Foreign Labor in the Arab Gulf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foreign Labor in the Arab Gulf - Essay Example Their numbers only increased over the years. The capital rich countries possessed the resources, and labor rich countries possessed the needed skilled workers. Despite the economic benefits, the largest disadvantage has been the overwhelming share of foreign labor on the labor markets of GCC, retarding the development of indigenous labor. Presence of foreign labor increased to dramatic levels in some Gulf countries. Natives of Kuwait, Qatar and UAE have become minorities as a result of the increase in the number of foreigners in their countries (Khalaf & Alkobaisi, 1999, p.272). UAE is the extreme case. it was estimated in the 1990’s that â€Å"nationals constituted only 10-20% of the total population (Heard-Bey, 1997), and only 10% participation in the total labour force (Al-Mansour, 1996)† (Khalaf & Alkobaisi, 1999, p.272). According to Kapiszewski (2006), â€Å"[t]he population in the current GCC states has grown more than eight times during 50 years; to be exact, from 4 million in 1950 to 40 million in 2006† (p.2). The only GCC countries that managed to retain low levels of foreign labor are Oman and Saudi Arabia, at 20 and 27 percent respectively (Kapiszewski, 2006, p.2). The flow has been from labor rich to capital rich countries. Oil rich countries have low population levels. On the other hand, oil poor countries in the region have large populations. Such countries in the 1970’s were Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, Jordan and Syria (â€Å"Migrant Workers,†1982, p. 530 – 31). Countries such as Egypt had more experienced labor than countries such as Kuwait, but the latter experienced labor demand (â€Å"Migrant Workers,†1982, p. 530 – 31). As a result, labor supply from other countries increased in the oil rich countries. In 1975, Saudi Arabia hosted 773,400 migrant workers, Libya 332,400, the UAE 251,500, and Kuwait 208,000 (â€Å"Migrant Workers,†1982, p. 530 – 31). In 2004, there were 6,144,236 foreign migrants in Saudi Arabia, then 1, 707,000 in Kuwait and

What determines the distrbution of income between wages and profits Essay

What determines the distrbution of income between wages and profits - Essay Example Consequently, the wages paid to the workers in the cinema theatre would reduce. An opposite scenario in this context would be that if the public transport is privatized, the wages paid to the bus conductors would possibly increase. 2. The bargaining power of the workers is another significant factor that plays a role in the determination of distribution of income between wages and profits. The point to be noted here is that bargaining power of the work force can be more important than their productivity. 3. Profits not only depend on the macro factors such as the country’s economy but they also depend on the cost of production which can be company/industry specific. For instance, some companies who believe in excellence would spend a lot on innovation, resulting into low cost of production and high profits. This could also result into high wages. 4. The wages paid would also depend on the size of the company and industry. If the company is growing in size, the wages paid would be high; similarly wages are of growing nature in sunrise industries. Companies who have maintained oligopoly in the market can also afford to pay high wages. 5. Fields such as Information technology and Finance are of revolutionary and innovative nature, so we find wages to be very high in these fields. Similarly companies in any industry such as biotechnology, weapons manufacturing and aerospace that are of innovative nature can afford to pay high wages to the workers. 6. Another important factor is the distinction between skilled and unskilled workers. Skilled workers certainly get paid more than unskilled workers. The point to be noted here is that skilled workers enable the company to make more profits. 7. Referring to the above point again, we can also conclude that skilled/unskilled workers working in the specialty and niche areas will be paid more than

Secularism And Its Effect On Society Religion Essay

Secularism And Its Effect On Society Religion Essay Secularism is the separation of state and religion. It is the exclusion or rejection of religion from political or civil affairs of the state. Being an ancient belief of some ancient Greek and Roman philosophers like Marcus Aurelius it has developed and expanded to reach different corners of the world. However, the term secularism is relatively new as it was first mentioned or coined by the British writer George Holyoake in 1851. In the 1700s different writers and philosophers of the Enlightenment Age had proposed its application in society. High Renaissance authors also gave rise to secularism and idealism in their works formed from Classicism, but it was mostly in historical rather than artistic and architectural works. Thus, secularism was formally born or started during the Renaissance but found a sure footing in the 18th century during the Age of Reason. The concept and its application grew stronger with the French revolution carrying until today. The most secular states in cont emporary times have more than doubled the number of non-secular states. However, some secular states do not apply it fully and still observe some religious idiosyncrasies like holidays. Some states, however, do not have a defined state religion because of