Individual Project 1 EDU 620 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Project 1 EDU 620 - Essay Example Thus, it demands a more dynamic personality having skills in analysis, planning, management, and implementation. Most importantly, it requires a learning attitude that leads toward continuous personal and professional development. Discipline of Instructional Design Wills(2009) states that instructional design is a discipline based on scientific principals and a specific set of assumptions verified by empirical data. Upon the base of this data, the professionals design their instructions to meet the specific learning needs of the particular audience. Hence, instruction is a science and instructional design is a technology based upon the science. (Merrill, Drake, Lacy, Pratt, & the ID2 Research Group, 1996).Further, it is a process that includes planning, management, implementation and assessment. Thus instructional design is a process to improve how instructions gets designed and delivered better. However, some scholars consider it not just a science but an art as well. Instructional Design as a Science The scholars who claim instructional design as aligned with science say that instruction is based upon some scientific principals—a huge body of research. Supporting this view point Rowland (1993) establishes that the principles that can explain cause and effect relationship are to be said scientific.

Promoting Gender Equality Essay Example for Free

Promoting Gender Equality Essay For centuries women were not treated equal to men in many ways. They were not allowed to own property, they did not have a Share in the property of their parents, they had no voting rights, they had no freedom to choose their work or job and so on. Now that we have come out of those dark days of oppression of women there is a need for strong movement to fight for the rights of women and to ensure that they get all the rights which men have or in other words a movement for the Empowerment of Women. The present seminar has been planned with a view to discuss the various issues related to the Empowerment of Women and to suggest measures for achieving this end.The body of research on women‘s empowerment has conceptualized and defined this construct in many ways and used different terms, often interchangeably, including ―autonomy,â€â€"―status,â€â€" and ―agencyâ€â€" (Lee-Rife and Edmeades 2011; Malhotra et al. 2002; Upadhyay and Hindin 2005). see more:examples of gender equality A review of the literature also shows different measures for the same conceptualization. For example, studies often measure women‘s autonomy with an index that assesses their participation in decision-making in various household issues. This index represents women‘s degree of control over their environment. Some researchers include both major and minordecisions, while others include only major decisions, excluding day-to-day household decisions and those that are traditionally within the woman‘s domain. Women‘s empowerment encompasses many dimensions, including economic, socio-cultural, familial/interpersonal, legal, political, and psychological (Malhotra et al. 2002), which contributes to the wide variation in conceptualizations of women‘s empowerment. Given this variation in conceptualization, it is difficult to measure women‘s empowerment consistently. Kabeer (2001), whose definition is widely accepted, defines empowerment as ―the expansi on of people‘s ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them. Two central components of empowerment are agency and resources needed to exercise life choices (Kabeer 2001; Malhotra et al. 2002). Even with a clear definition, these constructs are difficult to quantify in a standardized way.Additionally, to measure empowerment at an individual level, researchers must translate the amorphous constructs into a set of specific questions that population-based surveys can ask of individual respondents (Kishor and Subaiya 2008). Another challenge is the variation in cultural contexts that affect the measurement of women‘s empowerment. It is desirable to use standardized questions that enable cross-cultural comparisons of empowerment. Yet a measure that captures empowerment in one context may have limited relevance in another, as is the case with measures that assess mobility in a community where women‘s free movement is the norm. While many existing measures of empowerment were originally conceptualized and developed for the context of Asia, and for South Asian countries in particular (Dyson and Moore 1983; Mason 1987), measures that are universally applicable regardless of the gender equity environment, such as those used in Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), are most useful for cross-national comparisons. Using the available standardized measures of women‘s empowerment among several population-based samples from sub-Saharan Africa will allow us to make comparisons and better understand whether the available measures adequately capture empowerment in these settings. It is still unknown whether the same dimensions of empowerment that were developed elsewhere are relevant in sub-Saharan Africa, where the gender environment is completely different than in other regions. In Africa, empowerment is likely to look different than elsewhere because of such differences as more working women who have control over their earnings, more polygamy, more nuclear families (as opposed to extended families), and larger ideal family size, and because women‘s status is often tied to their fertility. EMPOWERMENT AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH A broad body of research exists on women‘s empowerment and reproductive outcomes. Substantial research, primarily focused on Asia, demonstrates that women‘s empowerment is associated with contraceptive use (Gwako 1997; Morgan and Niraula 1995; Schuler et al. 1997; Woldemicael 2009), lower fertility (Balk 1994; Dyson and Moore 1983; Hindin 2000), and longer birth intervals (Upadhyay and Hindin 2005). Some researchers have suggested that women‘s empowerment is a key pathway through which education influences fertility (Jejeebhoy 1995; Mason 1987). To operationalize women‘s empowerment, much of the research literature uses the previously mentioned index of participation in house holddecision-making. The standard DHS questionnaire includes a set of questions about household decision-making. Other approaches include assessing women‘s acceptance of reasons that a husband is justified for beating his wife, and also reasons that a wife is justified in refusing sex with her husband (Ethiopian Society of Population Studies 2008). The DHS includes questions about these issues. Such gender-role attitudes measure the extent of women‘s acceptance of norms that justify men‘s control over women. As expected, they are associated with lower levels of power over household decision-making among women (Dhaher et al. 2010; Hindin 2003; Linos et al. 2010). MAJOR OBSTACLES TO THE PROMOTION OF GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT Notwithstanding the widespread commitment shown through the ratification of international and regional gender equality frameworks, normative gains are not yet fully reflected in substantial changes in women’s lives, as shown in the preceding section. Large gaps remain between policy and practice and it is the aim of this section to discuss some of the major challenges that have been experienced. