Cultural Event Paper Essay

This paper is to discuss my experience on a trip to Orlando, what I saw and what value those experience had for me as an expression of 21st century culture in this country. Some connections discovered between the event and different topics we have been reviewing on this course will also be discussed. Cultural Event As a great fan of visual arts of any kinds with special interest in sculpture and figurative art painting, I visited a place called â€Å"Holy Land Experience† in Orlando, Florida because of what I’ve heard about the place, how they showcase ancient Jewish architectural designs, ancient history of Jerusalem and key biblical histories. It was meant to be a vacation trip with the intention of giving the family a treat; however the visit to this Christian theme park ended up being educational for me more than it was a thrill for the family. Beautiful buildings bringing to life ancient Jewish architectural designs, what with all the workers dressed in traditional Jewish attire even men wearing gowns and covering their heads with scarves exactly as described in some of the books read in the past on Jewish cultures. With their long beards, those men made the place looks almost like a modern day bible story land and getting to the Jerusalem street market, we had an opportunity to travel back in time to an ancient land that is 2000 years old and thousands of miles away from United States. Passion dramas and live religious shows emphasizes the rich Jewish ancient culture of Passover, that is the eight-day festival celebrated in the early spring from the 15th to the 22nd day in the Hebrew month of Nissan. This festival is to celebrate the deliverance of Jewish people from Egypt after many years of slavery. Local foods from traditional Seder favorites like brisket and matzoh ball soup to kosher-for-Passover, yeast-less cookies and brownies were all displayed during the live shows, to again make visitors experience nearly as real as possible. They also have a scriptorium museum; center for Christian Antiquities where some defaced historical items are kept for display. Among these antiquities found in this scriptorium museum are parts of the remains of Noah’s ark. It is just an imitation of the real but constructed in such a way to make it look as real as it can be. Despite we are in the 21st century, most people in this country still connect or relate with one religious value or the other. So as a Christian, who has never been to Israel to see firsthand these historical sites, the art impressions at â€Å"Holy Land Experience† reenact biblical histories. Some of the histories like the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ who is the founding figure of Christian faith and other histories that surround him as recounted in the bible and other literatures I’ve read in the past are more real after visiting this site. I discover that since I have visited the â€Å"Holy Land Experience† my connection with Christian faith has been stronger than ever and now the image of those historical sites visited lingers in my memory. We now also take communion at home on a regular basis in remembrance of how Jesus Christ broke the bread which symbolizes his body and share the wine which symbolizes his blood with his disciples before his crucifixion. Conclusion Relating this experience with ideas and themes we’ve been talking about on this course, I can conclude that though Christianity has evolved in many ways, there are still a lot of similarities in the Christian cultural patterns and traditions when compared with the early days.

Mustard Gas

Mustard Gas During World War I LOST was the original name for mustard gas, it was named after Lommel and Steinkopf. They were the first people who proposed this gas to the military to use as a weapon in 1916. Although mustard gas could possibly been developed as early as 1822 by a French chemist, Cesar-Mansuete Desperetez. Thirty-two years later Alfred Riche repeated this reaction of the sulfur dichloride and ethylene, but both Riche and Desperetez did not note any harsh properties. In 1860, Frederick Gutherie synthesized and described the characteristics of the compound and it’s irritating properties.Another chemist known as a pioneer in cocaine chemistry, Albert Nieman repeated the reaction, and recorded blistering formations. Meanwhile, a published paper written by Victor Meyer in 1866, explained the reaction of 2-chloroethanol and an aqueous potassium sulfide that formed phosphorous trichloride. The purity of this compound was higher and there was much more severe health e ffects. He also tested this compound on rabbits and noted that they died. An English chemist Hans Thacher Clarke did this reaction in 1913. When performing the experiment the flask broke, and Clarke was in the hospital for two months for burns.Clarkes partner Emil Fischer reported the accident to the German Society, which put Germany on the chemical weapons track. Sulfur mustard is an organic compound with the molecular formula of C4H8Cl2S. Mustard gas can be reacted with different compounds, but still have the same major organic product. These are the different reactions to make sulfur gas: Deperetez: SCl2 + 2 C2H4 > (Cl-CH2CH2)2S Meyer: 3(HO-CH2CH2)2S + 2PCl3 > 3(Cl-CH2CH2)2S + 2P(OH)3 Meyer-Clarke: (HO-CH2CH2)2S + 2HCl > (Cl-CH2CH2)2S + 2H2O Other chlorinating agents that have been used are trionyl and phosgene.Chemists know mustard gas by bis(chloroethyl) sulfide or dichlorethylsulphide, but it has been called senfgas, yellow cross liquid, yperite, distilled mustard and mustard T-mixture. The name Yperite originates by the Germany army, when used near the city o Ypres. Mustard gas appears colorless if pure, but when impurities are present the color ranges from pale yellow to dark brown. There is a small odor garlic or horseradish. Mustards gas is actually not a gas; it is a volatile, very thick liquid. Mustard gas has a molecular weight of 159. 08 grams/mole, a density of 1. 7 grams/mL; melts at 144? C, and boils at 217? C. Mustard agents are regulated under the 1933 Chemical Weapons Convention. Mustard gas was formed in large amounts during World War I and II. Mustard gas was first used in World War I, but was used in the war Iran-Iraq war in 1884-1988. By 1977, the United States Secretary of Defense was told to dispose of all the fatal chemical agents, like mustard gas. When mustard gas comes into contact to skin, blistering and burns occur. These agents may cause brutal damage to the eyes, the respiratory system, and internal organs.The symptoms donâ₠¬â„¢t occur immediately, they usually appear from two hours to twenty-four hours after contact. By the time the symptoms become apparent, severe cell damage has already occurred. Mustard gas is strongly carcinogenic and mutagenic. Mustard agents are lipophilic, meaning it can dissolve in fats, oils, and non-polar solvents. Therefore people can unknowingly be exposed to mustard gas. Mustard gas is classified as a vesicant, which means it leaves lesions and burns on the skin and respiratory tract. Mustard gas can damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).The compound eliminates a chloride ion by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution, which forms a cyclic sulfonium ion. This reactive intermediate tends to permanently alkylate the nucleotide in DNA strands. Cellular death and cancer can occur from this alkylation. Mild toxicity has symptoms of lacrimation, eye pain, irritation of the mucus membrane, hoarseness, swelling of the skin, sneezing, and coughing. Severe toxicity’s symptoms include blindness, blistering, vomiting, nausea, and respiratory complications. Lung injury was the leading cause of death after the exposure of mustard gas. Lung injuries start with mild symptoms, and lowly increase into chemical pneumonia, and pulmonary edema. Within twenty-four hours of exposure to skin, victims are itchy and skin irritation, which lead to yellow filled blisters. Five to ten days after the exposure of large amounts of mustard gas, there is a drastic reduction in white blood cells. The decrease of white blood cells, affect the bone marrow and lymphatic tissue to look as if the person was exposed to radiation. The best treatment is decontamination. The German Army was the first to use mustard gas effectively against the British soldiers in 1917, near Ypres in World War One.Mustard gas was dispersed as aerial bombs, mortar rounds, artillery shells, land mines, as an aerosol, and rockets. Mustard gas was only lethal in about one percent of cases. Soldiers wore gas ma sks, but this didn’t protect them from the gas, since the gas could be absorbed through their clothes. Mustard gas would stay the stay in the environment for days, and continue to cause sickness. Also, if a soldier were to be contaminated by the gas, other soldiers that came into contact with would become contaminated too.The Geneva Protocol of 1925 prohibited chemical warfare, and the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 prohibited the development, production, and stockpiling of chemical weapons. The mustard gas found after World War I in Germany was dumped in the Baltic Sea. Mustard gas structure: Gas mask worn to protect from inhaling mustard gas the wounds conflicted from mustard gas http://www. firstworldwar. com/weaponry/gas. htm http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sulfur_mustard http://www. bt. cdc. gov/agent/sulfurmustard/basics/facts. asp http://www. diggerhistory. info/pages-weapons/gas. htm

