Monday, September 30, 2019

Looking Deathworthy Essay

Researchers Jennifer L. Eberhardt, Paul G. Davis Valerie J. Purdie-Vaughns, and Sheri Lynn Johnson studied whether being stereotypically black influences the probability of receiving the death penalty. Sociologist have previously proven that people quickly apply racial stereotypes to blacks who have the stereotypically appearance of a black person. This racial profile effects how people judge an individual and this judgment may very well influence how one is treated by others. This study is important because it shows how racial stereotypes can affect the sentence given to a defendant guilty of murder. The relationship of the different sentences of black on black murders vs. black on white murders is also slightly exposed in this study. For science, this shows a new perspective of how modern society views and profiles African-American men. These stereotypes have and influence on how people treat one another, in this case African-American murder defendants, which is changing society as a whole. Judgment plays a major role in how we interact with one another. The researchers had a very basic research design. There topic was if being stereotypically black influences the possibility of being sentenced with the death penalty. They defined there problem by stating how previous researchers have found a correlation between racial profiling and how people judge others. Researchers have also found that murders of white victims are more likely than murderers of black victims to be sentenced to death. The article Looking Deathworthy by the researchers that conducted this experiment, states that the researchers reviewed plenty of previous studies, theories, and cases. They conducted the experiment in two methods. The first method they showed pictures of 44 black males convicted of murdering white victims in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia during 1979 and 1999, and showing their pictures to raters. The raters where Stanford University undergraduates who were not told the men in the pictures where convicted murderers. They simply rated the men according to how stereotypically black they looked. The researchers found that the defendants who appeared to be more stereotypically black than the others were more likely to receive a death sentence. In the second method, they used the same databases and procedures to see if the same result would be obtained in the experiment if the victims were black. They found that the perceived stereo typicality of black defendants convicted of murdering black victims did not predict a death sentence. There were a couple of limitations made by these researchers that might have effect the outcome of the research. The researchers only used black defendants from the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia area. These changes make the research only correct for that area at that particular time. They should have broadened their case studies to all the states in the U. S. the researchers also only used raters from Standford University. There is a greater chance the people from the same area and same age group judge individuals with the same mentality. They should have used different age groups and people from different backgrounds as raters. T would have made the study more valid. I feel that this was an excellent theory to experiment and I agree that it is true. Capital punishment does give harder sentences for murder defendants who look stereotypically black. However, the study should have been broader. The researchers had variables that if they removed, would have allowed their findings to be more valid.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Importance of Sleep Essay

1. Understand the importance of sleep 1 Explain how sleep contributes to an individual’s well-being 2 Identify reasons why an individual may find it hard to sleep 3 Describe the possible short-term and long-term effects on an individual who is unable to sleep well 2. Be able to establish conditions suitable for sleep 1 Describe conditions likely to be suitable for sleep 2 Minimise aspects of the environment likely to make sleep difficult for an individual 3 Adjust own behaviour to contribute to a restful environment 4 Describe actions to take if the behaviour or movement of others hinders an individual’s ability to sleep 3. Be able to assist an individual to sleep 1 Explain the importance of a holistic approach to assisting sleep 2 Encourage the individual to communicate the support they need to sleep 3 Assist the individual to find a position for sleep consistent with their plan of care 4 Support the individual to use aids for sleep in ways that reflect the plan of care and follow agreed ways of working 4. Be able to monitor sleep 1 Establish with the individual and others how sleep will be monitored 2 Record agreed observations relating to the individual’s sleep and the assistance given 5. Know how to access information and advice about difficulties with sleep 1 Describe situations in which additional information or assistance about sleep would be needed 2 Explain how to access additional information and assistance Additional information An individual is someone requiring care or support Agreed ways of working will include policies and procedures where these exist Others may include: family friends advocates line manager health professionals others who are important to the individual’s well-being Unit aim (s) This unit is aimed at those working in a wide range of settings. It provides the learner with the knowledge and skills required to establish conditions suitable for sleep and support the individual to sleep. Assessment requirements specified by a sector or regulatory body (if appropriate) This unit must be assessed in accordance with Skills for Care and Development’s QCF Assessment Principles. Learning outcomes 2, 3 and 4 must be assessed in a real work environment. Details of the relationship of the unit and relevant national occupational standards HSC216

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Analysis Of The s Into The Wild

the main articles discussed in my English class and how each of these articles show relation to the essential question â€Å"What is success?† These passages include, â€Å"Into The Wild,† by Jon Krakauer, which shows success by introducing Chris McCandless and how he had shown his success by leaving home and setting out into the wild to live a successful life in his terms.â€Å"Nature,† by Ralph Waldo Emerson, shows how the author believes success is the natural and calm part of life and that even though succeeding†¦ An individual 's identity is how one perceives and differentiates themselves from others in their society. Outside factors such as family, friends, and society can have a major impact on how one views themselves. However, identity ultimately comes down to one’s own personal beliefs. In Jon Krakauer 's book Into the Wild, Krakauer investigates the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man whose actions allow him to pursue a unique identity, but also lead to his untimely demise. In Stephen King’s†¦ Play Analysis Wild Party The given circumstances are 1. Queenie is a vaudeville performer, and Burrs is a vaudevillian clown. This information influences the play because it tells the audience how Queenie and Burrs met 2. Later on in the song Queenie Was a Blonde the audience learns that Queenie is sexually ambitious, and no one can satisfy her until she meets Burrs. During the opening number, it is mentioned that â€Å"and fireworks flew, her passion ignited, she was smitten†¦now Queenie and Burrs were†¦ living on his own with not many things for a couple of years, Chris died alone in a bus on the Stampede Trail in Alaska. Author Jon Krakauer wrote a 9,000 word article titled â€Å"Death of an Innocent† for the 1993 issue of the magazine Outside. Into the Wild is simply an extension of that article which explains what provoked Chris into living such a life, who he was, and how he died. The author proves to the reader that Chris was an intelligent man by explaining his research about edible plants and his†¦ experience worlds from another perspective. How a journey changes a person not only depends on the journey itself but also on the previous experiences of the person. Both texts ‘Into the Wild’ and Mirror explore their unique journeys through strong key concepts but show it in vastly different contexts. Into the Wilds’ Chris McCandless portrays the journeys of converting cultures, from capitalism and materialism to the purest and most natural form of being, disregarding the shackles of the known world†¦ Wisconsin and went on to save animals around the globe. He is a mentor in this line of work because of his variety of study and his success in animal awareness. Schaller focused on the conservation efforts of â€Å"the snow leopard, Tibetan antelope, and wild yak† for â€Å"nearly two decades† (Panthera). He has written books, and is honored with a multitude of awards for research. Schaller is a success because the years of his life dedicated on conservation efforts. In addition, he is revered for the positive†¦ Gloria Anzaldà ºa. This was because I had made some personal connections to Anzaldà ºa’s piece on How to Tame a Wild Tongue. It was interesting to read the struggles of someone who grew up within the U.S. and personally experienced not only a language barrier between those who speak only English but also those of Hispanic descent who speak different types of Spanish dialects. From How to Tame a Wild Tongue Anzaldà ºa argues about how taking away or making someone conform their native language takes their†¦ Into The Wild : Ang Tatlong Buwis Buhay na Manlalakbay A year ago my family and I went to Big Bear amid winter. We did snowboarding and did a pit fire around evening time and simply have a ton of fun. My experiences were fun but not risky and stunning voyages like three remarkable men who really live in nature. Chris McCandless yet change his name to Alexander Supertramp,a talented man who left his ordinary life to accomplish his fantasy of living in Alaska. Timothy Treadwell was a moderately aged†¦ 't have one but I would love to have one. I have seen one in the "wild". I don 't think that it would be conisdered as wild though but I have seen one outside of my city, in Baguio City in the Philippines, to be exact. In a hidden town, hundreds of years before, there were two people who loved each other and remained loyal to each other no matter what. The girl 's name is Noronia, and she is the daughter of a sultan. Her lover 's name is Gamaluddin, just any other commoner. Because of the difference†¦ 1. â€Å"Into the Wild† was a great movie and I really enjoyed getting to watch it in sociology class. Not only was the story itself amazing, exhilarating and breathtaking had an amazing lesson to teach. Everyone while growing up at one point in their life is bewildered, sad and indecisive who presumes it a good idea to run away from home. Children and young teens want to run away from home because they are ultimately enraged at how their parents treat, raise and/or punish them. Chris had finally had†¦

