Critical Review Paper Expansion Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Review Expansion - Term Paper Example Their views are important for international political thought, because they influenced present international political economy theories and helped paved the debate on political ideology, particularly shaping the discourse on the concept of â€Å"civil society† and the rise of nation-states vis-a-vis â€Å"civil society.† Kant, Rousseau, Locke and Hobbes have diverging views on the relationship between the government and civil society, as well as the notions of slavery, sovereignty, direction of international politics, and peace, but they share somewhat similar beliefs in the role of education and the state of nature of humanity. Locke and Hobbes have diverging views on the relationship between the government and civil society. Hobbes believes that Europe has changed as a civil society through the evolution of the social contract. The Commonwealth only exists because of the Covenant between the people and the government or the state. Hobbes says in the Leviathan: â€Å" Essence of the Common-wealth; which (to define it) is ‘One Person, of whose Acts a great Multitude, by mutual Covenants one with another, have made themselves every one the Author, to the end he may use the strength and means of them all, as he shall think expedient, for their Peace and Common Defense.’† This statement shows that the main goal of the government is to ensure peace and national defense. The covenant or social contract, however, for Hobbes is absolute, where the state incorporates the wills of the individuals; the state is the body and individuals are just parts of it: â€Å"The only way to erect such a Common Power† is â€Å"to confer all their power and strength upon one Man, or upon one Assembly of men, that may reduce all their Wills, by plurality of voices, unto one Will† (Hobbes). This statement underscores that the social contract binds all individuals. On the one hand, it enforces plurality of wills. On the other hand, it means the precedence of the state over civil society. Locke confirms the same views as Hobbes and argues that Europe also changed because of the need for the social contract. Unlike Hobbes, Locke believes that people take part of social contracts merely to help adjudicate disputes between individuals or groups. He says: â€Å"And this is done, where-ever any number of men, in the state of nature, enter into society to make one people, one body politic, under one supreme government†¦to make laws for him, as the public good of the society shall require†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Locke, Two Treatises on Government). From here, it is clear that Locke believes that it is the people or civil society that legitimizes the state; while for Hobbes, it is the government that legitimizes the existence of a peaceful civil society. My criticism of Hobbes is that he overlooks that the people make the government. The social contract binds the people, but the people can unbind some laws too in order to make the contract fit their changing needs and issues. I agree more with Locke, who reminds governments of their servitude to the civil society. It does not mean, however, that the civil society will also abuse its rights and fully void the social contract without due justifications. Moreover, Locke and Hobbes diverge on the notion of sovereignty. Locke argues that civil

International business in focus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International business in focus - Essay Example Section B: Identification of the Challenges Pestle Analysis Pestle Analysis will help in understanding the macro environmental issues (Lorat, 2009) Political The road tax has directly been linked to the total amount of emission and MOT (Merchant Over Time) has been increased. The Government has held a meeting with the automobile sector to decide about the rules and regulations related to this industry. Economic Presently the global recession has resulted in the financial crisis and has decreased the consumer purchasing power all over the world. Due to this crisis, Mercedes and various other car manufacturers are finding it difficult in increasing the revenue and profit of the companies. It has even resulted in the closure of plants by many automobile manufacturers. In this global crisis, the exchange rate between Euro and pound has resulted in high price of the cars in United Kingdom. This has decreased the sales of the company even more. Social The social environment can mainly be c ategorized into the following categories: a) Age, b) Gender, c) Income. Mercedes products have been mainly targeted for the middle aged customers. The products are not popular to that extent among the youngsters because of high price of the cars. The overall high expenditure related to the Mercedes products is the reason behind targeting the middle and high income people. As the products do not offer different range of prices starting from high price to low price for covering all classes of the society, the products do not target low income consumers. In the present situation of economic recession, this strategy is creating various challenges for the company. Technological Mercedes adds advanced technological details like air bags, shatter proof windscreens, crumple zones, collapsible steering columns etc. Use of these technologies has allowed the company in manufacturing safer cars. The plant efficiency is increasing with time. Various new production methods have been introduced fo r improving the efficiency. The facility of e-commerce and Gizmos has helped in upgrading the technology advancement. Environmental The European Union has planned to bring a new legislation which states that the average carbon dioxide emitted from the European cars must not exceed 130 g/km by the year 2015. This might be a reason of increasing concern for the company. Legal The company has maintained good relationship with the government by following the legal framework of the country. The imposition of higher tax might increase the threat of the company. Porter’s Five Forces The industry analysis of Mercedes Benz will help in understand the competitive intensity in the automobile industry (Porter, 1980; 1985; Ahlstorm and Bruton, 2009) 1) Rivalry among the existing firms The rivalry among the companies in the market where Mercedes is operating is intense. The big competitors of Mercedes Benz are BMW, AUDI, JAGUAR, ALFA ROMEO, ASTON MARTIN. Thus all big players provide their best offerings to the customers to seek their attraction. The increased rivalry has resulted in all these firms producing similar types of products, and expanding their operations into other segments like offering financial services, various alcoholic products etc. Thus the rivalry from the existing firms is very high. 2) Threat of new entrants Presently the threat of new entrants is low in the market segment where Mercedes Benz is performing its business operations. This might be because of the