Information Privacy

? MODULE 2: CASE Informational Privacy Without a doubt, we live in an environment where integrity, respect and good ethics play a fundamental role in the growth and success of many individuals and companies. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Patricia Dunn, former chairman of the Hewlett-Packard (HP) board of directors who was forced to resign her job. She was at the center of a major controversy regarding her effort to investigate who from the board was leaking confidential information to the press about HP's interest in buying another technology company, their corporate strategy, business plans, even their deliberations over who they would hire as CEO. This was a major issue as, not only was sensitive discussions of the board made public in the media, the level of trust between each board member was greatly affected. In a 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl and Patricia Dunn (CBS broadcast), â€Å"the Hewlett-Packard board of directors was described as a leaky ship. Secret board deliberations were ending up in the press left and right, and it was decided that something had to be done†. That something one can argue was the most famous leak investigation since Watergate, and because of it, Patricia Dunn (who was chairman of the HP board of directors) was faced with criminal charges. The charges stem from the use of something called pretexting – where someone calls up the phone companies and impersonate someone else in order to obtain their records. This technique is more than a simple lie as it most often involves some prior research or set up and the use of pieces of known information (for example, impersonation, date of birth, social security number -SSN) to establish legitimacy in the mind of the target. Pretexting, in my opinion, is morally wrong because it is deceitful and it invades the privacy of someone else regardless of how useful the act is in solving an investigation. Needless to say, privacy is a fundamental human right that almost every individual seeks to preserve. For the Hewlett-Packard case, board members privacy was in fact invaded but some may argue that such invasion was for a cause. According to the deontological school of thought, the act may be considered the right thing to do even if it produces a bad consequence (as with the forced resignation of Patricia Dunn). For deontologists, the ends or consequences of the actions are not important in and of themselves neither are the intentions. Only the act itself is considered important. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, explain this theory of ethics more clearly. He argued that to act in the morally right way, people must act according to duty. That was the case with Patricia Dunn, she believed she had a duty to find out who was leaking sensitive details of discussions of the board to the press. In her 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, she stated that many directors expressed to her their strong opinion that something had to be done to determine the source of the leak and to bring them to an end. In fact, majority of the directors told her during her first few weeks as Chairman that, â€Å"next to leading the board's CEO search, coming to grips with HP's famously leaky board should be her top priority†. That was exaltly what Dunn did which was a major task in and of itself. Following on Kant's argument, he claims, a person has a good will when he or she ‘acts out of respect for the moral law'. People ‘act out of respect for the moral law' when they act in some way because they have a duty to do so. So, the only thing that is truly good in itself is a good will, and a good will is only good when the willer chooses to do something because it is that person's duty. Thus, according to Kant, goodness depends on rightness. I think Patricia Dunn was simply doing her duty. Looking at the HP case in more detail, it is obvious that Patricia Dunn did not know the full agenda of the private investigators and what was involved in finding out who was the source of the leaks. Dunn says. â€Å"The idea that I supervised, orchestrated, approved all of the ways in which this investigation occurred is just a complete myth. It’s a falsehood. It’s a damaging lie. † She admit, however, seeking advice from Bob Wayman, HP's then acting CEO , CFO and Director of Administration, on an affimative action to be taken on the problem of leaks in the company. He was well respected and trusted by many in the company so based on his integrity, she (Dunn) had every reason to rely on his recommendations as to how the security issues at the board level could best be handled given that all the control functions of the company were under his oversight. Mr Wayman referred her to an individual within his organisation who then referred her to Mr Delia (private investigator) who then took the extraordinary step of spying on the records of all the directors (including herself) as well as journalists. At some point during the investigation process in 2005, she (Dunn) became aware from Mr. Delia that phone records were accessed as a standard component of such investigations by HP. In an interview with NEWSWEEK, Dunn stated that she was aware HP was obtaining the phone records of suspected leakers as long ago as 2005. But she did not know about the pretexting until late June, when she saw an e-mail to Perkins from HP's outside counsel, Larry Sonsini and later acknowledged that HP's tactics were â€Å"appalling† and â€Å"embarrassing†. Essentially, the investigation went on and the leaker of the company's sensitive discussions was identified. The public disclosure of the leaker at a board meeting did not ‘sit' well with some members on the board as they thought it could have been dealth with differently without causing embarrasment for the leaker . This led to a lot of uphoar and Patricia Dunn was forced to resign. I think her forced resignation grew out of a personal dispute between her and Perkins ( who was also a well-known member of the board of directors and a close friend of the leaker) . To me, Patricia Dunn did what she had to do for the best interest of the company. Hence, she should not have been forced to resign. Reading a statement by Hewlett-Packard's Board of Directors, â€Å"Pattie Dunn has been a valuable director of HP for many years. We acknowledge all of the good work that Pattie has accomplished on behalf of HP. She helped stabilized the business during the CEO transition. She led the search committee for our new chief executive officer, which led to our hiring of Mark Hurd and the outstanding performance of the business over the last eighteen months. She served our board with distinction as chairman for the last year and a half. The board felt it was important to find the sources of the leaks of HP confidential information, and she informed the board that she has taken steps to do so. We have never questioned her intentions, her integrity or her ethics.. we regret that we will lose her contributions to the board and appreciate that she has agree to our request†. It is evident that she had good character and was well repected. She accepted the resposibility to identify the sources of the leaks but she did not propose the specific methods of the investigation which means the premise on which she was forced to resign was not justified!

Gordon Rule- Ethics In Communication Research Paper

Gordon Rule- Ethics In Communication - Research Paper Example Ethical communication includes being honest in all communications, keeping confidential information undisclosed, and not discussing personal or business situations of others in public or in front of someone that has got nothing to do with it. Ethics play an essential role as far as communication is concerned. In order to make communication a successful one, it is important that we implement ethical principles. This encourages the communication climates of caring and mutual understanding that respect needs and characteristics of communicators. The importance of ethics of care and responsibility in a communication is quite clear. Applying ethical frameworks in communication contribute to the well-being of families, communities, and society. Moreover, it emphasizes an ethic of caring and commits to the courageous expression of personal opinions in pursuit of fairness and justice. Implementing ethics in communication also builds a sense of care and responsibility between the communicators such as advocate sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing some complex situations along with respecting privacy and confidentiality. These principles also result in effective group communication, such as teamwork, critical thinking, creativity, and diversity in the workplace. Thus, ethical communication in groups means that group members respect and encourage diverse opinions, do not tolerate communication that degrades others. Maintain privacy if an important information is shared by a group member. Lastly, make a habit of listening and understanding the situation first before evaluating and critiquing. It is absolutely wrong to come up with a conclusion without giving a chance to person to justify himself.

