Danger, Death, Boredom and Reporting from Iraq Essay

The war in Iraq is arguably the most significant news story of our time; a relentless show of bloody violence that has dragged on for six years and claimed thousands of civilians’ and foreigners’ lives. Unfortunately, it is perhaps the most underreported war at least in certain inside story aspects due to the danger that its bloody violence poses on journalists. It is not easy to be a news reporter in Iraq. While many of them make a valiant attempt to penetrate the most dangerous turfs and report the real story, only a few of them manage- and live to tell the tale. As the war progresses, foreigners –majority of who are journalists- have increasingly become the prime target of the militia. For years, Iraq has been ranked by the Committee to Protect Journalists as the deadliest place for the media to work in worldwide- and the figures are telling. As of 2007, a total of 133 media support workers and journalists had lost their lives; 83% of them locals who were linked to the Western media. Fast forward to 2009 and the figures are likely to be higher than that. The most disturbing fact about these deaths is that the journalists are not hapless victims caught in a cross fire but are actually the targets of these attacks. While some journalists, especially those embedded in the US and British armies are killed in combat, murder remains the leading cause of death for journalists in Iraq (Ricchiardi, 2007). Cockburn (2007) has noted that due to the difficulty faced by journalists in unearthing and reporting the real story, it is easy for politicians to say anything they want, usually to their advantage and get away with it since the truth cannot be established. This is very frustrating for journalists since they cannot verify the real situation on the ground without risking their lives; essentially they cannot do their work. The main reason why journalists have become the prime targets is because they are regarded as spies out to collect information for the enemy camp. Unfortunately, the nature of the journalism trade requires them to actually be in the field where the crossfire is taking place and to constantly expose themselves to danger in an attempt to get an inside story. Thus they have been felled by bullets, roadside bombs, rockets or they have been kidnapped for ransom. Some of those kidnapped have ended up being beheaded. Undoubtedly, urgent steps have to be taken to protect the lives of journalists. Some media houses have taken great lengths to protect their correspondents by offering them tight security while on the ground but even then, it is not a guarantee that they are fully protected and an ambush is always lurking somewhere. Thus other media companies have pulled out altogether with some opting to use local correspondents who stand a slightly better chance of security than their foreign counterparts (Cockburn, 2007). The Iraqi war started in earnest and for months on end dominated the newsrooms as dramatic events such as the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein unfolded. However, even the most sensational story loses its luster with time and the Iraq war is no exception. Having dragged on for years and with no end in sight, it slowly slipped into oblivion as journalists tired of reporting the same old bloody story and the public grew numb to the coverage. A study by the Project of Excellence in Journalism reveals falling Iraq news coverage, 24% to 1%, by cable networks. Print media have also reduced coverage, from 457 stories related to Iraq as of September 2007 to 49 as of March 2008. Clearly, interest in the Iraq coverage seems to be declining. This has been attributed to several factor such as the danger faced by journalists in Iraq, declining budgets in the face of high maintenance costs for Iraq correspondents, competing stories and war fatigue (Ricchiardi, 2008). Personally, I tired of following the Iraq war coverage quite a while back. This is because there is nothing new. Day in day out, we listen to the same old bloody story and sadly, we have become used to it. With no end in sight, I have had found myself letting go of the Iraq war and shifting focus to other events. Maybe it is time for the U. S government and its army to do the same.

Daiwa Bank

A Case Study| | Background and History Daiwa Bank, or Osaka Nomura Bank as it was first called, was founded in 1918 in Osaka, Japan by Tokushichi Nomura. It was created mainly to take advantage of the new capital Japan had amassed from foreign commercial ventures and domestic industrialization. Its securities division experienced huge growth in volume and profits that it almost functioned as different entity. Japanese industry spectacularly grew in the 1930s, but after the war the Allied occupation forces enacted a variety of laws aimed at decentralizing the industry.Part of this was that the bank was forced to change its name to Daiwa Bank, Limited. In 1948, Daiwa Bank established a foreign department and the following year it was authorized as a foreign exchange bank. Daiwa opened representative offices in New York and London in 1956 and 1958, respectively as it was also gaining stronger presence in Tokyo. The bank opened more overseas offices, in Los Angeles in 1970, Frankfurt in 1971, Hong Kong in 1976, and Singapore in 1979.It established a new trust headquarters in 1985 to reinforce its position in trust banking, promote fee income, and demonstrate its ability to accommodate the increasingly diverse needs of Japanese society. Daiwa, like most Japanese banks, made its profits through lending, but failed to implement appropriate oversight procedures when it turned to high-volume securities trading. It was not until 1980s that Daiwa’s entry to trading securities would lead to a scandal with longtime repercussions.In September 1995, the news reported that one of its New York bond traders, Toshihide Iguchi, had embezzled funds and altered bank records in order to conceal 11 years of losses than amounted to $1. 1 billion. Five years later, Daiwa was still enduring the impact of the New York scandal when a Japanese court ruled on the shareholder suit when a number of former and current management officials were ordered to pay $775 million in damages to sh areholders for failing to properly oversee Iguchi's trading.Occurrences of Fraud Toshihide Iguchi is a Kobe, Japan-born US citizen who majored in psychology at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield. He joined Daiwa’s New York branch in 1977. There he learned how to run the small back office of the branch’s securities business. Traders say that he had traded as much as $1billion in a day, striving to affect the prices through big positions, yet his reported profits averaged $4 million a year over the past decade, never exceeding $10 million in a single year.When Iguchi lost a few hundred thousand dollars early on in his trading activities, he was tempted into selling off bonds in the Bankers Trust sub-custody account to pay off his losses. As money was lost in trading mostly short-term Treasury bills, he covered the losses by selling US government securities owned by Daiwa, allegedly forging documents to hide their sale. He concealed his unauthorized sales fr om the custody account by falsifying account statements so that the statements would not indicate that the securities had been sold. He was able to forge some 30,000 trading slips, among other documents.When customers sold off securities that Iguchi had already sold off on his own behalf, or when customers needed to be paid interest on long-gone securities, Iguchi settled their accounts by selling off yet more securities and changing yet more records. Eventually about $377 million of Daiwa’s customers’ securities and about $733 million of Daiwa’s own investment securities had been sold off by Iguchi to cover his trading losses. By the early 1990s, it was difficult for Iguchi to continue to hide them particularly after 1993 when Daiwa made limited efforts to split up its trading and back-office functions.Yet he managed to survive for another two years before engineering his own day of reckoning. Why Violations Occurred When Iguchi was promoted to become a trader in 1984, he did not relinquish his back-office duties. All in all, he supervised the securities custody department at the New York branch from approximately 1977 right through to 1995. This lack of segregation, a relatively common feature of small trading desks in the early 1980s but already a discredited practice by the early 1990s, led to Daiwa’s downfall. Iguchi’s very own words were â€Å"To me, it was only a violation of internal rules.I think all traders have a tendency to fall into the same trap. You always have a way of recovering the loss. As long as that possibility is there, you both admit your loss and lose face and your job, or you wait a little – a month or two months, or however long it takes. † Daiwa and its internal auditors never independently confirmed the custody account statements. Subsequent investigation showed that risk control lapses and cover-ups were part of the culture of Daiwa’s New York operation in the 1980s and early 1990s, to a farcical degree.For example, during the 1995 investigation of the Iguchi affair, the bank was also charged with operating an unauthorized trading area for securities between 1986 and 1993. Opportunities of Fraud Opportunities for fraud open the door for individuals and companies to behave unethically and commit fraudulent acts. Opportunity is created through the use of one’s position and authority, professional and personal pressures, and weak internal controls. Some of these opportunities are taken by Toshihide Iguchi in order to conceal a trading loss dating back to 1984, and additional losses throughout his career as CEO of Daiwa’s New York branch.In the late 1970’s, Iguchi was promoted to bond trader while still maintaining his duties as clerk in the securities deposit department. This allowed him access to two major responsibilities and to take advantage of each position and its authority. He learned the process of trading bonds, the paper work that was required to complete transactions, and how to seamlessly deposit securities. It was a perfect opportunity to learn each process and find holes in the system to conceal fraud.During this time, Iguchi’s financial transactions were not maintained or properly recorded as a financial institution or international financial institution. His process was to first trade then record trades manually on paper rather than on a computer. Trading transactions could not be over seen by the Daiwa corporate office due to this process. This created the ability to freely make trades and conceal and alter transactions when needed. In 1979, Iguchi became executive vice president and head of government and bond trading in the New York branch where he answered only to himself.His superiors failed to manage him properly and instead gave him full control of the New York branch. This allowed him to set his own schedule, standards, rules, and operate the branch how he deemed fit. In addition, I guchi was seen as a â€Å"trustworthy† employee due to his history with Daiwa, position, dedication, and sacrifices he made as a vice president and bond trader. This gave confidence to his superiors that they did not need to oversee Iguchi or question his actions. Iguchi’s expertise in the US government bond market was something that no one else in the company could match.Daiwa failed to train or hire another worker in the field which allowed Iguchi to take full control of its operations and responsibilities without another’s input of his actions. Daiwa Bank had numerous opportunities for fraud in its New York branch office. These opportunities for fraud could have been avoided in the past; however, creating a strong action plan will help deter opportunities for fraud in the future. Deterring Fraud in the Future Opportunities of fraud almost always lead to the occurrence of fraud. The best defense for this is the need for a strong action plan to deter fraud in t he future.Daiwa lacked in several areas including strong internal controls and conducting regular internal and external audits. Strong internal controls are essential to the proper management of a company’s operations and success. Daiwa did not exercise the separation of duties in its New York branch. Separating of duties can ensure that each positions process is efficiently executed by being checked by an independent party. The implementation of a separation of duties also prevents a single business process from being completely managed by a single individual.This increases the difficulty of successfully performing fraudulent activities which reduces them in return. Daiwa and Iguchi did not use a company system or computer system to track transactions made by employees. Requiring all banking transactions to be reported in a company computer system is beneficially to management and the accounting department. Activity of each employee and branch can be monitored which can ensu re duties are being fulfilled and fraud is not being performed. Daiwa’s Japan corporate office failed to supervise and over oversee Iguchi and the New York branch.Increased oversight of international branch’s and branch executives ensures that operations are in accordance to company objectives and processes, and abide by government laws and regulations. Daiwa depended solely upon Iguchi to trade bonds in the US market because the company failed to train or hire another individual with similar expertise. Employing more than one knowledgeable and skilled individual in a specialty field increases its effectiveness and decreases issues related to improper actions. Daiwa failed to conduct regular internal and external audits of company policies and financial statements.Regular internal and external audits can determine whether financial statements are in accordance with company policies and government standards. Audits can also disclose fraudulent transactions and discrepan cies. Daiwa Bank had numerous opportunities for fraud which lead to Iguchi’s ability to conceal trading losses for such an extensive period of time. In order to prevent a similar situation from taking place, it is essential to find why these violations occurred in the first place. Creating a proper action plan is essential to deter fraud in the future. ReferencesBizcovering. 2008. Retrieved on October 6, 2012 from http://bizcovering. com/business-law/toshihide-iguchi-and-daiwa-bank-securities-trading-scandal/ Case Study – Daiwa Bank. 2000. Retrieved on August 29, 2012 from http://202. 70. 81. 13/itd/OTH00009/Course%20Materials/Day%208/S1C%20-%20Case%20Studies/Case%20Study%20Daiwa%20Bank. pdf Funding Universe. 1996. Retrieved on October 2, 2012 from http://www. fundinguniverse. com/company-histories/the-daiwa-bank-ltd-history/ The Daiwa Bank Case. 2000. Retrieved on September 10, 2012 from http://dspace. lib. niigata-u. ac. p:8080/dspace/bitstream/10191/15002/1/34(1-2)_ 107-138. pdf The Independent. 1995. Retrieved on October 5, 2012 from http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/us-orders-daiwa-bank-shutdown-1537096. html The Key to Financial Management: Management. 2004. Retrieved from September 27, 2012 from http://fic. wharton. upenn. edu/fic/papers/99/9942. pdf The New York Times. 1996. Retrieved on October 5, 2012 from http://www. nytimes. com/1996/02/29/business/daiwa-bank-admits-guilt-in-cover-up. html Wells, J. T. (2012). Principles of Fraud Examination (3rd ed. ) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Lamb to the Slaughter Essay