Meat Cloning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meat Cloning - Essay Example According to Bartholet (2011), the repulsion to meat cloning results from some people’s objection to genetically modified products. The study by Mattick & Allenby (2013) indicates that a fear of potential competition for ranching is what makes people object to meat cloning. This fear is underpinned by the potential that meat cloning has to produce meat in large scale hence the possibility of overtaking and overshadowing conventional meat production. The high cost of establishing meat-cloning technology is the aspect cited by Omholt (2008) and Bartholet (2011) as the important economic consideration to meat cloning. This draws from the scarcity and high cost of the ingredients required to grow meat in the laboratory. Bhat & Bhat (2011) endorse fungi as one of the meat cloning media that can be sustainable. These authors advise that the solution to the high cost of meat cloning lie in the recyclability of the media used. Edwards (2010) propose that technology improvement would b oost the establishment of meat cloning. This is because improved technology would make it more efficient and economical.The current literature documents the moral and economic considerations associated with meat cloning. A few studies propose ways that can help address moral issues separately from economic issues. This study recognizes lack of a single way of addressing both considerations concurrently. It seeks to fill this gap by proposing an integrative approach to addressing these issues.

Rite of Passage in the Western Culture Research Paper

Rite of Passage in the Western Culture - Research Paper Example At every important point of a person’s life, a rite of passage helps in the transition from one phase to another. The concept of rite of passage has appealed to many sociologist and anthropologists such as Arnold van Gennep who formed the term rite of passage and gave the different ceremonies practised in different religions and societies, a common word. Gennep further categorized the three phases in three phases, namely separation, transition and incorporation. Gennep through studying the different ceremonies in different religions and societies had been able to find a common ground in all these ceremonies by studying the underlying concept in these rites of passage. Rite of passage in different races, religions and societies differ but they usually celebrate the same events in an individual’s life but in different ways. Similarly, the rite of passage of the west differs from that of the east and the rite of passage of Christianity differs from that of Islam. In this paper, we attempt to analyze the concept behind the rite of passage and the western ways of conducting rites of passage. Rite of passage can be likened to Shakespeare’s ‘Seven ages of man’, where a man changes drastically from one stage of another. From the time an individual is born to the time when he is buried, the rite of passage helps him in a smooth movement from one transition to another. According to Victor Turner, rites of passage can be divided into two broad categories, those that ‘accompany the passage of a person from one social status to another and (those that) mark recognized points in the passage of time, such as new year, new moon, Passover and so forth’ (Klingbeil, 2007). Thus rites of passage are both religious and social. Religious rite of passage includes the rituals that are carried forward from endless times and differ in each religion to a certain extent. One can find similarities between the  religious rites of passage of different religions in the way that they celebrate the same events.  

Financing Government Operations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financing Government Operations - Research Paper Example It is amongst the seven counties, and the nine cities which form part and parcel of the Hampton Roads metro area. Norfolk Virginia is bordered on the Northern side by the Chesapeake Bay and on the Western side by the Elizabeth River. On its Sothern side, Virginia Beach shares its borders with the cities of Chesapeake, and on its Eastern side, it borders the Virginia Beach. Norfolk Virginia is regarded as the cultural, financial, and urban center of the Hampton Roads (Rose, 2000). The city of Norfolk Virginia has a long historical background as an important strategic transportation and military point. It hosts the largest naval military base in the world, that is, the Naval Station Norfolk. It also hosts two important strategic command headquarters of NATO. It is also a transportation hub, and this is mainly because it has the headquarters of Norfolk Southern Railway. This is a company that operates one of the North’s America Class I railroads (Rose, 2000). This city is also the headquarters of Maersk Line Limited. This is a company that manages the largest fleet of the flag vessels of United States. As a city that is bordered by a variety of water bodies, Norfolk has a number of many miles of bayfront property, and riverfront. This situation makes it very attractive for tourism. Some of the world’s attractive tourism destinations are found in the regions that are surrounded by water bodies, and this includes countries such as Egypt, Venice, etc (Rose, 2000). Therefore, one of the public policies that the government of North Virginia can seek to develop and implement is on the methods of improving tourism in the country. This paper seeks to analyze the various sources of revenue for the government, and how it can fund tourism projects in the city of Norfolk Virginia (Rose, 2000). Furthermore, this paper seeks to describe the restrictions that are placed on those sources of revenue, and how public policy decisions normally affect the receipt of those