Designer babies should not be legalized Research Paper

Designer babies should not be legalized - Research Paper Example Literally, it implies selection of certain features that a parent wishes his or her child to have before preconception (Satoshi 90). The concept of selecting a given trait for a child originated from a technology known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis remains as a technique employed on embryos got in In vitro Fertilization for screening for genetic diseases (Blazer 56). The technique commonly tests for genetic abnormality in embryos. Based on the results got from this screening test, parents often can be able to choose non-genetically diseased embryos to be implanted in the mother (Sean, Lyn & Tessa 80). In as much as medically the technology seems as advancement, the issue remains on its legality and whether it can be ethically accepted in the society (Sara 83). A number of ethicists often remain wondering on the given future of the technology. A war between conservatist and scientists has constantly been ongoing for centuries. In as muc h as scientists believe that the designer babies technology remains as a major step in the field of genetic engineering, quite a number of controversies and oppositions have arose because of that technology. Therefore, choosing the features of one’s own child should not be legalized due to a number of ethical issues revolving around it. In as much as the issue of designer babies seems to be a technological advancement in the world that could solve a number of problems that mankind has, but if people thought for a moment whether to legalize it or not, many would opt not to legalize it. A number of ethical issues have arisen over the past few years regarding the issue of designer babies in the society thereby leading to many people refusing the idea of legalizing the practice. The ethical issue behind not legalizing the practice of designer babies majorly falls on the use of its technologies, political, social and religious view. Parents being able to choose salient features fo r their children prenatally should not be legally accepted due to technological issues such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis and cloning used in the process of making designer babies (Zahedi & Bargher 88). There are often two types of moral or ethical questions that often get asked regarding designer babies (Sean 34). Often, the first question involves the specific technologies used in selecting or modifying the baby’s genetic makeup. Furthermore, the second question often focuses on the given idea of creating a designer baby (Sonia 55). For any medical technology introduced with a given aim, ethics and safety always play a key role in its enactment. Technological enhancements that prove to be detrimental to the lives of human beings often become not approved and therefore not legally acceptable. Genetically modified technology commonly began in animals like mice and plants and has been tested less on humans. In accordance to Wellman, he describes the method and technique of making such designer babies as straightforward while at the same time talks about it raising concerns on safety (34).Making of a designer baby sometimes begins with the creation of a given embryo via in vitro fertilizayion. It is then genetic engineers that then modify the given embryo’s DNA before introducing it in the womb (Joseph 33). In as much as technology often comes with dazzling procedure and expectation of perfect health, the main thing here is, are they safe being used on humans (Sonia 25). Some technological usage often employ humans as test subjects and try to oversee what will be the aftermath of their experiments (Sonia 15). Medically, they have been cases of experiments being conducted on humans

Parameters of Ethical Decision Making Assignment

Parameters of Ethical Decision Making - Assignment Example However, a difficult choice comes in the conflict between making a decision based on morals or based on values. In this paper , an analysis of John Rawls theory of Justice as fairness will be carried out, together with analysis of other approaches that are used for ethical decision making. Fairness as Justice contains two principles that according to John Rawls, should always work as a unit and not individually in order to achieve their purpose. These include the liberty principle and the equality principle. The fair equality principle and the difference principle are part of the equality principle. The liberty principle sets the human being as the basic minimum standard for the fair and just institution. The equality principle acknowledges the difference in human being and it places that as an advantage to all. This means that the advantages are present to all and a veil of ignorance exits in front of the advantage putting everyone in the original position. Other ethical decision making approaches include utilitarian, universalism, moral rights and cost-benefit approach (Brooks and Dunn, 2010). Ethical decision making according to the utilitarian approach suggests that any action taken should always be for the good to the majority. The two major contributors of this ethical decision making approach are John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism is considered a consequentialist classical approach of normative ethics that places actions as right or wrong based on the overall good and happiness. Act utilitarianism also called direct utilitarianism isolates certain actions under specific conditions while Rule utilitarianism isolates specific rules under specific conditions (Fumerton and Jeske,2010). One non-consequencialist approach to ethical decision making is based on morality. An ethical decision is one that focuses on moral principles despite the consequences. A decision can therefore be deemed ethical if it is perceived the best approach at that

Mini Project 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mini Project 1 - Essay Example According to water.org (2015), nearly 750 million people, globally, lack access to safe water. Population has rapidly grown, for instance, over the last two decades the population of people in the world has doubled, and it is continuing to grow drastically. The growth is due to large family sizes, adequate food supply, and effective access to health care. Therefore, it justifies that the overall consumption of water, cooking, cleaning, and sewage has magnified. Population expansion has led to the global shortage of water as explained by (WWF, 2015). Destruction of vegetation and cutting of catchment areas have led to desertification, globally. Trees act as water catchment bodies and they prevent excessive water evaporation (Forsyth et al., 2012). Therefore, destruction of forests by logging or farming causes the shortage of water. Pollution of air, water, and land contributes to the reduction of water quality. Oil effluents from industries, waste dumping into water bodies, sewage, and radioactive waste from mining activities pollute the waters. Therefore, minimizing the amount of usable water globally The growing and expansion of cities has led to global water shortage. The cities sustain several people who increase the use of sewage, cleaning, construction, and manufacturing (Majumder, 2015). Therefore, urbanization has led to the global shortage of

Is Free Cash better than dividend per share (DPS) Assignment

Is Free Cash better than dividend per share (DPS) - Assignment Example This study examines between Earnings per Share and Free Cash to determine the best investment option. Dividend is a payment made by public corporations to the shareholders from the profits. Dividend per Share (DPS) refers to the sum or dividends of declared dividends for every ordinary share issued (Brigham & Daves, 2012). Dividends are a proportion of company’s profits reported by the business to the shareholders since shareholders are owners of the company and deserve a share of company’s profit. When a corporation decides to issue a dividend to the shareholders they allocate a fixed amount per share with shareholders getting a fraction of dividend proportionate to the shares, they hold (Brigham & Daves, 2012). Some corporations issue fixed sum of dividends to the shareholders and transfer the other undistributed profit amount is maintained as retained earnings. Investing in companies that issue shareholders with dividend gives the investors an opportunity to generate a steady return through income from the stock purchases (Ehrhardt & Brigham, 2010). However, the com pany should examine the pay-out ratio to ensure the earnings of the company are capable of supporting the current dividend payment amount. Investing in a corporation with the dividend per share implies the shareholders have the higher chance of increasing income, but the company has a problem with managing its operations due to inadequacy of cash (Ehrhardt & Brigham, 2010) Free cash flow refer to pay a firm has generated for its shareholders after deducting expenses investing in its growth. It measures the amount of cash per share a company makes after accounting for capital costs such as buildings and equipment (Westbrook, 2014, p.111). It is equivalent to total cash flow less capital spending. It is essential in a corporation because it plans the financial health of the company and gets rid of all accounting suppositions built into earnings. It is a measure of the company’s

