began to see that society was something important to study. Some argue that this was when sociology began as the emergence of modern societies created a new intellectual world aware of its surroundings and concerned with acquisition of knowledge. Sociology is concerned with the study of human societies.a society is a cluster, or a system of institutionalised modes of conduct.sociology has as its main focus the study of institutions of the advanced or the industrialised societies and of the conditions of transformation of those institutions. (Giddens 1982) As modernity took form, changes in social attitudes within society occurred making society itself interesting to others. Unlike the static pre- modern society, modern societies appear to have created many different groups, causing new and interesting interactions between people. In the pre- modern era, relationships between people in society were extremely similar and perhaps uneventful and society had been static, therefore sociology was not required.

Understanding The House Made of Dawn by Scott Momaday Essay -- House M

Understanding The House Made of Dawn by Scott Momaday      Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1969, N. Scott Momaday became the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize in the area of Letters, Drama, and Music for best Fiction.   As Schubnell relates in N. Scott Momaday: The Cultural and Literary Background, Momaday initially could not believe that he had won a prize for a work that began as a poem (93).   Schubnell cites one juror who explains his reasoning for selecting House Made of Dawn as being the work's 'eloquence and intensity of feeling, its freshness of vision and subject, [and] its immediacy of theme' (93).   For these reasons and many more, House Made of Dawn hailed the arrival on the American literary scene of a "matured, sophisticated literary artist from the original Americans" (Schubnell, 93).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many elements influencing and incorporated into House Made of Dawn that the reader will better appreciate by gaining an understanding of their history or significance in Native tradition. Louis Owens's suggests in his work Mixedblood Messages that "before discussing any aspect of Native American literature, it is important to know what literature we are talking about" (15).   Thus, before one evaluates or analyzes House Made of Dawn any further, one should attain knowledge of the author and culture.   Also, it will be prudent for the reader to have background knowledge of such elements as stories and running.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Momaday's life greatly affects aspects of House Made of Dawn.   Navarro Scotte Mammedaty, a mixedblood of Kiowa and Cherokee descent, (as well as European ancestry on his mother's side) was born on February 27, 1934.   Numerous scholars and critics note that from the beginni... ...seems the more one knows, about Momaday, the Kiowa, the Navajo, and people of Jemez, among other things, the more one grasps the full meaning of House Made of Dawn.   It is a work full of possibility and revelations. Works Cited: Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. Harper & Row: New York, 1968. The Man Made of Words. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1997. Nabokov, Peter. Indian Running: Native American History and Tradition.   Ancient City Press: Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1981. Owens, Louis. Mixedblood Messages: Literature, Film, Family, Place. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1998 Owens, Louis.   Other Destinies: Understanding the American Indian Novel. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1992,1994 Schubnell, Mattias.   N. Scott Momaday, the Cultural and Literary Background.   University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1985

English Immersion Programs: Who is Targeted? Essay -- Essays Papers

English Immersion Programs: Who is Targeted? The topic of immigrant students entering not only our country but our public school systems, is slowly becoming a bigger and bigger controversy within the United States. Students are coming in from all over the world and entering our English-speaking school system without a word of English in their vocabulary. When they are thrown into the melting pot of today’s pubic schools, their presence affects so many more people than one would think. My belief that English immersion should replace bilingual programs can be correlated with three main groups all taking opposing stances on my argument. The three primarily affected groups are the immigrant students themselves, today’s workforce, and the bilingual education teachers. These three groups, all things considered, all take different approaches to the abolishment of bilingualism. Students would most likely agree with English immersion so that they can adapt better and sooner, while teachers would most likely disagree because their entire curriculum and teaching style would be subject to drastic changes. While these two groups are extreme opposites, today’s workforce serves to go either way. The three groups: students, the workforce and bilingual education teachers, serve as representatives for the many sides of the controversial changing of bilingual education in today’s high schools. Students are without a doubt, the most affected group within the bilingual education controversy. They are the children who are entering a new environment at one of the most crucial time in their lives. They need to learn the academics to help them succeed in the future, but how can they learn anything if they don’t even speak English? Fo... ...English immersion programs. There are perhaps thousands of groups that are and will be affected by bilingual education now and in the future. However, three main groups are affected more directly than most. Their correlation with the bilingual education controversy makes their standpoint on English immersion very biased. Students, today’s workforce, and bilingual teachers take very different sides when the education debate is considered. These three groups represent different sides of the growing controversy over the replacement of bilingual education with English immersion education in the United States. Works Cited: Valdà ©s, Guadalupe. Learning and Not Learning English. New York: Teachers College Press, 2001. Valdez, Elsa O. â€Å"Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Bilingual Teachers and Post-Proposition 227.† The Urban Review 33 (2001): 237-53.