Friday, September 27, 2019

Political economy midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Political economy midterm - Essay Example The basic classes of ontology available include upper ontology, process ontology, domain ontology, and interface ontology. Ontology focuses on status of reality, which can either be dependent or independent. Independent reality implies that reality does not depend on human interpretation2. Human beings have their own ways through which they interpret various aspects affecting their lives; when their interpretation of life does not determine the definition of reality, philosophers refer to that type of reality as independent reality. Dependent reality, on the other hand, implies that the meaning of reality depends on how human beings interpret the state of being. In this case, human beings are the determinants of how reality is interpreted. Positivism, as a philosophy of science, posits that the exclusive source of knowledge constitutes information derived from logical and mathematical studies plus the reports of sensory experience. According to the positivists, exclusive knowledge must be based verified data derived from empirical evidence. Empirical evidence refers to facts derived from scientific research as opposed to hearsay. Schroeder and Chester contend that positivists believe that the society operates according to general laws, just like the physical world3. Positivism subscribes to the belief that the study of the social world is similar to the study of the natural world. The natural world actually exists and its study depends on clearly observable features. Positivists believe that it is possible to understand the casual mechanisms characterizing the political economy just as it is done in physical sciences (Horwitz and Koppl 32)4. The primary objective of positivism science is to discover the universality of the aspects under investigation. For example, if positivists want to understand causes of poor economic performance, they focus on the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Global Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Studies - Essay Example Whereas inclusive political and economic organizations encourage economic success, extractive ones justify the reason a few countries are poor. This essay intensely covers a study of two nations; China and South Africa, discussing the way organizations play an important function in the country’s growth. Application of their organizational breakdown in the international and regional ranks could provide more imminent in terms of the effects of organizations on growth. South Africa as a Developing Nation The below data study is in South Africa as a developing nation and the way its inclusive institutions have contributed to its growth. The South African tale introduces a puzzle. Its combined economy consists of sections that Acemoglu and Robinson could apply referring to it as â€Å"circular flow†. This vibrant economy consists of producers, mining and services adjusted segment that is internationally involved1. A few institutions in the production and service segments are involved in commodity innovation and R&D venture ruled by the commercial segment as Acemoglu and Robinson argues. However, South Africa as well introduces a huge segment of the casual economy, where innovation could most likely be happening. Depending on the World Bank Indicators, during the initial quarter of 2012, there existed 2.1 million individuals in South Africa active in the casual economy; exempting the agricultural segment, contrasted to 9.5 million in the non-agricultural official segment. Out of the 2.1 million, 1.2 were males and simply more than 857, 000 were females2. The nation is precisely classified like a dual economy with disparities in salaries and availability of social capital according to Acemoglu and Robinson (A&R 84). Acemoglu and Robinson claim that from the inception of democracy during 1994, all ANC governments have passed laws (or continue to pass laws) different steps to deal with disparities. To change workforce markets, Employment Equity and Affirma tive Action, Basic Condition of Employment Acts were enacted that prioritized most blacks and females who were ignored during the apartheid government. A wide founded Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) was enacted under the Mbeki regime, to spread and withhold capital from white power. Sarcasm remained leveled against previous head of state Mbeki and the present one Zuma, as benefaction and clientilist associations yet rule the negligible black leader that is yet extra minor a cluster to become its individual class. Acemoglu and Robinson argue that the latest established National Development Plan more confirmed that freeing workforce markets without tackling other characteristics would cause greater profits without rises in venture, innovation or employment. The regime prolonged the Public Works schedule to handle the knowledge deficiency and accommodate the jobless into the normal economy. South Africa as well has a non-causal donation scheme, which has aimed rural females, susceptib le siblings, and the physically challenged. Although the arrangements to lower poverty and disparity, Acemoglu and Robinson claim that organizational legacies from the apartheid period and administrative rules in the democratic period persist to polarize South Africans. It is accounted that Limpopo province contains the biggest comparative casual economy; 34% of the whole economic function that happens in this segment. Casual employment is as well of substantial significance in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape,

Human nature as a struggle between reason and desire Essay

Human nature as a struggle between reason and desire - Essay Example Pictures and images are suitable to those only who lack more sophisticated expressions (Falzon 3). Plato has stated in Plato's Cave that when inside the cave, shadows on the wall are taken as real by persons not enlightened but the truth is that one need to come out in the sunlight to see reality.This prejudice against visual images is further enhanced in cinema. Since there also we sit in the dark hall and see images moving in front of us. Le Doeuff (1989 as cited in Falzon 4) stated that images are illustrative which enter deep and help form our thoughts.. Still some may argue that let films be just films. Why distort or bend these to fit into some philosophical definitions The answer to this may be, using films to interpret philosophy is just one more perspective to looking at these. One may argue that films are prejudiced in having the maker's view and thus may influence our interpretations. Certainly, but you can use the film as a base to think of presenting the story in differe nt way or find what the maker has left out. We remember longer what we have seen and that continuously constructs our thinking till our reasons satisfy the outcome. In the movie Cape Fear (Scorsese 1991), Max Cady is a vicious redneck who has just served a 14-year prison sentence for a hideout incident of rape and battery. Now, he's arrived to seek vengeance on Sam Bowden, the lawyer who defended him but was so repulsed by his client's crime that he buried a crucial piece of evidence. The latter could have reduced severity of Cady's punishment. Scorsese and De Niro are taking the sort of brutish, menacing, perversely unreasonable criminal as a phantom. If there, truly, is such a character in our life then this absolutely self-destructive person presents conflict between passion and reason. Cady begins to practice a sleek form of cat-and-mouse terrorism, and without really stepping outside the law harasses Bowdens. What's more, He feels strongly that Sam, by failing to defend him to the best of his abilities and also stepping outside the law, took it into his own hands. Cady emphasises that, now, he no longer has the right to expect that same law to protect him. Cady seems to have a good reason for his act. He is also trying to save Bowdens' from their sins by punishing them. How does philosophy explain the conduct of Cady and Sam The latter has scores of infidelities as well and thus shows weaknesses in his personality. Was Sam right in deciding that Cady's crime is too repulsive to be allowed any respite And was Cady right in being obsessed with the revenge against Sam's whole family Our reasons, feelings, thought and behaviour are controlled by different parts of minds. Both Freud and Kant consider mind as divided entity rather than a single unit. While hiding the report that could have reduced Cady's punishment, Sam was in conflict between reason and passion (to do lawyers duty well for his client), finally the reason yielded to passion that a criminal of Cady's level should be given severe punishment. It is also possible that during the course of our life, we develop many unconscious thoughts and wishes that keep on influencing our conscious decisions (Critchley et al 169). Similarly the overemphasised view of the fault of Sam, by Cady is due both to breach of trust as well as the conflicts of passion and reason. When the latter two were in harmony, he succeeded in creating fear in Bowdens family. But when these two were in conflict, he lost his own life.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Nursing and palliative care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing and palliative care - Research Paper Example This can be achieved by impeccable assessment, and the early identification and treatment of not only pain, but also a range of other problems that might relate to psychosocial, physical and spiritual aspects. Care for dying patients has continued to remain a very fundamental aspect of nursing. As patients shift from a state where they are observed to be sick to that in which they are described as dying, it is principally the nurses who are tasked with the day-to-day duty of helping and supporting these patients and their families in their attempts to try and successfully live with the social, psychological, spiritual and physical consequences of a patient’s illness. When patients reach a state of terminal illness, the independent and autonomous dying role that they assume forces that there be a complementary shift on the part of the doctor and nurse. This is because the role of the doctor is primarily centered on curing and treatment; however when attempts at curing and treatment fail, the supportive and caring role that is played by nurses becomes increasingly more dominant as a patient dies. Despite the commitment that nurses have towards the fulfillment of their roles in /hospi ce care, there are however some negative factors that greatly inhibit the provision of good quality care by these nurses. This paper will seek to show that nurses play an important role in hospice care and the concerns inhibiting nurses from attending to this role need to urgently be addressed. The important role that is played by hospice care nurses cannot be over emphasized. These nursing professionals bring in what is noted to be a unique set of qualities and skills that greatly enhance the overall support and care that is provided to patients facing the end of life. These nurses also serve the crucial role of supporting the families of their patients as well as the communities that support them. The skills possessed

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Good Night, Good Luck Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good Night, Good Luck - Essay Example The movie covers the conflict between Murrow and McCarthy and the Sub –committee on investigation. Murrow considers the character of McCarthy as careless and criticizes his actions since he exploits the public (Nitzsche, 2007). The main aim of Murrow is to enlighten the public, and he works tirelessly with his staff in the CBS newsroom. The staff is very supportive and they back his up this delicate mission. They rebel to the sponsorships pressures, and they expose the lies and fear mongering techniques that McCarthy uses. A public argument develops when the senator accuses the Anchor of being a communist. A fear filled atmosphere is filled in the newsroom, but the crew carries on with their tenacity on the issue. The media house decides to show the real character of McCarthy by airing a story on a navy pilot who was a security risk the USA. The Navy pilot named Milo was a security risk since his father had attended meetings that were related acts of communism. Radulovich was asked to denounce his family but could not and he was charged guilty even without there being a trial (Nitzsche, 2007). The story was controversial since it created a bad image for CBS, and it created a risk of advertisers not paying on stands against the senator. The media house however moves the show to a non-popular night to minimize the controversy and protect their image. Murray is however not stopped since he has to prove his accusations o the senator. He had an idea that the Air force was wrong in the way they imprisoned Radulovich an act that had not been brought to the public. Murrow was determined to expose the senator’s secretive and atheistic nature. McCarthy, on the other hand, was determined to stamp out communism. McCarthy accuses innocent people of being traitors without providing any evidence. The movie documents cases of Milo and Lee

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Ferdinand Davids Trombone Concerto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ferdinand Davids Trombone Concerto - Essay Example After a brief hop at the sixteenth note, the triplet should drive through directly to the arrival note. The motivic rhythm reappears in measures 46, 48, 102-106, and beyond the first movement. Once the initial motif is past, the entire statement (measures 42-65) is also important to emphasize for the audience. The poetic pairing found in measures 44-47, and then again in measures 48-51, is one of the key elements that must be inflected, and then followed up effectively in the dramatic resolution found in measures 52-55. This is a good microcosm of the dramatic builds to be found in the work, and the half notes in measure 52 are one excellent place to build dramatic value. Vibrato is one way to accomplish this, but a solid drive through the air column is also crucial here. The grand opening then takes place between measures 60 and 83. The first four measures of this should be played with a significant amount of verve and vigor to lend a sense of heroic drama. Measures 64-67 remind the listener of your opening passage, and so a definite sense of sweep and flow is important at this point. In measure 68, a definite development begins, and so dropping slightly in dynamics before entering the measure will give more energy to the later crescendo build; one of the most effective ways to snatch the attention of the audience is to drop the dynamic before beginning a slow build. This crescendo should reach its boiling point in measures 72 and 73, with the flourish in G-flat major. These two measures can be performed with some license as to the rhythm, because of the dramatic power. As this first section of the opening ends, in measures 76-82, it is important to pay special attention to the dotted eighth notes. Accents and marcato may well be called for here, as long as the tongue stays out of the tone's way. The diminuendos here can definitely be musical and technical assets. What one might term a cantilena then comes, from measures 83-102. Grove's Dictionary of Music defines cantilena as a "flowing melodious phrase of vocal character." It comes from the Italian, meaning "little song." This is a point in the piece that permits the performer really to let loose with the lyrical side of the trombone. The piano dynamic here should be taken to its metaphorical extremes. Piano here does not necessarily just mean quieter, but conveying a sensual sort of softness to the listener. How would a fur coat feel How would a warm blanket feel These are the sorts of ideas that the trombone should convey to the audience at this point. This should be combined with the dolce mood. The meaning here, of course, is "sweet," but that is a word that has numerous connotations. For the purposes of this performance, the sweetness that comes in romantic attachments would be a good mood to consider while playing this section, or the sweetness that comes from a conversation with a yo ung child. The phrase marks should not be read as dividing these first four measures into separate phrases, but four ideas within the same phrase. The phrase marks should bring lucidity and charm to the longer musical idea of the four measures, rather than dividing the idea into artificial chunks. The "d" in 4th comes in handy here in measures 94, 95, and 99. In measure 94 it can help smooth out the slur,