Rohal Dahl’s short story, ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’, set in the early 20th century, isn’t your typical crime-fiction story, a murder is brewing. As the detectives strive for answers, eating away their only clue, Dahl communicates to the reader that the contrast is unexpected. A housewife, Mary Maloney, is expecting her husband home after a long day at work; unaware to the news he carries with him. Dahl never reveals the news to the readers, but gives them clues by Mary’s reactions. As the author continues the story, the readers sense a mood between Mr. and Mrs. Maloney. This serves the purpose of foreshadowing by hinting at a future problem or disagreement. Dahl uses several writing techniques such as language style, characterization, point of view, plot structure and setting to make the story more exciting and enjoyable. Lamb to the Slaughter, is written in their person to take most of the character’s personal feelings out of the story. Writing in third person is a stronger, more forceful type of writing because the main points and events stand out them selves without feelings getting in the way. One of the reasons authors write in third person is to dis-include themselves from the story. By using words like they, she and he, Dahl has excluded both himself and the reader from the story, creating a stronger, more enjoyable story. The first character introduced in the novel is Mary Maloney. Because it is only a short story, Dahl has left most of the physical features of the character out and focused more in the idiosyncrasies and actions of each character. Along the way Mary’s features are described but not in dept. Another way characters are revealed is by the way others react to them and how much emotion each character puts in their speech. Dahl has made sure that the readers feel intrigued by Mrs. Maloney’s character and how she changes from such an innocent woman to an emotionless murderer.

Globalization and Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Globalization and Culture - Research Paper Example This essay aims to discuss the effects of globalization and culture in the modern world. For instance, there has been economic development because of various interactions between people of different cultures. The main objectives of the essay are to discover why the world has evolved in terms of globalization and cultures. On that note, globalization is the increasing association such as legal, scientific, economic and cultural connections between persons and countries around the world. On the other hand, culture involves the belief, art, morals, law, and customs ad among other capabilities attained by humanity. The limits of the essay include the inability to explain the direct link between globalization and culture. However, the methods of enquiry in compiling the essay include the use of secondary materials such books and internet sources. The background of this research goes back from the days of long distance trade routes that emerged to the modern days of planes and policies pro pelling economies to influence globalization. Globalization has been widely described as the interconnection between states and their cultures through trade, technology, sports and other forms. Due to globalization there have been several effects felt such as change in language, habits, dreams, dress code among others in the cultures of nations. For example, according to Jaenicke, the culture has an effect on dreams. However, the cultural attributes do not follow the accepted regular responses of certain cultures brought by globalization.

Social Impact of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Impact of Business - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to discuss different privacy issues in the workplace and to identify situations in which is justified or unjustified to monitor employees. Four interesting topics in the workplace privacy debate are electronic monitoring, romance in the workplace, employee drug testing, and employee honesty testing. Electronic monitoring is an HR trend that has grown in popularity in the workplace environment of the 21st century. Electronic monitoring involves the use of technology to track and spy on the behavior of the employees at work. Four electronic monitoring practices are to track the use of the internet, read emails send and received, bug telephone lines, and to use cameras to watch the actions of the employees at work. One of the reasons that employers use electronic monitoring at work is productivity concerns (Heathfield, 2013). Employees also monitor the behavior of employees to protect themselves against legal liability associated with the actions of the empl oyees. One of the major cons of using electronic monitoring at work is that it breaks the bond of trust between the employees and the employer and that it can be perceived by some workers as creating a hostile environment at work. Employee drug testing policies have been used in the United States by employers for decades. The reason that companies test their employees for drug usage is that the use of drugs can impair the ability of a person to perform his job duties at work. In some jobs it is outright dangerous to use drugs while at work such as airplane pilots, bus drivers, and operators of heavy machinery. Most people in the United States are in favor of a drug free environment, but society is changing and the perception of the use of certain drugs has evolved. In 2012 the states of Colorado and Washington legalized the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Corporations operating in these states face an ethical dilemma in regards to their position on marijuana usage. Smoking weed at work obviously should be prohibited, but imposing anti-marijuana policies on their employers during their own hours contradicts the stand taken by the government of these states. Eliminating marijuana from its list of drugs that are tested in drug tests to potential and current employees seems like the logical adjustment to the drug policies of companies in these states. Men and women in the workplace get to spend a lot of time together performing work duties. During this time people talk and get to know each other. From this friendship sometimes two persons get romantically involved. Romance in the workplace is a controversial topic. Most companies prohibit people from having relationships. This policy is justifiable because romance in the workplace can lead to a conflict of interest. A way to keep the employees that get involved in a romantic relationship is by transferring them to different divisions or locations of the company. In regards to honesty testin g in the workplace this topic does not bring too much controversy as most employees visualize these types of tests as socially acceptable. There are different situations in which is inappropriate to monitor the activities of employees. Companies at times enter into labor disputes with the employees and its union. In such circumstances employees may go on strike. During a work strike it is inappropriate for the employer to monitor

Human Resource Management Models of H&M Clothing Company, UK Essay

Human Resource Management Models of H&M Clothing Company, UK - Essay Example H&M pays close attention to its corporate social responsibility by instituting self-regulating mechanisms that monitor and ensure that the company adheres to set laws and ethical standards of the company. H&M has a long established tradition of a constant long-term growth strategy of opening new stores. This is done through acquiring market share from competitors, and increasing sales, profits and popularity. H&M’s organisational functional strategy is based on research and development that enables the company versatile and diverse making its products and operations unique setting it apart from its competitors. There are various long-term plans that have been instituted by H&M that are meant to improve business operations. These include being vigilant in controling and elimination of intermediaries, bulk buying in order to accrue from economies of scale. Price controls are implemented to protect customers from unscrupulous traders and expertise within the design teams is empha sized to guarantee quality. Mergers and acquisitions are another strategy that is used by H&M as illustrated by the acquisition of FaBric Scandinavian (H&M Annual Report, 2012 p10). H&M is broadening its products range by investing in information technology launching online platforms for its products according to the company’s 2012 annual report (p34). The company’s open-door policy encourages employee and customer input in developing and improving its operations. Reward (Luliia Stakhiva) The H&M Company strives to ensure that it maintains a conducive and suitable environment for its workers and customers. H&M implements reward strategies that give career advancement opportunities in a dynamic and global company, and avail career milestones for motivation. There are training and skill development programs meant to enhance employee capabilities, and the implementation of employee rotation. This gives employees the opportunity to work in diverse fields in which they gain varied experience and skill. In 2010, H&M introduced an incentives program that was meant to encourage and gain employee loyalty, long-term support and commitment to the company’s policies. This avails information and valuable knowledge to workers making H&M an attractive company and place for employees. Reward systems and policies include monetary and non-monetary aspects that are meant to ensure employee loyalty, commitment and support for the company’s policies and goals. According to Beaumont (1993 np), rewards systems have potentially powerful impacts on an organisation’s performance at any level of production and business operations. Rewards systems primary goal is to motivate employees, which affects their behaviour and attitudes to their job and ultimately their job performance capabilities. Sillitoe (2010 np) postulates that H&M’s reward system will benefit the company’s employees and increase its attractiveness and credibility in the job market, which will make it to acquired relevant skilled personnel more easily. Fair remuneration and working hours are another incentive that is included in the company’s reward strategy, and the formation of unions to encourage career growth. H&M