Thoreaus philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thoreaus philosophy - Essay Example The war that took place in the year 1846-1848 has already been forgotten but somehow in some ways it was inferred as the aftermath of Uncle Sams apprehension of Manifest Destiny. The term manifest destiny was invented by a journalist and later on became a nationalist rallying cry (Mannion). Thoreau believes that the government should only impose rules that are in line with morality and it has to take into account ethical activities that will reflect a positive image on behalf of the whole country. For him, the war was unjust since its intention was to cause harm to the Mexican people (Snyder 83). On a personal note, it is never right to lead a war; in fact, it can fuel more conflict if the war gets worst. It can cause harm, not only to the soldiers, but also to the lives of the innocent people. The Mexican War is one part in history where the hunger for power is being clearly manifested. The United States determination to enter and own a territory that was never theirs is purely an immoral act. It is immoral because it is wrongful, and it is immoral because it forced people to participate in the war through the paying of taxes although their conscience tells them not to, for the reason that the government is ordering them to do so (Cummings). The main character in this situation is the government. The government that obliges all people to follow all that is written in the law. Thoreau dreams that the universal law can be applied with the individual. Moreover, he has emphasized that "government is best which governs not all" (Snyder 83). The most prominent contribution of Tho reau to world history is his stand to fight for what he thinks is right, and that is not to support the US government in its war against Mexico. Although criticized by government for his civil disobedience, Thoreau stood by his word. Men are not blinded by the reality that wars are still occurring between nations, at present. Weapons of mass destruction are still being created to destroy

How Parents Treat Sons And Daughters Differently Essay

How Parents Treat Sons And Daughters Differently - Essay Example This child then becomes the adult of the society, and the subsequent domino effect for the creation of all prejudices, biases and polarity comes into existence. Taken objectively, because essentially the male and female child are intrinsically very different, it is virtually impossible even for the most passionate of parents to claim that they have sustained a just rule for all. The study finds its rationale in the fact that it is essential to understand where the root cause of discrimination is embedded within the human behavior, as it later on goes on to produce social, economic, religious and moral prejudices within the human community - a reality that is causing all the unrest in out world. There quite a few studies, which have worked on this project. "In the United States, a person's gender has affected the level of education she is likely to receive, the occupation she will take up, and the wages she will be paid" (Blau 1998, U.S. Department of Education 2000). Morgan, Lye, and Condran (1988) discover that sons reduce the risk of marital disruption by 9% more than do daughters. In the same domain, Dahl and Moretti (no date) find that having a girl considerably affects marriage and divorce rate; being 3.4% less likely to be living with her father compared to a first-born son. Some studies have found that "fathers interact more with infant sons and are more engaged with adolescent sons than daughters" (Barnett and Baruch 1987). There is also accord among researchers that fathers spend less time in childcare than mothers do (Pleck and Masciadrelli 2004). METHODS In order to gain a basic insight into the issue, a study was designed which would give an idea about the issue. The results would help us understand whether the incidence of this problem is existence or is it just an academic model. Participants The volunteer participants of the study were 25 pairs of brothers and sisters. They were different in sibling order, and even in the total number of siblings. But from every family, one son and one daughter were selected. For 25 families, the total number of participants thus came out to be 50. The inclusion criterion was children aged from 4 to 12. They were not told about the exact of the study, so that their biases and preconceived notions would not come into play. Also, the same tool was given to all of them, seeking their opinion about how they thought their parents treated them, in general. Procedures The tool used was a specifically designed questionnaire that would measure up to the basic requirements within the household, school and neighborhood of children aged 4-12. as literacy and cognitive understand would be an obvious issue, therefore the questionnaire was administered to all of them through an interview, wherein the standardized items were asked from all the participants in isolation. It is very important to mention here that as children are well under-aged to make their own legal and rational decisions, therefore an undertaking was also signed by their parents which would admit them participating in this study. The exact scope of the study was told to the parents. Dependent Measures The questionnaire itself addressed issues of psychological, sociological, familial, economic and