Organizational Intelligence Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Intelligence Policy - Essay Example To remain competitive and afloat in such a business environment, computer and information technology organizations must embark on the search for revolutionary and forward-looking techniques not only for creating but also for collecting, storing, capturing, organizing, managing, and distributing data/knowledge through its structure. Importantly, these techniques should allow for the easy and effective retrieval of needed information at the convenient moments (Ali et al., 2007). Organizations must however appreciate the level and nature of skills and competence required to develop and apply such knowledge and data management practices and techniques. Besides the need for IT and computer system executives, managers, systems analysts to be skilled and possess the competitive edge to perform the above functions and realize their data-related objectives, it is important that effective and elaborate Intelligence Organization policies are developed to ensure processes related to data collect ion, database systems’ security measures, data storage, diverse knowledge availability, information update, data-based decision-making processes, and data management training are not only relevant but also effective and support the attainment of organizational and personal growth among employees (Ali et al., 2007). ... Organizational intelligence Policy Organizational Intelligence refers to the capacity and the ability of an organization to utilize various methodologies, concepts, techniques, and tools to achieve information or knowledge-related functions and processes, including data collection, database systems’ security measures, data storage, diverse knowledge availability, information update, data-based decision-making processes, and data management training (James, 1999). A sound Organizational Intelligence policy should, of most importance, outline the purposes for which the OI has been developed. First, an Organizational Intelligence policy should ensure that an organization comprehends and makes productive conclusions from all the knowledge/information relevant to its operations and objectives (James, 1999). Second, an IO should outline an organization’s abilities to use knowledge, data/information to create sense out of complex business situations, prompting employees and ma nagers to act appropriately, maximizing on the opportunities presented by immediate or past circumstances. Third, an OI policy should be helpful in highlighting an organization’s ability not only to interpret but also to act on relevant circumstances, signals, or events in its environment. Fourth, an Organization Intelligence policy should promote the development, sharing, and usage of all information and knowledge relevant to an organization’s purposes by the promotion of learning by experiences and exposures. Gathering Competition Intelligence As the IT and computer industry develops, it becomes necessary that organizations develop an OI policy that would ensure the above functions are developed towards the building of a stronger, more relevant, and equally competitive Organizational

Preferred Stock Essay Example for Free

Preferred Stock Essay Preferred stock is a security that, similar to debt, promises a well-defined (specified) but not necessarily constant contractual cash flow (dividend) to the holders of the security. Unlike debt, it does not cause the firm to be subject to bankruptcy if the dividends are not paid. The term preferred stock implies that this security is in a more favorable position than the common stock. This conclusion is not likely to be valid for an individual investor paying taxes at a high rate on dividends. A corporate investor might like preferred stock because of a70%â€Å"dividend-received deduction†. The corporate tax savings associated with interest on debt make it difficult for preferred stock to compete with debt in the non-regulated sector of corporate activity. Also, the capital gains and tax deferred possibilities for individual investors of common stock give common stock tax advantages over preferred stock with a contractual dividend and little chance of capital gains. Preferred stock has historically been important to regulated public utilities, and it is likely to be approximately 10 percent of a typical public utility’s capital structure. Preferred stock is a hybrid form of capital, possessing a mixture of debt and common stock characteristics. Like the interest on debt, its dividends may be fixed over time. However, â€Å"participating† preferred stock shares income with common stock according to some prearranged formula and other preferred stock may pay a dividend that is linked to some independent measure such as the yield on government bonds. Like common stock, preferred stock is generally treated as equity capital for corporate tax purposes, so its dividends are paid from corporate earnings that have been taxed. Preferred stock generally has a perpetual life, although it may have a finite life, and it may have a call price specified and even a sinking fund where stock is to be repurchased by the firm in the open market. It is important to the issuing firm and to the investor that nonpayment of the preferred stock dividend does not trigger bankruptcy. Normally, common stock dividends cannot be paid until all past due preferred dividends have been paid or the preferred stockholders have been compensated by some other means. Preferred stock dividends have to be approved by the board of directors before they become a legal liability of the corporation. Preferred stock generally does not have voting rights, but if a preferred stock dividend is passed over, the preferred stockholders sometimes have the right to select one or more members of the board of directors. Although the dividends on some preferred stock are allowed as a tax deduction, currently in the United States dividends of preferred stock are not normally deductible for taxes by a corporation. This tends to limit the use of preferred stock by corporations.