Criminal Justice Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Justice Problems - Essay Example However, all is not lost yet. . One of the best ways t o exert a crease on such occurrences, is through education. Education helps refine children and their thinking processes. Since they can be moulded easily and brought into a certain fold, imparting education to juveniles is necessary. By doing so, delinquency rates can experience a dip, while also facilitating the rehabilitation of juveniles who have been led on to the wrong path. This paper attempts to explore the justification of juvenile crime and to seek a better mode of addressing the issue, rather than mere punishment as justice. Education can play an important role in helping the juvenile return to normalcy and achieve success, by changing his pattern of thinking, infusing a sense of tolerance and optimism, and by helping them emerge out of a pessimistic and criminal mindset. This can be done by following policies and programmes in schools and juvenile rehabilitation centres, in order to help juveniles overcome their psychological problems, first and then to help them adapt to leading a life of normalcy and success. Next, the interaction between studen

Supply chain management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Supply chain management - Assignment Example This report discusses the electronic supply chain management. This research is initiated after the decision of the ABC manufacturers, which supplies supermarkets all over the country. The company is going to start the electronic supply chain management system to meet the upcoming market challenges. This research will describe the importance of the electronic supply chain management system for a company and its potential advantages for the better corporate management and online business. The main aim of this report is to access the main advantages of the electronic supply chain management system and streamline the main areas of implementation of this technology. According to (Kenneth 1999, p.55), â€Å"Supply chain management incorporates the supplier, distributor, and customer logistics requirements into a single consistent practice†. The supply chain is a group of corporal attributes for instance industrialized plants, giving out centers, conveniences, retail outlets, staff and information, which are connected from side to side activities such as procurement or logistics, to deliver goods or services from starting place through utilization. Goods or services begin as unprocessed materials and progress through the company’s logistics and manufacture system in anticipation of they arrive at customers. To deal with the supply chain, an organization attempts to get rid of impediments and engrave the amount of resources engaged along the way. This can be carried out by streamlining the organizations inside operations or by plummeting inventory costs by getting information from the suppliers to put of release of goods and their pa yments until the instant they are required. Information Technology makes well-organized supply chain management promising by incorporating demand planning, predicting, materials demand, and order handing out, inventory allotment,

Write ur own ending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Write ur own ending - Essay Example Lucy and Susan were rather scared as the Lion was going astray and was losing conscious. All of a sudden, the sky went all dark, and strange dark clouds took over the entire mansion and soon, the entire scenery was found covered in darkness. Cold Chilly wind started blowing and suddenly, the trees started turning pale. Aslan, the Lion, was now feeling weak and stale, and soon after he started mumbling, ‘Water! I need some Water’. Poor Lucy and Susan were more confused than frightened, questions rambling inside their minds. ‘Susan, you`ve turned blue, what is happening to you?’ exclaimed Lucy. A tear drop fell from the eyes of frightened Susan, which instantly turned into ice. At this moment, Lucy realized that their bodies were losing temperature and they were suddenly turning into ice. Aslan, the Lion, was already lying on the floor, turning into ice slowly and gradually, as if his body is being trapped into a container made out of ice. Lucy and Susan ran up to Aslan, trying to wake him up. Lucy slowly rubbed the paws and face of Aslan, hoping he would be relieved. Though unconscious, Aslan slowly gathered the power to speak as he looked into the eyes of both Lucy and Susan, turn by turn, ‘Return to your land, the witch`s spell has gone stronger than ever’ he said with much wretchedness. ‘Soon, you`ll both turn into ice statues and would never be able to return’. †˜What? We can`t leave you here, if we abandon Narnia, no one will ever be able to rescue the statues ever’ said Susan. ‘And what about Edmund, we haven`t found him yet’ cried Lucy. ‘Aslan is right. Both of you must return to where you belong before it`s too late’ exclaimed Edmund, appearing from nowhere. Unlike the surroundings, and the condition in which Lucy and Susan were, freezing and dying of the chilly winds, Edmund was joyous and healthy, in fact he looked better than he had ever looked.

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example for Free

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Elie Wiesel, a famed author and survivor of the Holocaust stated quite simply that anyone who witnessed a crime, and did nothing to stop it is just as guilty as the one committing it. Elie Wiesel learned a lot about mans nature by surviving the Holocaust, but his statement about a bystander being just as guilty as the actual criminal is wrong. People are responsible for there own actions, and it is not fair to blame someone for a crime they did not commit, whether they could have done something to stop it or not. During the Holocaust there were over 6 million people persecuted, but there were many more silent bystanders who were unable to do anything because they feared for their lives. It is human nature to look after your own wellbeing and those closest to you, and many people felt if they tried to do something to stop the persecution of Jews it would endanger them in one way or another. In some cases somebody can witness a horrible atrocity, but have no power to stop it. Elie wrote in his book about how he and his fellow Jews were forced to watch the hanging of a young and innocent child by the S.S. The Jews that witnessed the hanging of the boy were all silent bystanders who, according to Elie, should be punished in the same manner that the executioner was. This shows how wrong Elies judgment is. The Jews were unable to do anything to help the boy for fear of their own lives, people cannot be blamed for their most fundamental and primitive instinct which is self preservation. Elie Wiesel experienced a lot of pain and suffering during the Holocaust, but the silent bystanders cannot be punished the same way the actual criminal is no matter what the circumstance is. If Elie truly believes that a silent bystander is just as guilty as a criminal, then that would mean that he is guilty of hanging a young innocent boy and deserves to be killed or sent to prison. Although its easy to see where Elies statement is coming from and why he chose to make it, it is clear that he made his statement more out of emotion than actual logic. I disagree with his judgment because silent bystanders do not always have the power to stop or intervene with the crime without endangering themselves.