who if any one won the cold war? :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The time period between 1945 and 1991 is considered to be the era of the Cold War. The Cold War, known as the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, each known during this time as the â€Å"super powers†. This conflict consisted of the differing attitudes on the ideological, political, and military interests of these two states and their allies, exte nded around the globe. A common political debate covers the issue of who, if anyone won the Cold War. Many believe the United States won the Cold War since (it) had resulted in the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union. While others are to believe the United States had not won it as much as the Soviet Union had lost it since they feel Reagan did not end the Cold War, but that he prolonged it (Baylis & Smith, 2001.) This has lead me to believe that there is no winner, only losers of the cold war. The cold war for the Soviet Union was to ensure security, block out capitalism, gain power, and improve their economy. While, on the other hand the United States just wanted to stop the spread of communism, which they felt, would spread rapidly throughout the world if they did not put an end to it soon. Both the United States and the Soviet Union wanted to avoid WWIII in the process of trying to achieve their goals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cold war was failed by the Soviet Union for many reasons, including the sudden collapse of communism (Baylis & Smith, 2001.) This sudden collapse of communism was brought on ultimately by internal factors. The soviet unions president Gorbachev’s reforms: glasnost (openness) and perestroika (political reconstructering) ultimately caused the collapse of the Soviet Empire. Gorbachev’s basics for glasnost were the promotion of principles of freedom to criticize; the loosening of controls on media and publishing; and the freedom of worship. His essentials of perestroika were, a new legislature; creation of an executive presidency; ending of the ‘leading role’ of the communist party; allowing state enterprises to sell part of their product on the open market; lastly, allowing foreign companies to own Soviet enterprises (Baylis & Smith, 2001.) Gorbachev believed his reforms would benefit his country, but the Soviet Union was ultimately held together by the soviet tradition he was trying to change. The Soviet Union was none the less held together by â€Å"†¦powerful central institutions, pressure for ideological conformity, and the threat of force.

Comparison Between Rousseau and Plato

I think Rousseau†s most effective criticism of Plato†s is on the importance of family. Both philosophers have opposing views on this issue; however I tend to agree with Rousseau†s view on family mostly because it is more reasonable than Plato†s. Rousseau also seemed more concerned that people enjoy life whereas Plato seemed too tied down with the idea of making the world just, that he forgot about individual happiness. According to Plato there should be no such thing as family. Instead we should all be men born of the earth. Everyone according to Plato should think themselves to be everyone else†s brother or sister. He thinks that children should be removed from the mother upon birth so no attachment is made between mother and child. In speaking of peoples â€Å"education and rearing† Plato writes: â€Å"If by being well educated they become sensible men, they†ll easily see to all this and everything else we are now leaving out-that the possession of women, marriage, and procreation of children must as far as possible be arranged according to the proverb that friends have all things in common. (423e) Again he reiterates the idea of having all things in common when he writes: â€Å"All these women are to belong to all these men in common, and no woman is to live privately with any man. And the children, in their turn, will be common, and neither will a parent know his own offspring, nor a child his parent. † (457d) Rousseau firmly disagrees with Plato†s view on family. He thinks that having strong family values is the key to becoming a good citizen. Since Rousseau is all about taking the natural approach to education, his view on family values make sense. Family is quite obviously in accordance with the laws of nature. A mother gives birth to her child and according to Rousseau it is only natural for the mother to nurse the child herself. That is the first natural bond that takes place within the family thus it is necessary in forming a close family unit. This is seen on page forty-six when he writes: â€Å"But let mothers deign to nurse their children, morals will reform themselves, nature†s sentiments will be awakened in every heart, the state will be repeopled. † If you stop here this goes completely against Plato†s belief that only certain women are made to be nurses and therefore only those women should nurse children. But Rousseau goes on to say: â€Å"Thus, from the correction of this single abuse would soon result a general reform; nature would soon have reclaimed all its rights. Let women once again become mothers, men will soon become fathers and husbands again. † Maybe Rousseau exaggerates this idea that by mothers nursing their children family values will be set in place. But to an extent I think this is true, because it is the first way a mother can care for her child, and by having someone else do it for her she is giving up this sacred bond a mother should have with her child. Rousseau says: â€Å"We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid we need judgment. Everything we do not have at birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education. † (pg. 38) This education no matter how you look at it starts in the home, and with the family. If a child is to grow someone needs to be there to guide them. And without a proper family a child will never be educated properly. Rousseau†s theory on family is much more realistic than Plato†s. Without having family values or even knowing who your real family is how is one supposed to learn to love and care for one another? If we lived as Plato would like we would not know what it means to have a close family because everyone would literally be considered your family. There is no way that you would develop the same feeling of love as you would by living in a family as most know it today. Or family in the sense that Rousseau writes about. Plato was more concerned with the city being just then the individual, so in that context his wanting to eradicate the natural family makes since. But his education follows that everyone be a professional at one trade. In my opinion that is no way to live life. To spend your whole life perfecting one thing, and never experiencing what it is to love. Rousseau took a much different approach believing that education was accomplished through centering on each person individually. The way a child is raised quite obviously affects who they are when they grow up. If they grow up in a family with strong values children learn if nothing else how to love and respect others. By learning these values ideally they will one day pass the lessons along to a family of their own.