Saturday, September 21, 2019

God and Morality Essay Example for Free

God and Morality Essay The question is this – Is it possible to be of good moral character while not believing in God? Looking at the definition of morality as defined in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy the term morality can be used descriptively or actively. A] to refer to some code of conduct put forward by a society or some other group such as religious. Or put forward by a society and is acceptable to an individual for his or her own behavior. B] to refer to a code of conduct that, given specific conditions would be put forward by all rational persons. Morality appears to be separate from religion and although not spoken of or referred to as such there are different groups of moral persons, not all are viewed as good or just. Some examples may include Christian morality, Nazi morality, Greek morality etc. At times etiquette is included as part of morality. Hobbs expresses a standard view when he talks about manners. â€Å"By manners I mean not here decency of behavior, as how one man should salute another, or how a man should wash his mouth or pick his teeth before company and such other parts of small morals, but those qualities of mankind that concern their living together in peace and unity. † (Hobbs, 2010). The laws and our legal system is distinguished by a moral system that includes having written laws or rules, penalties and officials to make the laws and enforce God and Morality pg. 3 the laws and then penalize. Laws are often evaluated on moral grounds. Moral critisism is often used to support a change in a current law or to design a new law. Religion differs from morality or having a moral system. Religious morality is based on stories or events that are past. These stories and events are used to justify the behavior that religion prohibits or requires. At times morality is regarded as the code of conduct that is put forward by religion. Morality is thought by many to need some religious explanation or justification. However, just as with law some practices and precepts are critical on moral grounds. Morals provide us with a guide for conduct, where as religion is always more than that. The definition and description of morality tells us that morality is a belief system that follows the rule of â€Å"goodness†. It is similar to a â€Å"blanket† over society and is separate from religion. Even in these times morality is always in question. In an article written by a Baltimore Sun journalist titled â€Å"The Morality Brigade. † The writer expresses his opinion onto his readers stating that â€Å"We’re still legislating and regulating private morality, while at the same time ignoring the much larger crisis of public morality in America. † (Reich, R. 2013) He continues on to back up his accusations. He writes that legislatures in North Dakota passed a bill banning abortions after 6 weeks. (At which time a heart beat is detectable) as well as approved a fall referendum that could ban all abortions by defining human life beginning at the time of conception. He continues on that these same legislatures God and Morality pg. 4 â€Å"worry about fetuses but they show little concern for what happens to children after they are born. They and other conservatives have been cutting funding for child nutrition, health care for infants and their mothers, and schools. † (Reich, R. 2013). This is just an example of American Morality. So it seems that at this point I have defined what morality is and how it can be applied. I have also touched on Religion and Morality being a very separate entity. Now I will discuss God and Morals. It is very possible for a person to not believe in God and posses high moral standards. Understanding that the person being moral is not due to their belief in God, it is independent of that. Having a belief in God is dogmatic to say the least. There is no rational way to say that God exists. To believe in God one must bypass reason and embrace faith. This is ok if believing in God gives a person comfort and security, although if we tie God to morality it may become problematic. Something as important and influential as morality should not be based on a dogma. If there is no proof that God exists beyond a shadow of a doubt than why do people still believe? Indoctrinate plays more of a role than rational and clear thinking. Religious indoctrination caters to our psychological insecurities and needs, not to reason. Think of some things that we know do not exist. An example would be the tooth fairy or maybe unicorns. We are proud to be skeptical and disapproving, however religion tells us when it comes to believing in God, faith is a virtue. God and Morality pg. 5. Morality is an autonomous human virtue that is independent of God. Otherwise, it would not be possible that atheists behave with impeccable moral standards and so many God believers do not have any morals. Let it also be noted that the great moral traditions of the world do not bring God into morality. Two of the most recognized and adored moral traditions in the east, Confucianism and Buddhism do not believe in God. The roots of morality in the west are in the idea of ancient Greeks, especially Plato and Aristotle who based their morality on reason alone, not on any dogma. It appears that religions who originate in the Middle East have a pronounced inclination to base morality on God. These same religions are also the most violent ones in history, killing many in the name of God. There is no evidence that theists are more moral than monotheists. Physiological studies have failed to find a significant correlation between the frequency of religious worship and moral conduct. An example is that convicted criminals are much more likely to be theists than not. With this being said it is a clear assumption that good people do good because they want to do good. It is not because they personally benefit from the good they do or because they are being forced. Fundamentalists perceive that the universal moral standards are required for the proper function of a society. Philosophers as diverse as Plato, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, George Edward Moore, and John Rawls have demonstrated to us that it is possible to have universal morality without having a belief in God. God and Morality pg. 6 As is stated by Paul Kurtz â€Å"One needs no theological grounds to justify these elementary principles. They are rooted in Human experience. † (Kurtz, P.1996) Now we will discuss that morality and God are linked and that religious beliefs are linked to the morality of each and every person who chooses to live their life in a moral way. If God does not exist, says Dostoyevsky’s Ivan Karamazov, â€Å"everything is permitted,† which means that we as humans can make choices whether they are good or bad, hurtful or nice. The direction in which society is going in suggests that people have lost their â€Å"way†. Too many bad things happen due to human badness. God is no longer allowed in public places, schools, government agencies, etc. This argument suggests that because God has slowly disappeared from our day to day lives society is going downhill at a very fast pace. Does this mean that God is linked to morals in our modern society? Fundamentalists claim that all ill’s in today’s society such as aids and out of wed lock pregnancy are a direct result of a breakdown in morality and this breakdown is due to a decline in the belief in God. The view that God created the moral law is often called the â€Å"Divine Command Theory of Ethics† According to this view is that what makes an action right is that God wills it to be done. All standards that we live by have consequences if not followed or adhered to. There is the fear of punishment. If we speed in our car we are given a ticket. If we God and Morality pg. 7 Sin our souls will spend eternity in hell. Heaven and Hell are often construed as the carrot and the stick that God dangles in front of to make us tow the line, to keep on the straight and narrow. Heaven is the reward and hell is the punishment. Would society be able to function correctly and morally if these rewards and punishments were not in plain view? We have lawmakers and peacekeepers all over the world to help make and enforce the laws so that people know there are consequences. Morals are no different. They help define a person’s goodness and worthiness of the ultimate reward, eternity in heaven. Moral standards without moral sanctions just simply do not mean much. Any person who thinks that it is sufficient to have relative standards that are based upon what groups or individuals feel is right or just cannot see a connection between God and morality. Moral principles such as don’t steal, don’t murder etc.must be objective and practiced by all putting aside any personal conflicts. When people accept moral principles without having a reason to they do not hold these principles as closely as someone who believes in God simply because there are no carrot or stick to hold them in place where they need to be, rather a personal belief or a mandated belief by societal rules in what is right or wrong If we recognize that God does exist than we recognize that God created the world and mankind in his own likeness. For this argument it makes sense to say that God controls the world which justifies ethical obligations. To deny God’s existence we God and Morality pg. 8 Are ethically obligated to what exactly? We typically learn morality from our parents and from those we love, we are conditioned to follow a morally righteous path in life, however to have such a standard of moral obligation can only be granted by God, binding every person and demanding such impeccable respect. By letting God into our lives we are accepting good instead of evil, we are consummating the fact that we are moral and ethical. By allowing God’s teachings and praise into our lives we are promised a more enriching morally accepted life. My view prior to doing any research was that Yes! You can lead a moral life without having a belief in God. I was raised Catholic, I even went to Catholic school, however, I have questioned my own religion over the years and now I have turned my back on it. I do bring my children to church which allows them to draw their own conclusions about God. I want them to have that choice in life and of course I would never condemn them for believing in God. It is just my personal choice. I live in the Bible belt and I always get asked the question, â€Å"where do you go to church? † I typically tell them that I do not go to church, which is similar to having the plague. It is not that I am not a good person. I feel that I am. Any morals and values that I have my parents have instilled in me. I also believe that the â€Å"rules† or commandments of God are simply a guide established at the time the bible was written to keep society in line. I absolutely agree with the fact of you do not have to believe in God to be moral. I make choices everyday and my choices are based on God and Morality pg. 9the things that I believe to be the best choice for the people I love, people I do not know and myself. I have never had any problems reaching out to help another person whether I knew them or not. I also feel that I go above and beyond at times helping others when I need to. Living a good moral life is a choice and I do it for no other reason than to be there for someone else. I do not do it for glory or self righteousness, or because someone is looking, I do it because for me it is all about treating others the way I wish to be treated. God and Morality pg. 10 References Baumin, S. (2008) Antitheism and Morality. Philosophical Forum retrieved March 27, 2013 from http://dx. doi. org/10. 111/j. 1467-9191. 2007. 00282. x Frame and Poythress. A debate between John Frame and Paul Kurtz. Do we Need God to be Moral? retrieved March 25,, 2013 from http:// poythress. org/do-we-need-god-to-be-moral/ Gert, Bernard. (2012) The Definition of Morality. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edward N. Zalto (ed. ), retrieved March 27, 2013 from http://plato. stanford. edu/archives/fall2012/entries/morality-definition. Merrill, K. R. (2012) Spectres of False Divinity:Hume’s Moral Atheism. Retrieved March 25, 2013 from http://search. proquest. com. proxy-library. ashford. edu/docview/1288432167. accountid=32521 Reich, R. B. (2013)The Morality Brigade retrieved March 27,2013 from http://baltimoresun. com/opinion/bal-the-morality-brigade-20130326,0,146487 God and Morality pg. 11 Schick, T. Jr. (1995)Morality Requires God†¦. or Does it? Retrieved March 25, 2013 from http://www. secular. humanism. org/index. php? section=librarypage=schick_17_3.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Health Promotion Interventions For Obesity Health And Social Care Essay

