Learning at Universities Essay

Learning at University: The International Student Experience1 Meeri Hellsten Macquarie University, School of Education meerihellsten@mq. edu. au Anne Prescott Macquarie University, School of Education anne. prescott@aces. mq. edu. au This paper reports on research that explores internationalisation of the University’s curriculum offerings and how this affects international students. The central focus of this paper is to highlight some of the student commentary on communication between teachers and students exemplifying the way it subsequently affects the quality of student learning. The paper concludes by raising some questions concerning how we may best meet the needs of international students by drawing on inclusive teaching philosophies. Inclusivity and diversity, international students, internationalisation and sustainability, transition experience INTRODUCTION The internationalisation of curriculum in Australian universities has increased significantly in recent years. International students (IS) are now an integral part of university teaching classes. The rapid increase in international student numbers is also reflected in current research. However, relatively little research has focused on the student perspective (Ballard and Clanchy, 1991; Jones, Robertson, and Line, 1999; Ramburuth, 2001; Reid, 2002). This paper is a contribution to this area of higher education research. The accommodation of IS is an important goal in the Australian higher education sector that is reflected in the commitment to quality education and teaching expertise. The benefits of the integration of IS into the Australian academic cultures are highly esteemed by university leadership. The diversity of our university populations is enhanced by IS and further research may be found by exploring how diversity may add value to the transition experience as a whole (McInnes, 2001). However, reports on students’ experiences provide a somewhat contrary understanding of that experience. For example, Reid (2002) conducted a comprehensive study, which surveyed over 300 postgraduate IS at Macquarie University. Contrary to common beliefs, about students from Asian backgrounds in particular, IS students were reported to value the interactive mode (i. e. discussion based learning) of unit delivery over a sometimes assumed teacher centred mode. Another example is the common stereotypical belief that students from Asian backgrounds prefer rote-learning styles and tend to be passive in classroom interaction. It seems then, at least rhetorically, that ideas about what constitutes high quality teaching and learning differ between international students and academic personnel. 1 This paper is adapted from one presented at Celebrating Teaching at Macquarie 28-29 November 2002 (Hellsten and Prescott, 2002). Hellsten and Prescott 345 If the practices that characterise quality are perceived and acted out differently by members of Western and Eastern cultural groups it assumes a questioning of the very meaning of concepts such as ‘quality’ and ‘teaching’. These can account for deeply contrasting expectations of educational practice. International students’ cultural traits have been blamed for subsequent teaching and learning problems (for example, Burns, 1991; Jones et al. , 1999; Leask, 1999; McInnes, 2001; Ryan, 2000). Some problems include poor English language and critical thinking skills, failure to participate in the collaborative learning mode (for example, group discussions), differences in cultural communication, academic literacy styles, and expectations of rote learning resulting in lack of independent learning initiatives. Where does this occur? Some researchers have refuted these claims. Biggs (1999) provides a broad review of research findings that reveal institutional stereotyping of students from Asian backgrounds. He argues that such students continue to rank in the top levels of university courses, which testifies to their ability to adjust well into the Western learning cultures. The issues and problems are no different from those generally raised by researchers in the field of the first year experience of mainstream students undergoing the transition to an academic university culture (Levy, Osborn, and Plunkett, 2003; McInnes, 2001). Biggs (1999) reports on results showing that at least for some, the mainstream transition experience is fraught with uncertainties about fitting in to disciplinary cultures in terms of academic writing genres (for example, Krause, 2001). Anecdotal evidence suggests that students quickly develop the ability to work out their position within disciplinary cultures, with beginning students being able to guess at what is important as sanctioned disciplinary practice within three weeks of commencing their studies in a major discipline area. Therefore, research is needed into the acquisition of disciplinary know-how that seems readily accessible by students in universities; a skill that would not in such cases be acknowledged by the academic community. What seems to be at the core of the debate is the notion of communication between IS and university staff (Hellsten, 2002). There seems to be a need to increase cultural understanding that is reflected in the ways in which pedagogy and practice are mediated between IS and academics. There also seems to be a need to establish opportunities for discussion between IS and staff about the communicative differences that constitute pedagogy, and the way in which these are reflected in the university teaching settings. In order to examine the relationship between cultural practices and pedagogy among incoming students we conducted one-hour, semi-structured sessions with volunteer IS in their first year in Australia. The 48 participants (undergraduate and postgraduate) were enrolled in many different discipline areas of the University, as shown in Table 1, and came from a range of countries around the world, presented in Table 2. Table 1. Participants’ course of study Accounting Actuarial Commerce Economics Translation TESOL Linguistics Languages Education Anthropology Computing Exchange Total Undergraduate 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 4 18 Postgraduate 1 2 13 3 6 3 2 30 Total 4 3 3 1 14 3 7 1 3 2 1 6 48 346 Learning at University: The International Student Experience Table 2. Participants’ country of origin (N=48) Country China South Korea USA Japan Germany Vietnam Thailand Taiwan No. 16 13 5 2 1 1 1 1 Country Sweden Sri Lanka Spain Singapore Malaysia Kenya Indonesia Hong Kong No. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Of central interest was the first six-month time period following overseas students’ arrival that constituted their transition period between the old and new learning environments. The questions centred on the students’ encounters with Australian communities, learning environments and the academic disciplines. We were also interested in the students’ overall sense of experience as reflected in subsequent word-of-mouth referrals to fellow students in their home country. We found important impressions inherent in such descriptions. They provided insight into aspects that might otherwise have been hidden due to discursive politeness and courtesy constraints of the interview. Below are some features of their commentary. COMMUNICATING IN CLASS One of the common assumptions made about IS from Asian cultures is that they find it difficult to contribute in class and to participate in classroom discussions. There are many substantial explanations for this, the most salient being that IS feel self-conscious if conversational flow does not come easily in the English language. This shows in their reluctance in attempting to pronounce English words for fear of failure in front of the evaluative eye of other native speakers. Yes†¦. Um†¦ they [teachers] think it’s a job. They ask something. We say nothing†¦ ‘cause we wanna say but †¦ (inaudible) shy. And I’m afraid sometimes I’ll make a mistake, so I don’t want to like that †¦ I think, my friends, sometimes they stay in one course for two †¦ months. Because their character very shy. They don’t want to say, you know, anything even though they know everything. They know everything. So teachers didn’t know that. It’s just hard and difficult. I don’t know the feeling, the nuance, I don’t know those in English so.. I†¦ I’m not a good English speaker at all. It’s very uncomfortable when I talk with somebody. So I think I†¦ When I speak with Australians I feel they treats me as a children, you know. And they think of me as a just a†¦[indicates height of a child with hand] that language level person. Like a ten year old kid. In conversation with native speakers the student in the third example feels she is being spoken to in the diminutive voice. The perception that others speak to her ‘as a child’ must be damaging to her self-esteem as an academically successful individual. The perpetuation of this perception may in turn result in a reluctance to speak in public, thereby accentuating a difficulty in the learning process. COMMUNICATION ISSUES A common communicative feature is for speakers to adjust their conversational style to suit each other in terms of genre and register. Australian lecturers of IS are perceived to lower their level of language use in the hope of making their teaching more effective and beneficial for low level language speakers ( Jones, 2001). Hellsten and Prescott 347 The consensus was that the mode of delivery was easier than that expected of mainstream students. The necessary feedback may not have reached the lecturers due to culture-specific constraints for politeness in discourses. For example, students from some cultural backgrounds did not feel comfortable offering criticism of their teachers as a gesture of respect: The one thing is they (lecturers) try to speak easier (laughter) because sometimes we misunderstood. And lecturer say to student but nobody nodded. So he try to explain again. So I think most of the Australian lecturer try to give lecture (in an) easier way. Delivering lectures using lower level language registers can be perceived as contrary to IS expectations of improving English proficiency as part of their student experience in an English speaking country. Before I came here I think uh, if I got to Australia I will improve my English skills really very fast. But it’s just a dream. I must do everything. Every day I practise, practise, practise for this. Within this commentary is the realisation that achievement in the learning experience hinges solely on personal investment of time and practice. The interpretation here is the refusal of the lecturer to provide the necessary skills to which the student aspires. It is also a reaction to the realisation that the low level of language provided by the classroom interaction would not provide him with advanced level linguistic ability – a rather troublesome side effect of an overseas university experience in an English-speaking country. It seems, based on our student commentary, that the slowing down of English language learning results, at least in some cases, is a lack of challenging classroom opportunities. So adjusting to a conversational style may not be useful and may be interpreted by IS as a gesture that further marginalises them from mainstream students. Leaving the social comfort of home country for study in a foreign country, language and culture can be a harrowing experience, especially for younger international students. The mentoring programs in place within universities go some way toward meeting the basic transition needs. However, the interviews revealed that IS consign the responsibility of teaching to lecturers rather than the institution. On this theme, one feature of the discussion is the student perception of a lack of support by the teaching staff. For example: So, I want teacher to encourage that, and like mum or dad†¦ yes, to take care of them (other IS) a lot because they are really shy and they sometimes they don’t understand†¦. Just to say ‘OK’. I want our teachers to know that. So there is a consultant. He consult with me. But he is really busy. I can’t contact easily. Just the one (consultant) and a lot of students here. So, and he only work†¦ I think, twice maybe three days a week. So I can’t meet. †(Is this a reference to a teacher or a student counsellor? ) I visit many times this office. When I need their help I am looking for someone but I can’t. Commentary about the unavailability of consultation opportunities is extensive among newly arrived international students in our study. We suggest that this lack of resources is partly a biproduct of the current global economic rationalisation in the higher education sector; the effect of which is compounded for IS who often have greater needs than local students. There is a perception that special efforts should be made by academic staff to accommodate incoming students’ needs. This is attributed to the need for care and emotional support, and in a familial sense as tantamount to so-called ‘parenting’. This is especially voiced in talk about the younger IS groups. The ethic of care is an expectation of the teaching practices by the students interviewed. 