Alessandro Volta Biography

Alessandro Volta Biography Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Volta was an Italian scientist that is known for inventing the first battery. Volta was born into a noble family in Como, Italy on February 18, 1785. When Volta was twenty-nine years old he became a physics professor at the ‘Royal School’ in Como, Italy. He studied chemistry gases in the years of 1776 through 1778. By 1778, Volta managed to make an electrical spark using methane, which he discovered in 1776 by collecting the gas from marshes†¦Volta was the first person to discover and isolate the compound methane. The first battery that Alessandro Volta made was called the ‘Voltaic Pile’. The â€Å"Pile† consisted of discs of copper and zinc, stacked alternatively. In 1800, after going through extensive experimentation, Volta developed the voltaic pile. The original voltaic pile consisted of a pile of zinc and silver discs. The discs were separated by pieces of paper or cardboard and they wer e in between the alternating discs.The dividers were soaked in salt water. A copper wire connected the bottom zinc disc to the top silver disc could create frequent sparks. The top and the bottom layers had to be different metals and they were attached by a copper wire. When the circuit was closed electricity flowed through the Voltaic Pile. In 1779, Volta became a professor one again at the â€Å"University of Pavia†, for about 25 years. In 1794, he married a woman named Teresa Peregrini, who was also from Como, Italy.They both raised three sons: Giovanni, Flamino and Zanino Volta. Volta was acquired as a â€Å"count† by the French emperor, Napoleon, for his impeccable invention. He traveled to Paris, where a special gold medal was given him. Volta retired in 1819 in his hometown of Como, Italy. Alessandro Volta died on March 5, 1827, at the age of 82. He was buried in his late house, which is now called ‘Camnago Volta’.

English and English Literature Coursework Dubliners Essay

â€Å"These stories are all about escape and how characters are unable to escape.† In the light of this quotation, I am going to discuss Dubliners, with close detailed reference to two of the stories, â€Å"Eveline† and â€Å"The Boarding House.† There are many similarities between these two stories, as well as contrasts. In â€Å"Eveline,† her father is a drunkard and is also the head of the house, whereas in â€Å"The Boarding House,† Polly’s father, â€Å"was a shabby stooped little drunkard† who lives separated from his family. Polly’s father has been cut-off from her life, and Eveline’s mother is dead. The similarity here, is that each child has had one of their parent’s cut off from a period of their life. Eveline wants to escape to Buenos Aires, to get away from her poverty in Dublin. Mr Doran wants to escape from the prospect of marriage. This brings us to one of the main points of the book, the characters inability to escape. Eveline has been given the chance to escape from her life, where â€Å"she had to work hard both in the house and at business.† Poor Eveline, however, finds that she is unable to move forward. She lacks the courage and strength to make that leap that will free her of her oppressive situation. . She’s sees her lover as a possible source of danger: â€Å"All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart. He was drawing her into them: he would drown her.† Instead of an uncertain but hopeful future, her paralysis will make a certain and dismal future that may well repeat her mother’s sad life story. In Mr Doran’s case, the theme of powerlessness is conveyed his situation. As with many other characters in Dubliners, various social pressures, like his job and his reputation, combine to rob him of choice. Mrs Mooney wants her daughter to escape her current poverty and the possibility of a working life for marriage, while Mr Doran wants to escape the tying down of marriage and enjoy his ‘free’ life. Mr Doran nonetheless cannot escape. At the end of â€Å"The Boarding House†, â€Å"Mrs Mooney tells Polly, â€Å"Come down, dear. Mr Doran wants to speak to you.† The reader is struck by the tremendous irony of the situation, since it is clear that Mr Doran does not really want to speak to Polly. He has been bullied and terrified into proposing marriage to her. These simple words are the hallmark of Mrs Mooney’s accomplishment. Frank wants to take Eveline away, but Eveline is unsure. â€Å"It was hard work-a hard life-but now that she was about to leave it she did not find to a wholly undesirable life.† Polly wants to settle with Mr Doran, but Mr Doran is unsure, however he does not have a choice: â€Å"What could he do now but marry her or run away? He could not brazen it out.† Mr Doran has the choice to run away, but this is not an option for â€Å"Dublin is such a small city: everyone knows everyone else’s business.† Both Frank and Mr Doran can be seen as saving the two girls from poverty. Mr Doran and Eveline are both described as helpless. Mr Doran himself says, â€Å"I felt helpless,† while Eveline is described as â€Å"passive like a helpless animal.† At the end of each story, an iron railing is mentioned. Eveline â€Å"gripped with both hands at the iron railings,† using them as an anchor, preventing her from drowning into the seas of the world. The railings help Eveline think of thoughts which keep her from leaving. Polly uses the iron railings as an anchor to clear her thoughts. â€Å"There was no longer any perturbation visible on her face.† Both Mr Doran and Eveline feel that it is their duty to stay and face the consequences. Mr Doran â€Å"longed to ascend through the roof and fly away†¦ yet a force pushed him downstairs step by step.