Health Promotion Interventions For Obesity Health And Social Care Essay This chapter presents findings from the articles that matched the inclusion criteria. It will introduce evidence found via literature search described on Chapter 2: Methodology. Therefore, this chapter presents the evidence on the health promotion interventions for obesity in adults with ID; and its effectiveness. It also includes some of the key limitations found by the researcher/s that carried out each of the discussed reviews. The documents reviewed had directly and indirectly the same point: to be designed aiming to reduce and tackle obesity in people with ID. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Furthermore a systematic and an integrative literature review were focused on obesity and people with ID. One systematic review was focused on weight loss interventions for people with ID and was written by Hamilton et  al. (2007). It includes programmes that focus on nutrition, physical activity or health promotion (education). From the research five studies will be presented in this chapter. The other documents reviewed could not be included in this piece of work as Hamilton et al. included the review of five outdated studies, in which three were undertaken in the 1980s. The approaches to the management of obesity for people with ID discussed in the systematic review included behavioural approaches, and surgical interventions including gastric bypass surgery and pharmacological treatment. However, relatively few researchers have examined the effectiveness of weight loss interventions for adults with ID. One paper was an integrative literature review of interventions designed to reduce obesity in people who have ID was written by Jinks et al. (2010). The paper is a review of the effectiveness of non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical interventions designed to promote weight loss in people with ID. It also discusses how qualitative evidence on peoples experiences and motivations can help understanding of the quantitative research outcomes. An integrative review method was used and synthesis of the findings related to study design, participants, and types of interventions, outcome measures and participant perspectives. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria, seven of these studies will be presented in this chapter as it met the inclusion criteria of this research. Interventions presented by Jinks et al. (2010) that included as participants people without ID and focused only in adolescents were excluded. The majority of the interventions discussed were focused on energy intake, energy expe nditure or health promotion. Just a small number of studies incorporated behaviour modification approaches. The nine studies to be discussed in this chapter were undertaken in different settings (supported and non-supported living, day centres, group and residential homes). The majority of the researches were undertaken with population from the United Kingdom (three studies) and United States (five studies) with the exception of one study from Taiwan. Sample sizes of the intervention studies varied in numbers of group of 6 to 201 participants. The preponderance of the studies used samples of people who are considerate to have mild to moderate ID. One study (Rimmer et al., 2004) focused only on people with Down syndrome. Most of the groups were of mixed gender, only Bradley (2003) that included only women in the study. The age of the participants that undertook the researches varied a lot. All participants were aged 16 years or older. None of the studies were focused only with elderly participants, although one study had participants of ageing group, meaning individuals older than 32 years of age. A summary of these findings are presented on the next page on Table 4. Table 4. Study description, sample and findings. Study Description Country and Settings Sample Findings Aronow and Hahn (2005) One year multi component intervention US. Non-institutional settings. 201 adults (mild to moderate ID 59% overweight/obese) Health risks = decreased Health strength= increased Bradley (2005) One year nutritional and physical program. UK. Supported living settings. 09 women (mild ID 8 obese) Weight loss 8 of 9 having breakfast regularly Healthy diet=increased Chapman et al. (2005) One year multi-component intervention UK. Day centre. Input group 38 adults (97% overweight/obese) Nor input group 50 adults (64% overweight/obese) Input group=significant weight loss Non input group= Non significant weight loss Mann et al. (2006) 9 week health promotion program. US. Independent and supported living settings. 192 adults (mild to moderate ID) all overweight/obese Highly significant decrease in BMI Marshall et al. (2003) 6 to 8 week health promotion intervention promoting weight loss. Modifies Active materials including information on exercise and healthy eating. UK Day centres. 25 adults with ID (17 overweight/obese) Weight reduced significant Podgorski et al. (2004) 12 week physical activity intervention promoting weight loss. Follow-up of one year. US. Day Centre. 15 older adults (40 80+) (mild to severe ID) 10 overweight/obese Physical fitness scores improved Rimmer et al. (2004) 12 week physical activity intervention promoting weight loss. Fitness program of 3 sessions a week lasting 45 minutes. US. Supported living settings and Group homes. 52 adults with Down Syndrome (69% overweight/obese) Small but not statistically significant weight reduction Sailer et al. (2006) 10 week weight loss program US. Human services centre. 6 adults (mild to moderate ID all obese). Moderate weight reduction Wu et al. (2010) 6 months physical activity intervention promoting weight loss. Fitness program of daily 45 minutes sessions. Taiwan. Disability Institution. 146 adults with ID (47.9% overweight/obese). Decreases in individuals weight The types of intervention of the studies varied from a range of categories. Some studies focused on nutrition (Sailer et al., 2006), physical activity (Rimmer et  al., 2004; Chapman et al., 2005; Wu et al., 2010) and mainly health promotion intervention (Aronow and Hahn, 2005; Marshall et al., 2006). A study included the use of behavioural relapse prevention strategies (Mann et  al. 2006). Another used mainly behavioural approaches and concentrated on teaching self-control techniques and self-monitoring of food intake (Sailer et  al. 2006). The majority included educational programmes planned to increase understanding of the significance of having and keeping a healthy lifestyle. To obtain improved understanding, some of the studies involved activities that were intended to improve participants life skills. These studies included, for example, visits to supermarkets, food preparation and food-tasting sessions (Bradley, 2005), and health fairs and a Shop, Cook and Eat initiative (Chapman et al., 2005).* The types of interventions were a large combination and examples of different interventions tackling obesity. A variety of professionals apart from the researchers were involved in the process and delivery of the interventions. The BMI was the most common outcome used in the studies to diagnose obesity and outcomes. Even though two researches (Podgorski et al.,2004; Sailer et al., 2006) used as measurement the total body weight. Waist measurement (Bradley,2005), cardiovascular Results of studies with weight reducement:

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Plethora of Fools in Twelfth Night Essay -- Twelfth Night essays

Plethora of Fools in Twelfth Night Folly is one of the main weaknesses in Twelfth Night with a number of characters portraying their own strange foolish ways. Feste is the professional fool; he is the most noticeable fool and is very quickly recognised by the audience as an intelligent man. Orsino and Olivia are really foolish because of the decisions they make but they are regarded as intelligent. The biggest fool of all is Olivia's steward, Malvolio. Â   Feste was obviously the most noticeable fool. He entertains Orsino and Olivia. He is not a fool by nature; he is a fool by profession. When he entertains Olivia he says the truth about her but she doesn't realise that he is talking about her. Â   FESTE Better a witty fool than a foolish wit' - God bless thee, lady. OLIVIA Take the fool away. FESTE Do you not hear, fellows? Take away the lady. OLIVIA Go to, y'are a dry fool: I'll no more of you; besides, you grow dishonest. Â   FESTE Two faults, Madonna, that a drink and good counsel will amend: for give the dry fool drink, then i...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Personal Narrative- September Eleventh :: Terrorism Terror

Personal Narrative- September Eleventh No one knows what tomorrow will bring or may not bring. In the course of the past year, this idea was extremely prevalent. Because of the September tragedy, many people were uneasy and unnerved about daily situations. This concern caused people to look at things in a new, almost like an â€Å"enlightenment† initiator. September the eleventh is a day I will always remember; not only for the obvious reason, but for the important way it affected my feelings towards my family. How could anyone forget the day America was attacked? I remember driving to school on the day of the attack. The Texan breeze brushed fallen leaves across the roadway as I pulled into my high school parking lot. It was a day like any other, or so I thought. During my first period class, I was supposed to play my solo and ensemble piece for one of the band directors so they could help me. As I sat in the office and played a concerto by Mozart on the French horn, the band director listening to me got a cell phone call. I stopped playing so she could answer the phone call. It was the other band director’s wife reporting the attack. The first feeling that came to me was unbelief, but as I walked around the school and saw teachers with their TV’s stationed to news channels I saw the horrific pictures. I later found out that some of my relatives were in the World Trade Center Towers that day. No one knew if they were all right. My family eventually got a phone call reporting that they had gotten out o.k. Another family member was affected by the attack. My dad, who is in the Air force, received a notice and was re-stationed to Minot, North Dakota. He was there for about a year and a half. He may be shipping out soon to go to the Middle East. With everything that had happened, there is no way that the attacks could not have affected me.