different practices of a large number of its citizens. For example, Nigeria has Islam, Christianity and other Traditional religions but not as much as the first two- as the official religions of the nation. The entire nation observes both Islamic and Christian holidays and puts aside money in its budget for different purposes for this religion. Hence, secularism has had a boost in the last two to three centuries. Since its emergence, religion holds the role or status as the basis for law and all other legalities. It is the sole source of law and everyone is expected to obey its rules and regulations and failure to do so results in punishment of the guilty person or persons by religious decree. Therefore, the proper role of religion in every society is to lay down the rules or laws to be followed by every member. It also encompasses the entire life of a person, from his or her birth, daily activities and even to demise and further. Religion is absolute i.e. it is a divine decree from the Almighty. Europe was widely Roman Catholic Christians due to the Roman conquerors of the Dark and Middle Ages. Europe was a very religious continent. Hence, religion was the law putting the church over even the ruling Monarchs and nobles. However, this arrangement depended on the country and sometimes changed according to the ruler. For example, King Richard the Lion Heart of England was a strong catholic and a leader of the crusades therefore, had a good standing with the church while his brother John also known as John Lackland who became king after him did not. Pope Innocent II excommunicated him due to a dispute between them on who was to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Because the olden Norman and Angevin kings of England had had considerable influence with the church, he also assumed he could. However, the church triumphed and he kept on paying the church compensation money for some time. Thus, religious rules have been around for a long time due to religion and its willing followers. It can also be seen from the time of its emergence and evolution from animism to polytheism and finally monotheism, all religions allow for the belief in a power or deity that sets rules. These rules have been sometimes to the advantage of society and at other times to its detriment. For instance, in pre-Christian Rome, human sacrifice or bloodshed is said to be the bringer of the gods and goddesses mercy on the people of Rome. Human sacrifice brought about rainfall, good harvest and abundant wealth. Thus, it brought about the birth of the gladiators and their legendary fights to please the deities. Another example would be the Indian sacrifice of a widow on her dead husbands funeral pyre or later times the end of her social life and she is considered a bad luck charm for anyone. Thus, religion compelled society to either kill these widows or cut them off from society and force them to l ive together without support, wearing only white and selling their bodies to feed themselves most of the time. Some religions even support and approve of incest especially brother-sister incest which can be seen in Egyptian, Japanese and Chinese royal families of the olden days. Hence, the proper role of religion in society is to arrange and bring order not chaos to religion. But for the most part, Europe engaged in wars between its countries due to religion sacrificing thousands of lives to its cause. For example, the Crusades that were undertaken three times by different countries that threw all of their money into them by heavily taxing their people to finance wars which were lost in the end. Some countries, like England and France never recovered fully from this economical sacrifice which can be said the evolutions in both these countries because of poor standard of living. State religion in France after the revolution gave way to state atheism which promoted the suppression of religion. It is paramount to understand that secularism promotes religious freedom while keeping it from influencing its laws while atheism does not support the practice of religion at all. In modern or contemporary times, secularism is more popular because it promotes equality of religions before the law and can quell accusation of favoritism towards one religion. However, in communist states state atheism is promoted. The modern world should not abandon or relegate religion to the side as it is being done in most modern states. It is a given that some states have more than one major religions to consider. This might a present a problem to most states when it comes to law making. However in Nigeria, the law makers have done a good job inculcating its major religions i.e. Islam and Christianity with great results. The country also recognizes other practices of the less populated traditional religions accepting some things like marriage, paternity and adoption without a need for a legal representative at the time. It can be said that religion threw Europe in to a state of war, but it cannot be refuted that it also brought about stability at the time of its emergence in Europe. However, most people especially the philosopà ©s like Denis Diderot rejected the idea of God making religion synonymous to societies sufferings. He wrote an essay about a dying blind professor, Lettre sur les aveugles, in which he promoted his ideology. It is believed Diderots sisters death in a convent where she was a nun contributed to his dislike of religion. Thus, it can be seen that sufferings of