† Eveline finds that she is paralysed by the needs of her father and her promise to her mother â€Å"to keep the home together as long as she could.† â€Å"Eveline† starts a series of stories dealing with various kinds of marriage and courtship. In â€Å"Eveline,† marriage presents the possibility of escape. â€Å"The Boarding House† gives us marriage as a social convention and a trap. â€Å"Two Gallants† reduces marriage and courtship to its animal. â€Å"Two Gallants† gave us men taking advantage of a young woman. â€Å"The Boarding House† gives us a more respectable social setting, but the basic cynicism about love and relationships between the genders remains. The economic conditions are also expressed in â€Å"Eveline† and â€Å"The Boarding House†. To save money in â€Å"The Boarding House,† pieces of broken bread are collected to help make Tuesday’s bread-pudding. The sugar and butter is kept safe under lock and key.† In â€Å"Eveline,† there is an â€Å"invariable squabble for money on Saturday nights.† Eveline’s dead mum controls her while Mr Doran is controlled by Mrs Mooney. Mrs Mooney and Eveline’s mum are both very different people in the sense that Mrs Mooney is strong and independent and Eveline’s mum is weak and dependent. Eveline’s love for Frank leads her to escape whereas Mr Doran’s love for Polly leads him to confine his life with marriage. Eveline is forced into making her decision to stay by duty to her family. Mr Doran has put himself into his situation and it driven further by Mrs Mooney. Both Eveline and Mr Doran have occupational restrictions. Mr Doran â€Å"had been employed for thirteen years in a great Catholic wine-merchant’s office and publicity would mean the loss of his sit.† All his hard work would be gone for nothing. Eveline, however, is oppressed by her employer and â€Å"would not cry many tears at leaving the Stores.† One of the striking elements of â€Å"The Boarding House† is Mrs Mooney’s silence. Her daughter’s respect is not really a concern, because she knows about the affair from the start. What matters to her is trading on her feigned outrage to get a social arrangement that will benefit her daughter. Mrs Mooney manipulates the weaker Mr Doran, using his concern for his job and his fear of scandal. The story concludes with the fact that Mr Doran has spoken to Mrs Mooney and now wants to speak to Polly. This probably suggests a proposal of marriage, and the trap is implied in the final line: â€Å"Then she remembered what she had been waiting for.† Marriage is the price which Doran must pay in order to keep his job, since â€Å"Dublin is such a small city: everyone knows everyone else’s business† The stages-of-life structure continues in â€Å"Eveline†. In previous stories like â€Å"The Sisters† and â€Å"Araby†, children had been main characters. Eveline is an adult, a young woman old enough to get married. Joyce gives us the terrible poverty and pressure of her situation. The weight of poverty and family responsibilities bear down on this young woman heavily and her financial situation is far worse than that of the three boy narrators of the previous stories. She is trapped in an ugly situation, responsible for her siblings and the aging father who abuses her. In conclusion, it can be said that Joyce presents the themes of escape and paralysis in Dubliners. They show how Joyce sees the city of Dublin.

Minangkabau (Fundamental of culture, religion, belief and tradition) Essay

The Minangkabau ethnic group, also known as Minang (Urang minang in Minangkabau language), is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. Their culture is matrilineal, with property and land passing down from mother to daughter, while religious and political affairs are the responsibility of men (although some women also play important roles in these areas). Today 4 million Minangs live in West Sumatra, while about 3 million more are scattered throughout many Indonesian and Malay peninsular cities and towns. The Minangkabau are strongly Islamic, but also follow their ethnic traditions, or adat. The Minangkabau adat was derived from animist beliefs before the arrival of Islam, and remnants of animist beliefs still exist even among some practicing Muslims. The present relationship between Islam and adatis described in the saying â€Å"tradition [adat] founded upon Islamic law, Islamic law founded upon the Qur’an† (adat basandi syara’, syara’ b asandi Kitabullah). B. Historiography In the 14th century, minangkabau people arrived in Negeri Sembilan by Melaka and reached Rembau. They are civilized and able to socialize with the natives very well. Therefore, mixed marriages among them have created Biduanda tribe. Biduanda tribe is the original beneficiary of Negeri Sembilan and community leaders minang to be selected must be from the Biduanda tribe. The biduanda tribe have created a leader of Negeri Sembilan called ‘Penghulu’ and then ‘Undaang’. C. Culture The Minangs are the world’s largest matrilineal society, in which properties such as land and houses are inherited through female lineage. Some scholars argue that this might have caused the diaspora (Minangkabau, â€Å"merantau†) of Minangkabau males throughout the Maritime Southeast Asia to become scholars or to seek fortune as merchants. As early as the age of 7, boys traditionally leave their homes and live in a surau (a prayer house & community centre) to learn religious and cultural (adat) teachings. When they are teenagers, they are encouraged to leave their hometown to learn  from schools or from experiences out of their hometown so that when they are adults they can return home wise and ‘useful’ for the society and can contribute their thinking and experience to run the family