348 Learning at University: The International Student Experience The unavailability of part-time staff poses a further problem for international students due to the pressures imposed by their timed candidature. There is a sense of urgency about the study program and waiting to see staff who are not available is interpreted as obstructing progress toward the completion of the degree. Such concerns are directly linked with the marketing of education in the new global knowledge economy (Rizvi, 2000). Certainly, international competition for student places and resources is of central interest to Australia as one of the Western English speaking countries with extensively developed international education targets. Australia is competing against other English speaking countries for IS numbers. The competition and urgency of this new global dynamic is then reflected in the responses of IS and may result in the experiences perceived as less desirable as in the above commentary. The commitment to internationalising the curriculum needs to seek critical and innovative solutions to a re-evaluation of existing curriculum content, enhanced capacity and mode of program delivery. To this end, Bellis and Clarke (2001) found a course online bulletin board to be extremely useful for students interacting with other students and staff. Students were encouraged to discuss difficulties among themselves, with academics only participating when necessary. While Bellis and Clarke recognise that not all students participated, for IS whose first language is not English, a bulletin board allowed students to think about and compose their response without the pressure of the discussion progressing past the point where they wanted to participate. SOME IMPLICATIONS There is a widespread call for implementation of various bridging programs to prepare IS better in their transition to the Australian study environment (Jones et al., 1999;Leask, 1999; Ryan, 2000). Successful mentoring programs are in place in many universities (Austin, Covalea, and Weal, 2002). These go a long way toward the creation of important links between IS and Australian communities and may decrease feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Implications can be considered in terms of enhancing culturally sensitive curriculum delivery and communication, and by enhancing a reflective and inclusive teaching culture throughout the university. Implications for teaching and learning. Some useful resources for the critical examination of our teaching modes and practices may be found in a number of professional-development initiatives. Inclusive teaching practices are particularly pertinent. While inclusive teaching philosophies are part of effective teaching policies, whether in schools or universities, there seems to be some uncertainty about their applicability to the teaching setting. Making the curriculum and its discourses explicit is a starting point discussed by Leask (1999) and Garcia (1991). Provision of obvious and workable program and assessment guidelines that are sensitive to individual variation and diversity are also listed among their recommendations. One implication that emerged from the current study involves the need to provide opportunities for staff to communicate and reflect upon their practices in teaching IS. One cost-effective way is the formation of focus groups that contain impartial representatives of the international student body (such as representatives of the National Liaison Student group) who convey the views of students to academic and other staff. Awareness of cultural open-mindedness and responsibility towards IS is an issue that could be explored. Information sessions may address the examination of religious and other culturally divergent traditions, as well as culture specific discourses. Rizvi (2000) calls for the internationalisation of curriculum to ensure the promotion of cultural change, that would become part of both the mainstream and other groupings. The culturally sensitive curriculum would then move away from the stereotypical thinking that claims internationalisation as a responsibility that belongs to someone else other than oneself (Leask, 1999). Hellsten and Prescott 349 The underlying premise of Leask’s (1999) statement of shared responsibility for the internationalisation of the Australian higher education curriculum prescribes that strategies are put into practice to enable the meeting of individual IS needs for communication. Where this relates to increasing staff availability, further resources may be needed. Clearly, the conditions of IS academic experience rest on adherence to time management and other restrictions as dictated by temporary visa requirements. Such constraints necessitate mediation with academic and other university staff for increased accountability and loyalty to consultations and other scheduled commitments. One suggestion for implementation is to make a point of contact facility available that is staffed by academics and experienced IS mentors. We found that many of the questions of incoming IS are of a general nature and can be answered by individuals within the university system. Such a facility (for example, an information booth, linked to an on-line service) meets the deeper need for social and emotional support that is currently felt by new students to be lacking. Garcia (1991, p. 3) points out that classroom teachers who were thought by others to be â€Å"highly committed to the educational success of their students† perceived themselves as being â€Å"instructional innovators utilising new learning theories and instructional philosophies to guide their practice†. Professional development activities were also considered to be important. They had high educational expectations for their students. Some students in our study thought their lecturers were off-hand about their students’ success or failure. It would appear, therefore, that good teaching is recognisable, no matter what the venue. Implications for practice Educational practices are largely related to everyday conduct, held values and attributive actions. To this effect, we benefit from recommendations for teaching methods that draw on reflective and inclusive teaching philosophies. However, it is our experience that these philosophies are not entirely understood by the academic community. There needs to be some recognition of inclusivity as a dynamic negotiation, as opposed to the domination of one over another. This reasoning makes the notion of flexibility and change everyday requirements for the accommodation of diversity in our teaching and learning settings. There still exists a great need among academics in Australia to reflect upon their cultural affiliations, to explore their ethnicities and acknowledge that these are not only traits we identify in others but also in ourselves. This reflection should then allow for inclusive practice to begin by asking, what can I do to meet the particular cultural and discursive needs of international students. This may in itself, and without further extended effort, transfer into the duty of care for the IS in particular classroom settings. However, there are some recommendations that provide examples to implement culturally inclusive practices into the teaching of IS. An initial issue is to consider a needs analysis of the students and how their needs can be met within the constraints of the teaching program. A second issue is, to allow for flexibility in understanding some of the cultural discourses and genres that may be encountered in communicative exchanges with IS. Knowledge of the background of students acknowledges an acceptance and interest in their cultural backgrounds. There are many publications describing cultural practices of particular nationalities. For example, an exploration of different religious and cultural traditions may provide stimulating introductory material particularly if this is carried out with sensitivity and without marginalising individual students in the group. Another effective introductory session may investigate communication conventions of different cultural groups. Allowing students to explore culturally specific behaviours such as the use of voice, tone, affect, body language and body contact in communicating with different members of the community may also open up channels of communication between staff and students. This may also act as effective preparation for later identification of unexpected features of communicative conduct. 350 Learning at University: The International Student Experience CONCLUDING COMMENTS The internationalisation of Australian higher education is still in its infancy inviting greater collaborative effort from university communities. Although many generalisations exist, we now widely acknowledge the possibly erroneous perception of quantity underwriting quality. There is a discernment that increased numbers of IS have not reflected in the capacities of learning institutions in terms of the provision of quality and  expertise – at least when it comes to inclusive practices and culturally sensitive communication styles. The implications addressed here go some way towards meeting these needs. Further investigation is clearly necessary especially in comparing student commentary with staff perceptions and experiences. The assurance of quality teaching and the provision of culturally amenable learning opportunities for international students may be achieved by means of cultural change and critical evaluation of current academic discourses and practices. Acknowledgements. Many thanks to our interview participants who so willingly gave their time and Louise Warton for so cheerfully transcribing the interviews. The financial support of Macquarie University is gratefully acknowledged. REFERENCES Austin, J. , Covalea, L. and Weal, S. (2002). Going the Extra Mile – Swinburne, Lilydale’s Mentor Program. 16th Australian International Education Conference. Hobart. Ballard, B. and Clanchy, J. (1991). Teaching Students from Overseas: A Brief Guide for Lecturers and Supervisors. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. Bellis, C. and Clarke, S. (Eds. ). (2001). Teaching Actuarial Management Internationally, Using the Internet. Sydney: Centre for Professional Develoment, Macquarie University. Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education/Open University Press. Burns, R. (1991). Study and Stress among First Year Overseas Students in an Australian University. Higher Education Research and Development, 10(1), 61-77. Garcia, E. E. (1991). The Education of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students: Effective Instructional Practices. National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. [Online] http://www. ncela. gwu. edu/miscpubs/ncrcdsll/epr1/index. htm [28/05/2003]. Hellsten, M. (2002). Internationalizing the Curriculum. Internationalizing Education in the AsiaPacific Region: Critical Reflections, Critical Times. 30th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society. Armidale, Australia. Hellsten, M. and Prescott, A. (2002). Learning at Macquarie: The International Student Experience. Celebrating Teaching at Macquarie. Macquarie University. Jones, A. (Ed. ). (2001). Resistance to English Language Support. Sydney: Centre for Professional Development, Macquarie University. Jones, S. M. , Robertson, M. and Line, M. (1999). Teaching and Valuing the Voices of International Students in Universities. [Online] http://www. ecu. edu. au/conferences/ herdsa/papers/nonref/AlanJones. pdf [28. 5. 2003]. Hellsten and Prescott 351 Krause, K. L. (2001). The University Essay Writing Experience: A Pathway for Academic Integration during Transition. Higher Education Research and Development, 20(2), 147168. Leask, B. (1999). Internationalisation of the Curriculum: Key Challenges and Strategies. The State of the Art in Internationalising the Curriculum International Perspectives. [Online] http://www. unisanet. unisa. edu. au/learningconnection/intl/read/paper/ [28/05/2003]. Levy, S. , Osborn, M. and Plunkett, M. (2003). An Investigation of International Students’ Academic and Social Transition Requirements. [Online] http://www. qut. edu. au/talss/fye/ papers03/Refereed Papers/Ful papers/Levy,OsborneandPlunkett_paper. doc [28/05/2003] McInnes, C. (2001). Researching the First Year Experience: Where to from here? Higher Education Research and Development, 20(2), 105-114. Ramburuth, P. (2001). The Internationalisation of Education: Implications for Student Learning and Socio-cultural Adjustment. Developing Global Capacity Through International Education. 15th Australian International Education Conference. Sydney. Reid, A. (2002). Internationalisation, Inclusivity and Learning. In C. M. Wong, K. P. Mohanan, and D. Pan (Eds. ), Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (pp. 327-332). Singapore: National University of Singapore. Rizvi, F. (2000). Internationalisation of Curriculum. [Online] http://www. pvci. rmit. edu. au/ioc/ [2/8/2002]. Ryan, J. (2000). Assessment. In J. Ryan (Ed. ), A Guide to Teaching International Students. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development University. IEJ.