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity The continued presence of long standing cultural and traditional practices that discriminate against women and girls’ have constrained the progress towards achieving gender equality. Discriminatory practices and public attitudes towards the advancement of women and gender equality have not changed at the same pace as policy, legal and institutional frameworks. Lack of ratification of the instruments that promote gender equality Previous sections have identified the status with respect to a number of regional instruments, particularly the African Women’s Protocol. Some countries are yet to sign this instrument, while a considerable number are yet to ratify it. Ineffective institutional and policy implementation mechanisms Thirteen years after the adoption of the BPFA by the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the greatest challenge facing countries and regional institutions is the effective implementation of the adopted commitments. Good policies that do not have well formulated implementation plans and resources render the policies ineffective. In some countries, the capacity of gender machineries has also contributed to the slow pace. Some policies are not effectively implemented because they were not developed in a participatory way inclusive of both men and women. Lack of targets with well defined time-frames are also some of the factors that have hampered effective implementation of policies. Lack of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms also plays a significant role in the lack of implementation. Moreover, some policies tend to focus on the symptoms rather than addressing the persistent underlying causes of gender inequality. African women, especially those living in rural communities and those with disabilities, still face exclusion from participating in development processes that can empower them and improve gender equality. It is crucial to undertake inclusive participatory approaches in policy development that involve women as equal partners. Lack of adequate resources Lack of human and financial resources severely limits gender mainstreaming to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Even in situations where a comprehensive plan of action for gender mainstreaming has been developed, countries may not have adequate resources to implement the plan. In particular National Gender Machineries (NGMs) experience limited financial and other material resource base to enhance the implementation of gender equality mandates, roles and responsibilities. In addition, there are gaps in human capacity, there is generally a challenge with respect to gender competence skills of officers in the NGMs to influence the engendering of macro-economic and sector policy frameworks. There is high staff turn over of experts, and low staff retention, most countries are facing difficulties of retaining and sustaining staff with the necessary expertise. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity in education In taking decisions with respect to the education of their children, some families continue to have preference for educating boys rather than girls. As noted female-to-male school enrolment, retention and completion favor boys in a majority of countries. Very few countries have female to male enrolment rates that favor girls over boys and these countries have been making progress to redress the situation. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity in health Some cultural and traditional practices continue to inhibit progress in the area of sexual and reproductive rights. Women and girls continue to risk death from maternal mortality. There is need to provide accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare services and education to reduce maternal mortality. Such interventions need to address the roles of both men and women. The rate of HIV infection is much higher among women than men and in this regard, governments must establish and monitor strict legal frameworks to address the vulnerability of women and girls. Furthermore, access to anti-retroviral treatment should be ensured. Lack of enforcement of laws that promote gender equality and lack of knowledge of laws In some countries laws that promote gender equality are in place, however lack of enforcement of such laws leads to the perpetuation of gender inequalities and violence against women. In some countries, laws are in place, but interpretation of these laws is lacking and as such, they are not enforced. Lack of full involvement of men and boys Changing cultural and traditional beliefs including patriarchy requires the involvement of men, and boys in the promotion of gender equality through innovative rights-based, culturally sensitive programmes and continued education and sensitization. Continued lack of recognition of women’s unpaid work The continued lack of recognition of unpaid work (domestic, reproductive, care and support) performed by women hampers the development of policies that can effectively promote gender equality. There is therefore need for such work to be given due recognition in the computation of national income. Limited role of the media The media can play a major role in promoting gender equality beyond what it is currently doing. In particular in creating awareness, sensitization and education campaigns to change patriarchal attitudes. As noted before establishing new laws alone is not enough; existing gendered social relations and cultural norms may quickly shape these laws. There is need for measures to counter preexisting social forces through education and training of both men and women. The media can make a major contribution towards promoting these gender equality messages. Lack of sex disaggregated and gender responsive data Sex-disaggregated data and information from gender-sensitive indicators are often not collected, lost in aggregation of published data, or not used. Gender responsive data would help in tracking the progress made towards achievement of gender equality. SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS Translation of commitments and policies promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment into action on the ground remains a major challenge in Africa. Based on the findings of this study, this section highlights some recommendations that can help countries successfully implement the commitments and policies aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Improved research and collection of gender responsive statistical data It is important to systematically collect accurate sex and gender disaggregated data and conduct research that is essential for monitoring and evaluating progress towards achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. More efforts are needed to build capacity of national experts to collect gender disaggregated data in order to enhance integration of gender perspectives in the development process. Strengthen documentation and dissemination of information on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment Sharing of information is important within countries, between countries and internationally and is critical to the success of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. There is need to intensify documentation of experiences with successful and unsuccessful practices and widely disseminate this information. It is important for member States, development partners and international and regional bodies to identify information exchange systems that can facilitate wide exchange of this information in the region. CONCLUSION The Empowerment of women has become one of the most important