or nagari (hometown) when they sit as the member of ‘council of uncles’. This tradition has created Minang communities in many Indonesian cities and towns, whi ch nevertheless are still tied closely to their homeland; a state in Malaysia named Negeri Sembilan is heavily influenced by Minang culture because Negeri Sembilan was originally Minangkabau’s territory (the people believe so by the old story from the ancestor). Due to their culture that stresses the importance of learning, Minang people are over-represented in the educated professions in Indonesia, with many ministers from Minang. The first female minister was a Minang scholar. In addition to being renowned as merchants, the Minangs have also produced some of Indonesia’s most influential poets, writers, statesmen, scholars, and religious scholars. Being fervent Muslims, many of them embraced the idea of incorporating Islamic ideals into modern society. Furthermore, the presence of these intellectuals combined with the people’s basically proud character, made the Minangkabau homeland (the province of West Sumatra) one of the powerhouses in the Indonesian struggle for independence. Today both natural and cultural tourism have become considerable economic activities in West Sumatra. 1. Ceremonies and festivals Minangkabau ceremonies and festivals include:  § Turun mandi – baby blessing ceremony  § Sunat rasul – circumcision ceremony  § Baralek – wedding ceremony  § Batagak pangulu – clan leader inauguration ceremony. Other clan leaders, all relatives in the same clan and all villagers in the region are invited. The ceremony will last for 7 days or more.  § Turun ka sawah – community work ceremony  § Manyabik – harvesting ceremony  § Hari Rayo – Islamic festivals  § Adoption ceremony  § Funeral ceremony  § Wild boar hunt ceremony  § Maanta pabukoan – sending food to mother-in-law for Ramadhan  § Tabuik – Muslim celebration in the coastal village of Pariaman  § Tanah Ta Sirah, inaugurate a new clan leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the few hours.  § Mambangkik Batang Tarandam, inaugurate a new leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the pass 10 or 50 years and even more, must do the Batagak Pangulu. 2. Performing arts Traditional Minangkabau music includes saluang jo dendang which consists of singing to the accompaniment of a saluang bamboo flute, and talemponggong-chime music. Dances include the tari piring (plate dance), tari payung (umbrella dance) and tari indang. Demonstrations of the silat martial art are performed. Pidato adat are ceremonial orations performed at formal occasions. Randai is a folk theater tradition which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the silat martial art. Randai is usually performed for traditional ceremonies and festivals, and complex stories may span a number of nights. It is performed as a theatre-in-the-round to achieve an equality and unity between audience members and the performers. Randai performances are a synthesis of alternating martial arts dances, songs, and acted scenes. Stories are delivered by both the acting and the singing and are mostly based upon Minangkabau legends and folktales. Randai originated early in the 20th century out of fusion of local martial arts, story-telling and other performance traditions. Men originally played both the male and female characters in the story, but since the 1960s women have also participated. 3. Crafts Minangkabau songket, the pattern in the lower third representing bamboo sprouts West Sumatra grand mosque with Minangkabau-modern style. Particular Minangkabau villages specialize in cottage industries producing handicrafts such as woven sugarcane and reed purses, gold and silver jewellery using filigree and granulation techniques, woven songket textiles, wood carving, embroidery, pottery, and metallurgy. 4. Cuisine The staple ingredients of the Minangkabau diet are rice, fish, coconut, green leafy vegetables and chili. The usage of meat is mainly limited to special occasions, and beef and chicken are most commonly used. Pork is not halal and therefore not consumed, while lamb, goat and game are rarely consumed for reasons of taste and availability. Spiciness is a characteristic of Minangkabau food, and the most commonly used herbs and spices are chili, turmeric, ginger and galangal. Vegetables are consumed two or three times a day. Fruits are mainly seasonal, although fruits such as banana, papaya and citrus are continually available. Three meals a day are typical with lunch being the most important meal, except during the fasting month of Ramadan where lunch is not eaten. Meals commonly consist of steamed rice, a hot fried dish and a coconut milk dish, with a little variation from breakfast to dinner. Meals are generally eaten from a plate using the fingers of the right hand. Snacks are more frequently eaten by people in urban areas than in villages. Western food has had little impact upon Minangkabau consumption and preference to date. Rendang is a dish which is considered to be a characteristic of Minangkabau culture, and is cooked 4-5 times a year. Other characteristic dishes include Asam Padeh, Soto Padang, Sate Padang, Dendeng Balado (beef with chili sauce). Food has a central role in the Minangkabau ceremonies which honor religious and life cycle rites. Minangkabau food is popular among Indonesians and restaurants are present throughout Indonesia. Nasi Padang restaurants, named after the capital of West Sumatra, are known for placing a variety of Minangkabau dishes on a customer’s table along with rice and billing only for what is taken. Nasi Kapau is another restaurant variant which specializes in dishes using offal and the use of tamarind to add a sourness to the spicy flavor. 