Islamic Religion Essay

Sayyid Qutb also known as (Father of Modern Islamic Extremism) is an academic and writer who is said to be one of the most significant thinkers in modern and contemporary Arab Islamic resurgence, born on the 8th of October 1960 and living his life until being executed by hanging on the 29th of August 1966. His main impact on Islam is through his expression of the religion as a universal philosophy, a political and social force with the potential to provide solutions to all societal problems. Qutb believed that returning to a true Islamic state would provide social justice and cure societal malaise as â€Å"Islam stands against corruption, oppression and capitalism. † His main beliefs, including the concept of jahiliyyah (a non-Muslim) and his understanding of jihad are expressed through his two main books â€Å"The Shade of the Qur’an† and â€Å"Milestones†. These books were heavily criticised by many Orthodox Muslims and Salafi scholars, they are widely read. Directly opposing Jahilliyah perceived authorities had been placed in the minds of a new generation of Muslim youth. In this sense it is clear to see that he has had a dramatic effect on the development and expression of Islam. Although many conservative Muslims and Islamic scholars believe he lacked respect for Islamic traditions and wrongly interpreted the Qur’an, many other Muslims and modern Jihadists consider him a martyr. Qutb came to reject everything about the west due to the experiences he faced while visiting America, including democracy and nationalism. The United States at that time was, politically and socially, perhaps at the height of the West. Because it was so bad, he concluded that nothing the west had to offer was good. Unfortunately the Egyptian government at that time was very pro-western, and his new views brought him into conflict with the current regime. Like so many other young radicals, he was thrown in prison, where deprivation and torture were the norm. it was there, horrified by the barbarism of the camp guards, that he probably lost hope that the current regime could be called â€Å"Muslim†. These Muslims kept the survival of his a legacy, believing his effect on the development and expression of Islam to be a positive one. A society whose legislation does not rest on divine law (shari’at Allah) is not Muslim, however ardently its individuals may proclaim themselves Muslim, even if they pray, fast and make the pilgrimage. What we did not know was that Sayyid Qutb was soon to be the mentor of the notorious Osama Bin Laden, who would come later to be known for terrorist activites. Ethics – Sexual Ethics The Qur’an is the basic source of ethical teachings, such as judgements, statements in it either remind humanity of the basic common sense created by God, or extend this common sense to specific examples or situations and present specific behavioural expectations. Another teaching is the Hadith; it contains the teachings and sayings of Prophet Muhammad that explain the teachings of the Qur’an. It places the Qur’an into the context of daily life. The Sirah is a similar collection of works aiming to clarify the teachings within the Qur’an; however the collection of stories has none of the prophet’s original work. Islam considers sexuality to be a part of a person’s divinely created identity with the ideal goal being marriage and procreation. It is considered that sex is an essential human behaviour that needs to be satisfied but properly and lawfully. Islam prohibits any deprivation of human behaviour – looks at the proper (legal) use of sex as an act of worship (Ibadah). The Hadith contains quotes that relate to the sexual practice and correct application of Allah’s gift of sexuality. â€Å"They are your garments and you are their garments. † (2. 187) the metaphor of the garment is a very powerful one as it brings home the message. It creates in the mind a picture of the relationship needed for a happy and healthy marriage. Clothes are a basic necessity for humans. They are used for warmth as well as beauty. Sex is the ultimate expression of love and is total physical and emotional encounter. The ethical teachings that surrounds Islamic life, are determined by the Al’ Qur’an, the sacred writing brought by the last prophet Muhammad word by word from the Islamic god Allah. This sacred writing is taught through the 114 Sura’s (chapters) of the Al’ Qur’an. The Hadith, second to the Qur’an in importance and authority, are collections of Islamic traditions and laws (Sunnah). The Sharia refers to how Muslims should live or the path they must follow. This includes traditional sayings of Muhammad. Fiqh† Arabic for the world Islamic jurisprudence, Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic Law based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, it complements Sharia with evolving rulings and interpretations of Islamic Jurists. The Fiqh deals with the observance of the rituals, morals and social obligations. (Jurisprudence) states that you must surrender to the will of Allah; it is the most fundamental Islamic value. A Muslim must try ones hardest to establish good according to the order fixed by Allah because each person is God’s agent on earth and has responsibility to Allah, Muhammad’s teachings gives specifics for Marriage and Pre-marital sex. The ideal goal being marriage and procreation, marriage is a legally binding contractual arrangement (called Nikah), sex outside of marriage is forbidden and seen as an attack on the community as well as a breach of this contract. If a Muslim engages in premarital sex, he/she are seen as not submitting to the will of Allah, very harsh penalties will be advised if this act is carried out. Muslims treat marriage as the norm and whilst celibacy is discouraged, fornication is absolutely condemned; this act can lead to the touching, kissing, or the exposing of their bodies of Islamic people. The quote below explains how to do this in an acceptable and legal way for Islamic adherence. â€Å"Marriage is my tradition. He who rejects my tradition is not of me. Marriage is half of religion. The other half is being God fearing† Qur’an 4:3 In Allah’s rulings, there is no fixed rule as to the age of marriage. It is becoming fashionable for young Muslim men not to marry until they have completed their education, have a job, or reached age 26-30 or more. Similarly young Muslim girls say they want to marry after age 24. Conversely the teachings of the Qur’an Homosexuality are condemned to all of Islam. The aims of natural sexuality are procreation and homosexuality does not permit this. Islam accepts no justification for the unnatural sin of homosexuality. Punishment is encouraged but not prescribed. The Qur’an has an oblique reference of lesbian behaviour (lutiyya) â€Å"And those of your women, who commit legal sexual intercourse, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death comes to them or Allah ordains for them some other way. †

Relationships between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

The play â€Å"Macbeth† by William Shakespeare is about cruelty, greediness, and desire of undeserved power. Actually, the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both representative of the abovementioned qualities. Relationships between Macbeth and his wife are complex and tangled; moreover, they are changing over the play progress. Their relations play important role in the play as they aim at setting necessary atmosphere, creating moods, attitudes and feelings. It is seen that their relations aren’t perfect, though they stay with each other till the end: Macbeth: â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon†.  Lady Macbeth: â€Å"Was the hope drunk wherein you dress'd yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time; such I account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor; Letting â€Å"I dare not† wait upon â€Å"I would,† Like the poor cat i' the adage?† (Act I, scene II) Apparent disagreement is seen in the family and it continues throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is horrifying in her ruthlessness and cruelty, whereas she calls her husband a coward when he decides not to kill Duncan stressing that his decision is final and shouldn’t be discussed any more. In contrast to Macbeth, his wife is decision and leads everything to the end. She always makes her mind and only then acts. Lady Macbeth is provided with the power of persuasion and we see that she is more powerful than her husband as she convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan and he agrees. So, relations of the couple are based mainly on Lady’s Macbeth will as she is natural leader, whereas he husband is simply executor. Macbeth is presented to listen to his wife in such a way admitting her leadership and intellectual superiority. Nevertheless, their relations are based also on the sense of openness and mutual trust. It is hardly believable that Lady Macbeth talks her husband into murdering a person and their relationships are worsening as the mood of love is replaced by hatred. Macbeth is timid and fearful failing to go on: Macbeth: â€Å"I'll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on't again I dare not.† Lady Macbeth: â€Å"Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil. If he does bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt†. (Act II, scene II) Nevertheless, their relations are on the peak only when Macbeth becomes a king and they are filled with joy and happiness. They are shown to free of guilt and full of love and desire of more power. They are happily discussing the number of guests from Scotland to be invited to the feast. Their relations are improving and now they are loving family rather than guilty murders. However, there are pure evil, despite they are wrapped up in a luxurious exterior. Premeditated murder is the first step into darkness and Macbeth and his wife have taken in without stopping. As far as they are free of guilt, they are agreeable and happy together. They are both presentation of masculinity in the play. They think if they are happy, their evil would turn around and â€Å"nip them in the butt†. Only after Macbeth experiences a tale of woe, his attitude towards wife is changing. It is evil which comes back and haunts him. Then Lady Macbeth is visited by Banguo, the ghost, who creates the feeling of discomfort and urgency to act: Macbeth: â€Å"Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that which might appall the devil?† Lady Macbeth: â€Å"O proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear: This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, led you to Duncan. O, these flaws, and starts, – Impostors to true fear,–would well become A woman's story at a winter's fire, Authorized by her grandam. Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all's done, you look but on a stool†. (Act III, scene IV) Lady Macbeth supports and defends her husband. When she sees that her husband is ready to reveal everything, she lies to honored guests protecting her secrets. She loves her husband and in her speech we see she is really downcast and uncomfortable, though she is still full of love. Together they are trying to fight against the sense of guilt, the rumors supporting and nourishing their love. There are shown as united and bonded couple and it may seem that evil is succeeding. It is necessary to outline that relationships between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are directly affecting their actions, decisions and behavior. In other words, they are interconnected not only by family ties, but also common secrets. Their relations are the block of the whole play. When they are getting into detailed conversation, they always find mutual decision, though it is not a good one. Macbeth loves his wife and his life is mutual; they always try to please each other. Sometimes they relations are on the peak, though sometimes they meet the flat line. Macbeth is obsessed with greediness and Lady Macbeth is overfilled with desire to make her husband a king. So, their mutual support results in catastrophe for the country of Scotland. In the end we see that Macbeth becomes obsessed with greediness more than his cruel and demon-infested wife. He even doesn’t talk to her making Lady Macbeth commit suicide. Even then the evil in Macbeth is flourishing and he simply doesn’t notice that his beloved woman has gone. Shakespeare shows that Macbeth is on his stairway to the hell collapsing the whole empire built by Duncan. Macbeth is left alone: soldiers and his trust companion abandon him. It seems that Macbeth should feel ashamed and guilty, though he is obsessed with evil. So, desire of power and money splits up their family relations. Evil and darkness appears to be more powerful than love and happiness. Works Cited Damrosch, David. Longman Anthology of World Literature. US: Longman, 2004. Greenblatt, Stephen. Renaissance Self Fashioning: From More to   Shakespeare. US: Chicago Press, 1984. Shakespeare, William. Plays and Poems. London: Spring books, 1966. Taylor, Edward. Literary Criticism of 17th Century England. London: Universe, 2000.               