Concerns of 21st century not only at national level but also at the international level. Efforts by the Govt. are on to ensure Gender equality but Government initiatives alone would not be sufficient to achieve this goal. Society must take initiative to create a climate in which there is no gender discrimination and Women have full opportunities of Self decision making and participating in the Social, Political and Economic life of the Country with a sense of equality. As countries around the world work to promote gender equality and empower women as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it can be expected that demand for smaller families will follow. Additionally, family planning programs can address women‘s empowerment as part of their mission to help women and couples have only the number of children they want. Such programs are likely to generate interest in family planning services, create demand for smaller families, and also reduce unwanted fertility. REFRENCES _Abadian, S. 1996. Womens Autonomy and Its Impact on Fertility. World Development 24(12):1793-1809. _Gwako, E.L. 1997. Conjugal Power in Rural Kenya Families: Its Influence on Womens _Decisions about Family Size and Family Planning Practices. Sex Roles 36(3-4):127-147. _Jejeebhoy, S.J. 1995.Womens Education, Autonomy, and Reproductive Behaviour: Experience _from Developing Countries. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. _Jejeebhoy, S.J. 2000. Womens Autonomy in Rural India: Its Dimensions, Determinants, and the Influence of Context. Pp. 204-238 in Womens empowerment and demographic processes: moving beyond Cairo, edited by H. Presser and G. Sen. London: Oxford University Press. _ Lee-Rife, S.M. 2011. Womens Empowerment and Reproductive Experiences over the Lifecourse. Soc Sci Med 71(3):634-642. _Linos, N., M. Khawaja, and M. Al-Nsour. 2010. Womens Autonomy and Support for Wife Beating: Findings from a Population-Based Survey in Jordan. Violence Vict 25(3):409-419. _ Mason, K.O. 1987. The Impact of Women‘s Social Position on Fertility in Developing Countries. Sociological Forum 4:718–745. _Morgan, P.S. and B.B. Niraula. 1995. Gender Inequality and Fertility in Two Nepali Villages. Population and Development Review 21(3):541-561. _Westoff, C. and A. Bankole. Reproductive Preferences in Developing Countries at the Turn of the Century. Calverton, Maryland: ORC Macro. DHS Comparative Reports No. 2. April 2002. http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pub_details.cfm?ID=369#dfiles . _Malhotra, A., S.R. Schuler, and C. Boender. Measuring Womens Empowerment as a Variable in International Development. Washington, DC; June 28, 2002. http://hdr.undp.org/docs /network/hdr_net/GDI_GEM_Measuring_Womens_Empowerment.pdf . _ Gebreselassie, T. 2008. Spousal Agreement on Reproductive Preferences in Sub-Saharan Africa. Calverton, Maryland: Macro International Inc. DHS Analytical Studies No. 10. http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/AS10/AS10.pdf _ UNECA, (2004b), Seventh African Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +10) Decade Review of the Implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms of Action: Outcome and Way forward, Addis Ababa. _UNECA-SA, (2003), Land Tenure Systems and Sustainable Development in Southern Africa, Lusaka. _ WHO, (2002) Gender and Reproductive Rights Glossary. Geneva . _ World Bank, (2000), Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?, The World Bank, Washington DC. _Budlender D, J. Hicks and L. Vetten, (2002) South Africa: Expanding into diverse initiatives, in Gender Budgets Make More Cents Country Studies and Good Practice edited by D. Budlender and G. Hewitt, Commonwealth Secretariat, London. _ Government of Kenya, (2005), MDG Status Report For Kenya, Nairobi. _Government of Malawi, (2004) State Party Report of Malawi to the CEDAW Committee, Lilongwe. _ Government of Sierra Leone, (2004), PRSP of Sierra Leone, A National Programme for Food Security, Job Creation and Good Governance (2005 – 2007), Freetown. _ Green Africa Network, (2004), Policy Document on Overall Sustainable Women Development for Socioeconomic Development of Rural Africa, Nairobi. _ Longwe S. H., (2000), Towards realistic strategies for women’s political empowerment in Africa, Gender and Development, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 24-30. _ OECD and NEPAD, (2007), Gender and Economic Empowerment in Africa Outcome of the meeting of the 8th Africa Partnership Forum Berlin, Germany 22-23 May 2007. _Oxfam, 2004, Mozambique’s Family Law passes, http://www.oxfam.org/en/programs/development/ safrica/moz_law.htm _ Reeves H and S Baden, (2000), Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions, Report prepared for the Department for International Development (DFID) for its gender mainstreaming intranet resource, Institute of Develo pment Studies, BRIDGE report Number 55, Brighton. _ Sen A, (1993) Capability and well-being, in Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum (eds.), The quality of life, Oxford, Clarendon Press. _ UNDAW, (2005) Enhancing Participation of Women in Development through an Enabling Environment for Achieving Gender Equality and the Advancement of Women, Aide Memoire held in Bangkok, Thailand, 8 – 11 November 2005. _UNECA and AUC (Forthcoming) Good Practices for Addressing GBV/VAW in Africa, Draft Document, September 2008, Addis Ababa. _ UNECA, (2008a), The Millennium Development Goals in Africa: Progress and Challenges. _ UNECA, (2008b), Millennium Development Goals Monitoring: Challenges and Opportunities for African Countries E/ECA/STATCOM/1/6, Report prepared for the First Meeting of the Statistical Commission for Africa (STATCOM-AFRICA I) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 21-24 January 2008. _ UNECA, (2008c), The State of Older People in Africa –2007: Regional review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, UNECA, Addis Ababa. _ UNECA, (2007a), Accelerating Africa’s Growth and Development to meet the MDGs: Emerging Challenges and the way forward: An Issues Paper for the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development/Fortieth session of the Commission Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Committee of Experts held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 29 March – 1 April 2007. _ UNECA, (2007b), Ministerial statement of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development/Fortieth session of the Commission Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Committee of Experts held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 29 March – 1 April 2007. _ UNECA, (2007c), Millennium Development Goals Report, Report to the Conference of Ministers of African Ministers responsible for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 2007. _ECA (2007d) Land Policy in Africa: A Framework to Strengthen Land Rights, Enhance Productivity and Secure Livelihoods, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. _ UNECA, 2006: Meeting the Challenge of Employment In Africa, An Issues Paper for the Twenty-fifth meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ouagadougou 10 13 May 2006. _ UNECA (2005a) Economic Report on Africa 2005 Meeting the Challenges of Unemployment and Poverty in Africa, Addis Ababa. _UNECA (2005b), Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa: Questioning the Achievements and Confronting the Challe nges Ten Years after Beijing, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. _UNECA (2004a). The African Gender and Development Index. (ECA) Addis Ababa.