Regional Integration- can it happen in other parts of the world. :: essays research papers

The European Union (EU) is by far the most advanced form of cooperation between independent sovereign countries today. Despite the great diversity in culture of its member states, in its integration the EU has established characteristics of a single state; its own parliament, justice system and a single market with one currency. The Europeans are the first to create this model where countries give up a part of their sovereignty to gain other benefits, but it is my opinion that as time progresses, and given that the EU model will prove itself, we will see more countries in different parts of the world integrating and forming similar unions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to form such alliances a nation-state must give up a part of its sovereignty, the right to control its own territory and be independent of any other state. Today, in the modern age of globalization, sovereignty is being challenged by a number of factors even without willingly sacrificing a part of it for the purpose of integration. The free market economy makes it possible for major companies to affect national economies very highly without the government being able to control it, for example if all foreign direct investment is pulled out of a specific country. Other factors such as global communications, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and more also challenge the government’s control of their territories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The awareness of international protection of human rights and humanitarian law is also an increasing factor in challenging sovereignty because it calls for international groups to intervene in domestic state affairs. Even though Krasner does not view this issue as an unprecedented challenge he gives the example of the Yugoslavian successor state which was forced to accept constitutional provisions guaranteeing minority rights in order to receive international recognition, thus proving that it does play a major role.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The factors mentioned above are affecting the world’s countries and there is not much they can do to prevent the loss of sovereignty. This can influence countries to willingly give up a part of their sovereignty, which in fact is being nibbled away regardless, to integrate and at least benefit from their loss. There are several benefits which derive from integration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, the integration and cross-national ties make it less likely that member states will go to war with one another. This is a major benefit for member states, especially in Europe where throughout history they were constantly at war with each other and at times with the whole world.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Sadada