Role of Financial Development in Total Factor Productivity

Role of Financial Development in Total Factor Productivity THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY OF VIETNAM’S MANUFACTURING SECTOR Thesis Research Design Instructors: Team of MDE Lectures Student:Hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å" Bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £o Trà ¢n 1. Problem statement There is a large literature about the link between financial development and economic growth. Many studies indentify that productivity as one channel through which finance affects growth. The importance of financial development in raising productivity and promoting economic growth has been discussed in many reports (e.g., Goldsmith 1969; McKinnon 1973; Shaw 1973; Greenwood and Jovanovic 1990; Bencivenga and Smith 1991). The financial system pressure handicaps financial development and results in misallocation of resources, then reduce productivity and economic growth. As the financial systems develop well, overall economic productivity will be improved through the efficient reallocation of resources. At firm level, financial development of a firm allows a firm to appropriate new business opportunities, conduct investment and research activities, make a defense against financial and non-financial shocks and achieve higher productivity. More importantly, firm productivity is an essenti al indicator in transforming financial market development to economic growth at macro level. There are also many empirical studies about the impact of financial development on productivity efficiency. Levine (2005), Beck et al. (2005) point out that financial constraints, including low liquid and limited access to financial resources, make the growth prospect of firms worse. In Vietnam, manufacturing firms play an important role in the decade of economic growth. In 2013, there are 60700 businesses closed. There are many reasons such as long loss profit, management capacity, operating restrictions and lack of funds business†¦ In which, financial market development offers a crucial impetus for enhancing firm competitiveness and catalyzing industrialization. In Vietnam the scientific research using a panel data to find out the role of financial development in total factor productivity of Vietnam’s manufacturing sector is limited. This study will present the evidence of this linkage using panel data for manufacturing firms from 2003 to 2009. 2. Research objective 2.1. Research objectives To estimate the TFP growth rate of manufacturing sector To find the role of financial development in total factor productivity of Vietnam’s Manufacturing Sector. To give policy implication for improving firm productivity 2.2. Scope of the study The study will examine the role of financial development in total factor productivity of Vietnam’s Manufacturing Sector using the panel data of 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. 3. Literature review 1. Productivity: Concepts and measurements Productivity is commonly defined as a ratio of a volume measure of output to a volume measure of input use (Schreyer and Pilat 2001) or in other words, how much of output which is obtained from a given set of inputs (Syverson 2010). Productivity = Quantity of outputs produced/ Quantity of inputs consumed Productivity measurement efforts to point out improvements in using the capital resources, that is, to motivate and evaluate efforts to produce more inputs with fewer inputs while maintaining quality. TFP is used to measure the firm productivity. It captures the growth, which could not be explained by changes in production inputs, thus it can serve as a traditional proxy of productivity improvement. However, there is a correlation between unobservable productivity shocks and optimal choices of input. There are at least two approaches to measure the TFP, which account for the sensitive of optimal input levels to the productivity shocks. First approach is the Olley-Pakes TFP measurement which uses investment as a proxy for productivity shocks (Olley and Pakes 1996). Another approach is the Levinsohn-Petrin TFP measurement which uses intermediate inputs as a proxy for productivity shocks (Levinsohn and Petrin 2003). In this study, I will use the Levinsohn-Petrin TFP measurement to control for the unobservable productivity shocks because of three reasons. Firstly, the dataset of firm investment is not available, thus the the Olley-Pakes TFP measurement will not be feasible. Secondly, even if the investment data is available, the estimation can be suffered from the truncated report â€Å"zero† investment of firms. Finally, the Levinsohn-Petrin TFP measurement is more acceptable than the Olley-Pakes TFP measurement because of it is built from production theory. Assuming a Cobb-Douglas function, TFP is often computed by estimating the equation: yit = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²llit + ÃŽ ²kkit + ωit + ÃŽ µit (1) Where yit is firm’s output, lit is firm’s labor, kit is firm’s capital; y, l, k are all in the nature logarithm forms. i and t denote firm and time. ωit is a state variable, which measures productivity. ÃŽ µit is an error or a random productivity shock. Both ωit and ÃŽ µit are unobservable variables. According to Olley and Pakes (1996), the OLS estimates of (1) can be biased because choice of variable inputs can be depended on the firms’ beliefs about the state variable ωi. If there is serial correlation in ωi, the variable inputs such as labor, materials, etc will be positively correlated with ωi. In order to control the bias in OLS estimates, they suggest the following partially linear model: yit = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²llit + ÃŽ ²kkit + ht(iit, ait, kit) +ÃŽ µit (2) in which ωit =ht(iit, ait, kit), ait is age of firm i at time t, iit is investment of firm i at time t. The unobservable variable ωit can be expressed by a function of observable variables. Levinson and Petrin (2003) point out that investment data at firm level is very lumpy (there are considerable adjustment costs). If it is true, the investment proxy will not smoothly respond to productivity shock. It violates the consistency condition. They propose the following modified model: yit = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²llit + ÃŽ ²kkit + ÃŽ ²mmit + ωit + ÃŽ µit (3) mit is the logarithm of the intermediate inputs such as raw material, power, and electricity expenditures. Its input demand mit depends on the capital variable kit and productivity ωit mit = mt (kit, ωit) The demand of intermediate inputs mit is assumed to be monotonously increasing with ωit. It can be used as a proxy for unobservable variables. Therefore, the unobservable productivity ωit is expressed by the function of two variables kit and mit. ωit = mt (kit, mit) Substituting above equation to equation (3), the production function can be estimated. The coefficients of kit and mit can be recovered by GMM method with assumption that productivity is controlled by a first-order Markov process. ωit = E[ωit/ωit-1] + ÃŽ ·it ÃŽ ·it is an innovation to productivity which can be correlated with labor but uncorrelated with capital. The logarithm TFP of firm can be obtained from the residual of actual output and predicted output. 2. Financial development and firm productivity The important role of financial development in raising productivity and promoting economic growth has been mentioned in many public researches. In traditional growth theories, the role of financial development in growth is through factor accumulations, which are regarded as the main force behind economic growth. Financial development can contribute to total factor productivity growth by increasing marginal productivity of capital (Goldsmith 1969). According to McKinnon and Shaw (1973), financial development also can improve efficiency of capital allocation so as to increase the aggregate saving rate and investment level. However, in traditional growth model, the impact of financial development on growth is limited due to diminishing return to scale of capital. Some recent researches also highlight the relationship between financial development and productivity growth. Jeanneney, Hua and Liang (2006) analyze data from 29 Chinese provinces and find out that financial development has contributed significantly to TFP growth through its positive effect on efficiency in the period from 1993 to 2001. Dabla-Norris, Kersting and Verdier (2010) use firm level dataset and find out that the positive effect of innovation on firm productivity is contributed from financial system. Firms enjoy the maximum benefits from innovation in countries with well-developed financial system. Minjia Chen (2012) examine a panel dataset of Chinese manufacturing firm from 1998 to 2007 also show that financial factors are highly essential to firms’ total factor productivity growth. At micro level, financial development affects productivity growth by various channels. A firm with better financial health tends to bring higher productivity level. Beck et al (2005) suggest that firm with high liquidity is expected to be resilient to financial and non-financial shocks. Similarly, entrance to large external finance can help a company reduce the level of credit constraints, therefore increase their ability and existence in the market (Aghion et al 2007; Levine 2005). 