Realism Relations Political

Realism Relations Political How is classical realism different to neo-realism? Neo-realism is a school of thought in international relations, which has its origins in classical realism which was advanced by writers such as Hans Morgenthau. He believed that states acted only in the pursuit of their self-interests to promote survival. Kenneth Waltz introduced a new approach, through his book, ‘Theory of International Politics, claiming that neo-realism can strengthen the previous paradigm of realism by looking at international relations in a more structural and methodological perspective and as a result, enhanced conclusions can be obtained. Therefore, in order to assess the differences between realism and neo-realism and whether Waltzs neo-realism is an improvement on classical realism, it is firstly important to define both neo-realism and classical realism. It is also important to consider Waltzs perspective in detail and analyse the elements which could be deemed as improvements. Thus, it will be argued that neo-realism is an improvement on classical realism due to its more rigorous scientific approach to international relations. Morgenthau was an international theorist who advocated the paradigm of realism. His theory consists of many principles which he believed gave a more pragmatic approach to international relations compared to the earlier paradigm of idealism. He considers states to be aggressive and power-seeking and that these specific characteristics stem from the imperfect humans from which they are constructed. Additionally, he deems that states are the key actors in international relations and stresses that national interests dominate state behaviour. This poses the question whether states can have interests, but realists like Morgenthau argue that states not only have interests but also behave in accordance with these interests. He further personifies states adding they will continually pursue their self-interests even though it may be detrimental to others. Central to Morgenthaus theory was the concept of power as the dominant goal in international politics and the definition of national interes t in terms of power. He called for recognition of the nature and limits of power and for the use of traditional methods of diplomacy, including compromise. In, ‘Politics Among Nations, Morgenthau outlines his six principles in international relations, with the first of these being that, ‘politics is governed by objective laws which have their root in human nature. These objective laws cannot be changed nor affected over time and human preferences. Therefore, the laws of human nature, tied with an assumption that actors are rational, provide a good framework for the explanation of international relations. His second principle regards the understanding of international politics through the, ‘concept of interest defined as power, and so sets the realm of international politics as autonomous to other spheres of action such as ethics and religion. The third principle in his doctrine focuses on the premise that state power can change but the concept of interest remains constant. The political and cultural situation determines that state power and this objectivity of interest can provide a general starting point in the analysis of international politics. His fourth and fifth principles centre on the need to differentiate between the morality of the state and the individual. He believes that universal moral principles do not guide state behaviour even though that behaviour may have moral and ethical consequences. States are not moral agents, and their actions should be judged solely on the principle of national interest and survival. His final principle concerns the autonomy of the political sphere and its separation from the other spheres of human concern. Morganthau sees man as being pluralistic in nature and the political nature of man must be abstracted from all other aspects of human nature. He says, ‘A man who has nothing but ‘political man would be a beast, and as he considers the concept of interest defined in terms of power this ‘political man, ‘would be completely lacking moral constraints. The realist interpretation of the political man gives primacy to political considerations by defining interest in terms of power in contrast to the ‘economic man who thinks of interest defined as wealth. In the international structure, Morgenthau characterises states acting in a rational fashion because they carry out a cost-benefit analysis before proceeding with any action. In hypothetical terms country ‘A would only invade country ‘B if the benefits were far superior to the costs. He says ‘†¦a rational foreign policy to be good foreign policy; for only rational foreign policy minimizes risks and maximises benefits. Therefore this emphasises states as being unified and rational actors, with respect to the implementation of foreign policy. Furthermore, an additional concept of the classical realist paradigm is the balance of power between states in the international system. States align themselves with other states to form alliances and to feel more secure against the threat of a superpower. This reiterates the need for states to promote, their pre-eminent goal of survival and forming alliances and thus balancing of power ensures this. Alliances are seen by re alists as the paramount method of gaining power as the likelihood of invasion is reduced. Thus, the potential aggressor will have to attack more than one state, thereby in undertaking a cost-benefit analysis; the cost of an attack would outweigh the benefits. Morgenthau argues that states are the real actors in international politics and there is no supreme power or sovereign authority above them. The lack of governance consequently leads to an anarchic structure to the international system, thus creating the rise of insecurity. Initially, states begin with a defensive motive, but are forced to think and somewhat act inherently offensive because of the anarchic structure of the international system. As states are motivated by power and the pursuit of national interest, normally defined in security or military terms, to ensure their own survival the principle of self-help becomes more significant. It emphasises the need to differentiate between the international and domestic political structure. It surmises the domestic political system to be hierarchical, with the central government superior to local and district governments. In contrast, this clearly defined structure is absent in international politics, and therefore anarchy is dominant . In 1979, Kenneth Waltz published, ‘Theory of International Politics, and