Heineken Netherlands B. V. : Reengineering IS/IT To Enable Customer – Oriented Supply Chain Management In June 1993, Jan Janssen, financial manager of Heineken Nether lands B. V. and the person responsible for Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT), and his IS manager, Rob Pietersen, faced the challenge of developing an IS/IT configuration that would add value to the business and support the ongoing transformation of Heineken's supply chain management system.This system was extensive, not only supplying the Dutch home market, but also providing a significant part of the supply to more than 100 export countries served by the Heineken Group. Supply chain management central to enterprise-wide transformation. Management was committed to a process-driven organization, customer service partnerships, 24-hour delivery lead time, major innovations in the transport system, and resulting changes in the way people worked. And Janssen knew that all of these-and more-requi red fundamental changes in the way this new work was to be supported by information systems and technology.Janssen was convinced that the effective management of information as well as a more appropriate IT infrastructure were critical to achieving Heineken's goals of increased flexibility, greater coordination, and a sharper focus on customer needs. In his mind, the change program initiated in 1990 in the IS/IT area had just been the beginning. Now, he and Pietersen needed to design an information systems and technology backbone that would be flexible enough to evolve with the changing business needs and adapt to continuous changes in technology.HEINEKEN NETHERLANDS B. V. Heineken Netherlands B. V. was the principal operating company responsible for operations in Heineken's home market. It also accounted for a significant part of Heineken N. V. ‘s worldwide exports. Of the 60. 4 million hectoliters' of beer produced worldwide under the supervision of the Heineken Group in 199 4, a significant portion was produced in the company's two Dutch breweries- Zoeterwoude and `s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch).Likewise, 11 percent of the Heineken Group's sales took place in the domestic market, and more than 5400 employees worked for Heineken Netherlands. Supply Chain Management The supply chain at Heineken Netherlands began with the receipt of the raw materials that went into the brewing process, and continued through packaging, distribution, and delivery. Brewing took six weeks; it began with the malt mixture of barley and ended with the filtering of the beer after fermentation.Depending on the distribution channel, the beer was then packaged in â€Å"one-way† or returnable bottles or cans of different sizes and labels, put in kegs, or delivered in bulk. The variety of outlets meant that the company had to manage differences in response time (beer for the domestic market was produced to stock, while exported beer was produced to order) and three distinct distri bution channels. While each channel consisted mainly of the same steps from the receipt of raw materials through brewing, they differed greatly in packaging and distribution.Beer could be distributed to either on-premise outlets (hotels, restaurants, and cafes, where it was delivered in kegs or poured directly into cellar beer tanks), off-premise outlets (supermarkets, grocery and liquor stores, where it was sold in a variety of bottle and package sizes for home consumption), or to export markets (export deliveries were made to order). Ongoing Transformation With key customers requesting faster response times, the development of a process-driven view of Heineken's supply chain activities became critical.The company started the transformation of its supply chain management system by creating customer-service partnerships with its largest domestic customers. The overall objective was to improve the logistics chain dramatically for these customers. In response, delivery lead times were reduced and the transport system was changed. However, the supply chain transformation was seen as a never-ending process. New Customer-Service Partnerships In these new service partnerships, Heineken was requested to reduce the time from the placement of the product order to the actual delivery.Before, this delivery lead time had been three days, but the supermarket chains wanted Heineken to supply their warehouses in the Netherlands in 24 hours. Each of the warehouses carried only 8 hours of stock at any time, so the supermarket chains depended on quick and flexible delivery to maintain low inventories and fast response times. To further enhance its close cooperation with customers, Heineken had embarked on a pilot test of a new logistics improvement called â€Å"Comakership† with Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands.Comakership was part of Albert Heijn's Efficient Customer Response project, â€Å"Today for Tomorrow. † The Albert Heijn reta il stores sent their sales information as scanning data to the computer in their central head office. There, the data for Heineken products were scanned out and separated. The beer sales information was then relayed via a standard EDI system (provided by a value-added network operator) from the central office of Albert Heijn directly to Heineken's Zoeterwoude brewery. Heineken was usually able to deliver within 18 hours.Although the pilot had been initiated in only one of Albert Heijn's distribution centers (and the set of stores it served), it had already resulted in lower lead times, decreased costs, and less complexity in the distribution system. Moving to a 24-Hour Delivery Lead Tinge As a result of these successes, top management concluded that delivery lead time could be cut to 24 hours for most domestic customers. However, it would require major shifts in the company's stock levels, distribution centers, work organization, transport system, organizational structure, and infor mation systems.The 24-hour lead time allowed for greater stock turnover and for lower stock levels in the customer distribution centers. There was, however, more interdepot traffic and higher stocks of packaging material (â€Å"returnables†) on the brewery premises (which had been located elsewhere along the supply chain). But management believed that as less total inventory was held in the system, these packaging material stocks might be reduced over time. New Transport System Until 1991, Heineken Netherlands had contracted out the transportation of its products from the two breweries to about 50 transporters.All of them used a lorry-trailer system with â€Å"dedicated† drivers-a driver and his â€Å"truck† could make an average of 2. 1 deliveries per day. To meet the 24-hour lead time, Heineken had to completely change the fleet used for transport and reduce the number of transporters from 50 to 10. Heineken then contracted 4 cabin trucks from each transporter (40 cabin trucks in total) and paid them for the use of the trailers. The ability of the driver to move from one trailer to another without waiting for unloading meant that he could make an average of 2. deliveries per day (a cost reduction of approximately G1. 5 million ). New Information Management (IM) Needs Heineken's customer-service partnership with Albert Heijn and the other changes Heineken had implemented in its supply chain activities brought new information requirements to support the more stringent delivery dictates. With the pilot testing of the Comakership logistics improvement, Heineken needed to implement systems which could manage this new transfer of information, and make appropriate modifications in work activities and organizational structure.Furthermore, the new IS/IT infrastructure needed to be flexible enough to handle and reflect individual retailer and customer beer purchasing patterns. In the context of these changes in supply chain activities, Janssen ref lected on the beginnings of the transformation of IS/IT: The transformation of IS/IT and the shifts occurring in our supply chain activities were concurrent without causality. That is very strange, but it just happened that way. I can't say to you that it is a â€Å"chicken and egg† kind of story. Of course, there was a link but not an explicit one. Somewhere in our minds, when you do one you do the other, too.Jansen knew that the relationship between information management, information systems, and information technology had to be clearly defined to have optimum support for the new approaches to value creation. Information management focused on supporting customers and creating new â€Å"bundles of goods and services. † Information systems focused on developing applications software, managing data, and supporting the new business processes. Finally, information technology related primarily to data and text services, and the underlying operating systems, interfaces, ha rdware, and networks.PHASE l: RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR CHANGE In July 1989, at the beginning of all the changes at Heineken, Janssen (then at headquarters and responsible for IS/IT worldwide) received a request for a second mainframe at Heineken Netherlands, costing G6 million (with another G6 million required in three to four years); Janssen brought in the consulting firm Nolan, Norton, Inc. to evaluate the IS/IT infrastructure, first at the corporate level and then at the operating company level for Heineken Netherlands: A proposal to purchase a second mainframe focused everybody on our IS/IT infrastructure.You have to have some kind of crisis to get people thinking. IS/IT Benchmarking Nolan, Norton, Inc. benchmarked Heineken's IS/IT cost structure against the beverage industry IS/IT average and it was clear that Heineken was indeed not competitive-the company was spending twice the money for half the functionality. â€Å"The Nolan, Norton report confirmed what a very wide group of the users thought,† Janssen commented. In response, management recommended decentralizing the data center and having each business area manage its own computing resources.At the same time, Janssen asked Heineken Netherlands, the largest operating company, to develop a new IS/IT plan based on new computer technology, â€Å"which meant looking for mid-range platforms, decentralized computing, and standard software packages, rather than developing customized programs for every new application-previously the standard practice. † Before determining an appropriate IS/IT plan, Janssen made sure that information management scans were conducted in every functional area. Managers were asked, â€Å"What do you need and how can that used to create information plans.Working with KPMG Management Consultants and Nolan, Norton, Inc. , Janssen developed a list of priorities for IS/IT and selected a new IT platform (IBM AS/400)-both were accepted in July 1990: The AS/400 became the c ore of our new IT platform for two reasons: first, we had been a client with IBM for roughly 40 years, and it was not their fault that we used their mainframes in the wrong way; second, we already knew that huge masses of application software were being written for the AS/400, as a quick scan easily confirmed.Furthermore, we were starting to think about an appropriate IT architecture and we were considering the possibility of using personal computers as peripherals linked together through local area and wide area networks. Implementation of the New IS/IT Plan Before the end of 1990, Janssen was appointed financial manager. He became the person responsible for IS/IT at Heineken Netherlands and was to oversee the implementation of the new IS/IT plan. Janssen concluded that outsourcing would play a critical role in this process: The decision to outsource was part of the plan.When we came to the conclusion that a major change was necessary, that we should look for midrange computers, th at we should go for standard software, that we should not go for dumb terminals but for personal computers as peripherals, it became clear to us that this was a big operation and we could not evolve to it. We could not manage just to keep the old systems in the air with all the problems and have enough management attention for building up the new systems. So we told the organization, â€Å"Gentlemen, we are going to outsourcers, and we are going to freeze the applications to free up management time. PHASE 3: OUTSOURCING TO DEVELOP THE NEW IS/IT INFRASTRUCTURE Outsourcing enabled the IS group to keep the â€Å"old† mainframe applications running while it developed a new IT approach-focusing on the development of its client/server distributed processing infrastructure, the appropriate new IT architecture, and the IS people and skills to achieve these new objectives. Outsourcing In 1991, after scanning the outsourcers' market, Janssen chose Electronic Data Systems (EDS), the la rgest provider of computer services in the United States.EDS provided the expertise and infrastructure required to meet Heineken's information systems and technology needs, and career possibilities for Heineken's mainframe personnel, both vital to the successful transformation of its IS/IT infrastructure. Finally, the five-year contract (with declining involvement each year) provided â€Å"guaranteed continuity† while Heineken maintained control. The plan indicated that the last mainframe program would be replaced in 1996 and the contract with EDS would end. Development of the New IT Architecture The development of the new IT architecture took place almost concurrently:We moved in two directions-one, to outsource our operational concerns, and two, to focus on our new architecture development, eventually replacing everything which was on the mainframe with standard packages on AS/400s. With the decision to downsize-to move off the mainframe platform-and to decentralize the inf ormation management and systems, Janssen chose a comprehensive client/server strategy using a combination of workstations, local and wide area networks, mid-range systems such as AS/400s, and local area servers to complete the technology architecture. (Refer to Figure 1 for Heineken’s IT architecture. â€Å"Personal computers† became â€Å"Heineken workstations† to eliminate the confusion and â€Å"mess† of having 2000 â€Å"personal† workstations-in this way, every workstation had the same setup. Furthermore, the sales force began using â€Å"Notebooks† for customer sensing and information sharing. Changing Over to Standard Packages and Developing Greater Flexibility to Serve the Business In 1993, Rob Pietersen became IS manager at Heineken Netherlands. He believed that the decentralized IS/IT operations gave more â€Å"computer power to the people,† and enabled the â€Å"user† to become the process owner.Old mainframe program s were replaced with new standard application packages that covered all the functions in the supply chain. Heineken started this â€Å"changeover† by focusing on the software applications dealing with clients: order entry, delivery, transport, invoicing, and accounts receivable. Selecting Standard Software Packages To increase flexibility and customer responsiveness, Pietersen knew that Heineken had to shift from the â€Å"waterfall approach† to the development of standard software packages: At that time in the mainframe orld, we were developing software applications using a methodology often referred to as the â€Å"waterfall. † You started with a requirements definition from the users, developed a design and the code to implement that design (getting signoffs at each point along the way). You put the code in production, tested the code, released the code into operation and then you maintained it. When you adopted the code, you went back to the users and asked them if this was what they wanted, and often they said â€Å"What? This waterfall process took 18 to 36 months or more, and by the time it was completed, the users' requirements often had changed. Pietersen began using the PILS (Project Integral Logistics) – named after the successful approach developed to select appropriate logistics software – to test and select standard software packages (refer to Figure 2). The PILS approach involved: Oidentifying appropriate software packages; Osetting the top two package vendors against one another in a â€Å"shoot-out† as in the American â€Å"Wild West†-where the specific elements of each software package were compared and contrasted;O implementing it; O evaluating its performance. For IS people, this meant moving from COBOL programming to developing a thorough knowledge of the business. Pietersen chose PRISM for the logistics area and J D Edwards for the financial area. Pietersen found that the new systems and p olicies better fit the information needs of the company: We needed more flexibility, more power, and less cost. Our current systems have scored high in each of those areas. Computer power is now where it belongs: not with the IT people, but in the hands of the people who need it. IS Group ReconfigurationOutsourcing the mainframe and mainframe applications to EDS led to a change in the configuration of the IS group as well. Contracts with employees from software houses were stopped, and many of the individuals working on the mainframe went with the mainframe systems to EDS while other staff shifted to other areas of the IS group, such as systems management. Pietersen was convinced that the competencies and capabilities of the IS group had to be expanded to align the use of IT with the evolving supply chain, rather than simply promoting IT solutions as â€Å"answers† to the company's information management â€Å"problems. Pietersen understood that this change in approach for t he IS group required not only a deeper knowledge of business processes and strategy, but also an understanding of how people used the information. Pietersen therefore transformed the IS department from units for application development, customer support, and operations (a functional structure) to teams solution, and customer-service areas-the â€Å"process owners† (a team-oriented business approach). (Refer to Figures 3 and 4 for the IS organization before and after 1993. The information management needs of the business areas were thus defined by people from both the business areas and IS. These account teams helped select standard application packages and, afterwards, adapt the business process to the software package or adapt the software package to the business process. These teams thus developed and implemented systems that gave the required support for the respective business processes and delivered information to enable a better control of the supply chain. Shrinking fr om 130 to 40 people, the IS group was now â€Å"doing what they had been doing differently. Pietersen and Janssen believed that increasing overall access to information would support management's efforts to enhance the employees' empowerment. Client/server systems also fostered teamwork and horizontal decision making. They were fast, flexible, and permitted greater communication with customers and suppliers, which resulted in improved customer service. And they promoted the development of a â€Å"process view† (focusing on total processes rather than on discrete tasks). Furthermore, the new configuration of the IS group, with its more team-oriented business approach, also promoted a spirit of greater cooperation and communication.Pietersen commented, â€Å"If we still had the mainframe, all this would not be possible. † Evaluating IS Performance In 1995, Pietersen and Janssen were still trying to determine how to measure the performance of the IS/IT department. They a greed that IS/IT needed to serve the business, and different service level Agreements were to be negotiated with the different functional areas (as shown in Figure 5): What is our business? Is it information technology? No, our business is brewing and selling premium beer of high quality.We changed our IT policy to make it clear that IT supports the business, but doesn't drive the business. We started to focus on having a beautiful bottom line rather than beautiful IT applications. IS performance then became based on the timely and successful completion of projects. The most important measure was the improvement of the business process for which a system or service was meant. In the future, Pietersen and Janssen would be trying to develop criteria to measure the impact of an IS project on improving overall business performance.INFORMATION ASSETS IN THE BUSINESS Executive Information Systems (EIS) By 1995, Heineken's operational supply chain system-from supplier to end customer-was i n its final phase, and the company had begun to add the decision support element. Decision-support or executive information systems would make it possible for managers to express their information requirements directly. Pietersen hoped that their ease of use would encourage managers to analyze past performance in greater depth and enable them to simulate the possible consequences of proposed actions more accurately.When it came to selecting the appropriate software, Pietersen had chosen EIS Express: I call it the technical infrastructure; the basic logical infrastructure of all these systems is in place, and now we come to enabling real improvement, not just the EDI links we have with our retailers, but also such things as installing executive information systems (EIS) to give our management team the control instruments they need to navigate us through the more turbulent business environments we will face in the coming years.The executive information systems gather their data from t he data warehouses of the different business systems in all areas and can show this easily through different (graphical) viewpoints. One of Janssen and Pietersen's goals for the use of executive information systems was to have unity in the data. Janssen explained: Having unity in our data is crucial. Only a few years ago we discovered some departments were using different unit volumes than we were. And that just should not happen in any organization. Better Planning ToolsA key part of the IS/IT strategy was to develop an integrated set of systems to plan and control the overall supply chain, both in the short run (bottle-line scheduling and daily operations) and over a longer horizon (sales forecasts and long-term operations research). The aim was faster and more flexible control of supply chain activities. Jan Janssen elaborated: What we are working toward is a coherent and consistent set of planning and scheduling tools which are more or less compatible and interconnectible so tha t you can build up or build down the basic data.Our goal is to be able to model business processes and to have the data, like sales forecasts, to support our decisions about capacity, bottling lines, and stocks. We want to be in a position where, if you have to make a decision, you can run simulations based on actual data. The concept of supply chain management ultimately served as the driver for to optimize the supply chain activities as well as to ensure better information management. (Refer to Figure 6 for Heineken's information systems. )Janssen and Pietersen had put in place information systems to collect and integrate information on Heineken's â€Å"on-premise† customer activity. Information on each hotel, restaurant, and cafe/pub that Heineken Netherlands had contact with (as owner, financing agent, or product supplier) was included in these systems. In this way, Heineken Netherlands was able to provide the relevant sales force with an integrated view of their customer s (large or small) as well as with information on competitors catering to the same establishments, beer sold, and contract terms. Janssen elaborated:We are thinking about what the â€Å"next stage of the rocket† will be. We have defined the baseline and are looking at workflow, EDI and planning information systems-how should these planning systems interrelate? We are in the process of defining the next phase of the vision for Heineken as a business in the Netherlands and for the IS/IT fit to that. The current debate is just how far to go. This case is a condensed version of Heineken Netherlands B. V. A&B. It was prepared by Research Associate Kimberly A. Bechler under the supervision of Professors Donald A. Marchand and Thomas E.Vollmann, as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a business situation. The names of the Heineken managers involved have been disguised. It was developed within the research scope of Manufa cturing 2000, a research and development project conducted with global manufacturing enterprises. The authors wish to acknowledge the generous assistance of Heineken management, especially IS manager Gert Bolderman. Copyright @ 1996 by IMD- Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland. Not to be used or reproduced without written permission directly from IMD.CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1. Analyze Heineken Netherlands using the value chain and competitive forces models. Why did the company feel it needed to transform its supply chain? 2. Analyze all the elements of the new IT infrastructure that Heineken selected for its new business processes. Were Heineken's technology choices appropriate? Why or why not? 3. What management, organization, and technology issues had to be addressed when Heineken Netherlands reengineering its supply chain? ‘Hectolitre = 22 Imperial gallons = 26. 418 U. S. gallons; Heineken 1994 Annual Report. 21000 Guilders (G) = approximately ? 368 = U. S. $575 (at December 31,