Trans Atlantic Slave Trade History History Essay

Trans Atlantic Slave Trade History History Essay The Royal African Company of London was initiated by King Charles II in his ambition to expand the slave trade of England. King Charles II and the duke of York invested their own funds into the company to establish it. Initially it was known as the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa company and was only involved in gold trading and was created by the Stuart family and London merchants once the former retook the English throne in the English Restoration of 1660.The company was granted a monopoly over the English slave trade by a charter issued in 1660 and was given the mandate to capture any English rival ship transporting slaves. The company later collapsed since it could not meet the due huge demands of slaves in England among other issues (Miers 45). England first got involved in slave trade in the 16th century; a move pioneered by John Hawkins an English man whose business was to deport Africans from the west coast of Africa to the West Indies (Walter 72). At first, trading directly with other European countries was common in Virginia, but the Navigation Act of 1660 brought such relations to an end and only English-owned ships could enter colonial ports. It was at this time that the Royal African Company was formed to supply Virginia planters with labor since England had realized there was a lot of wealth in the trade. The Royal African Company traded mainly for gold and slaves and the majority of whom were sent to English colonies in the Americas. Its headquarters was Cape Coast Castle, modern-day Ghana; it also maintained many forts and factories in other locations such as Sierra Leone, the Slave Coast, the River Gambia, and additional areas on the Gold Coast Weeden 63). The Royal African Company lost its monopoly in 1698, although it continued to engage in the slave trade until 1731. It was replaced by the Company of Merchants Trading to Africa in 1752. In the 1680s it was transporting about 5,000 slaves per year. Many were branded with the letters DY, after its chief, the Duke of York, who succeeded his brother on the throne in 1685, becoming James II (Blackburn 212). Other slaves were branded with the companys initials, RAC, on their chests and its profits made a major contribution to the increase in the financial power of those who controlled London The British greatly benefited from this lucrative enterprise and approximately 1.5 million ,people were enslaved by the them, London was the biggest trading centre because of its transport links provided by river Thames and the London docks (Alpers, Campbell Salman 256). Britain as a country enormously benefited from the trade since slaves were exchanged for cutlery and, military supplies, which they would then exchange in West Indies to get raw materials for their industries and the products sold at huge profits. According to Bryan (106), There can be little doubt that such a system of trade substantially boosted the development of Britains commerce and manufacturing. However, there were different lines of slave trade such as the Pacific and the Atlantic; England was mostly involved in the Atlantic slave trade. The slave trade was also known as the Trans-Atlantic slave trade; it was the biggest and it mainly dealt with Africans. It lasted from the 16th century to the 19th when slave trade was abolished (Carlos 330). The trade involved many countries like the Portuguese, Brazilians, the British, the French, the Spanish, the Dutch, and the North Americans. The slaves were mostly from west and central Africa who were captured during trade at the coast while others were kidnapped from their homes or raided at their homes. They were sold to North and South American merchants to work in their sugar, coffee, cocoa, cotton, and rice plantations while others worked in the gold mines and silver mines (Drescher 77). Curlin (169) notes that more than 12 million Africans were enslaved under this trade which is referred to as maafa by Africans (literally meant great disaster), and the trade involved four continents, four centuries and millions of people. The first documented arrival of Africans to Virginia the first place where slaves were deported was in 1619, when a Dutch trading vessel docked in Hampton. There were 20 Africans who were traded to the English as much-needed workers to cultivate tobacco, the new cash crop of Virginia (Engerman 79). The institution of slavery slowly crept into Virginia legislation and by 1660 it was fully established in Virginia, since tobacco was extremely labor-intensive, and more and more workers were needed and also the sale of Africans to Virginia planters promised to be a profitable endeavor which really flourished (Brown 51). Nevertheless, Kwaku (4) states that slavery can be traced back to Africa itself, where Africans practiced slavery and was a part of their traditions. Africans sold slaves to Arabs before the arrival of the European who took the trade to a higher level. The Atlantic trade happened in two systems: the first and the second Atlantic systems. The first system involved sale of slaves to South America colonies of the Portuguese and the Spanish empires. It only accounted for a small percentage of the Atlantic trade about 3%. Later, Portugal was attacked by the Dutch and the British therefore weakening the trade (Martin 98). The second system involved enslavement of Africans to work in the Caribbean colonies of Brazil and North America. The slave trade was triangular; the starting point was Europe goods were transported from Europe to Africa they were given to African leaders, kings and merchants in exchange of slaves, this goods included guns, medicine, ammunition and other factory manufactu red goods. The slaves were then transported to America through the Atlantic and the final part was returning of goods from America to Europe for manufacturing these goods were sugar, tobacco ,coffee, rum and moll assess. However Brazil the main importer of slaves then manufactured the goods in South America and traded directly with the Africans (Maugham 56). The trade was encouraged by many reasons but shortage of labor was the main one. This was due to discovery of the new world hence there was a lot of cheap land available and the owners definitely wanted workers because the amount of labor was too much as they practiced intensive planting, harvesting and processing (Eltis 98). The trade also developed because of the willingness of Africans to sell fellow Africans for goods from Europe. Those convicted also for wrong doing in Africa were sold to slavery as punishment since there were no prisons. Inikori (45) argues that warfare in Africa was also a major contributor of the slave trade, there were many wars taking place at that time, for example the Congo civil war Oyo and Asante empires crisis. Patterson (10) and Clarke (75) note that although Africans practiced slavery themselves, it was very different from that of the new world. Whereas in Africa slaves children were not enslaved, in America they were enslaved at birth. In Africa they were treated well and in some communities they were considered as adopted and had the permission to marry, in contrary to America where they were not allowed to marry, they were ruthlessly bitten and even branded to show ownership although they were not used for sacrifices like it happened in Africa. Countries involved actively or passively in the trade were: Senegal Denanke Kingdom, Kingdom of Fouta, Jolof Empire, and Kingdom of Khasso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone Ghana, Asante Confederacy and Mankessim of Nigeria, Benin Kingdom of Dahomey, and the Republic of Congo (Cheeves 102). About 1.2 2.4 million Africans died during the middle passage and others died soon after their arrival. The number of people who died during the capture and kidnapping of the Africans is countless but it remained higher than those actually enslaved. Most of the slaves sold were prisoners from African conflicts which the European fueled to their advantage, this trade led to the led to the destruction of individuals and cultures (Cooper, Holt Scott 120; David 84). The second part of the slave trade triangle was the most important is known as the middle passage of African people from Africa to the new world (Reynold 85). Ships departed to Africa with merchandise to trade in Africa for slaves, business took place at the coast since the Europeans feared to get into the interior because of tropical diseases. Voyages were organized by companies or groups of merchants and not individuals because they considered it as a major investment opportunity. Millions of Africans were imprisoned, enslaved, and removed from their communities, 15% of those captured died at sea during transportation that is about 2 million, and those that died as a result of slavery in America were more than 4 million African deaths (Roberts 92; Robin Law, British Academy, Royal African Company 106). In the eighteenth century about 6 million slaves were enslaved and Britain accounted for 2.5millon of them being the largest importer then. The duration of the transatlantic voyage varied depending on the weather many took six months; although as centuries went by the more the importers took less time because they were getting experienced and a voyage would even take six weeks (Williams 56; Cateau Harrington 96). Slave ships usually would have several hundreds of slaves and about thirty crew members. Men were chained together in pairs right leg to the next mans left leg in order to save space, while women and children had some little space to themselves. The slaves in transit were fed once a day on beans, corn, yams, rice or palm oil. Some slave holders would let their captives move around the ship daytime but most did not, they tied them throughout the grueling journey (Willis Miers 480). Disease and starvation were the main causes of death and amoebic dysentery and scurvy caused the majority of deaths. There were also disease out breaks like, smallpox, syphilis, measles, and other diseases spread rapidly in the in the squeezed compartments. The longer the voyage took the more slaves would die due to the harsh conditions, the quality and freshness of food disappeared every passing day. Another cause of death was depression because of the loss because of the loss of freedom, family, security , and their own humanity (Zuberi 156; Fage 198). Some slaves would take courage and resist their oppressors most of them refused to eat and this would make them sick and eventually die and hence a loss to the holder. Others would commit suicide by throwing themselves overboard, as well as a variety of many other opportunistic means. Over the centuries very many Africans committed suicide, which they preferred since they believe they would meet with their families in the afterlife. A former slave was quoted saying When we found ourselves at last taken away, death was more preferable than life, and a plan was concerted amongst us, which we might burn and blow up the ship, and to perish all together in the flames (Indrani 321). Both suicide and self-starving were prevented as much as possible by slaver holders hence they were even torture so that they would feed but some still managed to starve themselves. It was not just the slaves who suffered, the sailors themselves experienced terrible conditions and often were employed only throu gh coercion. Sailors knew and hated the slave trade, so at port towns, recruiters and tavern owners would get sailors drunk, and then offer to relieve their debt if they signed contracts with slave ships. If they did not, they would be imprisoned, sailors in prison had a hard time getting jobs outside of the slave ship industry, since most other maritime industries would not hire jail-birds, so they were forced to go to the slave ships anyway (Hogg 73; Michlethwait Wooldridge 32). This kind of treatment made many Africans depressed and left them in a severe psychological shock. This was compounded by a common fear among the Africans that they had been taken by the Europeans to be eaten, to be made into oil or gunpowder, or that their blood was to be used to dye the red flags of Spanish ships while it was their skills as agricultural laborers and their adaptability to tropical climates that were sorely needed in the agricultural economy of the European colonies. Once the slaves arrived in America or other destinations they were taken to the plantations by their specific owners while others would be sold, as property, even worse there were advertisements for slaves on sale. It was not only merchants and ship captains who were involved in this trade, but also artisans and businesspeople were involved. These included blacksmiths, bakers, goldsmiths, hatters, shoemakers, tailors and tobacconists. Doctors, judges, and midwives were also among the slave sellers. Even governors owned slaves as demonstrated by an advertisement listing a Mulatto Boy for sale from the estate of a deceased governor Collins 25). In Britain, the first private slave trader was, John Hawkins, who began the trade in 1562, he left England with 100 men and 3 ships, his first point was Sierra Leone where he captured 300 slaves and sold them in Hispaniola, on his return his ship was full of goods like such as hides, ginger and sugar the queen gained interest in him and the two became business partners, the royal family slowly got into the slave trade and on the third voyage Hawkins took along Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh who also developed to be great slave traders. The Duke of York also through the queen joined the trade and he used to get his initials, DY, branded onto the left buttock or breast of each of the 3000 slaves who were his and he sold them to the Caribbeans. Business was booming and in the 17th and18th century slaves population in the British Caribbean was approximately 428,000 out of a population of 500,000 (Kitson 87). Due to the growth of slave trade, the royal family decided to create a company that would control slave trade and completely abolish the private slave traders; for this reason the Royal African Company was established. The Company transported an average of 5000 slaves per year, between 1680 and1686, and received annual grants from parliament of about  £90,000. King Charles II was a major a shareholder, and hence maintained the Royal family involvement in slavery. The Royal African Company had agents in Virginia to whom slaves were delivered, they were given a seven-percent commission on sales, some of the major players in trade were John Page, Colonel Nathaniel Bacon and William Sherwood were all prominent Virginians who served as factors, agents or representatives for the Company (Miers Klein 102; Spooner 87). Private traders were not pleased with this and pardoned the court to be allowed to continue with the trade of human cattle, however in 1698 parliament approved private traders to participate in the slave trade as long as they paid a 10% duty on English goods exported to Africa. Business went bad for the company, since private traders overtook it. Many factors led to the fall of the company some of them were: the Company was not achieving a profit and had to borrow money to pay dividends, the planters were always complaining that the company was not able to supply enough slaves and the demand was overwhelming, hence they argued that the monopoly be abolished so that more slaves could be imported. Eventually, the Company, which was always heavily patronized by the Stuart monarchs, fell out of favor when James II was deposed and William and Mary came to the throne this led to the abolishment of the company because it was no longer valid. The company though continued slave trade at small scale levels until 1731; it abandoned the trade and started trafficking of ivory and gold dust. Charles Hayes (1678-1760), mathematician and chronologist was sub-governor of Royal African Company till 1752 when it was dissolved. Its successor was the African Company of Merchants (Solow Engerman 214). Liverpools Bristol and London benefited greatly from this trade, it was booming and in the 17th century Liverpools first slave ship transported 220 slaves to Barbados and sold them for  £4,239, this was less than  £20 per slave. In addition, Liverpool had 8 major slave traders who together could transport 25,820 that worked out around 50-550 per ship. However, England signed the Treaty of Utrecht with Spain in 1733, which granted England monopoly of the Spanish slave trade for 30 years as England promised at least 144,000 slaves at the rate of 4,800 slaves per year. In 1772 Lord Mansfield came to proclaim it illegal to remove any person forcibly from England, though this did not make any big change because many of the major politicians were deeply involved with slavery. For example, Richard Pennant who was Liverpools Member of Parliament from 1777 to 1790, owned 8,000 acres of sugar plantations and over 600 slaves in Jamaica. Similarly, three out of 41 councilors in Liverpool wer e slave ship owners or major investors in the slave trade and during the years of 1787 and 1807, all 20 mayors who held office in Liverpool financed or owned slave ships. The slave trade was abolished in 1808 over 100 years after the British Empire became involved in slave trading, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was abolished within the Empire and also in the United States. However it was not until 1827 that Britain declared the slave trade illegal, and in 1833 slavery was abolished throughout Europe, the Emancipation Act went through British parliament. It still took another 11 years until 1838 before slavery was fully abolished within the British Empire. The new system however gave some  £20,000, to the planters as compensation although nothing was awarded to any former slaves. The system even made things worse for the former slaves due to the high taxes on smallholdings, high rates for licenses on small traders and contracts to shackle the laborers to the large plantations; hence they were forced to continue working in arduous conditions on the plantations. In 1844 there was labor shortage and this led to the introduction of indentured labor from another of Britains colonies, India. The Indian laborers made conditions worse for former slaves as they undermined any attempts to get better working and living conditions through strikes. By 1917, 145,000 Indians had been transported to Trinidad and 238,000 to Guyana. Jamaica was also affected with around 39,000 immigrants. The only island not affected was Barbados. It evident that the slave trade led to the growth of the populations of Europe and America while those of Africa remained stagnant. Revenues from slavery were used to build Europe and Americas economies and especially the industrial revolution was funded by the profits from agricultural activities which were done by the slaves. Scholars have argued that Britains industrial development is owed to slavery and that Britain thrives on slavery wealth. Some also have claimed that by the time it was completely abolished its importance was long gone and its abolishment was an advantage for Britain, some though think differently and argue that slavery was useful to the end. In 1787, the first anti slavery movement was formed The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The first countries to petition against slavery were Cuba and Jamaica, United States followed suit and later on Britain, Portugal and in some other parts of Europe. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) was the leading movement in Britain that called for abolition of slavery, the movement was joined by many and began to protest against the trade, but they were opposed by the owners of the colonial holdings. Denmark was the first country to ban slave trade through a parliamentary legislation in 1792, which took effect in 1803. In 1807, Britain banned the trade but not slavery itself, although the slave trade had become illegal, slavery remained a reality in British colonies. Wilberforce himself was convinced that the institution of slavery should be entirely abolished, but he also knew there was little political will to do so by the politicians. The Emancipation Bill was taken to parliament, it was supposed to officially abolish slave trade in Britain if passed, and it gathered support and received its final commons reading on 26 July 1833. Slavery was to be abolished planters would be well compensated; slaves on plantations were required to remain for a further six years. Those who petitioned for abolition argued that slavery made Africans to go into constant wars so that they could capture prisoners who would be sold as slaves to meet the ever growing demand for slaves. People avoided details of the middle passage issue because it would have caused great animosity and only talked about the massive deaths it caused and hence the need to an end of slavery. They also argued that despite the conditions at sea the whole ordeal of slave trade was grueling and had to stop immediately. The trade also led to the birth of the black social identifies and European superiority, which led to the slow development of the African race. They however agreed that the trade was important for the stability of the economy which was obviously not important than human rights. The debate over slavery went on for decades before abolition was finalized. Davies (86) observes that The Royal Navy, which then controlled the worlds seas, moved to stop other nations from filling Britains place in the slave trade and declared that slaving was equal to piracy and was punishable by death. They forced other nations to quit the trade to so as to protect their economy and also make their colonies uncompetitive. Other European countries were left with no option but to stop and when that happened the British navy took its supremacy to the west coast so as to secure the sea and they were stationed there for the next 50 years. Action was taken for African leaders who refused to stop slave trade activities. Antislavery treaties were signed all over Africa by 50 leaders (Boddy-Evans 10; Carlos Kruse 291). In conclusion Englands involvement in the slave trade as viewed from the National Gallery in London, slave trade was a respected occupation then and many of the London merchants who were taking almost 3/4 of the sugar imported from the West Indies lived in South London in Blackheath. It can be said Europe and America are built on funds made through the sale of Africans ancestors because they labored and toiled on the plantations to many of the banks in this countries today and so are the their families. Slavery is not over but entrenched at the heart of Londons wealth. In 1998, UNESCO designated August 23 as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Since that occurrence, a number of events surrounding the recognition of the effect of slavery on both the enslaved and enslavers have come to pass. At the World Conference against Racism, South Africa, African nations demanded a clear apology for slavery from the former slave-trading countries. Some nati ons were willing to do so but some refused such as the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States. The countries feared that they would be asked to pay compensation. Apologies on behalf of African nations, for their role in trading their countrymen into slavery, also remain an open. On November 27, 2006, British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a partial apology for Britains role in the African slavery trade. However, African rights activists denounced it as empty rhetoric and it did not address the issue like it should. The apology was just mere talk and they say he should have not even said it. On August 24, 2007, Ken Livingstone (then Mayor of London) apologized publicly for Londons role in the slave trade. You can look across there to see the institutions that still have the benefit of the wealth they created from slavery, he said pointing towards the financial district, before breaking down in tears. He said it was still haunted by the memories of sla very. Jesse Jackson praised Mayor Livingstone, and added that reparations should be made. On January 30, 2006, Jacques Chirac (the then French President) said that 10 May would henceforth be a national day of remembrance for the victims of slavery in France, and when marking the day in 2001 when France passed a law recognizing slavery as a crime against humanity. On July 30, 2008, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution apologizing for American slavery and subsequent discriminatory laws. The language included a reference to the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and segregation (Howard 21).