from this the neo-realist approach to international relations emerged. He sought to develop a more rigorous theory of international politics than earlier realists, like Morgenthau. Waltzs paradigm argues that, ‘classical realism understood the constraints inherent in anarchy but failed to develop a serious account of its structure. He believes the theory had to be defined precisely and in terms drawn from the thinking of the scientific method. Furthermore, he demonstrated how one can distinguish between the unit level and structural elements and then make connections between them. Waltz not only restricted the kind of theory he was producing but also its scope. He argued that there were patterns in the international system which recurs over time and these were products of the system itself, and not of its subsystems. He used this approach to show that the interdependence theory overstated the relianc e of great powers on other states, military power was extremely useful in preserving stability and that great hegemonic powers had a role in overseeing world affairs. Waltz judged there to be two types of system which were possible, hierarchical and anarchical. In the hierarchical system, different kinds of units are organised under a clear line of authority, whereas, ‘International systems are decentralized and anarchic, leading to units being similar in nature even though they may have different capabilities. The scientific approach by neo-realists is a specific aspect of the theory which distinguishes itself from classical realism. Waltz believes in a more methodological approach to the international system as the path to knowledge must originate from observable data from which an effective hypothesis can be made. Also by producing large data, regularities can be found and therefore hypotheses can be tested against further data. Furthermore no prior assumptions can be made, especially in regards to human nature, which opposes Morgenthaus realist paradigm. The data must also be open and explicit, about how it was gathered allowing modern theories to be rejected. Indeed, Waltz was able to produce three criteria to distinguish between the domestic political system and international system, and the first of these is the ordering principle. In agreement with the classical realist paradigm, the anarchic system has lead to a lack of authority and a self-help system. He says, ‘each unit se eks its own good: the result of a number of units simultaneously doing so transcends the motives and aims of the separate units. States are only able to survive if they increase their military capabilities and therefore enhancing the security of it. It is the ordering principle that Waltz believes, leads to states performing identical primary tasks. This very doctrine assumes that states have to defend themselves but in conjunction to this preparation, a ‘spiral of insecurity gives rise to a security dilemma, in the system. When states increase military spending and build up arms, other neighbouring states may feel undermined and threatened, even though the build up was entirely defensive. In believing that states perform the same primary functions, the neighbouring states start to build up their arms. This leads to an arms race as states continually act to restore the balance of power, a race which Waltz argues stops when equilibrium is reached. This corrective mechanism is seen as part of the nature of the system allowing the removal of human nature when describing the power struggle between states. In Waltzs second principle, he emphasises the anarchic structure of the international system which leads to states being independent, separate yet formally still being equal units in the system. Waltz writes, ‘states†¦are not formally differentiated by the functions they perform, therefore due to the anarchical structure of the system, states remain like units. Since each state performs the same tasks, ‘†¦the ends they aspire to are similar. Furthermore, the states recognise its interests must only count on its own resources as they, ‘all do more business at home than abroad. He stresses that it is their ability to accomplish these tasks, which distinguishes states not the actual functions they accomplish. Indeed, due to states performing the same important primary tasks it signifies the inability to differentiate them from on another, yet it is their actual distribution of capabilities which does distinguish them. Waltz states, ‘The structure of a system changes with changes in the distribution of capabilities across the systems units. The distribution, allows the prediction of the balance of power and the comparative power of the states in the system. Waltz argues that states in anarchy prefer the balance of power, as the power of other states is interpreted as aggressive. Neo-realists see the balance of power between great powers always occurring as it is a natural phenomenon in the anarchic system. The actual balance of power implementation of this balance is not done by diplomats, declare neo-realists, rather it is a spontaneous and corrective mechanism. All forms of realism therefore have a number of characteristics that are in common such as emphasis on the importance of the state and political groups, especially the military, and not the individual. They also advocate the continuity of human condition, for Morgenthaus realism this is embodied within human nature, whereas for neo-realism this is centred on anarchy as the ordering principle. In both approaches, anarchy is paramount in the international system and this creates powerful incentives for aggression. Therefore, due to the lack of constraints on states implies that conflict is the natural state of the system. The role of diplomats in both paradigms is to act competitively, but Morgenthau stresses the personification of states with respect to human nature and the pursuit of self-interest, while Waltzs theory is that policies arise in the need to compete for security to be maintained in the system. ‘Neo-realism stresses continuities but it does not deny the existence o f change, as Waltz concedes that militarily change has occurred in the international system yet the fundamental organising principle has not. Despite their differences over the question of co-operation in the international system, both neo-realists and realists both construct upon assumptions that the main units in the international system, explicitly states, are assumed to be self-interested and rational. Furthermore, both theorists have contrary views on stability of the international system. Morgenthau argues that the balance of power in a system is governed by policies of