Monday, September 16, 2019

Decision Making Paper Essay

This paper examines the correlation between personal, organizational and cultural values. The paper also discusses how these values affect the decision making in individual’s personal and professional lives. Value is a social principal goal or standard held by an individual, class or society. Values are shaped by surrounding situations. Normally the three values are accepted in society such as Personal Value, Organizational Value and Cultural Value. Personal Values are the principals that define human as an individual. Personal values, such as honesty, reliability and trust determine how one will face the world and relate with people. It also consists of caring, courage, creativity, friendliness, honesty, honour, independence, integrity and spirituality. Organizational values are the principals that guide human’s behavior in professional contexts. They define how person work and how he or she relate to co-workers, managers and clients. They also reveal person’s potential of advancement. It also consists of autonomy, competitiveness, conscientiousness, dedication, ethics, loyalty, professionalism, punctuality and team player. Cultural values, like practice of the faith and customs, are principals that sustain connections with person’s cultural roots. They help person feel connected to a larger community of people with similar backgrounds. It also consists of celebration of diversity, ethnic roots, faith, linguistic ties, national ties, regional ties and tradition. Personal, professional and cultural values are connected to each other. These values are something that affects every area of person’s personal and professional lives. In our daily routine we interact with these values very often especially personal values. Personal values are something which we are learning from our childhood. Our parents are the pioneers of these values. They teach us what is correct and what is wrong. As we grow, we take our own decisions but our parents have a great influence in our thought process. I believe this is how we learn how to respect our own personal value when we grow as an adult. Next one is professional values. We begin to learn this value as soon as we enter into the world of independence. Each organization has its own set of rules and regulations. We need to follow those while taking care of our own personal values. At workplace the main important thing is how we interact with co-workers, managers and clients. How you present yourself with others is also very important. Cultural values are something again goes with the personal values. They give importance to the tradition, cultural ethics and your opinion of relating those to the workplace and personal life. In society sometimes people with same backgrounds come together and form a group and share their cultural values. At workplace also sometimes we notice people with same cultural values come together and have better understanding between them. Finding balance between personal, organization and cultural values is very crucial. Many times in our life we need to fight to take the decision based on these three values. For example for me as a woman find the right balance between my personal life with family and professional life is very difficult. Family (kids) comes first while taking any decision for myself even when to decide the right career path and when to start it. For working mother balance between these values plays an important role while taking any decisions. Many times I noticed that one needs to give up on something in order to achieve on whatever he or she wants. Same principal applies to the values. Sometimes professional values overcome personal values but if we can manage both of them and achieve the result we want then that will be a big success. Resolving a conflict by analyzing the situation needs practice but one will achieve this by paying attention and keeping balance between the values. Decision making is a very important process. â€Å"Decision making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision maker. † (Harris Robert, 1997). I believe if we give respect to all the three values equally and give importance to all of them while making a decision then our decision making process will be much easier than we expected and we can keep the right balance in the personal and professional life. We will be able to take correct decisions in life if we start appreciating these values more significantly.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Benjamin Franklin Essay

I. INTRODUCTION Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston as the son of a candle maker. From humble beginnings, he grew into a renowned figure of American history. â€Å"He became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, a musician, and an economist†. Today, Americans recognize him for being one of our Founding Fathers and a prominent citizen of the city of Philadelphia. In his autobiography, Franklin shows that he desired self-improvement and in pursuit of this goal focused on improvements of four different types: intellectual, moral, business, and social. II. BODY Franklin’s intellectual improvements were numerous. As a child, he had a thirst for knowledge. He exhibited a readiness to learn and read at an early age, and while in school, he rose to the head of his class and then skipped a grade. After Franklin’s father pointed out that he had a poor manner of writing, Franklin resolved to improve not only his manner of writing but also his arrangement of thoughts in his written work. His ambition was to become a good English writer. In his young age, he also was intent on improving his language and when he got older he taught himself French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. He used the library as a means of improvement by constant study of one to two hours per day here. Franklin went to great lengths to achieve moral improvement. As a young man, Franklin developed a plan regulating his future conduct in life that he adhered to even in his old age. He wrote a list of moral characters that he would like to possess such as temperance, fr ugality, and humility. He had thirteen categories in all that he wrote down in a book to carry with him. He had a separate column for each day of the week. He would pull out the book and mark which virtues he felt he had committed a fault in that day so that he may examine them and improve upon them. During the course of this practice, Franklin said that he found himself fuller of faults than he would have thought, but he had the satisfaction of seeing those faults diminish. His actions also showed that he strove for moral perfection. He thought excessive drinking was a detestable habit and abstained from doing so when his coworkers drank all day long. He spent no time in taverns, playing games, or displaying antics of any kind. He also believed in the importance of frugality and did his best to save money on housing. During the eighteen months he lived in London, he worked hard and spent little on himself except for the occasional play or book. It was his practice of frugality that lead to his wealth and distinction later in life. Benjamin Franklin had a Quaker friend that pointed out that he thought that Franklin had a problem with pride and so Franklin endeavored to be more humble. He attributed his humility, or sometimes his appearance of humility, with allowing him to hold so much weight with his fellow citizens. Franklin also strove for truth, sincerity, and integrity in all of his business dealings. Not only did Franklin improve intellectually and morally but he also made improvements in business. In little time after becoming an apprentice to his brother, he exhibited great proficiency in the printing business. He was able to take a failing newspaper and make it profitable by developing a better type and better print which led to an increase in the number of subscribers. He made a mold to be used in printing houses to combat the problem of equipment deficiencies. He also made a copper press to print paper money. He filled the spaces in Poor Richard’s Almanac with proverbial sentences for the benefit of its readers. Similarly, he made use of newspapers to communicate instruction. Franklin also contributed greatly to social improvements in his day. He formed a club of mutual improvement called JUNTO. He started the Philadelphia public library which was an institution that was imitated by other towns. He laid the ground work for a more effective city watch and started the first fire company. He established a Philosophical Society in Pennsylvania and also an academy that grew into the University of Pennsylvania. He invented a more efficient and economical stove known as the Franklin stove. He helped in the establishing of a hospital in Philadelphia and also in streets being paved. Franklin was generally successful in his attempts at self-improvement, excelling from an early age. He attempted to be the best person he could be and genuinely desired to help others. He convinced coworkers to stop drinking and spend their money of food instead and also loaned money to them. He loaned money to his friends, Collins and Ralph, even though they took advantage of him and never repaid their debts. He recognized that Keimer was only using him to train his workers and then was going to fire him, yet Franklin still cheerfully put Keimer’s printing house in order. Franklin was also always eager to help young beginners. He further demonstrated that he was not a self-promoter when he had a chance for a better business deal but declined because of the obligations he felt he had with his current partners. III. CONCLUSION Franklin has long been revered as one of the great figures of American history. As a Founding Father, he was instrumental in the early days of shaping the American government. Throughout his lifetime, he strove for improvement in intellectual, moral, business, and social areas and was successful in his attempts in each of these areas. He was a benevolent individual who desired to help others, and he authored his autobiography in the hope that posterity would follow his example and reap the same benefits References Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man. 1994. The Franklin Institute Science Museum. http://www.fi.edu/franklin/ (accessed June 4, 2012). Franklin, Benjamin. 1909. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Ed. Charles W. Eliot. New York: P F Collier & Son Company.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Predestination: Christianity and Romans