people of the poor at the hands of the church led to many Europeans acceptance of atheism. On the other hand, it most states that have a single religion as its state religion and being non-secular have a relatively calm and orderly society. For example, the Middle Eastern states that use Islam as their official religion use the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as their law. Although there is crisis in the Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates enjoy a peaceful social and economical life which orderly and chaos-free. The separation of religion and state laws both has its advantages and disadvantages. It is still an ongoing debate on whether its benefits outweigh its shortcomings. If state is separated from religion, laws will have no direct religious influence. Man made religious rules saying is not the law. Tolerance of other religions will be developed. Nepotism and segregation or prejudice due to religious difference will greatly reduce. The state will not add religious expenses to its budget leaving it with more funds to pursue other state matters or problems. Atheist can also be tolerated and their views heard. Freedom of expression is greatly promoted in these societies. Democracy is also promoted. On the other hand, if state is not separate from religion it will incur extra expenses. There is less tolerance of other religions and their practice as can be seen in places like Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Yemen and Israel to a great extent towards Muslims. Religious sayings are considered as law. Atheism as well as bad mouthing the religion will be considered heresy and might even be punishable by death as seen during the churchs powerful hold in Europe. However, some of the advantages above can also turn into these disadvantages while some of the disadvantages turn into advantages. For example, tolerance of atheism can lead to its widespread and the decline in religion as evidenced in Europe with the advent of atheistic Enlightened philosophers. Although there was no tolerance in most countries, the Netherlands allowed these people to publish most of their works and in doing so helped the spread of atheism. Democracy can be said to be highly overrated because most states practicing it can also infringe on the rights of others and not tolerate their religious freedom. For example, the law that was passed in France by President Nicholas Sarkozy to prevent Muslim women from covering their head infringed on their freedom of religion and expression. So also were the punishments administered by most churches in early Europe which sometimes involved stoning or beheading depending on the magnitude of the sin in the churchs eyes. However, th ese rights later left the hands of the churches and transferred to the feudal lords who still took advices from their assigned priests. This however, seemed to lessen the punishment taking it away from women and children but mostly between men and their feudal lords. However, a more prominent example of non-separation problems can be seen with the popes of the Renaissance era in Italy. Their frivolous and sybaritic lifestyle damaged the image of religion and gave it no credence in the eyes of the believers. They didnt care for their people and mostly left them to suffer. Another example is the era of the Plantagenet Kings of England. All of these kings made England a very poor and unhappy country by taxing its people heavily and constant engagement in wars that were mostly petty and selfish. Further, Philip II launched a naval attack on England because of religion and without a thought to his people and their livelihood cut down Spains forests to build his ships led to the economic decline of Spain which was once had a robust economy. Thus, by separating or not separating religion and state, chaos occurs. Nonetheless, it is wiser to keep religion as a basis for law making. Divine messages if followed adamantly lead to peace not anarchy as can be seen in Saudi, U.A.E, Qatar, Brunei and others. Secularism in contemporary world has led to decline in before highly valued morals. Nowadays, sexual relationships are openly carried out i.e. a couple can move in together with the knowledge with both their parents and other people in society. On the other hand, non-secular and Old Europe frowned upon something like this. Fornication and adultery are seen as a sin from a religious point of view everywhere in the world. Although, the monarchs and aristocrats still indulged in the pleasures of the flesh and the priests and society look the other way as long as they are discreet for instance Henry VII with his six wives and countless mistresses. However, this example is unique to those societies that at the time were not very religious, frivolous and at times chaotic. For example, Italian renaissance that was characterized with frivolity and worldly pursuits because of they were not practicing religious sayings. This era can be identified with one of Europes most scandalous and licentious relationships and lots of unmarried mothers who suffered greatly. Synonymously, in the modern world, the Western world is highly secular and as such it also faces the problem of teenage pregnancy, unmarried single mothers living in poverty, high divorce rates, and numerous cases of infidelity and so on. However, after the wave of frivolity during the renaissance had been cleared by Paul III and hid successors, the enlightenment age brought with it a new wave of