states. However, Waltz contends that, ‘these balances tend to form whether some or all states consciously aim to establish and maintain balance, or whether some or all states aim for universal domination, therefore, he is more interested in the impact of power on state behaviour rather than the opposite. Neo-realism advocates that whether states consciously pursue a balancing policy or not is irrelevant for explaining the probability of peace or war. Furthermore, another debate in system stability is concentrated up polarity, the number of power centres in the system, on the probability of war. Morgenthau advocated the system stability was achievable only through the effects of a multipolar balance of power. This is more stable international order because of, ‘the plenitude of interacting partners mean s that there is a greatly reduced danger of mutually reinforcing antagonism between both states. Individual states will have associations with a great variety of others; their cross-cutting loyalties will tend to reduce hostility expressed toward one particular state or against one particular cause. However, Waltz dismisses this supposition and develops a theory of bipolar stability in which he argues is more stable because, ‘competition in multipolar systems is more complicated than competition in bipolar ones, and as a result, ‘uncertainties about the comparative capabilities of states multiply as numbers grow. The inclusion of only two leading powers allows fewer grey areas in the system, as interests are clearly defined and produce less opportunity for misperceptions. Furthermore, Waltz deems the bipolar system easier to manage, as change can be monitored closely and therefore, the chance of conflict is significantly reduced. This is in contrast to a multipolar syste m where, ‘there is a highly probability in an increase in the number of international conflicts. A bipolar system can have but one antagonism; multipolarity, on the other hand, may have virtually numberless frictions. However, both theories have defects when applying them to the present international system. They both ignore other important actors which are not states, such as multinational companies. Liberal pluralists highlighted the understanding of non-state actors, undermining the state-centric world of realism. Keohane and Nye claimed that world politics was no longer the exclusive preserve of states and that, ‘the growth of transnational organizations has lead to the state-centric paradigm becoming progressively inadequate, therefore a new theory called complex interdependence was introduced to run as an alternative to realism. Additionally, with both theories overemphasising power being defined as having strength in the military, this therefore, dismisses other means of being powerful such as economic and territorial strengths. It is arguable therefore, that neo-realism as propagated by Waltz, is a doctrine that adds and improves on Morgenthaus realist theory. His ability to apply a more scientific and methodological approach allows the theory to be clearly defined and tested. In addition, it responds more accurately to the question of economic theory as Waltz argues that while the growth of wealth maybe infinite, states must stress security to promote its survival. However, Morgenthaus doctrine should not be completely dismissed as Waltz still agrees that states as pursuing self-interests to promote their own survival. Though, to a greater extent it is arguable that Waltzs obligation to include the concept of a corrective mechanism, when portraying the balance of power and the fact that no prior assumptions are made on human nature, underlines a more rigorous and precise approach to international relations. BIBLIOGRAPHY Burchill, Scott Theories of International Relations (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001) pp. 70-99 Keohane, Robert O. and Nye, Joseph S. Transnational relations and World Politics (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1973) pp. ix-xxix Linklater, Andrew, ‘Neo-Realism in Theory and Practice, in Booth, Ken and Smith, Steve International Relations Theory Today (Cambridge: Polity, 1995) pp. 241-262 Mearsheimer, John ‘Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War, International Security, Vol. 15, No. 1, (Summer, 1990) pp. 5-56 Mearsheimer, John ‘The False Promise of International Institutions, International Security, Vol. 19, No. 3, (Winter, 1994-1995) pp. 5-49 Morgenthau, Hans J. Politics among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1955) pp. 3-13, 320-340 Rosecrance, Richard ‘Bipolarity, Multipolarity, and the Future, The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 10, No. 3, (Autumn, 1996) pp. 314-327 Waltz, Kenneth Theory of International Politics (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1979) pp. 48-57, 110-120 Waltz, Kenneth ‘Structural Realism after the Cold War, International Security, Vol. 25, No. 1, (Summer, 2000) pp. 5-41

Hal Riney & Partners, Inc :: essays research papers

Hal Riney & Partners, Inc Ownership/size/locations -   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hal Riney & Partners, Inc., one of the most famous privately-owned advertising agencies in San Francisco, CA, was founded in 1986 by chairman and CEO Hal P. Riney himself. With the branch office in Chicago, Hal Riney & Partners Heartland, reaches out to clients in different regions as well. Both San Francisco and Chicago offices employ a total number of approximately 350 employees. Income/profitability -   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of July 1996, Hal Riney & Partners, Inc., had an approximate annual billings of $475 million. The breakdown of gross billings by media are as followes: Newspaper - $38 million; Business Publication - $4.75 million; Transit - $4.75 million; Outdoor advertising - $19 million; TV - $275.5 million; Radio - $42.7 million; Collateral - $9.5 million; Consumer publication - $57 million; and cable TV - $23.75 million. Nowadays, the average percentage of earning for advertising agencies is approximately between .05% to 1% of the total billings. With a billing of $475 million, it would be logical to assume that Hal Riney & Partners earns approximately $2.375 million to $4.75 million. With the acquisition of several new accounts including Acer Group and Sprint Spectrum, Hal Riney’s billing is now approaching $600 million. Management Profiles -   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The chairman and CEO of Hal Riney & Partners, Inc., is Mr. Hal Riney. There are over 30 Sr. VPs and VPs holding various positions at the San Francisco office alone. Some of the key personnel at the San