The Theological Dilemma of Pain and Suffering Essay -- The Problem Of P

The existence of pain and suffering in a world created by a good and almighty God is a fundamental theological dilemma and may be the most serious objection to the Christian religion. In the book, The Problem Of Pain , author C.S. Lewis addresses the issue of pain as a mere problem that demands a solution; he formulates it and goes about solving it. "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both" (p. 16). According to Lewis, this is the problem of pain in its simplest form. In his attempt to solve the problem of pain Lewis evaluates the past and the origin of religion, he offers his interpretation of the various justifications for why pain exists in today's society, and explains how one should deal with pain in order to live out God's will in the future. This essay will examine these rationales and will conclude with a n analysis on how Lewis handles the four foundational sources for understanding the will of God through scripture, tradition, history, and modern context. Lewis evaluates the past in order to explain the problem of pain. He does this by examining the origin of religion and discussing the three elements associated with all developed religions, in addition to an added one in Christianity. The first element is the experiences of the Numinous. Humans are capable of sensing the divine and spiritual presence through the Numinous. The Numinous is a mixed feeling of awe and dread and distinct from fear. Lewis states that there are two possible views of Numinous. The first is that it is simply in the mind and serves no biological function; yet will not disa... ...ainst the traditional and historical interpretations of the scriptures in the Bible. In addition, in becomes apparent early on in his book that Lewis does not believe the Adam and Eve story can be taken seriously by his audience at a literal level in a Darwinian age. In conclusion, Lewis relies heavily on scripture, tradition, and history to explain evilness in terms of the Fall of man, to reject theories of Monism and Dualism, to justify how a good Creator could make a bad creature, and to convey the concept of hell. Conversely, Lewis relies on modern context when questioning God's omnipotence. All in all, Lewis relies to some extent on all four foundational sources in order to understand the will of God and attempt to solve the problem of pain. Works Cited Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. New York: Macmillan, 1962. Print.

The Intent Behind the Enuma Elish (Creation Epic) Essay -- Enuma Elish

The Intent Behind the Enuma Elish  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The Enuma Elish, often known as The Creation Epic, is often considered the primary source of Mesopotamian cosmology. However, to view the Enuma Elish as a cosmological myth obscures the true intent of the epicà ­s author. The cosmological elements of the Enuma Elish are secondary to the authorà ­s effort to explain the supremacy of Marduk, to justify absolute oriental monarchy, and to defend Babylon as the axis mundi. The Enuma Elish was composed in Babylonin the early second millennium B.C.E. The decay of Sumerian civilization allowed the Old-Babylonian Empire to become the cultural and political center of Mesopotamia. Babylon was governed by absolute and despotic kings capable of wielding enough power to ensure the continued existence of massive building projects and large-scale irrigation. The harsh environment of Mesopotamia often necessitated the absolute rule by a king powerful enough to command the resources required to maintain civilization. The poet behind the Enuma Elish sought to justify the position and government of Ba...