low moral standards. It can be seen from the 18th to the 19th century how extra-marital affairs became almost legalized. A wife was mainly the means to an heir. She was required to be faithful to her husband until she has given him an heir so that there will be no contest as to who the childs father was. S he can then have her affairs as long as she was discreet while the husband also has his own mistresses and affairs. Thus, bastard children belonging to the nobles and aristocrats were very high in number with a great many of the sons given titles while the daughters are at most times educated. All these eras though accepting of these low moral values make social pariahs out of its practitioners. Thus, secularism might promote or develop individuals to be independent but it does not protect them from the harsh realities of life. A religious and orderly society do not have such problems, although they do occur but not in such high numbers as in secular states. For example, the Puritans live their lives simply though of modern times, they do not believe in worldly pleasures. Moreover, the rate of suicide is seen to be much higher in secular states. There may be religious sacrifices as in the widow burning in Hinduism or stoning in Islam, it however, does not claim as many lives as suicide in the Western secular states. Furthermore, both of the aforementioned practices have falling into disuse while suicide is the most upcoming and pressing problem of deaths in secular societies. Having lived in a non-secular society where religion governs our day to day lives. I have witnessed how religious sayings from God can be turned and manipulated to suit the needs of men. In my opinion, secularism is a good idea but it also doesnt get to be practiced the way it is supposed to be. For example, recently the French government although calling itself secular passed a bill to stop women or specifically Islamic women from covering their faces. It is perfectly allowed to sanction those that refuse to show their faces for security reasons, but why persecute all on the basis of a notion or what a minority does? It goes to show that both secular and non-secular states need to work on where they stand in the modern world. Times have changed since people will take in stride what the state dictates. As it can be witnesses in France, although women are being sanctioned and charged, they still defiantly wear their head covering. To them, their veil is and identity of who they are an d what they represent as Muslim women. The French government will do well to learn from past mistakes of imposing sanctions on their people and its end results i.e. the revolution. I believe that religion plays a role in society that can be at most positive and sometimes negative. However, both sides can be argued according to ones own point of view. For an academic (western education), socialist or scientific point of view religion has more negative than positive sides. For example, gender inequality, female education and sacrificial roles to make someone give up his/her life. On the other hand, theologians or religious scholars will give credit to the positive side of religion for bringing about peace, tranquility and fairness. For instance, Islam in Arabia pulled the people out of ignorance or Jahiliyyah as the period is known to a blissful time of peace and love for all. Further, in the Christian and Islamic books i.e. the Bible and Quran respectively, stories showcased the way religion brought the people peace and escape from harsh and ruthless rulers as in the stories of Moses, Abraham and Jesus. Hence, the amalgamation of these two views still proves to be futile. To my understanding, until these two opposing point of views are united, secularism cannot and will not be practiced to everyones satisfaction. Democracy cannot be practiced fully without any partisan influence from religious groups either. The 9/11 attacks claimed by the Taliban are now being seen as attacks orchestrated by Jews and some say by the American government itself. President George Bush, the former president was said to be a member of a religious groups that rule America between themselves thus, eliminating any trace that all past democratic rulings were fair. Current president Barack Obama also hit a brick wall during his campaign for the post. Because of his Muslim-like name and his roots, he was considered a Muslim posing as a Christian to get Islam to rule America. This influenced so many people not to vote him fairly based on a judgment of his character. By separating religion and state, the deed has only fueled the widening gap between the two most dominant religions in the world ergo in America too. Schools do not teach their pupils much about religion; hence, they come out with a jaundiced view created by the media. Most politicians also do not hide their distaste for other religions as can be seen by Sarah Palin and her anti-Islamic sentiments. European history in its course from the ancient Greeks to the Romans to the Celts and the Vikings to Feudal systems and absolutist Monarchies and finally to the arrival of constitutional monarchy and democracy has shaped the world to what it is today. The West is the way it is thanks to these people who lived hundreds of years ago. But sadly, the world is yet to open their eyes and learn from past mistakes. European history in its course has shown us how absolutism or dictatorships can crumble in mere days when the people revolt. But the lure of