5. Architecture Rumah gadang (Minangkabau: ‘big house’) or rumah bagonjong (Minangkabau: â€Å"spired roof house†) are the traditional homes of the Minangkabau. The architecture, construction, internal and external decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. A rumah gadang serves as a residence, a hall for family meetings, and for ceremonial activities. With the Minangkabau society being matrilineal,  the rumah gadang is owned by the women of the family who live there – ownership is passed from mother to daughter. 6. Oral traditions and literature Minangkabau culture has a long history of oral traditions. One oral tradition is the pidato adat (ceremonial orations) which are performed by panghulu (clan chiefs) at formal occasions such as weddings, funerals, adoption ceremonies, and panghulu inaugurations. These ceremonial orations consist of many forms including pantun, aphorisms (papatah-patitih), proverbs (pameo), religious advice (petuah), parables (tamsia), two-line aphorisms (gurindam), and similes (ibarat). Minangkabau traditional folktales (kaba) consist of narratives which present the social and personal consequences of either ignoring or observing the ethical teachings and the norms embedded in the adat. The storyteller (tukang kaba) recites the story in poetic or lyrical prose while accompanying himself on a rebab. A theme in Minangkabau folktales is the central role mothers and motherhood has in Minangkabau society, with the folktalesRancak diLabueh and Malin Kundang being two examples. Rancak diLabueh is about a mother who acts as teacher and adviser to her two growing children. Initially her son is vain and headstrong and only after her perseverance does he become a good son who listens to his mother. Malin Kundang is about the dangers of treating your mother badly. A sailor from a poor family voyages to seek his fortune, becoming rich and marrying. After refusing to recognize his elderly mother on his return home, being ashamed of his humble origins, he is cursed and dies when a storm ensues and turn him along with his ship to stone. The said stone is located in Air Manis beach and is known by locals as batu Malin Kundang Other popular folktales also relate to the important role of the woman in Minangkabau society. In the Cindua Mato epic the woman is the source of wisdom, while in whereas in the Sabai nan Aluih she is more a doer than a thinker. Cindua Mato (Staring Eye) is about the traditions of Minangkabau royalty. The story involves a mythical Minangkabau queen, Bundo Kanduang, who embodies the behaviors prescribed by adat. Cindua Mato, a servant of the queen, uses magic to defeat hostile outside forces and save the kingdom. Sabai nan Aluih (The genteel Sabai) is about a young girl named Sabai, the hero of the story, who avenges the murder of her father by a  powerful and evil ruler from a neighboring village. After her father’s murder her cowardly elder brother refuses to confront the murderer and so Sabai decides to take matters into her own hands. She seeks out the murderer and shoots him in revenge. 7. Language Location ethnic groups of Sumatra, the Minangkabau is shown in light and dark olive. The Minangkabau language (Baso Minangkabau) is an Austronesian language belonging to the Malayic linguistic subgroup, which in turn belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch. The Minangkabau language is closely related to the Negeri Sembilan Malay language used by the people of Negeri Sembilan, many of which are descendants of Minangkabau immigrants. The language has a number of dialects and sub-dialects, but native Minangkabau speakers generally have no difficulty understanding the variety of dialects. The differences between dialects are mainly at the phonological level, though some lexical differences also exist. Minangkabau dialects are regional, consisting of one or more villages (nagari), and usually correspond to differences in customs and traditions. Each sub-village (jorong) has its own sub-dialect consisting of subtle differences which can be detected by native speakers. The Padang dialect has become the lingua franca for people of different language regions. The Minangkabau society has a diglossia situation, whereby they use their native language for everyday conversations, while the Indonesian language is used for most formal occasions, in education, and in writing, even to relatives and friends. The Minangkabau language was originally written using the Jawi script, an adapted Arabic alphabet. Romanization of the language dates from the 19th century, and a standardized official orthography of the language was published in 1976. Denominations ISO 639-3 Population (as of) Dialects Minangkabau min 6,500,000 (1981) Agam, Pajokumbuh, Tanah, Si Junjung, Batu Sangkar-Pariangan, Singkarak, Orang Mamak, Ulu, Kerinci-Minangkabau, Aneuk Jamee (Jamee), Penghulu. Source: Gordon (2005). Despite widespread use of Indonesian, they have their own mother tongue. The Minangkabau language shares many similar words with Malay, yet it has a distinctive pronunciation and some grammatical differences rendering it unintelligible to Malay speakers. 