4. Overview of Vietnam SMEs In Decree 90/2001 ND-CP from 2001 to 2009, SME is defined as an independent business establishment which registered capital not exceeding 10 billion VND or annual average number of workers not exceeding 300. From 2009 up to now, SME is defined as: Small and medium enterprises are business establishment which have registered their business according to the law and are divided into three levels of size: very small, small and medium depend on the sizes of their total capital or their average number of workers (total capital is the priority standard). In term of size of employees, nearly 98.34% of firms are small or medium enterprises in 2012. These firms contributed to 40-60% GDP of Vietnam and over a half of total labors in 2011. SME has important role in Vietnam economy. The SME survey has been conducted by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs (ILSSA) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam (MoLISA) and the Development Economics Research Group (DERG) of the University of Copenhagen. The research group selects ten provinces including: Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Ha Tay, Phu Tho, Nghe An, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong and Long An. The sample covers around a third of manufacturing firms in Vietnam and seems to be the best quality to represent the characteristics of SMEs in Vietnam. 5. Methodology 5.1. Model Model: TFPit = ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1 TFPi,t-1 + ÃŽ ±2 ln LIQUIDITYit + ÃŽ ±3 ln LEVERAGEit + ÃŽ ±4 ln SIZEit + ÃŽ ±5 ln AGEit + ÃŽ ±6 ln COMit + ÃŽ ±7 ln HUMANKit + ÃŽ ±8 ln FOWNit + uit Where i and t are index firm and time, respectively, uit is the stochastic error term. The lagged TFP variable is important due to Levinson and Petrin (2003) estimation method. The authors assume that firm productivity follows a first-order Markov process. Therefore, the lagged TFP variable must be taken in the model for controlling the serial correlation. About the variables of financial development at firm level, my econometric specification contains two proxies of a firm’s financial quality: liquidity (LIQUIDITYit) and leverage ratio (LEVERAGEit). A firm with better financial health tends to bring higher productivity level. Beck et al (2005) suggest that firm with high liquidity is expected to be resilient to financial and non-financial shocks. Similarly, entrance to large external finance can help a company reduce the level of credit constraints, therefore increase their ability and existence in the market (Aghion et al 2007; Levine 2005). Besides, we also control for several firm-specific characteristics to examine firm productivity performance. Firms’ size (SIZEit) intends to control for the impacts of economies of scale on firm productivity (Balk 2001). Firms’ size (SIZEit) and Firms’ age (AGEit) have been found to be linked to firms’ productivity (e.g. Palangkaraya, Stierwald and Yong, 2009) and are used widely in analyzing firm productivity. Oliner and Sichel (1994; 2000) indicate high-tech capital intensity (COMit) as another determinant of TFP. High-tech capital accumulation has been proven to be an essential factor for raising productivity by improving operational efficiency, profits and, finally, productivity growth (Siegel and Griliches 1992). Another determinant should be considered that is human capital intensity. Since the 1990s, developing countries in Asia, including Vietnam, have been focused on investing human capital, e.g education and training, to achieve higher economic growth. Therefore, it may be interest to estimate the extent of human capital intensity account for TFP. The last important determinant of firm productivity is mentioned widely in many researches of Arnold and Javorcik (2009), Benfratello and Sembenelli (2006), Germa et al. (2004) and Griffith (1999) is foreign ownership (FOWNit). These researches suggest that foreign owned firms are potential to have superior managers, information network and ease to connect international market. Therefore, foreign firms are supposed to get higher productivity than domestic firms. 5.2. Research hypotheses Hypothesis H1: Financial quality (liquidity ratio) will have positive relationship with firm productivity. A firm with high liquidity tends to bring higher productivity level. Hypothesis H2: Financial quality (leverage ratio) will have positive influence on firm productivity. 5.3. Data sources All data sources are available at the Survey of Small and Medium scale manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam, from 2003 to 2009. It gives data about production and financial characteristics of firms such as gross revenue, capital, number of labors, materials, profits, liquid assets, fixed assets, liabilities, equity†¦ The measurement of TFP: requires information on a firm’s gross output and production inputs. Net output is measured by net sales of manufactured goods. There are three inputs in the empirical model: labor, capital and intermediate materials. Labor is the number of employees working for a company. Intermediate materials include components used in the manufacturing process. Capital is measured by the value of land, building as well as machinery, equipment, excluding the depreciation of assets. Financial development variables: First variable is liquidity, which is measured by the ratio of liquid assets to total assets. Second variable is leverage ratio that is measured by the ratio of liabilities to equity. Control variables: Firm size is measured by the total sales of a firm. Firm age is measured by the number of years a firm in operating. If a firm goes in an industry for less than one year, it is set up for zero. High-tech capital accumulation is measured by the number of computers used for each worker. The proportion of skilled labor to total workers of a firm serves as the proxy of human capital investment. Finally, the ratio of investment capital undertaken by foreign parties relative to the total registered capital is used as a proxy of foreign ownership. Finally, the ratio of actual investment capital of foreign parties compared to the total registered capital is served as a proxy of foreign ownership. References: Aghion, P., T. Fally, and S. Scarpetta. 2007. Credit Constraints as a Barrier to the Entry and Post-entry Growth of Firms. Economic Policy 22: 731–119. Arnold, J.M., and B.S. Javorcik. 2009. Gifted Kids or Pushy Parents? Foreign Direct Investment and Plant Productivity in Indonesia. Journal of International Economics 79: 42–53. Balk, B.M. 2001. Scale Efficiency and Productivity Change. Journal of Productivity Analysis 15: 159–183. Beck, T., A. Demirguc-Kunt, and V. Maksimovic. 2005. Financial and Legal Constraints to Firm Growth: Does Firm Size Matter? Journal of Finance 60: 137–177. Bencivenga, Valerie R. and Bruce D. Smith, (1991), Financial intermediation and endogenous Control Unobservables†, Review of Economic Studies, Vol. 70, No. 2, 317-41. Benfratello, L., and A. Sembenelli. 2006. Foreign Ownership and Productivity: Is the Direction of Causality So Obvious? International Journal of Industrial and Organization 24: 733–751. Dabla-Norris, Kersting and Verdier, (2010), Firm productivity, innovation and financial development, International Monetary Fund. Girma, S., H. Gà ¶rg, and E. Strobl. 2004. Exports, International Investment, and Plant Goldsmith, Raymond W. 1969. Financial Structure and Development. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. Greenwood, Jeremy and Bruce D. Smith, (1997), Financial markets in development, and the development of financial markets. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 21: 145-81. Review of Economic Studies 58: 195-209. Griffith, R. 1999. Using the ARD Establishment Level Data to Look at Foreign Ownership and Productivity in the United Kingdom. Economic Journal 109: F416–F442. Levine, R. 2005. Finance and Growth: Theory and Evidence. In Handbook of Economic Growth Vol. 1, pp. 865–934, edited by P. Aghion and S. Durlauf. Amsterdam: North-Holland. Levinsohn, J., and A. Petrin. 2003. Estimating Production Functions Using Inputs to control for Unobservables. Review of Economic Studies 70: 317–341. Minjia Chen, (2010), Financial Effects and Firm Productivity: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Data. Oliner, S., and D. Sichel. 1994. Computers and Output Growth Revisited: How Big Is the Puzzle? Brooking Papers on Economic Activity 1994: 273–334. Oliner, S., and D. Sichel. 2000. â€Å"The Resurgence of Growth in the Late 1990s: Is Information Technology the Story?† Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 14, pp. 3–22. Olley, S., and A. Pakes. 1996. The Dynamics of Productivity in the Telecommunications Equipment Industry. Econometrica 64: 1263–1289. Palangkaraya, A., Stierwald, A. and Yong, J. (2009), â€Å"Is Firm Productivity Related to Size and Age? The Case of Large Australian Firms†, Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Vol. 9, No. 2, 167-95. Performance: Evidence from A Non-parametric Test. Economics Letters 83: 317–324. Schumpeter, Joseph A, (1911), The Theory of Economic Development. Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press. Siegel, D., and Z. Griliches. 1992. Purchased Services, Outsourcing, Computers, and Productivity in Manufacturing. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 3678; Output Measurement in the Service Sector, edited by Z. Griliches. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Sylviane Guillaumont , Jeanneney, Ping Hua Zhicheng Liang, (2006), Financial Development, Economic Efficiency, And Productivity Growth: Evidence from China, The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 44(1), pages 27-52. Thangavelu, Shandre M., (2013), Financial Health and Firm Productivity: Firm-level Evidence from Viet Nam, ADBI Working Paper Series. Zhenhui, Sudeshna, (2013), Financial Development and Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from India’s manufacturing sector, Georgia College State University.