power is too much for most leaders that they forget the past and only indulge in the present and paint and plan a happy future. This can be witnessed in the recent wave of unrest passing through some of the North African and Middle Eastern countries. The leaders of these countries had been there since kingdom come but are not ready to lose that power they hold so in their grip. It took a revolution for most of these rulers to surrender and st ep aside; however, some refuse like Libyan and Yemenis presidents. In my opinion, it all comes down to greed and the lust for power. The characteristics of these people can be witnessed from other historical figures like Napoleon I of France, John I of England, Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Philip II of Spain and others. Most of these leaders thirst and lust for power led to their ultimate downfall most especially Napoleon and his quest to create an empire for himself all over Europe. In conclusion, I believe secularism is only applicable to some states while in others it can never be well implemented. To my understanding, African countries like Nigeria cannot function well under secular rule because of the various religious groups in the country. Other places that witness Islam as the dominant religion can never use secularism to govern a state. Islam itself brings an entire system of the way a state under Islamic rule is supposed to function. It can be seen that most of these Middle Eastern states have flourished under this system. For Christianity, I believe the Vatican is a typical example of a religious state being ruled by a religious system that works pretty darned good. The Pope as its head and the people under him are leaving in a peaceful and non-hectic environment. However, the Christian world (West) has learned another lesson from European history of Christian wars and its rules. Therefore, it is wary of going back for seconds after breaking away and f orming other views that do not conform to the Catholic Church. As the saying goes once bitten twice shy so also do most Christians feel they cannot go back under influence and rule by the Church. But most of all European history, especially the Enlightenment age has left its mark on history by advocating atheism. As some figures and statistics show, the world religions are declining in number as more and more people stop believing in God. Atheism has spread its wings to touch every corner of the world not only the west but Asia and Africa, two of the most religious continents in the world. Hence, most people believe the growing rate of atheism should be synonymous with secularism so as to create a balance between the believers and the non-believers. However, I believe only time will tell what is the right path for us to follow and bring peace and harmony to our otherwise chaotic world.

Biggers Self Realization in Native Son Essay -- Native Son Essays

Bigger's Self Realization in Native Son      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although today we live in a nation, which has abolished slavery, the gap between the whites and the blacks during the early stages of America's development has plainly carried into the present.   In Native Son, author Richard Wright illustrates this racial gap, in addition to demonstrating how white oppression upon blacks is capable of producing revengeful individuals, not to mention being an immoral act in itself.   Bigger Thomas is one of those individuals, who discovers his capacity to rebel through acts of murder against the white society, which has for long oppressed his family, friends, and himself.   By tracing Bigger's psyche from before the murder of Mary Dalton, into the third book of the novel, and into the subconscious depths of the final scene, the development of Bigger's self realization becomes evident.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An entire period of Bigger's life, up until the murder of Mary Dalton, portrays him under a form of slavery, where the white society governs his state of being.   While he worked for the Daltons, "his courage to live depended upon how successfully his fear was hidden from his consciousness"(44), and hate also builds on top of this fear.   Once he is in contact with Mary, his fears and hate pour out in a rebellious act of murder, because to Bigger Mary symbolizes the white oppression.   In addition, he committed the act, "because it had made him feel free for the first time in his life"(255).   At last he feels he is in control of his actions and mentality.   He rebels against the burden of the white man's torment.   He had "been scared and mad all . . . [his] life... ... between Bigger and Max.   Consequently, from this study of Bigger's psyche, it is evident that the "Bigger That Might Have Been" is basically: 'a decent man'; such a result to become of Bigger, however, may only occur if Bigger's father was present, his family was not so impoverished, or even if he had maintained his job working honestly for the Daltons.   To produce the "Bigger That Might Have Been," slavery should never have occurred!    Sources Cited and Consulted Collier-Thomas, John; et al. Chronology of the Civil Rights Movement. Chicago, IL: Henry Holt & Company, Inc., January 2000. Neskahi, Arlie. "Anger Cycle Model." February 2003, 1998. http://www.rainbowwalker.com/anger/cycle.html Wright, Richard. Native Son. 1940. New York, NY: First Perennial Classics, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, 1998.   