Since humans and chimps are similar, do you think it would be useful Essay

Since humans and chimps are similar, do you think it would be useful to use chimps as stand-ins for humans during scientific res - Essay Example For humans a process of informed consent is used to ensure that the rights of individuals are not compromised, but with chimps this is clearly impossible, since chimps do not have the language skills to understand what is proposed, or to express their views. In 1994 a meeting of scientists debated the use of chimpanzees in AIDS research and it concluded that the necessity was there, due to a lack of alternatives, and that it was acceptable to conduct research such as giving injections and collecting blood samples, so long as financial support for long term retirement of the chimps afterwards is guaranteed. (Akker et al, 1994, p. 51) This amounts to an acceptance of quite invasive research in return for some welfare reward later. In 2010 scientists studying genomes and human lineage specific (HLS) sequences of unknown function considered the use of transgenic techniques with great apes (chimpanzees, orang utans, gorillas) but concluded that this would cause harm to the apes and that à ¢â‚¬Å"these harms render the conduct of this research ethically unacceptable in apes, justifying regulatory barriers between these species and all other non-human primates for transgenic research.† (Coors et al., 2010), p. 658.

Franchising & Small Business - Business Plan Essay

Franchising & Small Business - Business Plan - Essay Example Business plans expansion in domain where business will provide marinated (ready to heat) food for the target audience. The company plans to meet breakeven by year end. Target audience of the Indo-Pak Meals Corner would include people in Melbourne who have taste buds for Asian spices-enriched food. It shall exclusively cater residents and immigrants from India, and Pakistan and other countries of that region like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. India is the largest exporter of its skilled worker to Australia in the year 2012 and constitutes15.7 percent of the total program for immigration (Australian education international, 2012). This growing number, along with already residing Indians shall provide good potential for business. Indians are very much into their typical home-done food and this has been taken as opportunity to attract especially immigrants to have home flavor on outside their land. Another main component of target audience, Pakistani though comprise small percentage of total Australian population but students from Pakistan are constantly growing in double digit in Australia with growth rate of 17.6 percent. Again these people are new entrants to land of Australia and are attracted to the home spices. Indo-Pak Meals Corner plans to operate with four full time employees, a chief chef, chef, helper (for grocery, cutting and cooking) and service man. Initial outlay comprises of location, licensing, fixed and other expenses as the outlet is a start-up from zero. Indo-Pak Meals Corner exists to provide people with the best blend of food from India and Pakistan flavors to any one and everyone with need of daily fresh handy meal ready to eat on their way to destination. This company has no background history and a new start up. However, it plans to develop long history of tasty food. The management of the company has expertise in managing restaurant offering such spicy foods. In short term the business

Zara Research Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Zara Research Study - Essay Example Research has been made on customer service facilities offered by Zara and customers’ perceptions regarding this subject. Both primary and secondary data have been used for the study. Secondary data have been collected from different databases and existing literature published on past studies. Primary data have been collected by employing quantitative method of study. A sample population of 100 customers having shopping experience with Zara have been interviewed by distributing a structured questionnaire containing 5 close ended questions. The questions have been framed with the objective of understanding customer perceptions about customer service facilities provided by Zara. The secondary objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between age of customers and their perceptions. Responses of the participants have been measured in a five point Likert scale. The alternative hypothesis is that Zara provides satisfactory level of customer service. The responses are analysed using the t-statistic and the estimated value of t statistic is found to be sufficiently greater than the tabulated value. Therefore the alternative hypothesis is accepted. This establishes that customers have strong positive perception about customer service facility provided by Zara. It has also been found that compared to the youths, the middle aged population hold better perceptions about the company’s customer service. Zara is a famous international fashion brand. It is one of the eight store set ups of the Inditex Group, which is one amongst the largest retailers in the fashion industry in the world. The Inditex Group is an assimilation of approximately one hundred textile companies that conceptualize designs, manufactures fabrics and distributes them. The first shop of Zara was opened in the city of Coruà ±a in 1975 (Inditex, n.d.). Presently, the company has expanded its network to four hundred cities in eighty seven

Reflection on ERIE Step IV Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection on ERIE Step IV - Assignment Example nother one is influenced by numerous factors, such as personal mind and brain activity of a child, character of learner, educator’s teaching style, form of information’s representation, level of students’ involvement in the teaching process, variety of tasks and assignments, opportunities to implement children’s creativity and initiative, atmosphere in a classroom, psychological approach of the teacher and educator’s experience and emotional urge. Taking into account such a large number of internal and external variables that cause specific impact on the learning process, it is no wonder that frequently results of our educational system can be rather disappointing. This happens due to the fact that some teachers are prone to disregard any notion from the mentioned list and build a lesson according to a standard template; meanwhile, it is imperative to keep in mind that every student is individuality, who sometimes requires special approach. Knowledge can be considered as indispensable part of our not only professional, but also social and private life. According to the gist of studied theories, such as constructivism, objectivism, humanism and behaviorism, the same piece of information can be represented and taught differently thereby the results and return from each approach can vary drastically. With the help of carried out researches, it has been found out that human’s ability to forget some information and fail to apply the knowledge which he or she has gained previously in specific situations is affected by experience and emotional background. Secondly, it has been proved by many scientists that availability and abundance of information, such as personal incentive that encourages student to enroll in a course, the main goal of the lectures, student’s preferences regarding offered activities and learner’s psychological reactions along with age, sex and social background, play extremely urgent role in the character of the final results.

Feliz Navidad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feliz Navidad - Essay Example The performance consists of simple singing or chanting of religious songs and all the homes are set up as a "Nativity scene" where the home owners pose as inn keepers. The interesting part is that the procession carries candles and statues of Jesus and Mary as the re-enactors ask for lodging at three houses and only the third house lets them inside in accordance with the Christmas story. The guests then enter the chosen house and sing traditional Christmas and religious songs for the Virgin Mary which concludes into a famous piata party for the children. Of course the ever famous Piata (which originates from Italian tradition) is the main object of interest for the children at these parties .This is a clay pot decorated with paper, and is filled with hard candy, peanuts sugar cane and fruit. The children are blindfolded and take turns at hitting it with a stick until it breaks so they can all have the sweet treats inside. The traditional Christmas piata is shaped like a star and has seven peaks, which symbolizes the seven deadly sins. The stick with which it is broken is a symbol of faith and therefore the destruction of the Piata is a symbol of the destruction of these deadly sins with faith. The Mexicans also have a very unique tradition of exchanging presents at New Years Eve rather than on Christmas .This gift exchanging is known as Misa de Gallo (Rooster's Mass). Some families might even wait as late as the Wise Mens Day which is on January the 6th to exchange gifts because on this day the Magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Instead of stockings (like in the American culture) the children traditionally place their shoes near the window so the Magi can fill the shoes with gifts .The children also look forward to the Merienda, ( a tea time with hot chocolate) and La Meridenda, (an festive dinner) in celebration of this day. This is a two week national holiday for the Mexicans .The US influence is ever present as in the recent decades there has been an adaptation of Santa Claus and many other American traditions. However the strong and unique Mexican culture continues to dominate these very family oriented traditions. The Holiday festivities end on the Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) with the celebration of a late-night Misa de Gallo (Rooster's Mass).This is followed by a festive dinner of traditional cuisines and sweet meats. The Christmas celebration hardly ends there as on December 28, Day of the Holy Innocents there is a commemoration of King Herod's attempt to slaughter all the new born male infants including baby Jesus. The Mexicans add a comic twist to the day as they play pranks on each other just like the April fool's day. The Christmas season continues merrily into the Three Kings Day which symbolises the arrival in Bethlehem of The Wise Men bringing gifts for baby Jesus. Reyes Magos is the Mexican version of the Santa Claus and on every January the 6th the native Mexican children hope to receive toys and gifts from this mythical figure. The Mexicans with their merry culture and strong family ties make the Christmas festivities a treat for the eyes and the soul. The final Candlemas is on February the 2nd officially marking the end of

Motivation Theories and How It Affects Employees' Commitment and Essay

Motivation Theories and How It Affects Employees' Commitment and Performance at Work - Essay Example From this study it is clear that   businesses should motivate its workforce not only for them to commit and perform but also to keep them in the organisation. Keeping valuable employees motivated in an organisation is not only intended to make them commit and perform but also to keep them over the long haul. The most common notion about motivation is to shower them with fat paychecks but this proved to be inadequate in keeping employees motivated. As what organisational theorists have reported, committing employees to perform towards a common goal involves an interplay of various factors that involves not only remuneration, but also the social and psychological dimensions of work that keep employees productive. Several business organisations even went as far as integrating play with work not only to keep their employees committed and productive, but also to induce creativity in the workplace which proved to be beneficial to a company’s diversification drive such as the case of Google. These various motivation theories shall be discussed in this paper and we will also tackle how these theories affect performance in today’s competitive environment. According to the discussion the classical theorists of motivation a. Frederick Winslow Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management Taylor first conceived the idea that workers are mainly motivated solely by wage. He posited that management has to possess the control and knowledge of the methods of production so that it would have a greater control of achieving efficiency in an organisation that includes motivating its workforce. For Taylor, the breaking up functions into small quantifiable tasks is necessary to make the time-piece rate pay possible that will encourage employees to work harder if they can see that they are being paid with more work. This theory assumed that employees are more motivated with more pay and confined motivation to solely addressing the economic needs of a business org anisation’s employees.