Francisco office includes Vice Chairman - James Travis; Chief Financial Officer & Executive VP - Lyn Muegge; Executive VP & National Creative Director - Joe O’Neill; Executive VP, and Managing Director - David Verklin; Executive VP and Corporate Development - John Yost; and Creative Director - Gerald Andelin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Chicago office handles a set of different clients with its own different personnel such as Barray Krause - Executive V.P. and Managing Director; Jonathan Harries - Executive V.P. and Executive Creative Director; Catharine Gerber - Senior V.P. and Media Director; and Paul Janas - Senior V.P. and Creative Director. Hal Riney has recently added Scott Marshall as the president on his pay roll after several unsuccessful search for new partners. In the past 18 months, Hal Riney had also held conversations with Interpublic Group (who owns McCann-Erickson, Lintas, etc.) and W.Y. Choi (a majority owner of N.W. Ayer & Partners) in attempt to sale his agency. Clients -   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hal Riney & Partners serves a variety of clients from auto maker to fast food restaurant. Current major clients include Acer Group, Alamo car rental company, Birkenstock, The Walt Disney Company, Cox California PCS, GM Electric

Shiksha Sopan Essay --

Shiksha means Education and Sopan means steps or stairs. Education is the step that leads a person ahead for the social upliftment. This was the thought behind starting this organization by four students of IIT Kanpur in 2001. People who join this course have high aspirations and strive hard to achieve their goals to establish themselves in life. But these students thought in a different way and wanted to take care of the underprivileged children of the society and make it a part of their dream. As a part of achieving their goal first they wanted to educate those children who belonged to the servant quarters of the campus. That’s how Shiksha Sopan came into existence. Understanding their noble thought other students, faculty members and the other employees of IIT Kanpur had joined hands with them. Later local young enthusiastic youth also joined this mission. It’s now a registered nongovernmental organization which imparts meaningful education to the under developed sections of the society which are in and around of IIT Kanpur, making the students self confident, dependent and socially conscious beings. Shiksha Sopan focuses on three objective i.e., Shiksha, Sanskar and Swavlamban. Shiksha means education. It is responsible for making socially sensitive and responsible citizens. Shiksh Sopan imparts education to students through innovative pedagogic methods. Audio and visual aids, demonstrations, activities, educational tours, lab activities and games form a part of this system. Inculcation of right attitudes and values, character building, respect for humanity and mother land are being given lot of impo... ...he girl child, liquor and gutka usage etc. The basic support for Shiksha Sopan is IIT Kanpur. Donations are also being accepted from organizations and well wishers. Donations can be made in the form of cash, cheques and demand drafts drawn in favour of Shiksha Sopan, IIT, Kanpur. The donations are used for schemes like Community Library; Higher Education Cell; VNK Merit Scholarship; Creating e-Resource; Pratibha Poshan Yojana Senior; Sopan Anaupacharik Shikshan Kendra; Evening Learning Centers and Sopan Science Cell. Shiksha Sopan’s achievements have been tremendous in all these years. It has given an opportunity to the students of Kanpur to serve the downtrodden. This project has proved that the so called urban elite society is really concerned and bothered about the villages and villagers and really contributes their share efficiently to bring them par with it.

One Nation Under God Essay -- essays research papers

Would God categorize his children? That is a question that I believe most would give a simple and direct answer: No. Would the United States categorize their citizens? Although the Amendment suggests that all men and women are equal, the fact is, the people of the United States are continuously being classified. So, if indeed the United States is one nation under God, why do we continue to sort ourselves through unreasonable and unethical factors? The misinterpretation of race has shattered the American society and for all that it stands. We should correct America’s immoral actions and assumptions that separate God’s children in hope of reforming the United States toward true equality. The United States is supposed to be a nation of equal beings, yet the government, companies, and organizations in America use race in questionnaires and forms. For example, ******************* admissions form asks to check one of the boxes containing the following: African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, White, Other, and Prefer not to answer. Prefer not to answer should be the most logical choice, but still, the question of race in general, should not be of any concern, especially for filing purposes. Despite the fact, we are haunted by the categorization of our "ethnic background," which vaguely describes our personality. Many other organizations... One Nation Under God Essay -- essays research papers Would God categorize his children? That is a question that I believe most would give a simple and direct answer: No. Would the United States categorize their citizens? Although the Amendment suggests that all men and women are equal, the fact is, the people of the United States are continuously being classified. So, if indeed the United States is one nation under God, why do we continue to sort ourselves through unreasonable and unethical factors? The misinterpretation of race has shattered the American society and for all that it stands. We should correct America’s immoral actions and assumptions that separate God’s children in hope of reforming the United States toward true equality. The United States is supposed to be a nation of equal beings, yet the government, companies, and organizations in America use race in questionnaires and forms. For example, ******************* admissions form asks to check one of the boxes containing the following: African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, White, Other, and Prefer not to answer. Prefer not to answer should be the most logical choice, but still, the question of race in general, should not be of any concern, especially for filing purposes. Despite the fact, we are haunted by the categorization of our "ethnic background," which vaguely describes our personality. Many other organizations...