8. Adat and religion Animism has been an important component of Minangkabau culture. Even after the penetration of Islam into Minangkabau society in the 16th century, animistic beliefs were not extinguished. In this belief system, people were said to have two souls, a real soul and a soul which can disappear called the semangat. Semangat represents the vitality of life and it is said to be possessed by all animals and plants. An illness may be explained as the capture of the semangat by an evil spirit, and a shaman (pawang) may be consulted to conjure invisible forces and bring comfort to the family. Sacrificial offerings can be made to placate the spirits, and certain objects such as amulets are used as protection. Until the rise of the Padri movement late in the 18th century, Islamic practices such as prayers, fasting and attendance at mosques had been weakly observed in the Minangkabau highlands. The Padri were inspired by the Wahhabi movement in Mecca, and sought to eliminate societal problems such as tobacco and opium smoking, gambling and general anarchy by ensuring the tenets of the Koran were strictly observed. All Minangkabau customs allegedly in conflict with the Koran were to be abolished. Although the Padri were eventually defeated by the Dutch, during this period the relationship between adat and religion was reformulated. Previously adat was said to be based upon appropriateness and propriety, but this was changed so adat was more strongly based upon Islamic precepts. With the Minangkabau highlands being the heartland of their culture, and with Islam likely entering the region from coast it is said that ‘custom descended, religion ascended’ (adat manurun, syarak mandaki). Bugis (Fundamental of culture, religion, belief and tradition) Religious Beliefs. Almost all Bugis adhere to Islam, but there is great variety in the types of Islam practiced. Most Bugis identify themselves as Sunni Muslims, but their practice, influenced by Sufi tenets, is a syncretic blend that also includes offerings to spirits of ancestors and deceased powerful personages. However, reformist Islamic organizations, especially Muhammadiyah, have gained many adherents in some areas and have established their own educational institutions. The I La Galigo literature preserved in ancient manuscripts ( lontara’ ) describes a cosmology involving an upper-world and an underworld, each of seven layers, and a host of heavenly beings from whom nobles trace descent, but knowledge of details of this literature is not widespread among commoners. The To Lotang, a group of non-Muslim Bugis in Sidrap regency, continue to adhere to an indigenous belief system based on the lontara’ and similar to that of the Toraja to the north, but has had to affiliate with the nat ional Hindu movement to retain legitimacy as a religion. The extent to which Hindu-Buddhist notions have influenced Bugis religious and sociopolitical notions is currently a matter of debate. The I La Galigo literature presents a pantheon of deities ( dewata ) from whom nobles trace descent, but contemporary Bugis argue that this literature basically recognizes a single great God ( Dewata Seuwa à © ) in accord with the monotheism of Islam. Despite this, some of the other deities (e.g., the rice goddess) are still given offerings, even by Muslims. Village Bugis also recognize a panoply of local spirits associated with the house, the newborn, and sacred sites; they are variously termed â€Å"the ethereal ones† ( to alusu’ ), â€Å"the not-to-be-seen† ( to tenrita ), â€Å"evil spirits† ( sà ©tang ), etc. In fact, every object is thought to have its own animating spirit ( sumange’ ), whose welfare must be catered to in order to insure good fortune and avert catastrophe. Religious Practitioners. In addition to Islamic judges ( kali ), imams serve as local leaders of the Muslim community; they conduct Friday worship services, deliver sermons, and  preside at marriages, funerals, and local ceremonies sanctioned by Islam. Small numbers of transvestite priests ( bissu ), traditionally the guardians of royal regalia, still, though rarely, perform rituals involving chants in a special register of Bugis directed to traditional deities recognized in the lontara’. Curing and consecration ceremonies are conducted by sanro, practitioners with arcane knowledge and expertise in presenting offerings and prayers to local spirits. Ceremonies. Besides the celebration of calendric Islamic holidays (Lebaran, Maulid, etc.), Bugis of syncretic orientation perform many domestic consecration ceremonies ( assalamakeng ) involving offerings to local spirits, guardians of the house, supernatural siblings of the newly born, and other such spirits. Some districts and regencies also sponsor festivals marking planting and harvesting, although some of these have become more civic spectacles than religious celebrations. Especially among nobles, weddings are major occasions for the display of status and often involve presentations of local culture, including processions. The bissu rituals, however, increasingly are restricted and performed without large audiences. Arts. Regional dances (e.g., padendang ) are still performed at some ceremonies for the harvest and other occasions, as well as at government-sponsored festivals, but some (e.g., bissu dances) are now rarely performed. Young men enjoy practicing Indonesian martial arts ( pencak silat ) and the traditional sport of maintaining a woven rattan ball ( raga ) in the air with one’s feet and other body parts, excluding the hands. Traditional Bugis houses still abound, and are used as the basis of modern architectural designs, but figurative art is meager in keeping with Islam. Bugis music is also heavily influenced by Middle Eastern models. Music performed on flute ( suling ) and lute ( kacapi ) similar to that in West Java is common. Epic songs of traditional and contemporary martial heroes are still composed and performed, even on radio. Amulets, especially of Middle Eastern origin, are in demand, while Bugis badik, daggers with characteristically curved handles, are prized heirlooms. Gold ornaments and gold-threaded songket cloths are