Greenhouse Effect and Environmental Law Coursework

Greenhouse Effect and Environmental Law - Coursework Example By studying a range of subjects regarding the emission and its factors of Greenhouse which are relevant to all environmental policy issues: like the objectivity of scientific information, asymmetry of costs and benefits over space (regional impacts) and time; risk, uncertainty and ignorance; institutional power over information and policy I found myself deeply indulge in research and posing serious challenges to the current conceptualisation of pollution as a technical problem which requires an engineered solution. When I collected various data regarding the destruction caused by the Greenhouse Effect, I was not aware of the Kyoto Protocol current conditions, particularly the way it is implemented on the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change reflects its drafters' understanding that changes in the global economy, globalization of markets, emerging global governance in the areas of trade and services, privatization and internationalization of the energy sector, and the ascending role of the private sector are changing the context rapidly in which environmental problems must be addressed. As a result, the formation of Kyoto Protocol took place. The main purpose of the Kyoto Protocol is to provide a shield against the environmental hazards and catastrophes to the new generation of environmental treaties; those treaties which are negotiated in an age of globalization and are aimed at influencing important economic activities such as energy production and fore ign investment in order to minimize their impacts on the environment. The potential economic effects of the Protocol are so far-reaching that it is sometimes referred to as an economic instrument disguised as an environmental agreement. The Kyoto Protocol contains three mechanisms allowing for international implementation, which are aimed at achieving the environmental goals of the treaty by affecting market-based activities. These mechanisms are related to (1) greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions trading, (2) joint implementation (JI), and (3) the clean development mechanism (CDM). Each of these mechanisms specifically includes provisions relating to the participation of non-state actors in its implementation. (Chambers, 2001) The first part of the report lays the foundation for tackling various factors that lead to Environmental change like pollution, burning of fossil fuels etc. After analyzation it is evident that the Kyoto Protocol is still in an unfinished state and the actual details will not be known until analyzing the final outcome of the lawful negotiations of the Protocol, I feel it is important to establish certain criteria for the substantive discussion contained in later parts of the report. In the beginning, Wilkinson has set out the unresolved issues from Protocol and what can be expected in future negotiations. Later the report has gone into greater detail on the outstanding issues of various changes and changes in variations by describing the potential role of non-state actors or, as the Protocol describes, legal entities. It is thought that any future Protocol negotiation anticipates a greater role for these actors. Selma Stern has also focused on different problems that contribute

Hiroshima, a Tragedy That Could Have Been Averted Essay Example for Free

Hiroshima, a Tragedy That Could Have Been Averted Essay The nuclear bombings of Japan are a very controversial topic, and is highly discussed and researched by scholars and the general public. The nuclear bombings are not just a small part in military history, but a lesson in reality and the destruction possible of man to achieve their goals; these bombings have raised a whole host of ethical issues and concerns, which must be taken into consideration. There are many reasons why the actions taken by the United States and specifically President Truman to drop the A-Bomb on Hiroshima were absolutely unnecessary. On the other hand there is an abundant amount of weak justification as to why it was so imperative for the U. S. to distinguish the lives of sixty-six thousand civilians in the blink of an eye, and cause catastrophic destruction and disparity that would have a lasting effect for decades to come. The atomic bomb should have never been dropped on Japan because the atomic bomb is not a strategic weapon. It could be compared to Pheasant hunting using a Sherman Tank. According to writer Mary Bellis, â€Å"the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay. It missed by only 800 feet. At 0816 hours, in an instant, 66,000 people were killed and 69,000 injured by a 10-kiloton atomic explosion† (Bellis). We can begin by looking at the reasons that ultimately led to the decision to bomb Hiroshima, and the heart of it, with President Truman. On Dec 7, 1941 the Japanese conducted an unprovoked air assault on the U. S. naval base in Pearl Harbor; by doing this the Japanese caused the U. S. to be brought into WWI. Bill Gordon, in his Essay reminds us that, as a result, for four long years, severe loathing of the Japanese people grew immensely in the U.  S. , and many U. S citizens and members of the government viewed the Japanese as a very barbaric race of people, which gave the impression that the bombing would be justified. (Gordon). The fear of them in the U. S. was so present that they were rounded up and confined in containment camps including naturalized Japanese Americans. To add to their unpopularity was their mistreatment of U. S. prisoners of war which to say the least was horrifying, and their attempts to cover them up were proof that they knew they were committing war crimes. But ask yourself, does this justify killing civilians? Although these acts by the Japanese are extremely savage; they were committed on military personnel in the context of war, not on unsuspecting civilians in the course of their everyday activities. Truman’s reason for the bombing was that he believed that the alternative to this was to wage war on the Japanese mainland, but this would mean the death of many U. S. troops and could end in failure. He claimed this was his way to end the war and spare the loss of U. S. military personnel. In doing so, he did achieve just that, but is this not the classic example of a Pyrrhic victory? Doug Longs article states how there were concrete proof that Japan was ready to surrender and Truman had knowledge of this, weeks before his decision. It was understood by both, the Allies and Japan, that surrender was the only way out for the Japanese. Japan was ready to surrender by mid July 1945, and had sought diplomatic help through the still-neutral Russians. In July1945, the U. S. ad intercepted and successfully decoded messages sent between Foreign Minister Togo and Japan’s Ambassador to Moscow, Sato. These messages clearly stated Japans, and specifically the Emperors great desire to end the war. As I stated earlier Truman was well aware of these transmissions, but insisted the bomb was necessary to terminate the war and save the lives of thousands of U. S. soldiers (Long). When in theory it was not. The US government refused to state in the Potsdam Declaration that upon the surrender of Japan the position of the emperor in Japan would remain. This statement along with the Soviet declaration of war on Japan should bring one to believe that this would have been enough to convince Japan to surrender. It is very conceivable that the US Government didn’t include the statement that the position of the emperor of Japan would be allowed to remain if Japan surrendered because the US government didn’t want to appear soft on Japan. If this was all that was needed, would it not have been worth exploring? Again, mass murder to save face in the eyes of the enemy is not a justifiable argument. Long states in his paper â€Å"Hiroshima Was it Necessary? † President Truman had advisors who influenced him to remove the statement against the advice of other advisors who had more knowledge of Japan and their culture, which held a great love and loyalty for their Emperor Hirohito. Was it the ignorance of certain U. S. officials about Japanese culture that led to this invaluable detail being left out of the Declaration? , or was it omitted purposely? , knowing the outcome, thereby creating an excuse to bomb them. , Drobny in his article quotes Herbert Hoover as stating to Truman, I am onvinced that if you, as President, will make a shortwave broadcast to the people of Japan tell them they can have their Emperor if they surrender, that it will not mean unconditional surrender except for the militarists youll get a peace in Japan youll have both wars over (Drobny). This was a full two months before the bomb was dropped, plenty of time to make a simple Broadcast, yet it wa s ignored. . The U. S. decision to drop leaflets from planes in the days before the attack warning the people of their impending doom is also very suspect. Why if the intended bombing of a heavily populated civilian area was planned why would anyone give such a warning? If the intentions were not to kill civilians, then was it even necessary to target these areas? Would detonation of the bomb on an unpopulated Island or at sea off the coast of Japan been enough to show the immense destructive power and in essence have the same effect without all the death? This creates speculation that the bomb was used to impress upon the USSR the capabilities of the U. S. military, this again could have been achieved at a different site without death involved. Another was Hiroshima and Nagasaki being 2 cities that were surprisingly not affected by the war as far as destruction would be a great place to study the effects of the bomb, if any of these were the underlying effects of the decision, there is no concrete proof, but it is quite proven that these were two effects that did take place intentional or not. The thought of using the deaths of civilians, to prove a point to the USSR or to Experiment on civilians is appalling. Jeff Kingston, A history teacher at Temple University in Japan, confirms that During the Yalta conference Stalin had promised the U.  S. to invade Japan â€Å"three months† after the defeat of Germany, and the agreement between the U. S. and the USSR was signed to that effect (Kingston). The Red Army declared the war against Japan exactly three months later; it entered Manchuria on August 8. The same day the Red Army invaded Korea from the north, while the US troops were invading it from the south. The USSR Red Army captured the entire Kwantung Army of the Japanese and began preparing itself for the amphibious landing to the islands of Japan. Indeed, Stalin was fulfilling his obligations to their U. S. ally. Long explains how Truman did not want the Red Army to land on the islands of Japan, even though this move could have saved many lives of the American soldiers ( long). Truman could not afford the thought of victorious Stalin exporting socialism to their Pacific neighbor. That fear probably was one of many motives behind the Truman’s decision to drop nuclear bombs on Japan. Should he not have considered this before making a deal with Stalin? Had he just ignored the fact that this would leave Japan vulnerable for the USSR to occupy? If so, those were not the acts of a responsible leader. An argument could be made that Stalin was hoping to advance the causes of socialism into Asia but there is no proof, only assumptions, now, and then, that he considered the territorial occupation of Asia to achieve that goal. In making Stalin an ally, Truman created a situation that he would not be able to control without the show of massive military force, essentially making the use of the bomb quite probable. There is undeniable proof that Japan wanted to give up, as President Truman had in his possession, and he should have explored every option to negotiate with Japan to surrender, and did not. In my opinion, the United States took a few steps back on the evolution ladder when they decided to kill innocent people. It is widely known the US State Department and President Truman wanted payback for the astonishing attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but lowering the U. S. to their level was not the answer. While the Japanese may have been seeking peace deals through the USSR diplomats, it was ultimately pointless. The sheer size, scope and savagery of World War II seemed to leave only room for total victory. It is doubtful the Russians would have accepted a peace treaty instead of surrender regarding Germany any more than the United States would have accepted peace instead of surrender after Pearl Harbor and years of bitter fighting. World War II was in all aspects, a war aimed at nothing less than total victory. This country was not built on the concept of an eye for an eye so this is a weak argument not to accept or at least explore every option to achieve the most humane end to the war. It is widely believed in the U. S. that these decisions were decided to seize the opportunity of any chance at a quick victory. The population was tired of war, huge sacrifices were born by the allies, and a hope to defeat Japan without direct military invasion was believed to be a huge gamble. The main justification for using the Atomic bomb however it worked was that Japan surrendered. While the end did not justify the means, the goal was reached. In the months preceding the bombing, the Japanese were becoming weaker and weaker. They were surrounded by the Navy; many areas were destroyed by air raids, and they couldnt receive any imports and also could not export anything. Naturally, as time went on and the war developed in our favor and it was quite logical to that with the proper kind of a warning the Japanese would then be in a position to make peace, which would have made it unnecessary for us to drop the bomb, or to have had to bring Russia in to the war. Many it seemed wanted to issue a warning for various reasons moral and tactical. The tactical argument was the Allied Forces had already won, the Japanese would have surrendered, and the US would not have exposed its nuclear capabilities to the Soviets thus delaying the arms race. Many military minds were convinced the Japanese were already blockaded and knew they were dependent on the rail transportation and inter coastal shipping. Conventional bombing, submarines and mines would have eliminated any movement of supplies throughout the country. Even with these strangle holds in place, it is still very conceivable that Japan would still not have surrendered if it meant losing their Emperor, but we will never have the answer to this question, because it was not allowed to play out to see the outcome. As with any decisions made in the past, hindsight is 20/20, but these were very different times, and the threat of Communism was so great, even a U. S. president would make a decision this reckless to stop it from spreading. We will never know the outcomes of the many alternatives that were proposed after the fact, but we do know there were alternatives that could have been perused before these cities and their inhabitants were bombed. One would like to believe that it was not all in vain, and the world learned a valuable lesson from this destruction, as we have not had an event like this in the world since. This is only a summary of the events that took place, in an attempt at trying to understand why Truman did what he did, and if it was necessary. You will have to come to your own decision on the moral and ethical issues involved, but hopefully this sheds some light on the subject so your decision can be made in an informed manner.