Predestination is one of the most widely debated topics in the Christian world among many denominations today. There are many differing views and it is a harder topic to explain and understand. Often this topic is argued by twisting or taking the bible out of context. On the other hand many people truly don’t understand predestination and what it means or what it is. Others don’t want to understand predestination because of their fear that it might be truth. This paper will be outlining predestination and Calvinism by explaining this view as well as taking a deeper look into how Romans & Galatians fits into this view.Predestination has been defined in many ways by the many different denominations. Predestination is ultimately defined in our final destination is decided by God before we were even born. God decides if we are to be saved or not. He has foreordained all things that have come to pass and will continue into the future. It is the act that God chooses those who m he wants to be saved and the rest are left for eternal punishment in hell. This is not because God is unloving but because he is just and righteous. In the end the goal and duty as Christians are to bring glory to God and to evangelize as many as possible.Our concentration should be on Christ. Predestination is divided into two parts: election and reprobation. Election is unconditional and absolute; it is God’s election of man to salvation, not because of man’s works or merit. Election and reprobation have their basis in the good pleasure of God. Reprobation is defined as preterition and condemnation. Preterition is the passing over of some in the decree of election. God owes man nothing but judgment shown in Matt 20:15. God chooses whom he wants and man cannot justly argue against God for passing over him in election, which is God’s choice of condemnation.God’s choice of saving people is the same as God’s choice of the condemnation of others. Co ndemnation is an act of God as a sovereign judge. This condemnation comes from sin, which also damns man to hell. In order for God to be righteous and glorified those who are in sin should be punished. Everything is done for the glory of God 2 Tim 1:9, Heb. 2:10. The fact that some are elected and others are not is explained through God’s glory and sovereignty. Anything that God does is for his glory and this is best demonstrated through his decrees. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose according to the council of His will, where by for His own glory, He hath foreordained what so ever comes to pass† (Shorter Catechism #8). God’s decrees are free, sovereign, absolute, and efficacious. God’s decrees are free in that he moves by his own good pleasure. God’s decrees are sovereign because nothing occurs outside of God’s control or knowledge. God is a God who reigns and is in control and not limited in any way. God’s decrees are absolu te because they are not dependent upon any conditions that are not themselves determined by divine decree.God’s decrees are efficacious in that they infallibly determine the certainty of the future events decreed. These decrees are for God’s glory alone and not all ways for the good of the creature. God’s decrees relate to all events and comprehend all things in heaven and in earth. Therefore His providence is determined through his decrees. Though God’s providence he preserves and directs all his creatures. In the view of predestination God cares especially for his elect. In predestination the more debated topic is that of man’s free will. This free will is the choice that man has to choose God or choose to let the Holy Spirit work.This free will can be defined as freedom of indeterminacy or uncertainty, freedom of self-determination, and the power to contrary choice. Self-determination is directing ones self from the inside with no direction from the outside. The argument against predestination determines that a sinner freely chooses God or rejects Christ. The question of will is not whether man wills or even has a will, but whether God determines their will for good. Likewise the question is not whether a man chooses; but whether his choice has a cause or reason.This choice or lack there of is shown through the fact that man is a slave to sin John 8:34. As a slave to sin can man truly choose that which is good? One example of this is in the truth that God cannot lie. It is against his nature. God does not want to lie, so he cannot lie through his own free will Titus 1:2. Some verses talking about the will of man include John 6:65 which states, â€Å"no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by the father. † In John 17:12 Jesus says that he has kept all those whom God has given him. According to John 6 man in his free will cannot believe because it is not in his heart to do so.Predestination suggests th at if man can choose God by the free will of his corrupt and perverse heart, it gives him more liberty and power than God himself. There is a barrier that every man cannot over come. That is the barrier of sin. It is not that he doesn’t want to choose God, although that is involved, it is that he cannot come to God, because he does not have the spiritual capacity to change his own heart and deny his own nature. Man always chooses sin and that which is corrupt unless he has a changed heart. Man is full of corruption.Therefore, man’s free will gives man nothing and is not the source of his salvation. The issue comes up that God is not fair and that he is not loving. If God were just and fair all humans would be in hell suffering eternal damnation. Mat 22:14 suggests that many are called but few are chosen. Here is al list of verses supporting predestination: John 8:6-7; Rom 11:5-7; John 6:12, 37-39, 44, 46, 65; John 15:16; John 3:5-7, 19-20; John 15:16-19; 2 Cor 5:14-17; 2 Tim 1:9; Matt. 20:16; John 8:34; Romans 8:6-7; and 2 Tim 2:26. Predestination came about through the works of Calvin, which later was named Calvinism.This view has give major points known in the word Tulip which is total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. Romans & Galatians include many verses on the subject of Calvinism and many of this view use Romans as one of the most powerful books toward their argument. The first point total depravity is strongly upheld in Romans. This is the total inability of man. Man’s nature is corrupt, perverse, and sinful throughout. The word â€Å"total† in this point refers to the whole man and being are depraved.Man’s nature is sinful because of the sin that Adam committed in the very beginning. We are dead in sin. Man is utterly depraved and cannot come to God on his own accord. This is what Paul was trying to portray to the Romans. Chapter 3 best demonstra tes this truth about man’s state in this world. The first verse in Romans that points to mans sinful nature and inability to accept God is in Rom 1:20 which states, â€Å"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.So they are without excuse. † This verse emphasizes that God has given man enough knowledge about himself through this world and nature to condemn man. This shows that evangelism doesn’t even have to be present for man to be condemned. Humanity was condemned the day it was born. Man is depraved from the heart and cannot come to God unless the Holy Spirit calls him and changes his heart. Chapter 1 also demonstrates the vileness and depravity of the people in Rome.Verses 24-25 say, â€Å"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exc hanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. † Paul continues this same topic into chapter 2 and 3 of Romans. Verse 6 of chapter 2 says, â€Å"He will render to each one according to his works. † God punishes those whom he wants because He is a just God. This same judgment is taken through verses 12-29. Paul then continues in chapter 3 preaching on the inability of man.This chapter is the strongest support of this point of Calvinism. Verse 9 begins to show that Jews are no better than any other human being. Paul was preaching directly to the Jews telling them that no one is righteous, not even one vs. 10. He continues in vs. 11-12 â€Å"no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. † There are none righteous in the whole world. The second point of Calvinism is the unconditional election of man. God chooses certain individuals from fallen sinners to receive grace and salvation.God could have saved all men from condemnation or he could have chosen to save none but by his grace he has chosen those whom he wants. This choice was not because of man’s works but instead by the mercy and will of God 1 Thes. 5:9, Eph. 1:5. This point is also shown through Galatians revealing that our salvation is through grace not of works lest any one should boast. In Romans 1 also shows that God passes over some and chooses others. Verse 6 calls the elect the chosen ones of Christ. He chose to give over these Roman sinners to the desires of their heart in order that they may receive their due punishment.God also darkens the hearts of those he chooses. Romans 8:28-30 states, â€Å"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. † This verse most specifically talks about predestination because it mentions the word as well as how God works in the process of salvation.In these verses we see that God does predestine mankind to be saved or for condemnation. Those he chose he also called. Later in vs. 33 Paul directly references Gods elect. The strongest passage for unconditional election is Romans 9 speaking on the subject of God’s sovereign choice. Paul was taking examples from the Old Testament. Paul calls the elect as the children of promise in vs. 8. God chooses not because of what man did but because of hi own will. Verse 10-24 talks about God’s purpose in election. He chose man before he was even born having done nothing bad or good vs. 1. Verse 13 states that â€Å"Jacob have I loved, but E sau I have hated†. This shows the will and sovereignty of God. Paul continues to emphasize that God is fair and he does what he chooses with whom he chooses. Many suggest that God is not fair and that God is showing favoritism when he chooses some and not others but God himself says in vs. 15 â€Å"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. † Romans continues to show that as creator God can do whatever he wants with his creation and creatures.God uses us for specific purposes in this life and we are all apart of God’s plan. It is hard to understand God’s decision to create creatures just for condemnation but this is reality. Romans 9:22 states, â€Å"What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. † In the end man chooses sin and can only choose sin. Whether or not predestination is true, man goes to hell because of his decision. Some other verses regarding the election are found in Romans 11:5, 7, and 28.The third point in Calvinism is particular redemption known more commonly as limited atonement. This is explained through the work of Christ on the Cross. Christ only atoned for those whom God chose to be saved by grace. Therefore Christ didn’t die for the whole world but instead died for those who were called (the elect). Romans 8:30 also demonstrates this point. Christ’s power on the Cross was eternal. Therefore with this kind of power Christ had to only died for those who God chose and believed in Him because if Christ had redeemed the whole world then the whole world would be blameless before God and saved.If Christ had died for the world then he would have died for those who have already gone to hell. This limits Christ’s power and ultimately makes Christ’s role in this world for sinners meaningless. The fourth point of Calvinism is the efficacious c all of the Holy Spirit also known as irresistible grace. The Holy Spirit uses the gospel to call people to himself and God. He calls the elect from the inside and places a desire for God in their hearts. This call of the Holy Spirit is irresistible meaning that man cannot resist the power of the Holy Spirit.Those who were called by the Spirit were saved by Christ on the Cross and justified in the sight of God. The Holy Spirit is also powerful and his calling is irresistible. Whenever the bible speaks of the calling of God this is reference to the calling of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 1:15-16 states, â€Å"But when he who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. † Paul constantly suggests that we are called by his Grace.The fifth and final point of Calvinism is the perseverance of the saints. This is the security that believers have in Christ to never fall away f rom the hand and hold of Christ. All believers are eternally secure in Him. No one or nothing can separate God from His elected. We are saints in Gods sight. Romans 8:38-39 proves this point which states, â€Å"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This shows that nothing can be taken away from God’s hands or snatched out of His fingers. Christ is powerful and Satan can do nothing against the power of God. This verse specifically names many things and some powerful things but nothing can take believers away from Christ. Believers cannot loose their salvation. If believers could loose their salvation then God is limited and the devil is more powerful than God. This would also negate Jesus and his role on earth. Paul speaks of the righteousness of believers in Christ in Galatians 3.Paul begins to talk about being in the spirit or having salvation and suggesting to them that they are foolish because they are in sin and their fleshly desires are dominating. Paul continues to talk about the promise given to Abraham, which is eternal life. This covenant and promise that believers have in Christ is eternal and not moving or changing. This shows that believers cannot loose their salvation but instead they were not saved in the beginning or they are struggling with their sin. Predestination is clear to some but not to others many also use verses in Romans and Galatians that point away from Calvinism.Romans 5:18-19 states, â€Å"Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the ones man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. † This verse shows that condemnation is for all m en, which is direct and true but then Paul says that Christ’s act on the cross leads to justification and life for all men. If this were true then all men would be saved. Therefore, Paul here is talking about all believers.Romans 10:13-14,17 also states, â€Å"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how are they to call on him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? So faith comes form hearing, and hearing from the word of Christ. † This verse also shows that those who call on Christ are saved. Many take this verse to mean that humans have a choice to call on God while they are in sin and that this leaves no grounds for unconditional election.Man cannot call unto God unless the Holy Spirit has worked in their hearts so that they no longer are subject to the power of sin and the blindness that comes from sin. Predestination is a powerful view and is debated among many but the most important fact about the Christian life is not the small things of doctrine but instead the Christian duty to go out into the world and preach the Gospel to the nations. Christians are called to serve Christ and build up one another not argue about doctrine. Christ is the most important part of being a Christian and that fact many times is overlooked.