The Three Mile Island Accident Essay -- Essays Papers

The Three Mile Island Accident When someone thinks of problems plaguing the world, nuclear energy is not the first thing that comes to peoples minds these days.[1]Nuclear power was once deemed the new energy of the future.[2]However, numerous nuclear power plant accidents around the world put a damper on that notion.The United States considers itself one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but 103 nuclear reactors currently operating within her borders, one was bound to fail sometime or another.[3] Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station is on an island that is located about 10 miles from the town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.The plant housed two nuclear reactors, Unit 1 and Unit 2.Now there is only one that is operable, Unit 1.[4]A week or two before the accident a movie called the â€Å"China Syndrome† was released.This movie was about the possible aftermath resulting from nuclear reactor meltdown.Coincidentally, Unit 2 was in trouble a little while after.[5] Around 4:00 a.m. March 28, 1979, in a non-nuclear section of the Unit 2 plant, the main feed water pumps stopped running.Because of this malfunction, steam generators were not able to remove the heat.This led to complicated chain of events.First, as designed, the turbine shut down, followed by the reactor itself.This led to a rise in the pressure, so the pressurized relief valve opened, just like it was supposed to do.However, when the pressure decreased to accepted levels, the valve should have closed, instead it remained open, it was stuck.This led to a continued decrease in the pressure of the system.[6]Also, in another part of the plant, the emergency feed water system failed to operate because of a human error; the valve was left closed whe... ...21. [2] Lavelle, Marianne.â€Å"When the World Stopped.†U.S. News and World Report, 29 March, 1999, p. 38. [3] See Lavelle p. 38. [4] "Nuclear Disasters andAccidents" http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_disasters/nuclear_disasters.html (1 March 2000). [5] Denton, Harold.â€Å"Nightmare at Three Mile Island.†George, March 1999, p. 48. [6] "Nuclear Disasters andAccidents" http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_disasters/nuclear_disasters.html (1 March 2000). [7] Nuclear Regulatory Commision. "Three Mile Island 2 Accident" http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/gmo/tip/tmi.htm (1 March 2000). [8] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission [9] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission [10] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission [11] See Lavelle p. 38 [12] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission [13] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Human Resource Management in Virtual Organizations Essay

As we move into the 21st century, a number of innovations that were once merely ideas are now becoming reality. One of these is the virtual organization, where organizational members are geographically separated, but work together through computer technology. To date, much of the research and thought on virtual organizations has focused upon virtual technology and organizational design-how to link the individual members and how to design the virtual organization to carry out its work. This book takes this further in addressing the crucial question, how do you do human resource (HR) functions in the virtual organization? This question is particularly relevant when you consider that most traditional HR functions-hiring, training, evaluating performance, and rewarding (or disciplining) performance-assume there will be face-to-face interaction as the basis for carrying out that function. This book examines human resource management (HRM) in the virtual organizational in 14 chapters written by various authors and compiled into four parts. Part I as the introduction contains two chapters. Greenberger and Wang define and describe the virtual organization in the first chapter. Then Crandall and Wallace look at the difference between traditional and virtual workplaces in the second chapter. Part II examines HRM program delivery in three chapters. McClendon, Klaas, and Gainey look at HR outsourcing. Snell, Stueber, and Lepak examine HR departments, and Ulrich and Beatty describe the role of the HR professional in the virtual organization. Part III presents HRM programs in virtual organizations. Sk chapters describe job analysis (DeCaprio), staffing (Elllingson & Wiethoff), training and development (Noe & Simmering), performance management (Cleveland, Mohammed, & Skattebo), hybrid reward systems (Heneman, Tansky, & Tomlinson), and negotiation (Lewicki & Dineen). Part IV contains two case studies delineating the problems and solutions to electronic commerce (e-commerce) banking in China by Wang, and cross-functional teams cyberlinked in an orthopaedic manufacturer written by Crandall and Wallace. Finally, Part V concludes with a chapter on observations by Cardy. Most of the authors are academicians. Thus, they have a natural tendency to describe virtual organizations in terms of conceptual models, evolving  constructs, and theoretical foundations. To the authors’ credit, however, they make a concerted effort to use real virtual organizations (is that an oxymoron?) to illustrate their points, like the Technology One Alliance among BankOne, AT&T, and IBM, the networks between Walmart and its vendors, Merck’s virtual HR activities, and Lucent’s virtual product development team composed of 500 engineers operating over 13 time zones. In the first chapter, Greenberger and Wang take on the large task of trying to define exactly what a virtual organization is. They review 25 definitions from various articles and conclude that a virtual organization has several characteristics. First, there is a partnering relationship among parties either within or outside the organization. Second, there is a focus on core business activities that the virtual organization does well. Other activities are done by more traditional organizations. Third, technology connects the partners with the core business activities. Fourth, the organizational structure is flexible and fluid. Fifth, there is a focus upon virtual teams working on projects. In Chapter 2, Crandall and Wallace define the virtual workplace as â€Å"a network of people conducting business processes beyond the traditional bounds of organization, time, and space.† They contrast the traditional with the virtual organization and find that virtual organizations emphasize self-managed teams, broad-based duties, cross-functional skills, and a network orientation. One consequence is that the HR manager in a virtual organization takes on more differing roles than does the traditional HR manager. The virtual organization HR manager must be a coach delivering feedback to self-managed teams, an architect of work flows using computer technology, a designer and deliverer of innovative HR programs to fit the virtual organization, and a facilitator of teamwork in self-managed teams. The most interesting section is Part III on how to carry out HR functions within the virtual organization. The basic functions look the same as in the traditional organization, but the techniques are sometimes radically different. For example, in the virtual organization, electronic performance monitoring and online chat sessions are job analysis methods. Recruiting  occurs through Internet job boards. Hiring involves electronic resumes, online testing, and online interviewing. Training focuses upon electronic learning (e-learning) capability, communities of learning, and the use of learning portals. Performance management involves maintaining individual technological skill mixes and evaluating virtual team performance. Even pay systems need new forms because of the new types of work structures-virtual teams, alliances, and networks-and the changing perception of pay equity within these structures. One theme that underlies many of the chapters is the importance of teams in the virtual organization. The self-managed team is one of the building blocks of these organizations. Team members must possess or be trainable on traits conducive to operating in the virtual organization: communication skills, cultural sensitivity, networking ability, tolerance for ambiguity, and interpersonal adaptability. Finally, virtual negotiation is unique. Negotiation in traditional organizations is face-to-face, but virtual negotiation occurs largely through e-mail, which, on the one hand, has a greater propensity for norms of â€Å"taking turns† (e.g., waiting for an e-mail reply); but, on the other hand, there is a greater tendency for disinhibition, which may allow for rude and compulsive behavior, like â€Å"flaming.† Moreover, there is a greater tendency toward message misinterpretation in virtual negotiation e-mails that lack the nonverbal information richness of face-to-face interaction. As I read the chapters, it occurred to me that the authors make a very basic assumption, which is that the computer technology linking everything together is reliable and secure. This is particularly relevant because the combination of attacks from viruses and worms that had swept the nation in August, 2003, was still a very fresh memory as I read this book. To compound the problem, our university computer router went out at the same time. The consequence was very limited access to e-mail and the Internet as our fall semester began. It was a shock to see how much this negatively affected our teaching, research, and interaction with our colleagues. And this was within a traditional university structure. I wonder how these onslaughts of  viruses, worms, hackers, and equipment breakdowns affect virtual organizations. In the traditional organization, there are backup communication systems to the computer, such as faxes, phone messages, and even walking over to someone and talking face-to-face. What is the alternative to the very centralized role of the computer if it malfunctions in the virtual organization? In conclusion, virtual organizations are much more than merely doing e-commerce through Web pages and gaining remote access to the company computer. They involve partnerships, fluid and flexible boundaries, focused business processes, broad-based skill mixes, decentralized teams, and complex connectivity to information networks. They run the gamut from loosely coupled telecommuting relationships to intricate cybernets. As the authors state, HR for virtual organizations will be one of the challenges facing business in the 21st century. Based upon what the various chapters describe, these virtual HR activities will probably still retain the traditional names, like recruiting, hiring, and training, but their actual forms will be as different as an SUV is to a Model T. So let’s fasten our seat belts for a wild ride at Warp 4.5 into the virtual HRM reality of the virtual organization. But don’t beam me up quite yet, Scotty.