Case Study Chloe’s Story Essay Example for Free

Case Study Chloe’s Story Essay The serous membrane in Chloe’s abdomen contains the peritoneum. The peritoneum is the largest serous membrane of the body which includes the greater omentum, the largest peritoneal fold, which drapes over the transverse colon and the coils of the small intestine, and contains a considerable amount of adipose tissue. Involuntary contraction of pharyngeal stage is the beginning stage of swallowing it begins with the passage of water into the oropharynx. When water enters the esophagus the esophageal stage begin where peristalsis occurs with coordinated contractions and relaxation of muscles to propel water into the stomach. With the bypass of the duodenum, Chyme cannot not periodically be forced through the pyloric sphincter in gastric emptying. The proteins will have difficulty being easily broken down into smaller molecules in the chemical digestion of proteins. By the enzyme Lipase. Rapid or major weight loss increases a persons risk of developing gallstones. These meals should be high in protein. Because A change in diet, no longer consuming high fatty and high cholesterol foods. Yes. Nutritional deficiencies, like most iron and calcium is absorbed in the duodenum, the first part of the intestine that is bypassed by these operations. Calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis , and iron deficiency can cause anemia. Many vitamins and minerals are absorbed in the part of the small intestine bypassed by this surgery. The individual must commit to a lifetime of taking nutritional supplements to prevent serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A large number of microvilli in the small intestines greatly increases the surface area of the plasma membrane, larger amounts of digested nutrients can diffuse into absorptive cells. Most digestion and absorption occurs in the small intestine. Vitamin B12 must be combined with intrinsic factors produced by the stomach for its absorption by active transport in the ileum. Because it can or may be manifested as a variety of symptoms since B12 is widely used in the body. Severe fatigue may occur initially. Effects on the nervous system can be wide-ranging, and include weakness, numbness and tingling of the limbs, memory loss, confusion, delusion, poor balance and reflexes, hearing difficulties, and even dementia. Severe deficiency may appear similar to multiple sclerosis. Nausea and diarrhea are possible gastrointestinal signs. The anemia that results from prolonged deficiency may also be seen as a pallor especially in mucous membranes such as the gums and the lining of the inner surface of the eye. Megaloblastic anemia is a common result of inadequate B12. This condition can also result if a person stops secreting enough intrinsic factor in the stomach, a substance essential.

The Interplay Of Structural Social Work Essay

The Interplay Of Structural Social Work Essay Social work practice seeks to promote human well-being and to redress human suffering and injusticeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Such practice maintains a particular concern for those who are most excluded from social, economic or cultural processes and structuresà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Consequently, social work practice is a political activity and tensions between rights to care and control and self-determination are very much a professional concern(OConnor et al, 2006, p.1) The Brown family case study will be referred to throughout the essay in an attempt to explore and discuss the lived experiences of service users. With such an array of difficulties faced by the family, in order to be able to provide analysis and critique, many of these difficulties and their correlation within social work practice will not be explored. The essay will begin with examining the political background from Margaret Thatcher to the current Coalition government and emphasize their continued functionalist ideologies. It will also discuss sociological constructions of the family, poverty, power, and managerialism. The prolific cases of the deaths of Victoria Climbià © and Baby P led to such media scrutiny and a downward turn in public perception of social workers. As a result, this has led to changes in social work practice with children and families. Due to the current austerity measures, social workers gatekeeping of resources and having to meet stringent thresholds often result in limitations being put on families and creating what à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..describes as a revolving door syndrome. The Brown case study refers to there being intermittent involvement from social services over several years, which supports the suggestion of a revolving door syndrome. Although the case study is not explicit, I think it would be safe to assume that issues faced by the Brown family may have suggested that they meet the section 47 threshold set out in the Children Act which would have triggered social work involvement with the family. However, if the involvement has been intermittent, this would suggest that once significant risk had diminished the involvement with the family was stopped which suggest risk led practice was employed rather than a needs led (Axford, 2010). Munros recent review of child protection (2011) included 15 recommendations. There is not scope to discuss each recommendation but she urges the government to accept that there will inevitably be an element of uncertainty, to allow professionals to have a greater freedom to use their professional judgement and expertise, and to reduce bureaucracy. The response from government is to accept 9 out of the 15 recommendations (DfE, 2011) Poverty The case study highlights that the Brown family are dependent on welfare benefits and that they find it difficult to manage their finances. Therefore, they are essentially living in poverty. Poverty can be described as a complex occurrence that can be caused by a range of issues which can result in inadequate resources. It impacts on childhoods, life chances and imposes costs on society Child poverty costs the UK at least  £25 billion a year, (equivalent to 2% of GDP) including  £17 billion that could accrue to the Exchequer if child poverty were eradicated. Public spending to deal with the fallout of child poverty is about  £12 billion a year, about 60% of which goes on personal social services, school education and police and criminal justice. (Hirsch, 2008: Joseph Rowntree Foundation,p.5) Cross national studies have suggested that child poverty is not a natural occurrence. Moreover it is a political occurrence, the product of decisions and actions made by the government and society. Attention concerning a dependency culture has filtered through different political parties and have been utilised with renewed enthusiasm since the formation of the coalition government in 2010. These assertions of dependency create propaganda about the attitudes of the workless and they give the wrong impression of the previous efforts of the Labour government to tackle child poverty who focus was to direct increased welfare payments towards those people who are working in low paid jobs. The coalition is currently reducing benefit payments to families in work. As a result of these cuts, many children will evidently be thrust back into child poverty (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). A possible contention is that the coalition government argue that they seek to treat the symptoms of poverty, rather than the causes. However, their analyses of the causes are at best partial or incomplete. While in-work poverty is acknowledged, it is often buried beneath the rhetoric of welfare dependency (ESRC, 2011). The suggestion that previous methods to tackle child poverty have inevitably robbed people of their own responsibility and therefore led them to become dependent on the welfare state that simply hands out cash is absurd (Minujin Nandy, 2012). Work is frequently referred to as the favoured route out of poverty. Although the government have introduced numerous policies to make work pay there are countless families that still do not earn enough money to attempt to lift their family out of poverty (Barnardos, 2009). More than half of all children currently living in poverty have a parent in paid work (DWP, 2009). The Brown family have both parents out of work, with Anne having never been in paid work and Craig struggling to find regular employment since leaving the Army 8 years ago. Both parents have literacy difficulties and so require a complex package of support to enable them to improve their life chances of gaining employment that pays above the minimum wage in order for their family to no longer be living in poverty. According to the code of practice (HCPC, 2012) social workers are required toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ As mentioned previously, successive Neo Liberal governments uphold a functionalist ideology that frequently locates poverty in terms of personal responsibility and deficits. Managerialism As mentioned previously, services have changes over the past 20 years and this can be explained by the emergence of a managerial approach to how services are being delivered. Intrinsically, managerialism is a basic set of ideas that transpired from the New Right criticisms of welfare and is founded on the notion that public services need to be managed in the same way as profit-making organisations (Harris Unwin, 2009). In the UK there has been a rise in managerialism which can often lead to weakening the role and autonomy of social work practice. In the pursuit of becoming accountable and impartial, managers are attempting to control or prescribe practice in increasing detail which inexorably leads to reducing the opportunity for practitioners to implement individual reasoning. As a result, this leads to policies that represent rules that can often be described as inept and insensitive for the service user. Therefore, the tussle between the managerial and the professional control in social work practice is often a contested issue (Munro, 2008). As managerialism takes more control, then a shift towards defensive practice develops which results in procedures that are insensitive to the needs of families. In essence, the professional role of a social worker can be progressively reduced to a bureaucrat with no possibility for expertise or personalised responses In addition, a managerial approach causes conflict, as it emphasises the need for targets that will assess performance and the delivery of services (Brotherton et al, 20120). Furthermore, there is a correlation with an apparent distrust or autonomy of professionals. This has led to an upsurge in scrutiny by a variety of inspection bodies such as Ofsted and this has been extremely significant in the area of child protection following the high-profile cases of the deaths of Victoria Climbià © and Peter Connolly.