Im Not Scared Essay

â€Å"Poverty is the mother of crime. † (Marcus Aurelius) Contrary to the chrome yellow of the boundless wheat fields is the darkness of poverty in which the hamlet of Acqua Traverse is wreathed. Niccolo Ammanity consummately describes the pervasive poverty of the place â€Å"forgotten by God and man† throughout this enthralling novel â€Å"I’m not scared†. The villagers do not only fall victim to poverty, but also to the subsequent fears with which they are afflicted after committing the crime – kidnapping a boy of a wealthy family and holding him to ransom. Fears are correspondingly intertwined with the villagers; they play a tremendous role in the adults’ actions and motivations and become one of the primary themes of this novel. The most palpable fear of the adults in the novel is the fear of being apprehended and incarcerated as they have done such a sordid deed – kidnapping a boy. Therefore, extreme poverty and the yearning to get out of the current life from which the kidnap springs from can be deemed as the roots of the most significant fear in â€Å"I’m Not Scared†. In 1978 Acqua Traverse was so small that it was practically non-existent. † This statement of Michele, to some extent, depicts the penury which the villagers undergo. Apart from the formidable palace of the Scardaccione family, there are four drab little houses. The situation of Michele’s family is illustrative of the appalling poverty of the hamlet. To exemplify this, his father has to leave the house quite often to seek emplo yment in the North and that is where he meets Sergio – head of the â€Å"culprits†. The villagers have been so disenchanted with their quality of life of Acqua Traverse that they later allow their voraciousness for materials to override their sense of morality and societal values. All in all, the most significant fear – fear of being brought to justice – arises out of the extreme poverty that the villagers are confronting. The degree of fear amongst the villagers varies throughout the novel; sometimes fears appear vaguely, sometimes discernibly. Interestingly, the volatility of fear seems to parallel the intensity of the story; when fear reaches its peak, the novel enthrallingly absorbs the readers in its flow of events. Fears appeared from the first few pages of the novel: â€Å"At Acqua Traverse the grown-ups didn’t leave the houses till six in the evening. They shut themselves up indoors with the blinds drawn. † This suggests the villagers have already kidnapped Filippo and are striving to remain aloof from the outside world in the daytime and from justice, that is, they are aware that the deed they just did is morally erroneous. This awareness is metaphorically expressed through the rigors of the drought which the villagers are experiencing. The sun took away your breath, your strength, your desire to play, everything. And it was just unbearable at night. â€Å"Furthermore, the villagers’ fear that the poverty of Acqua Traverse has foreclosed the future of their children takes the form of maternal affection. â€Å"Mama curled up beside me and whispered in my ear, ‘when you grow up you must go away from here and never come back. ’ Even Mama – a passive pa rticipant in the kidnap – realizes the depraved things the adults are conspiring and does not want this trauma to afflict her children. There are some other less significant fears throughout the novel such as Papa’s fear towards the old man Sergio, Felice’s fear of the ferocity of Mama when she spares no effort to protect Michele, to name but a few. Fear reaches its climax when the helicopters comb the hamlet and its periphery for the boy. The villagers acknowledge they are on the verge of being apprehended by the police. â€Å"The grown-ups stayed at Salvatore’s house all evening†¦ They were shouting so loud that they woke us up. We had grown used to all sorts of things. Nocturnal meetings, noise, raised voices, broken plates, but now they were shouting too much. † Hence, it can be observed that notwithstanding the unceasing fluctuations of their degree, fears are omnipresent in every nook and cranny of Acqua Traverse. Dorothy Thompson once said: â€Å"The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness. † Not only do fears render the villagers of Acqua Traverse more belligerent and inhumane, they also divest the villagers of their ability to think and act in a rational demeanor as an ordinary person normally does. Papa made the scissors sign with his fingers. ‘Two ears we’ll cut off. Two. ’ Papa who always treats his children with paternal affection and tenderness now turns out to be a vicious man ready to do harm to a child when the deal is not reached. The readers no longer see Papa saying â€Å"Don’t you kiss me, you’re all dirty. If you want to kiss your father, youà ¢â‚¬â„¢ve got to wash first†. A ruthless’ bogeyman’ that ‘comes out and takes the children away and sells them to gypsies’ appears in lieu (although at the end