Social Issues With Multiculturalism

Social Issues With Multiculturalism What are the main sociological issues raised by the idea of a multi-cultural society? ‘Multiculturalism is not about difference and identity per se but about those that are embedded in and sustained by culture’ (Parekh, 2000:2). Despite the fact that most countries today are culturally diverse, it would be impossible to discuss the main sociological issues raised by the idea of a multicultural society without explaining first, what is the meaning of culture itself? The most common definition of culture refers to a complex entity which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, customs and habits acquired by members of a society. Claire Alexander sees culture as a set of traditions and beliefs linked to ethnicity and common origins which led to the realisation that culture is not a fixed set of beliefs, but it is made and unmade in daily life. (1996) The query of multiculturalism is not a recent topic for debate since it has been present in the political life of European countries since 1945, year that does not only mark the Second World War but also the beginning of an era of concerns and changes. The main issues raised by this matter refer to immigration, delegation of power and growing numbers of political refugees and asylum seekers. Yet, further problems emerge concerning collective and political rights, liberal ideas, identity, and individual freedom. (Rex, 2003) Furthermore, Kymlicka suggests that the diversity of cultures we are experiencing today has led to a conflict between majorities and minorities over matters such as language, autonomy, political representation, and national identity (1996). He also argues that this, mainly affects democracies: ‘attempts to create liberal democratic institutions are being undermined by violent nationalist conflicts; volatile disputes over the rights of immigrants, indigenous peoples, and other cultural minorities are throwing into question many of the assumptions which have governed political life for decades’ (1996: 2) Until recently, multiculturalism was seen by politicians and monarchs as a positive trait of modern and nation-states. However, this perception changed due to ethnic conflicts within nations such as the ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia or the riots in the United Kingdom between Asians and native British citizens. In the past few years, many philosophers and social scientists have taken an interest into the idea of cultural diversity and tried to define the image of a liberal society, answer the question whether individual rights should be expanded to groups and solve the problem of recognition which appeared it implied the denial of individual rights in the first place. (Rex, 2003) On this matter, Charles Taylor argues that in fact, recognition is an essential component of the concept of rights and individuals could be recognised as part of a group (1994). In order to expand his argument, he goes as far back as the collapse of social hierarchies and the ancient regime and states the common element that constitutes both a hierarchy and a democratic society. He claims that the ancient hierarchies were based on the notion of â€Å"honour† which even though it was a matter of choice, it defined the individuals of the society; the term we use today is â€Å"dignity†. On the other hand, Taylor states that recognition has acquired a different meaning with the new understanding of individual identity that emerged at the end of the eighteenth century. This new idea focused on the inner voice of the individual and on the concept of authenticity: ‘on the original view, the inner voice was important because it tells us what the right thing to do is; bei ng in touch with our moral feelings matter here, as a means to the end of acting rightly’ (1994:28) He also argues that identity is necessarily collective and that cultural rights cannot be enjoyed by individuals alone because they are collective by nature. However, Taylor’s position collides with the liberal tradition which is based on the idea of individual freedom and the neutrality. According to Henri Giordan, the pillar of the modern society is fighting for individual freedom rather than the traditional structures of societies. Thus, the progress of civilizations was reflected in the freedom of speech and press, liberty to gather political parties and vote, concepts which defined human rights that in Pareks` view: ‘represent a great historical achievement’ (2006: 17) Furthermore, he explains that: ‘for the first time in history (human rights) provide a universally accessible moral and political language in which to articulate our shared concerns and differences. In so doing it builds moral bonds between human beings in different parts of the world and helps create an awareness of our shared humanity.’ (2006:17) Nonetheless, Parekh suggests that human rights should follow three conditions: ‘firstly, they should be integrally related to and indispensable for a life of dignity; secondly, they should be universal or rather universalizable in the dual sense that all human beings are entitled to claim them and that this claim extends to all societies; thirdly, human rights should be widely accepted as such by a cross-cultural consensus.’ (2006:25) In order to sustain this point of view, Kymlicka states that minority rights are inseparable from human rights and mentions UNESCO: ‘the defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative inseparable from respect for human dignity. It implies a commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular the rights belonging to minorities and those of indigenous peoples. Cultural rights are an integral part of human rights, which are universal, indivisible and interdependent.’ (UNESCO, Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001) However, the rise of democracy was brutally interrupted by the First and Second World War. National identity became a threat for ideologies such as fascism and Nazism which led to a tragic outcome (Kym1icka, 1992). Some minorities were exterminated, either by expulsion or by genocide while other minorities were assimilated and force to adopt the language, customs and religion of the majority group and were denied political rights. It became evident at the end of the Second World War that a different approach to minorities’ rights was necessary and attempts were made to redistribute collective rights to individuals rather than granting special rights to members of a group. (Kymlicka, 1996) Starting with the 1980s, a new dimension was given to minorities rights and Kymlicka suggests that ‘these changes have followed two tracks: there is one track for the specific case of â€Å"indigenous peoples†, and another track for â€Å"minorities† in general’ (2007:31) He goes on explaining that the rights that were exclusively given to indigenous peoples (the Indians and Inuit in Canada, Aboriginal in Australia, Indian tribes in the United States, the Maori of new Zealand) included land claims, language rights, customary law and representation in the central government: ‘this is a perception that is sometimes promoted by indigenous peoples themselves and their advocates, who assert that the status of indigenous peoples has nothing in common with the claims of â€Å"minorities†, and that the ideology of â€Å"indigenism† has no connection with more general theories of multiculturalism’ (2007: 34) The latter track that Kymlicka explains refers to the distinction between â€Å"historic minorities† (that were traditionally settled in the country and included groups that were considered â€Å"indigenous peoples† and long-standing â€Å"national minorities†: the Scots and Welsh of Britain, the Catalans and Basques in Spain, Puerto Rico in United States) and the â€Å"migrants† (2007). In what immigration is concerned, it appears that the countries with a high density of migrants (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States) have approached the problem of immigration through a process of assimilation with the hope that they will blend in with the native-born citizens. Solid evidence for the progress of minority rights was given by the European Union when they declared that the promotion of minority rights was the â€Å"ascension criteria† for the countries that wanted to join the Union (Kymlicka 2007) Another topic that Kymlicka approaches in his theory refers to the distinction and the connection between â€Å"collective rights† and â€Å"individual rights†. He begins by explaining that there are two meanings of â€Å"collective rights†: ‘collective rights could refer to the right of a group to limit the liberty of its own individual members in the name of group solidarity or cultural purity (â€Å"internal restrictions†); or it could refer to the right of a group to limit the economic or political power exercised by the larger society over the group, to ensure that the resources and institutions on which the minority depends are not vulnerable to majority decisions (â€Å"external protections†)’ (1996: 36) The internal restrictions imply intra-group relations- the group may use the state power to limit the liberty of its own members which raised the question of individual oppression. As an example, Kymlicka refers to culture where women are oppressed or cultures were the religious orthodoxy is enforced. Moreover, he argues that some minorities would limit even further the rights of their members: ‘it is one thing to require people to do jury duty or to vote, and quite another to compel people to attend a particular church or to follow traditional gender roles. The former are intended to uphold liberal rights and democratic institutions, the latter restrict these rights in the name of cultural tradition or religious orthodoxy.’ (1996:36) External protections imply inter-group relations- the ethnic/ national group seeks to preserve its distinction and identity by limiting the effect of the decisions taken by the majority group. Doing so, this also raises yet another issue: not of individual oppression but of inequality between groups. However, Kymlicka makes it clear that ‘collective rights’ are indeed opposed to individual rights: ‘On one natural interpretation, ‘collective rights’ refer to the rights accorded to and exercised by collectivities, where these rights are distinct from, and perhaps conflicting with, the rights accorded to the individuals who compose the collectivity. This is not the only possible definition of collective rights—indeed there are hundreds of definitions in the literature—but almost everyone agrees that collective rights are, by definition, not individual rights.’ (1996: 45) This matter led to a conflict of ideas between individualists and collectivists on the priority of individuals within a community or the community itself. It appears that individualists argue that the individuals are essential for a community seeing that a community only matters if it contributes to the well-being of its constituent members. On the other hand, collectivists deny the idea of a community that`s meant to attend to its individuals. (1996) ‘Collectivists and individualists disagree about whether communities can have rights or interests independently of their individual members (). Most such rights are not about the primacy of communities over individuals. Rather, they are based upon the idea that justice between groups requires that the members of different groups be accorded different rights.’ (1996: 48) Despite the fact that multiculturalism and immigration have always been present in our lives and are essential components of the modern world, it is still impossible to find the answers to the always-present sociological issues that a multicultural society rises. What triggers the majority of problems is immigration: with it, emerge matters concerning minority rights, individual freedom and identity, oppression, riots, protests for human rights, violence and racism. Economical and political issues, religion and race concerns, language and culture barriers are also consequences of this cultural diversity that we are experiencing today. The topic looks as if it appealed to theoreticians and social scientists and it still remains an ever-present subject of discussion. It also led to conflicts of ideas between theoreticians such as Charles Taylor and Will Kymlicka, both Canadians but with opposing views. It is quite obvious that multiculturalism is now seen as a persistent problem, taking into account the changes that took place in the structures of societies. However, there is no doubt that immigration improved our knowledge of different cultures, languages, traditions and food; it had also thought communities to be tolerant and accept diversity even embrace it. Economy and trade between countries has developed and societies became â€Å"cosmopolitan†. Even thought, migrants have always been put in a bad light, they are not in fact, trying to deter natives. They have good working skills and are willing to work for low-paid jobs and extra hours. Usually, they do the jobs that the natives would not do and it app ears that there are more immigrants than natives that have a permanent job. It seems unfair to argue that migrants do not help the economy of the country they live in seeing that they still pay taxes and have less claimed benefits than the unemployed natives. Moreover, due to the fact they have a low wage they can always be found in the rough area of big cities, living in modest and dangerous conditions. On the other hand, language it is definitely a cause of having low-paid jobs since most migrants do not speak the language, thus making it more difficult to find employment. Another factor of immigration is religious discrimination. Considering the recent events in the United States, Arabs and Islamists in particular are discriminated and put in a bad light. Romanians and Bulgarians also have a bad reputation around Europe and a false image which may lead to cultural conflicts between migrants and natives. Somehow, it appears that the society makes it harder for migrants to obtain necessary documents in order to reside and work legally in the country. Until recently, Romanians and Bulgarians were bound to apply for a work permit in order to work legally in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, attempts are being made to improve and solve these problems and it is quite obvious that many advantages have been gained from this. Moreover, it is evident that multiculturalism is the way forward and while modern societies need to become more tolerant of migrants and their values, the migrants have to accept the majority`s way of life and integrate in their community and nation. Unfortunately, these changes might not occur in the near future considering that minorities have more and more claims for rights and benefits and natives are becoming more and more reluctant to the controversial idea of multiculturalism, which seems to lead their lives.