our town :: essays research papers

Our Town   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our Town, by Thornton Wilder is a play that takes place in a small fictional town of Grover's Corner, New Hampshire; beginning in 1901 and ending in 1913. The play takes the audience through the cycles of life, with the purpose of getting a message across stating that life shouldn't be taken for granted. Emily Webb, one of the most important characters in the play, is Wilder's character in which he uses to show the audience a message that anyone would understand and relate to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily is a character that is normal enough so that the audience could relate to her; and be different in little ways that makes people love and admire her. These cycles makes her common, thus relatable to the audience. Without going through common events in life, the character would seem distant and likeable to the audience. Similarly, when Emily said that she expects a man to be perfect, it makes her special. Wilder put in that scene because he believed that even though there is a basic image of an average person, to be truly average, the character must have a difference to separate the character from the crowd. If the character doesn't have any differences, then the character would be faceless; impossible for the character to take a major role in the play. Emily is portrayed uniquely in her own way, and yet is still within the boundaries of everyone else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The character Emily plays a crucial scene in the play, the part where Emily went back to her twelfth birthday. At first, Emily wanted to go back and relive the happiest day of her life, but Mrs. Gibbs stopped her and told her to visit a normal day instead. Mrs. Gibbs knew what would happen to Emily if she had relived a joyful day in her life. If Emily had went back to a special occasion, she would've been overwhelmed by the all the beauty that she didn't pay attention to. Therefore, Emily went to relive her twelfth birthday, but wasn't as happy as she thought she would have been.

Anglo-Saxon Values Essays -- essays research papers

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon and Middle Age periods the main characters always had a similar established value; honor. This value is prominent in Beowulf, â€Å"The Seafarer†, and The Canterbury Tales. Each of the main characters portray honor either to himself, his followers, his king, and/or his God. These poems are the different aspects of honor intertwined together to form the most prevailing value during this time frame.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf is a story of a brave warrior who fights Grendel in the timeless battle of good versus evil. This era was an age of fierce battles coupled with equally fierce honor and loyalty to rulers. â€Å"†¦He and all his glorious band of Geats thanked God that their leader had come back unharmed.† The author is referring to the universal devotion expr...

John Cover :: Biography

â€Å"Jack is an unsung hero. He did something great for the world, saved a lot of lives and prevented a lot of injuries,† said retired police captain, Greg Meyer (Jack Cover, page 1 of 3). Rick Smith, the chief executive and founder of Taser International, said in a statement,† Jack was one of the most influential inventors of modern times, who affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers, citizens, and even criminal suspects,† (Taser Inventor Dead at 88, page 2 of 4). From the quotes of these two men, it is clearly seen that John Cover did something tremendous that would affect the lives of thousands. Many people have never heard of this man, so they do not know what he invented. Well, this man invented the Taser, the non-lethal weapon that uses pulses of electrical current to disrupt the target’s ability to control his or her muscles† (John Cover: Inventor of the Taser, page 1 of 2). The term â€Å"open-minded† mean s, â€Å" Receptive to new ideas or to reason† (The American Heritage Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus, page 520). John Cover was an extremely open-minded inventor who kept an open mind to any new ideas he or his assistants came up with. John Higson Cover was born on April 6, 1920, in New York. Cover was later nick-named â€Å"Jack†, which was what most people came to know him by. Cover grew up in Chicago where his father was the Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5791955.ece). No other records of his parents or childhood were found. Cover then went to the University of Chicago, where he earned his PhD in physics ( www.timesonline.co). Cover began to invent things such as cooked food testers and voice activated switches in his spare time, early in his career (http://www.nbcfw.com/news/archive/Taser-Inventor-Dead-at-88.htmlcorder=reverse). Cover was a test pilot in the United Stated Air Force in World War II. In 1952-1964, Cover was employed by the American Aviation. Then, in 1970, Cover set up the Taser Systems Company (www.timesonline.co). No claimed religion was found. â€Å"Cover’s goal was to invent a non-lethal weapon to combat the plane hijackings and riots that were occurring in the 1960s,† said Rick Smith, chief executive and founder of Taser International (www.nbcfw.com). The battery operated Taser projects darts attached to insulated wires to give electric shocks over a range of a few meters (www.timesonline.co). Though it was designed to be a non-lethal weapon, the Taser has caused a few deaths (Jack Cover, Taser Inventor, page 1 of 4).