of the novel Papa somehow strives to redeem the physiological trauma he has caused to Michele). Perhaps Michele hopes that all these things are merely in a moment of aberration; unfortunately, after falling victim to poverty and its subsequent fears as mentioned above, the villagers have drastically turned into different people from whom they used to be. By way of contrast, Michele’s ways to overcome fears and to perceive surrounding things are seemingly rather constructive and far from naive. As the story intensifies, Michele’s fears are heightened and his innocence simultaneously irretrievably crumbles away; nonetheless, he succeeds in dealing with these fears more precociously and rationally, unlike the adults. To recapitulate, fear serves as one of the primary themes of the novel ‘I’m not Scared’; it originates in the indigence that the villagers of Acqua Traverse are going through and its degree varies throughout the story paralleling the intensity of the plot. Fears are also employed by Niccolo Ammanity to delineate the villagers’ state of mind and to bear stark contrast to the protagonist of the novel, Michele. The dubiously mundane life at Acqua Travers is none but a veneer; at night that veneer breaks and reveals a world of criminals, of inconceivably horrendous deeds, of ruptures of relationships and faiths and of inhumanity. And prevail in that world, fears †¦ Residual vestiges of affection and loyalty evaporates when ‘evil gleam’ => loyalty irrevocably and irreparably crumbles away => Michele opts for Filippo, for his sense of morality and justice in lieu of his father. Michele’s loyalty to his family manifests itself in a variety of ways: sister (take charge of his sister: hand in hand. We went home), submissiveness towards his mom, irately protect his mom when she is assaulted by Felice. His loyalty initially coerced him into unceasingly seeking palatable grounds for his parents not involving in the kidnap of Filippo. => his brother

Corporate University in China Essay

The concept of corporate university (CU) in China is a recent phenomenon although it existed more than eight decades in the western world. Literature reviews indicate that CU is an independent professional-managed entity proactively providing learning intervention in the workplace. With the ownership of the corporation, CU embedded culture and optimized learning through commitment to strategic intent in order to meet organizational objectives. The concept of â€Å"training† has to be redefined. The major key role of CU is to facilitate both individuals and organization to become â€Å"efficient learner† in order to maintain competitiveness in the ever-changing of business environment. Since the start of economic reform in 1978, the Chinese economy has enjoyed a dramatic growth. In 2002 alone, China attracted over US$52.7 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), surpassing the US. The drastic economic growth and the fundamental structural change in China as a result of government policies, globalization and technological advances will continue to drive the demand for training and competency development. Both local and foreign-invested corporations seek the CU concept as the strategic solution. There are many reasons for corporations establish CU; however, the primary one is to facilitate corporate objectives and support business strategies. Studies on HRM suggest different models vary across different countries. A direct copy from western model might cause ineffective and inefficient. A comprehensive understanding on the CU meaning, how it operates, and its roles are important. In addition, consideration of local elements is necessary in adopting CU in China. Major Chinese characteristics with current corporate situation and issues should be identified. Evidences support that the Chinese contextual variables and their CU motives impact the strategies and development of CU in China. Adapted from Prince & Beaver’s conceptual CU Wheel model, a priori China CU framework encompassed the unique characteristics of China is formulated in an attempt to describe the key functions that an â€Å"ideal† type of CU in China should perform. Based on the theoretical assumptions, the four core subsystems include learning and teaching process, networks and partnership, accreditation system, and marketing process constitute the main elements of the CU process. They work collaboratively with the common goal of supporting business goals and strategies. The two cultural elements, â€Å"guanxi† and â€Å"mianzi†, work as catalyst or lubricator to enhance the effectiveness and coordination. The priori CU framework brings new insight to the CU development in China. Research is performed to test the relevance of this framework across the three major forms of ownership. To achieve the research objectives, an exploratory and descriptive approach is used. This study adopts a qualitative case-methodology based on the in-depth