Global Financial Institutions Essay

This paper briefly presents the role of global financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and Asian Development Bank in the global financing; and examines briefly their influence on exchange rate. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Established in 1944, the IMF has a headquarters in Washington DC. , employs 2,596 staff from 146 countries, and is owned and financed by 185 member countries (IMF, 2008). Its main task is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—â€Å"the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries to buy goods and services from each other† (IMF, 2008). To maintain stability in the international monetary system, it provides (1) advice on appropriate social and economic policies, (2) financing to help member countries cope with balance of payments problems when foreign exchange payments exceed foreign exchange earnings, and (3) technical assistance and training to build needed expertise and institutions to attain economic growth (IMF, 2006). To maintain exchange rate stability, member countries prior to 1971 pegged their exchange rates that could only be adjusted with the IMF’s agreement. Since 1971, member countries can freely select any type of exchange rate arrangement: â€Å"allowing the currency to float freely; pegging it to another currency or a basket of currencies; adopting the currency of another country; or participating in a currency bloc† (IMF, 2006). The World Bank (the Bank) The Bank, established in 1944, has a headquarters in Washington DC with more than 100 country offices, and employs about 10,000 staff. It is owned and financed by 187 member countries (World Bank, 2008). The Bank is made up of two development institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and (2) the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution has a role in achieving the Bank’s mission of reducing global poverty and improving living standards. The IBRD is responsible for middle income poor countries, while IDA caters to the needs of the poorest countries in the world. Both provide interest-free credit and grants, and low-interest loans to developing countries for infrastructure, health, education, communications, and other purposes (World Bank, 2008). The Bank provides â€Å"local cost financing for projects in non-CFP borrowing countries† with clear indirect foreign costs and â€Å"if a specific project has too little foreign exchange cost to permit the Bank to achieve its project objectives by foreign exchange financing alone† (World Bank, 2007). It also has a project preparation facility that finances foreign exchange costs (World Bank, 2007). Asian Development Bank (ADB) Established in 1966, ADB has a headquarters in Manila with 26 country offices, and employs more than 2,400 staff. It is owned and financed by 67 members with 48 members from the region and other members from other parts of the world (ADB, 2008). As an international development finance institution, it helps its developing member countries reduce poverty and enhance people’s quality of life. It provides assistance to the public sector through grants, low-interest loans, advice, and knowledge as well as to private enterprises through loans, guarantees, and equity investments (ADB, 2008). In making direct loans, ADB assumes the foreign exchange risks involved in private sector operations, but not in public sector lending. To address the foreign exchange risks (e. g. , foreign exchange fluctuations between loan approved amount and disbursement), ADB introduced the LIBOR-based loan, which allows borrowing countries to match the procurement currencies with loan denomination currencies, or convert the loan denomination currencies at any time to match the revenue denomination currencies (ADB, 2004). ADB may also provide financing to meet the â€Å"indirect foreign exchange cost of items procured in local currency for ADB-financed projects with foreign exchange costs† (ADB, 2003). References Asian Development Bank (2008). About ADB. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. adb. org/About/default. asp. Asian Development Bank (2004, July 1). Foreign exchange risk. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. adb. org/Documents/Manuals/Operations/OMH07_1apr04. pdf. Asian Development Bank (2003, October 29). Financing indirect foreign exchange cost of projects. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. adb. org/Documents/Manuals/Operations/OMH07_1apr04. pdf. International Monetary Fund (2008, May). IMF at a glance. Retrieved June 12, 2008, from http://www. imf. org/external/np/exr/facts/glance. htm. International Monetary Fund (2006, September 30). What is IMF? Retrieved June 12, 2008, from http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/exrp/what. htm/. The World Bank (2008). About us. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://web. worldbank. org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,pagePK:50004410~piPK:36602~theSitePK:29708,00. html The World Bank (2007, March 23). Specific expenditure eligibility and cost sharing requirements for investment projects in countries without approved country financing parameters. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://wbln0018. worldbank. org/Institutional/Manuals/OpManual. nsf/22b87a45c65c

Mis Report

Assignment 2 for MIS 1. Give an illustrative database for an Information system for Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. Design various reports required by management for decision making. 2. Give three output formats (reports) for a Help desk at Ruby Hospital, Pune. 3. National Investment Co. is in the business of Financial Management. They accept fixed deposits of different types and also give loan on Fixed deposit. They pay interest to the investors periodically. The management of the company is interested in getting MIS reports from the system. ) Give layout for any 4 major files in the system. b) Draw ERD for the system. c) Give 2 MIS report layouts. 4. Give an illustrative database and four report layouts for an Information System for British Library Pune. 5. Design the following formats of reports produced by Payroll system. What information the organization will get from these reports? a) Pay slip b) Provident fund statement c) Department wise salary summary. 6. Draw the following report layouts and explain their use in decision making. a) Pending sales orders. b) Product wise sales (periodical basis) ) Product wise rejection analysis. 7. Draw report layouts for the following and elaborate the use of these reports in the process of decision making. i) Stock register ii) Pending Purchase requisition (submitted to purchase department) 8. A distributer of building supplies for construction contractors has a database involving three types of entities: suppliers, products, and customers. Identify some of the important attributes of each type of entity. Draw Entity Relationship Diagram. 9. A mobile company is developing mobile billing system. Company is offering more than one mobile to customer. The mobile company offers facilities like music on demand, internet, alerts and messages, electricity bill payment etc. Customer can choose facilities he wants customer can pay bill either in cash, using credit card or through ECS. The bill shows details about tariff, facility charges and rent. As a analyst design a system having a) Input screen for application for new mobile number. b) Format of pending Bill report 10. Design a web page for Airline reservation system. .

Employment Selection and Training Development Essay

One would think that the employee selection process would be simple, but it is not. Two cases will demonstrate what is not, and what the correct way to approach a hiring situation is. There are specific ways to handle each situation that will minimize the risk to the company during the selection process. These alternative solutions will prevent the companies from ending up in court for discrimination in the hiring process. Speedy Delivery Service (SDC) The first case example chosen to demonstrate improper employment selection practices is Speedy Delivery Service. SDC would prefer not to hire women to perform deliveries for them. To discourage women from applying, SDC has decided to show extremely large, bulky, heavy packages to the women that are interested in the job. The prospective female applicants are lead to believe the job requires them to carry these object up multiple flights of steps without assistance, therefore discouraging them from applying for the job. Male applicants are not shown this same demonstration, therefore encouraging the male applicants (Moran, 2008. Ch. 2). The strategy that SDC is using in this case will increase the risks for the company to be charged with discriminatory hiring practices. This is a prime example of gender discrimination. Employers cannot overstate the physical requirements for a job. The misrepresentation of physical requirements goes against Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. It is fine for employers to test for prospective employees abilities to perform required activities, as long as the tests are the same for each individual. Whether the prospective employee is male, or female the test have to be identical. Once SDC has chosen potential new hires, they can have prospective employees demonstrate that they have the capability to meet the physical requirements to perform the deliveries. If a female prospect has the same potential as a male prospect, they should be given the opportunity to have the job. If the females are not chosen, SDC must be able to explain why the female was not chosen. Long and Short Long and Short is worried about hiring a prospective employee that has children. They are need of someone that can work a specific schedule and  are concerned that if they choose a parent, the hours will be limited. Long and Short chooses to ask the prospective employee if they have children. If Long and Short does not hire this individual, there is a possibility that they will assume it is because they have children. This opens the company up to a huge risk of discriminatory hiring practices (Moran, 2008. Ch. 2). When hiring for a specific shift, or if worried about whether a new hire can work the required schedule a company can clearly find out this information. Without making specific request referencing children, Long and Short could simply ask about restrictions on the days or hours that a prospective employee can work. If for example, the position is for an evening shift and the prospective employee states that they can only work dayshifts, then the company has every right not to hire this individual. As long as each prospective employee is asked the same exact questions referencing availability for shifts, there is no discrimination. In asking a generic question to each prospective employee, the risk to the company is reduced. Conclusion Proper employment selection processes can decrease the risk of a company being sued for discriminatory hiring practices. The primary practice is to ensure that all prospective employees are tested the exact same, and asked the exact same questions. You cannot make testing processes lean towards or against a specific race or gender. The hiring process requires each individual to have the same opportunity to obtain employment. If it is shown that the testing practices exceeds the need for the job, then this is a discriminatory practice and the company will be in a higher risk. Therefore, it is the job of the hiring team to ensure that proper hiring practices are followed. References Moran, J. (2008). Employment Law (4th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection.

The middle class in urban Britain 1780-1900 Essay

The middle class in urban Britain 1780-1900 - Essay Example However, they lacked the modalities to effect the change. It was not until the early nineteenth century that need for change was more strongly expressed by the lower class and the middle class. It is of importance to note that the people who took part and spearheaded this change were the middle class and were the cream in terms of their intellect (Scull, 2005).. Political changes The political arena in Britain was secluded to the mighty and wealthy for a long time, which also refers to the upper class. It was solely the rich who could rule while the middle class neither had a chance nor could raise their voices to be heard. This is evident even from the governance structure since that it is documented that even from the law making organs, the House of Lords could overrule any law passed by House of Commons. The ugly political face was worse in some areas like old Sarum and Dunwich where the middle class could not vote and a number of legislators were re-elected unjustly. The women we re also not allowed to vote, which expressed how democracy was indeed a nightmare to the people being ruled. This did not quite add up since lawyers were also in the category of the urban middle class (Mitchell, 2002). At that particular time, out of an estimated population of thirty million only about two million were allowed to vote. Inspired by the French protester refugees who moved in at around 1700, there were efforts by the middle class to spearhead their liberation. Several uprisings came up and the continuous pressure led to The Great Reform Act that was landmarked a political change in centuries. This Act brought political sanity to Britain and many other positive changes.. The imagery constituencies done away with and the members of parliament representation rationally and equitably restructured. Moreover, the most relevant to our discussion is that the middle class were allowed to vote with the exception of women (Scull, 2005). Economical changes Despite being despised, the middle class were relatively wealthy. Most of them had their wealth on land possession. It was just until in the late nineteenth century that he urban middle class began engaging in forms of wealth holdings like the stock market. In the urban areas in this period, a majority began being wealthy by manufacturing and creating employment. This gave rise to several merchants across Europe at the time and this can attribute to the steady rise in the number of the middle class (Mitchell, 2002). There are some cities that their economical growth was attributed solely to the middle class. An exquisite example is the city of Manchester, which at this period had many projects running in the event of industrial revolution. During the industrial revolution, the whole of Europe had a majority of entrepreneurs comprising of the middle class. The middle class prompted women to get employment. It important to have in mind that women were considered as housewives for some pretty long time in Bri tain. This had a large impact to the economy of the middle class, since majority-hired house cleaners to help in the daily domestic chores and this amounted to about forty percent of the female workers (Mitchell, 2002).