Dow’s Bid for Rohm and Haas Essay

Dow started as a manufacturer of commercial bleach in 1897, and was founded by Herbert Dow. He merged his company in 1900 with Midland Chemical, which lead to diversification of his portfolio to agricultural and food products. In 1912, Dow started to pay dividends every quarter without any reductions or interruptions. By doing so, they were the only Fortune 200 firm that established these figures. Dow became a major player in the M&a field, since they acquired between 1983 and 2007 95 business, took stakes in 58 firms and divested 166 businesses. In 2006, Dow’s CEO Andrew Liveris announced the ‘Dow of Tomorrow’ strategy, which consisted of two pillars. One was pursuing an asset light approach to its commodity business. In order to do so, he signed a JV agreement with a subsidiary of the Kuwait Petroleum Company, named Petroleum Industries Company. Dow and PIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which generated Dow a $7.2 billion after tax revenues. Second, Mr. Liveris wanted to build a high-growth and high-value added performance business. In order to achieve this objective, Dow agreed to purchase Rohm and Haas. This acquisition had the purpose for Dow to become a producer of high-value chemicals and advanced materials. Why does Dow want to buy Rohm and Haas? As mentioned in the introduction, CEO Andrew Liveris announced the ‘Dow of Tomorrow’ strategy. This included becoming a high growth and high-value added producer of specialty chemicals, with less cyclicality. Rohm and Haas fitted the picture perfectly, since they were an advanced material and specialty chemicals company, operating in 27 countries. Besides the interesting company profile description, there were several other reasons  why Dow was interested in the Rohm and Haas company. Most important reason was that the acquisition would make Dow reduce its cyclicality and increase its growth prospects. Expanded product portfolios, increased geographic market, improved market channels and innovative technologies will obtain the expected growth and cost synergies. Forecasts predict additional growth synergies values between $2.0 and $2.6 billion and $0.8 billion costs synergies, including shared services and governance, manufacturing, supply chain and work process improvements. Besides the above-mentioned advantages, Dow and Rohm could be a global leader in specialty chemicals and advanced materials if they combined forces. Also by combining their R&D, the development of new products and innovations could be stimulated. So overall, Rohm and Haas fitted the picture projected by Andrew Liveris perfectly. Rohm and Haas supported Dow’s commitment to maintain their highest standards in pursuing and selecting growth opportunities to satisfy their long-term shareholder values. Was $78 per share a reasonable bid? In order to draw a conclusion of the reasonability of the bid, we need to valuate Rohm and Haas as a firm with and without the synergies created by the acquisition. If this total value exceeds the $78 share price, Dow will pay the price, since it will be beneficial for them. The benefits of the synergies can be calculated by dividing it between the two firms on a multiple or 50/50 basis. The excel file attached to the assignment contained a WACC of 8,5% based on a tax rate of 35%. In our analysis, we also calculated a WACC with a tax rate of 26%, since this was the average tax rate. This leads to a WACC of 8,7%. As a basis, we took 2% growth. Rohm and Haas had at time of the acquisition 195,200,000 shares outstanding. From the balance sheet of Rohm and Haas 2008H1, we took the values of cash and debt (long and short term debt). Both inputs were needed in order to calculate the share price. Below, you can find how we calculated the share price for the situations with and without synergies. The synergies involved consist of two different types, namely growth and cost synergies. Growth synergies include expanded product portfolios, increased geographic reach, improved market channels and innovative technologies. These synergies are expected to create between 2 and 2.6 billion dollars, which gives an average of 2.3 billion. Second, potential cost synergies consist of purchasing synergies, shared services and governance, manufacturing & supply chain improvements and work process optimization. These synergies are expected to generate 0.8 billion dollar. The values of these synergies combined totals a 3.1 billion dollar gross benefit, which is a netted by deducting the 1.3 billion cost of implementation, leaving a value of 1.8 billion dollars. In order to make the most suitable valuation and draw the best conclusion for the reasonability of the share price of $78, we take the original and revised forecast into account. Both cases are also used for the sensitivity analysis to be as specific as possible. Below are the sensitivity analyses of Rohm and Haas for the original forecasts. Based on our assumptions, share price of Rohm and Haas is $55.79 without synergies and $65.01 with synergies. These values differ a little from the share price we found in our valuation analysis, however this is due to rounding and number of decimals difference in WACC and growth percentages. Lowest value without synergies is $47.10 with a growth of 1% and a WACC of 9% and a highest share price of $95.58 with a growth of 3% and a WACC of 7%. If we now look at the original forecast with synergies, we see an increased share price, which is logical, since value is created by the synergy. The share price of Rohm and Haas is $65.01 based on the growth rate of 2% and a WACC of 8.7%. The share price differ between lowest value of $56.32 and highest value of $104.80, based on the same input as with the analysis with no synergies. In both cases, the share price is below $78 so if Dow offers this price in both situations, the will not profit from this acquisition. However, we will still perform the 50/50 and multiples valuation in order to see which is the best in the situation if Dow is obliged to acquire Rohm and Haas. Looking at  case were synergies are created and using the 50/50 method, we get a share price of $55.79 + ($65.01 – $55.79)/2 = $60.4. As we already mentioned, this price does not match the $78. Now using the gross profit of Rohm and Haas as a percentage of the gross profit of both companies combined, we get a multiple of 26.11%. Using this 0,2611 multiple, the appropriate share price is $55.79 + (0,2611 * (65.01 – $55.79)) = $58.20 Again, this is below the share price of $78, which makes the outcomes of both methods unfavorable for Dow. Now let us look at the revised forecast. Since this is a post-crisis forecast, predictions were lowered, which lead to a lower overall value. Hence, this will be reflected in our sensitivity analysis by lower share prices. Below are our findings. As already predicted, share prices are lower in the revised forecast due to the crisis adjustments. For the sake of the case, we will also perform a 50/50 and multiples calculation. If we look at the 50/50 share price, we get a share price of $41.38 + ($50.60 – $41.38)/2 = $45.99. The multiples basis will give us a share price of $41.38 + (0,2661 * ($50.60 – $41.38)) = $43.79. Reviewing both forecasts and within these forecasts both with and without synergy, we can conclude that a share price of $78 is not reasonable. This conclusion holds in the case of 50/50 and multiples calculations. Major deals risks and allocation We will pay special attention to Exhibit 4 when examining the major risks and their respective allocations. The first risk comes from the item 1.01 describing the financing of the deal. Dow will issue a fixed amount of $4 billion in convertible preferred stocks to Berkshire, Hathaway and Kuwait Investment Authority. This amount is independent of the current stock price of Dow, meaning that a drop in Dow’s share price would need more shares to pay for the deal, decreasing the relative voting rights of current shareholders. To be even more precise, in paragraph 2.1a it states that no matter what happens Dow has to pay $78 dollar per share at the time of the merger, transferring all the financial  risk to Dow. Furthermore, a large part of the deal is financed with a $13 billion loan, issued by a consortium of 19 banks lead by Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, increasing their leverage ratio and overall risk of the company. These high debt values come with high interest payments, leaving fewer cash to meet its dividend obligations. In a possible economic downturn this problem becomes larger, increasing the probability of not meeting their dividend payments which have not been changed for over 97 years. A further interesting statement is the ticking fee to ensure the deal would close. When the deal is not closed before January 10, 2009, the payment per share will increase with 8% annually, translating to a higher deal price of approximately $3 million more per day until the deal is closed. In addition if the deal is not closed before October 10, 2009, Dow has to pay $750 million termination fee. This will, again, transfer all the risk to Dow if the deal cannot be closed before October 10, 2009. In paragraph 3.1 the Material Adverse Effect clause states that Dow is allowed to withdraw from the transaction if the business, operations or financial conditions of Rohm is hit by a material adverse effect. This seems fair but there is a large set of exceptions made in the clause for which Dow cannot withdraw from the transaction, including the following events: any event which affects the chemical industry, macro economy as a whole, the financial, debt, credit or security market, any decline in Rohm’s stock price or any failure to meet internal or published projections. So, in case of an economic downturn mainly Dow is affected and not Rohm. Roam and Haas are even protected from a decline in their share price. Thus, these statements will, again, transfer almost all the risk to Dow Furthermore, Dow takes on another risk by relying on the joint venture with Kuwait’s PIC to finance $7 billion of the deal. They do not take into account the possibility that this joint venture could fail due to i.e. a downturn in the overall economy. If it fails it leaves a gap of $7 billion in their financing plan, exposing Dow to even more risk. Finally, the overall high price and ticking clauses make it a risky deal when compared to the expected synergies. The probability of achieving all expected synergies is a magnitude smaller than the probability of high costs, which is certain. It leaves Dow exposed to a possibly large loss when the expected synergies are not met in the future. The only risk that Rohm and Haas face is the possible termination of the deal from their side if the deal is i.e. taking too long. They have to pay a $600 million termination fee if the decide to do so. Other than that, considering the mentioned risk allocations from above, the total risk of this deal is mainly resting on the shoulders of Dow Chemical. CEO recommendations To give a complete view of the options that both CEOs had at the time we will first describe the situation they were in.   Shortly after the deal announcement the financial crisis started, causing an overall recession including in the chemical industry. Dow was hit on many fronts: overall share prices dropped with over 50%, a fourth quarter loss of $1.6 billion, quarterly sales decline of 23% and a drop in operating rate to 44% in 2008. Forcing Dow to close off 20 facilities and firing over 5000 employees. Furthermore, after the joint venture deal was closed with KPC’s PIC, the failing oil prices and overall recession caused KPC to terminate the contract by paying a termination fee of $2.5 billion to Dow. This caused a gap in the financial plan for the merger for Dow, decreasing their stock price even further and degrading their rating to BBB. As mentioned before, Dow was not the only one affected by the economic recession. Rohm was facing a poor performance as well, forcing it to fire over 900 employees, freeze spending and a 20% decline in sales. Considering the above, Dow refused to close the deal with Rohm and Haas after approval from the European Commission and U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Arguing that the recent macro-economic developments are material adverse effects, enabling them to terminate the deal. Options and recommendation for Dow’s CEO, Andrew Liveris Considering the situation as described above, Liveris had three different options: continue with the termination of the deal, close the deal for $78 per share or renegotiate with Rohm and Haas to agree on different terms. If Dow continues to terminate the deal it will go to court for the approval by the judge. It needs to win in court otherwise Dow is forced to commit to the deal. Given the statements enclosed in the material adverse effect clause, the chances for Dow to win are pretty slim. If Liveris opts to close the deal for $78 per share he will need a lot of additional cash. Considering the economic situation, and the fact that the joint venture failed, acquiring this amount of additional cash will be very hard. The possibility to acquire more debt through the already existing bridge bank loan from 19 different banks is pretty small considering the low credit rating of BBB. If he does succeed in acquiring more debt he will probably not be able to meet the net-debt-to-total-capitalization restriction in the covenant. This is, according to the first loan of $13 billion, required to be lower than 65% which they will not be able to meet, thus not creating incentives for the banks to lend more money. Considering the above, terminating the deal will not be possible and closing the deal for $78 per share lacks financing. The best option Andrew Liveris thus has is to renegotiate the merger deal and buy some time. He will then be able to look for other sources of financing or renegotiate the already existing bank loan. One possible option could be to sue KPC for terminating the joint venture and claiming the $2.5 billion, which in turn could finance the termination fee. Considering that this will destroy the relationship between these two companies this would not be recommended. Options and recommendation for the CEO of Rohm and Haas, Raj Gupta The situation for Raj Gupta is a bit simpler: either sue Dow for not completing the deal or renegotiate with Dow to postpone the deal. Both having different advantages and disadvantages. The first option is to go to court and continue the case that Dow has to complete the deal or otherwise pay the termination fee. Considering the  exceptions stated in the material adverse effect clause that macro-economic effects and effect on the chemical industry in general are excluded from this clause, Gupta will have a strong case and is likely to prevail in court. Committing Dow to the deal or otherwise paying the termination fee of $750 million. The second option is to renegotiate the deal with Dow. The most important disadvantage considering this option is that it would almost certainly come to a deal which is less favorable for Rohm and Haas when compared to the original deal. Which term should be reconsidered? For example, a lower price per share would decrease the expected value for the shareholders. Shareholders will not vote for such a deal, especially the Haas family who owns 30% of the company and is waiting to exit for $78 a share. The only option, although shareholders will not be amused in the least, is to delay the due date of the deal, preserving the harmony between the companies. Even if Gupta will win in court, the possibility that the deal will go through considering the financing problems of Dow is still small. Rohm and Haas will in this case only receive the termination fee of $750 million. Gupta obviously wants the deal to go through and so do the shareholders of Rohm and Haas, enabling them to exit the company and receiving a high premium while doing so. Terminating the deal will negatively affect both companies and their shareholders. Therefore it would be better for Gupta to facilitate any possibility that the deal will go through, even implying a possible decrease in price per share. Our recommendation thus is to renegotiate the deal, making sure that it succeeds. The premium for the shareholders might be lower but both companies can benefit from the acquired synergies and shareholders can still opt to exit. Resolving the legal dispute Considering the above, it would have been in the best interest of both companies to renegotiate the deal. However, Rohm and Haas decided to continue their trail against Dow Chemicals. The judge will therefore make a decision based upon the facts presented to him. Based on the facts alone, the most likely option for me, William B. Chandler  the Third, Chancellor in the Delaware Court of Chancery, is to enforce the merger contract between the two parties. In particular, the specifics of the Material Adverse Effect clause in paragraph 3.1 state that the MAE clause does not include the following events: â€Å"any event which affects the chemical industry, macro economy as a whole, the financial, debt, credit or security market, any decline in Rohm’s stock price or any failure to meet internal or published projections.† To be more specific; the argument according to Dow that the recent material developments have created unacceptable uncertainties on the funding and economics of the combined enterprise, justifying the termination of the deal, is overruled by the ‘specific performance’ clause in paragraph 3.1. Therefore, the ‘specific performance’ clause, as requested by Rohm and agreed upon by Dow, is binding and hereby enforced. The merger will be executed as planned. Dow will have several different options to solve the financing issue, cutting dividends, renegotiating debt and other means to generate cash could be used. If the deal is not closed before January 10, 2009, as stated in the contract, Dow will pay a ticking fee of 8% per annum. Dow should have been more careful drawing up the contract as it is signed and before me today. Since the possibility of an economic downfall is especially stated in the deal clause, I will make no exception and hereby conclude that the Dow will meet all deal requirements as stated in the contract. Every penny has to sides, if you risk it, you could lose it. Thank you. *slams the hammer*