interviews, previously collected data through questionnaires and documentary analysis. The three study cases include: 1. Taikang Business University (TBU) – a joint-venture enterprise with foreign investment; 2. Motorola University, China (MUC) – a wholly foreign-owned multi-national corporation (MNC); 3. X Academy, a state-owned enterprise (SOE) To delimit the study, each case covers background information, its objectives and roles, core portfolio, and the relevance of the priori framework. Challenges and issues of each case organization are addressed as well. A cross-case analysis of the three case organizations is used to identify the similarities and differences. The diffusion of CU practices varies with the investment form and the foreign equity stake. The study provides evident that both the MNC and joint venture case organizations with foreign investment are more mature in their CU process. The integration and coordination of the four core processes that constitute the priori CU framework are strongly evident. A hybrid model of CU practices is adopted with the convergence of practices from the parent country operation and the divergence of practices for the China context. On the other hand, the CU development of the SOE case is less developed. It can be explained that most of SOEs in China lack western management know-how and resources. Some CU sub-processes or practices of the priori CU framework are either missing or too weak in the SOE case. It has been facing problems at the CU evolution. Misconception on training, lack of support from upper management, lack of CU understanding, unable to demonstrate the CU value, ineffective learning process, and the cultural gap are the major issues and challenges for CUs in China. Improvements have to be made before CU can really take off in organizations in China. Recommendations with reference to the priori CU framework are made. Additional comments on CU strategies are given for local enterprises and the foreign-invested organization. It is evident that some CUs such as Motorola University China (MUC) perform a range of strategic functions in China. Among all, it can be summarized into two major categories: developing people and developing business. Although developing people is the most common motive for the CU establishment, the CU strategic orientation towards market-driven and profit-driven is more evident and justifiable to most Chinese enterprises. The CU strategies and practices are highly influenced by the political, economic and cultural characteristics of China. It would be difficult to apply a single CU model to all CU phenomena. Despite the limitation, the priori CU framework can still be used as a tool to describe the current situation in the CU scene in China. It encompasses the unique characteristics of China CU, capable of providing the direction to the CU operations and practices. This research raises a number of issues upon which subsequent research efforts can be expended as follow: 1. Besides the forms of ownership, other company variables such as the industry types, leadership style, corporation sizes, and corporate culture might affect the CU development and practices. Further, the CU strategies and practices are highly influenced by the political, economic and cultural characteristics of China. To what extent these contextual variables influence the CU adoption in China? 2. The major motive for local enterprises to establish CU is to drive corporate-wide initiative, reinforcing and perpetuating behavior towards internationalization. So how do the local corporations, particularly state-owned enterprise, change their traditional view to more global perspective in order to run a successful CU? 3. Different foreign-invested corporations adopt different local strategy. Some focus on globalizing the China operation whilst others prefer to adopt a complete localization approach. Does the local strategy adopted by the foreign-invested corporation affect the CU strategy and development? 4. The dynamic business environment in China creates a constant change phenomenon in corporate strategies. How does CU support the changing corporate strategies and maintain its agility? How does CU demonstrate its value in China? With a large population, fast and rapid growing economy and constant improvement of its people’s living standard, corporations in China enjoy tremendous market potentials. CU definitely has an important role in China. However, a successful CU requires continuously learning and self-reflective. The evolution of CU involves ongoing values, trust, respect, commitment, integrity and enthusiasm. The priori CU framework, to a certain extent, can be used as a tool to explain the current situation in the CU scene in China. With more understanding on the CU practices and development in China, it will benefit both organization decision makers and educational providers to evaluate their responses to what is clearly a growing phenomenon.