paraded at weddings. Royal regalia are now on display in some local museums. Medicine. While Western medicine has made inroads with the government-established rural medical health centers ( puskesmas ), many illnesses are seen as specifically Bugis and curable only by indigenous practitioners ( sanro ) who use such techniques as extraction of foreign objects, massage, use of bespelled or holy water, and blowing on the patient after the utterance of prayers. Illness may be due to one’s spirit leaving the body when subjected to sudden shock, and certain therapies are directed to its recovery. Invulnerability magic is much prized, with the shadow playing an important protective role. Certain illnesses and misfortunes are inflicted by specific spirits associated with each of the four major elements—fire, air, earth, and water. Death and Afterlife. Islamic notions of heaven and hell are now most influential, although among syncretic Bugis local spirits are still identified as the spirits of deceased rulers and other formerly powerful individuals. Funerals follow Islamic rites, and are not occasions for major redistributions, as among the neighboring Toraja. Memorial gatherings for prayer and a shared meal may be performed at such intervals as forty days after a death. History of the Bugis in Malaysia Traditionally rice farmers, the reputation of the Bugis as seafarers began only after 1670. Defeated in a protracted civil war in their homeland in southwest Celebes (now Sulawesi) in 1669, they started a diaspora and entered into the politics of the Malay peninsula and Sumatra. Under the leadership of Daeng Parani (â€Å"Daeng† is a Bugis noble title), the descendants of Daeng Relaga settled on the Linggi and Selangor rivers and with the creation of the office of the Yam Tuan Muda (Bugis underking), became the power behind the Johor throne beginning from 1722.[2] Conquest of Riau-Johor: After Sultan Mahmud II of Riau-Johor was murdered in  1699, his Bugis bendahara, Abdul Jalil, became the new Sultan. Many locals did not support him as he was not of royal blood [3] and being Bugis, was neither a Malay. Thus, upon ascending the throne, Abdul Jalil killed all the wives of Sultan Mahmud to avoid any future claims to the throne. However, one wife, Che Mi, managed to escape to Minangkabau and gave birth to Raja Kechil.[4] Less than two decades later in 1718, Raja Kechil (then aged 18 or 19) assembled a Minangkabau fleet and ousted Sultan Abdul Jalil, basing his legitimacy on the claim that he was the posthumous son of Sultan Mahmud Shah II. Sultan Abdul Jalil was demoted to Bendahara and he fled to Pahang but was murdered by Raja Kecil’s men.[5] Abdul Jalil’s brother ran amok and killed his own wife and children.[6] Led by Daeng Parani from Selangor in 1722, the Bugis mercenaries who had earlier assisted Raja Kechil in his campaign now changed sides and fought against Raja Kechil. Chain-cladded and using muskets and blunderbusses, Daeng Parani’s warriors drove Raja Kechil out of Riau-Johor where he flee to Siak and founded a new Sultanate. Because the Bugis were not regarded as Malays, Daeng Parani asked Sultan Mahmud’s son, Sulaiman, to become the figurehead ruler, whilst making his own brother, Daeng Merwah, the Yamtuan Muda who would wield true power in the kingdom. For the next 200 years, the Bugis Yamtuan Mudas would be the real power behind the throne. Selangor Sultanate (1745-present): The Bugis first settled in Selangor around 1680. After wielding power in Riau-Johor, the Yamtuan Muda’s family ruled Selangor from there. Wishing to break away from Riau-Johor, Selangor’s Bugis chief, Raja Lumu, traveled to Perak in 1745 and was installed as the Sultan of Selangor by Sultan Muhammad Shah who had become the Sultan of Lower Perak the year previous. Raja Lumu then took the name of |Sultan Sallehuddin Shah and became the first Sultan of Selangor. His descendants rule Selangor to this day. First Bugis-Dutch War (1760): The Bugis and the Malays in Bintan, the capital of Riau-Johor, were always at loggerheads and in 1753, the Bugis decided to leave for Linggi in present-day Negeri Sembilan to begin their own trading center. As they were good traders, ships soon traveled to Linggi to trade and Bintan lost its wealth. In 1760, Sultan Sulaiman asked the Dutch to help  him defeat the Bugis in revenge. Unfortunately for him, the Bugis uncovered his plan and attacked the Dutch first, almost capturing Dutch Melaka. After the Dutch won, Sultan Sulaiman made a fatal mistake by allowing Daeng Kemboja, the defeated Bugis leader, to return to Bintan. That same year, the elderly Sultan Sulaiman died. His son and grandson, who in turn became the sultan, died the following year in quick succession. Many Malays believed that the three sultans were poisoned by the Bugis.[7] The infant Sultan Mahmud Shah III was then installed and with no strong sultan to challenge them, the Bugis once again became powerful in Riau-Johor. Second Bugis-Dutch War (1784): Hostilities between the Bugis and the Dutch was sparked by a dispute over the cargo of a seized English ship. In frustration, the Bugis leader, Raja Haji, began to attack ships in the Straits of Melaka, prompting a failed Dutch attempt to try to blockade Bintan. Supported by Selangor and Rembau, the Bugis then attacked Dutch Melaka. Raja Haji was killed and the Bugis fled to Bintan when vessels from Holland arrived and defeated the Bugis. The Dutch then captured Bintan and took control of Riau-Johor. Sultan Mahmud remained as sultan but the new Dutch Resident, David Ruhde, held the real power. Thus, power in the old kingdom of Riau-Johor passed from the Malays to the Bugis and now to the Dutch.