Case Study Of Nokia Production Relocation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study Of Nokia Production Relocation - Essay Example The decision produced a real shock in Germany, both in the unions’ and the politicians’ circles, who both called for boycotting the Nokia products. Nokia is trying to sell another line of business in Bochum, involving personalized cell mobile solutions for cars, to Sasken Technologies, with the help of the private investment fund Equity Partners GmbH and the former manager of Nokia's automotive mobile division, Razban Olosu. At that time, Romania seemed to be a better choice, as it would have fulfilled Nokia’s policy for cost-effectiveness and feasibility. The level of payments for the employees definitely was one of the main reasons, as well as the costs implied by the establishment of the factory. The official opening of the first production line in Romania has an echo also in Austria, where Der Standard wrote that â€Å"while the employees in Bochum still try to save themselves, Nokia is opening a new factory in Romania†. Romania is described in the sam e article as being â€Å"a country with cheap labor force†. Since the inauguration, the Finish in Nokia did not give any time period for their operation in Romania. In 2010, the Sr. Vice President of Nokia, Juha Putkiranta said that â€Å"We do not know how long we will be in Romania, but we hope to be a long term investment, especially that Romania is very close to the markets we wish to serve through this factory†. According to the National Statistics Institute in Romania, in the first three months of 2010, the mobile phones produced at Jucu placed second in the total export. Hence, the mobile phones recorded a 50% increase compared with 2009, reaching a total export of Eur 300 million. The over 3,000 employees in the Nokia factory at Jucu have been called for a meeting, and the Nokia management team for Europe announced that the factory in Cluj will be closed by the end of 2010. The Romanian Senator Marius Nicoara, former President of the Cluj County Council is the man who negotiated the opening of Nokia at Cluj and he declared that the Finish representatives have some complaints. The Senator claimed not to be aware of Nokia intention to close the factory in Cluj, but he knew just that the Finish asked for a new air lane of 3,500 meters and a cargo terminal at Cluj Airport. The two requirements have not been accomplished. Nokia wanted to have the possibility to accommodate big planes for inter-continental transport at Cluj Airport. The cargo terminal has been abandoned, and the air lane is in progress, but still too small to satisfy the initial requirements and specifications. Despite the initial advantages offered by Romania, Nokia did not consider enough the political and foreign investment background existent in the country. The apparently lower costs blurred the bureaucracy existent in Romania, the corruption at all levels and the impediments of the existent infrastructure. After 2 years of operation in Romania, Nokia came to the decision that the investment is not profitable anymore for long term. Even if the sales recorded increase, the economic collapse which affected most of the European countries could not be ignored, and Romania was never in the position to be economically stable. After a year or two, people lose interest in a product, even if it is good or feasible; Romania is a

Has America become a culture of entitlement, where people expect Essay

Has America become a culture of entitlement, where people expect society--parents, teachers, governmentto provide for them regardless of their own efforts - Essay Example Research has it that this culture is more prevalent among men and women of the present day generation than those of the past generations. It is quickly gaining ground and could even be more established in the years to come. Many people have in the earlier generations pursued the dream of America through commitment and inventiveness. They achieved success through strife and serious enthusiasm for their courses. In case they became successful, they counted themselves to be very lucky (Arguelles Web). The trend and mentality are quite different today. Most students today tend to think that they have an entitlement to success, and they do not have to work for it. Students in the present generations tend to focus on what the society should give to them instead of concentrating on how they can make the society better. Their sense of ability and skills is kind of inflated in comparison with that of the students of the older generations. One Jean Twenge, a popular American Psychologist with her team, has in the past gathered information on the subject of entitlement. She notes that in the last four decades, there was an interesting increase in the number of young people who take themselves to be ‘above average’ in certain fields. Such fields include; academic potential; their motivation to success, arithmetic prowess as well as self-confidence. Upon evaluating some of the traits that are taken to be more individualistic, the statistics either lowered or remained constant for the same period. Such traits may include; spirituality, personal cooperativeness and getting to know others (Arguelles Web). The opinions of these people (mostly students) and their actual potential have been found to be incongruent. The situation is known as ‘ambition inflation.’ It means they talk or think big about themselves but perform miserably on the actual

Gay marriage (equal rights for everyone) Research Paper

Gay marriage (equal rights for everyone) - Research Paper Example The third point to be considered is the negative attitude toward legalization of gay marriage, because very often these relationships are considered only with regards to sexual and intimate relations among gay couples. The fourth point to be taken into account is positive attitudes to gay marriage, because gays as a rule are devoted partners and contribute much not only to their families, but also to the community and the society. The fifth point, which should be taken into account, is that homosexuality is not a kind of deviance and these people have the same rights as all of the rest of the members of the society. Analysis and Evaluation Jullian Rayfield in her online review "New York State Senate Passes Marriage Equality Bill" (24 June, 2011) is focused on gay marriage legalization in New York. The author generalizes her main concerns and introduces the supportive arguments for the introduction of gay marriage. A centennial struggle happened in the society, where gays wanted to pr otect their rights and have an opportunity to live together with their sexual partners. Nowadays this struggle has borne some fruits and led to the legalization of gay marriage in the New York State Senate. The author of the article provides her main argument referring to the answers of Republicans and other representatives of political parties, providing supporting and counterarguments to the discussion of gay rights marriage. Social participation of gays and their restriction from heterosexual individual rights is the most controversial claim. Nowadays we have a perfect opportunity to raise our voices in order to protect gay community. Moreover, the author of the article provides positive answers of the members of the Senate, who are much concerned an opportunity of all people to behave equally and have a chance to provide gay couples with a right to get married. The processes of globalization underline the necessity of limits blurring and there is no need to save worn out stereot ypes and social norms. Republicans underline that inability to pass this law would mean to hide the democratic principles of their policy. To have a right for marriage means to have an ability to live with a beloved person. So, if gays have their beloved persons, why do not they have a chance to spend their lifetime together? The development of the community and the society depends on all members of the society. Gay couples have the same rights as all other members of the society. Unfortunately, very often these people are prevented from children upbringing or even being married. Still, we have a hope that there is an essential shift towards the gay rights for marriage acknowledgement throughout the country. If to consider the second point of the paper, which is based on Laura Kipnis appeal for the society to provide all human beings with an opportunity to get married, it is the only way to hold beloved hearts together and to establish a kind of a societal bound between them. Gays s hould be treated equally and there is no need to focus our attention on their sexual or intimate preferences. Kipnis underlines that contemporaries should focus their attention on the

Hedgehog signaling regulates bladder cancer growth and tumorigenicity Research Paper

Hedgehog signaling regulates bladder cancer growth and tumorigenicity - Research Paper Example For the embryo cells to develop properly they receive the information they require from the hedgehog signaling pathway. The concentration of these proteins differs from one part of the embryo to the other. Hedgehogs homologous are three in mammals’ .Scientists have majorly progressed in the study of the Sonic Hedgehog. The other hedgehogs include the Desert hedgehog and the Indian hedgehog. Recently more advanced studies and research show that hedgehog signaling is involved in regeneration and maintenance of adult tissues in regulation of adult stem cells. Analyses have also shown that the pathway is also involved in the development of certain cancer cells. Emerging concepts indicate that tumors are an analogous to these adult tissues which are self renewing. Their maintainer is a group of unique stem cells. Cancer cells have their unique characteristics which easily define them. The best defined characteristics are tumorigenic properties with high differentiating potential an d are self renewing hence regenerating cellular heterogeneity of original patient tumors. In order to maintain their self renewal and differentiating potential adult stem and embryonic cells with respect to their inherent nature keep their pathways active which are always down regulated on differentiation. The following are some of the pathways involved; Signal transducer, Sonic Hedgehog, Notch Signaling, Stat3 Signaling and Wnt catenin. However research shows that all the above pathways are also activated by various cancers. This indicates that they take part in the renewal of cancer stem cells. Human cancer is extremely complex in its development in that heterogeneity is rather common in the active pathways amongst patients. Laboratory results by some of the professionals reveal that only a group of related patients correlate to activation of a certain pathway. Wnt signaling pathway is a complex network of protein s that works with the receptors. In both embryotic and adult cells it regulates communication between the cells. In the mouse it was identified as one of the genes involved in breast cancer. Mutations in this pathway can be terribly dangerous since they can contribute to the development of cancer in adults. The normal state of Wnt pathway is default repression, under its association with axin, APC complex and GSK-3 to target bete-catenin leading to ubiquitination degradation. In any case when mutations damage this pathway it no longer controls beta-catenin. Research proves that beta-catenin is found in breast and lung cancer. It also confers self renewal of granulocyte-macrophage progenitors in blood cancer. The Notch receptor has a large extracellular domain, a single transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain. Ligands for the Notch receptors are proteins being expressed in the surface of the adjacent cells, and the primary target of notch signaling is activation of the transcription factor SuH in Drosophila species or CBF-1 in mammals. Though the mechanism by which the Notch transmits signals has not been worked out positively, it appears to be fairly different from other receptors. Current evidence suggest that the cytoplasmic domain of the notch is proteolytically cleaved and the translocated to nucleus, where it interacts directly with transcription factors. The tumor neclosis factor family of receptors has a conserved cysteine-rich region found in the extracellular do