Ethical Health Care Issues Essay

When working with patients and their families, the health care professionals occasionally will face unpopular and difficult decisions that relates to medical treatments which questions moral issues such as religious beliefs and even professional guidelines of ethical or not. Health care ethics is used as a parameter for staff to exemplify the standards of the proper ethics and provide the imaginary ethics road map to success when speaking to patients and families about choices based on beliefs, values, health, and possibly in the end death. When dealing with moral issues in this manner it becomes even more complex. An example of a conflict of interest with a health care employee can exists when an employee is influenced, whether consciously or unconsciously, by some form of financial or personal gain. This proves their self-interest and lack of morals when it comes to the good of the company. With a profit-driven organization the normal motive for the presence of an ethical struggle is generally linked to some practice of individual economic contemplations. A statement made by the American College of Physicians showed that â€Å"physicians meet industry representatives at the office and at professional meetings, collaborate in community-based research, and develop or invest in health-related industries. In all of these spheres, partnered activities often offer important opportunities to advance medical knowledge and patient care, but they also create an opportunity for the introduction of bias† (Mitnick, 2010). Some professionals are granted privileges that include things like the influence to set scholastic and principled standards. This ability permits the preservation of their competence and creates a trustworthy and ethical employee. Now this employee is beneficial to the patients and the society. Dealing with the territory of patient precaution there are hazards to proficiency and in many situations there are the possibilities for a conflict of interest. Sometimes doctors have relationships with outside companies and when this happens these relationships have the chance to create a conflict of interest when a physician decides to accept some kind of gifts, act as a speaker on behalf of an outside company or if they have some kind of interest financially in a product that will be used inside the hospital. A conflict of interest may arise when a doctor has the chance to be paid for their services. These conflicts will arise when dealing with any kind of payment system while each payment system will have a different concern. Avoiding conflicts of interest The prime targets for conflicts of interest are doctors and nurses. They have the opportunity to receive some form of promotion from pharmaceutical companies and companies that make the medical devices. This is the reason why the health care industry has made some efforts to regulate things. This includes the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America who restructured the standards of behavior for collaborations with the health care specialists in 2009 and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies volunteered a code of ethics on their own in 2010 trying to limit the influence of profit organizations. Even with taking these measures it has been found that many physicians have no problems with accepting free samples of drugs from drug companies through an issue of Archives of Surgery from the June 2010 issue. Also reported was a variety of doctors may find it appropriate to receive free meals. Noncompliance Noncompliance in simple terms is rejecting the actions to a rule of necessity. â€Å"In medicine, the term noncompliance is commonly used in regard to a patient who does not take a prescribed medication or follow a prescribed course of treatment. A person who demonstrates noncompliance is said to be noncompliant† (medicinenet, 2011). In this action we can look at the example here, â€Å"As many as half of ‘failures’ of treatment to bring elevated blood pressure down to normal levels may be due to unrecognized lapses in taking antihypertensive drugs as prescribed, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of Lausannne, Switzerland.† (Stephenson, 2001). It states in the reading that autonomy is the freedom we have to decide what we want to do. Whether a consent form as been signed or not the patient must be aware that they have the ability to withdraw from what is going on. With beneficence it is simply a person taking an action for the benefit for another person. Beneficent actions are taken for people to help prevent a person from a harmful situation or it can improve a situation for other people. Simply put non-maleficence means to do no harm. With this one it requires doctors to refrain from providing ineffective care or acting with malice. It is not very helpful sometimes because many of the treatments carry some form of risk, it needs to be checked to see if the reward outweighs the risks. Justice in health care is usually defined as a form of fairness. It implies that a fair distribution of services will be provided to society. Conclusion The ethical issues that an individual health care worker has to face will depend on what specialized area the health care professional is staffed. An example would consist of a hospital faced with a patient requesting euthanasia while at the same time a health insurance agent is giving insurance to a patient under the same circumstances and not receiving a clear assessment of the patient’s needs. The author of Ethical Issues in Epidemiologic Research and Public Health practice Steven Coughlin states that all who practice in the field of medicine will experience a level of ethical reasoning during their day to day routine. Whether it’s an non-compliant client or a conflict of interest, both have the opportunity to harm a patient’s health care. Employers try to assure they are able to provide some form of ethical teaching with policies in place for review. Training the training is a program some adopt to ensure the widespread of the information. By training the management responsible for monitoring the work of these employees it consolidates the exepctations of the organization. This level of training allows the trainer to explain the type of ethical issues a health care worker may encounter, why the issue is there and how to deal with the issue. If an employee or the supervisor does not follow these guidelines the penalty can be fierce,. Punishment for the employee could result in suspension, fines or up to and including termination of their position. References Americas. (2009-2010). Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Healthcare &, 1-76. HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT Conference Paper Abstracts. (2010). Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1-38. doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2010.54503723 medicinenet. (2011, april 27). Definition of noncompliance. Retrieved from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10159 Mitnick, S., Leffler, C., & Hood, V. (2010). Family caregivers, patients and physicians: ethical guidance to optimize relationships. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 25(3), 255-260. Stephenson, J. (2001). Human biological materials in research: ethical issues and the role of stewardship in minimizing research risks. Advances in Nursing Science, 24(2), 32-46.