In the Eyes of Our Youth :: essays research papers

In an empty parking lot, night streetlights shining in the back ground. She looks simple, like you’re next door neighbor. Wearing jeans low on the waist, with a small tank top, showing her midriff. A young woman, about 20 with her arms crossed, and a look on her face that says she’s tough, she can take it. Her looks are appealing to the casual observer; She seems to be waiting for something, or someone, as she slightly leans on the back of the only car in the lot. â€Å"Dangerously Low, LEVI’S low-rise jeans,† says the ad, there are many things odd about it. In many ways this add sticks out from the rest, most commonly ads contain perfect looking girls with their makeup done, and hair, in model perfection. But her look is simple and everyday, she would not stick out in a crowd. There are mixed messages in the ad, some are more obvious then others. Its an ad based on common ground, the obvious message, is that any girl can wear Levi's. But why stick her in an empty parking lot, at night with streetlights shining in the distance, mostly likely because that's what young people do when their bored hang around parking lots. This ad is aimed at young girls, not any specific age really but mostly geared towards 14 year olds and up. But why say dangerously low, in a way its telling us if you want to be dangerous, wear low-rise jeans and you too will look like her. Sexy and vulnerable. A young women alone at night, makes her more dangerous, and â€Å"cool†. Especially in a parking lot, which can be one of the scariest places for women, alone at night. They chose her look to be simple, she doesn’t intimidate you, and she’s not based on perfection. Just an ordinary night out on the town, it’s the kind of shot that doesn’t look professional, but more random. You could just imagine having seen a girl like that in any parking lot in America. Even her jewelry is common, in fact you barely notice the jeans, until your reminded it’s a Levi’s ad. Her arms crossed betrays her tough look, basically any girl alone in a parking lot at night is vulnerable. The very fact that young people consider, just being out driving to be fun, its assumed by the advertisers that every girl at least in some point in there lives has been out cruising. In the Eyes of Our Youth :: essays research papers In an empty parking lot, night streetlights shining in the back ground. She looks simple, like you’re next door neighbor. Wearing jeans low on the waist, with a small tank top, showing her midriff. A young woman, about 20 with her arms crossed, and a look on her face that says she’s tough, she can take it. Her looks are appealing to the casual observer; She seems to be waiting for something, or someone, as she slightly leans on the back of the only car in the lot. â€Å"Dangerously Low, LEVI’S low-rise jeans,† says the ad, there are many things odd about it. In many ways this add sticks out from the rest, most commonly ads contain perfect looking girls with their makeup done, and hair, in model perfection. But her look is simple and everyday, she would not stick out in a crowd. There are mixed messages in the ad, some are more obvious then others. Its an ad based on common ground, the obvious message, is that any girl can wear Levi's. But why stick her in an empty parking lot, at night with streetlights shining in the distance, mostly likely because that's what young people do when their bored hang around parking lots. This ad is aimed at young girls, not any specific age really but mostly geared towards 14 year olds and up. But why say dangerously low, in a way its telling us if you want to be dangerous, wear low-rise jeans and you too will look like her. Sexy and vulnerable. A young women alone at night, makes her more dangerous, and â€Å"cool†. Especially in a parking lot, which can be one of the scariest places for women, alone at night. They chose her look to be simple, she doesn’t intimidate you, and she’s not based on perfection. Just an ordinary night out on the town, it’s the kind of shot that doesn’t look professional, but more random. You could just imagine having seen a girl like that in any parking lot in America. Even her jewelry is common, in fact you barely notice the jeans, until your reminded it’s a Levi’s ad. Her arms crossed betrays her tough look, basically any girl alone in a parking lot at night is vulnerable. The very fact that young people consider, just being out driving to be fun, its assumed by the advertisers that every girl at least in some point in there lives has been out cruising.

Justice at the Scaffold in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Ess

Justice at the Scaffold in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Richard Harter Fogle acknowledges the aspect of the superhuman as "the sphere of absolute insight, justice, and mercy: few of Hawthorne's tales and romances can be adequately considered without taking it into account" ("Realms of Being and Dramatic Irony" 309). This superhuman aspect surfaces through Divine Justice in The Scarlet Letter. On the other hand, the merely human application of justice emerges through the Puritan laws, or Earthly Justice. The struggle for supremacy in the novel between Earthly and Divine Justice becomes a central theme, reflected in multiple aspects of the plot. However, the focal point in this struggle manifests itself at the scaffold in Boston, where Divine Justice materializes and ultimately triumphs over Earthly Justice.    The thematic struggle at the battleground of the scaffold unfolds and develops through Hawthorne's three scaffold scenes. Earthly Justice dominates the first scene, where the Puritans force the stoic Hester Prynne, bearing the scarlet "A" on her bosom, to stand on the scaffold in front of the cackling, condemning Puritan crowd. Hawthorne explains that "shame...was the essence of this punishment" (41). Moreover, Ernest Sandeen verifies that a sinner "feels shame before his fellowman and fear before his God" ("The Scarlet Letter as a Love Story" 360), meaning that Earthly Justice induces shame as Divine Justice creates fear. Therefore, since Hester's punishment reduced her to shame on the scaffold, Earthly Justice dispensed its punishment, asserting its authority, in this first scaffold scene.    Also, Dimmesdale's reluctance in this scene to admit his guilt diminishes the hope for Divine Justice, which is fo... ...werful yet merciful Divine Justice that unfailingly watched over them.       Works Cited    Abel, Darrel. "Hawthorne's Hester." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 300-308. Feidelson, Charles, Jr. "The People of Boston." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 371-375. Fogle, Richard Harter. "Realms of Being and Dramatic Irony." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 308-315. Sandeen, Ernest. "The Scarlet Letter as a Love Story." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 350-361.

Porter five forces Essay

Content 1. Introduction 2. Explanation of the Porter Model 3. Porters five forces Automobile industry 4. Conclusion and weaknesses 1. Introduction Audi History It all began with August Horch, one of Germany’s pioneering personalities automobile engineers. He set up business on his own in 1899, establishing Horch & Cie. Motorwagen Werke in Cologne on November 14 of that year. August Horch left the company in 1909 and immediately established a second car company in Zwickau. Because his surname was already in use and was protected by trademark, he chose its Latin translation for the new company. So â€Å"horch!† – or â€Å"hark† – became â€Å"audi!†. The Audi brand established a tradition of sporting achievement from the very outset. Thanks to his victorious involvement in the Austrian Alpine Runs between 1911 and 1914, August Horch succeeded in making Audi internationally known within just a few years. The Audi four-ring emblem symbolises the merger in 1932 of four previously independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. In 1969 Auto Union GmbH amalgamated with NSU Motorenwerke AG. [1] Audi Financial situation The revenue in 2013 is 49,880 ERU million, which is higher than that in 2012(48,711 ERU million). Operating income in 2013 is 1,952 ERU million, which is also higher than 2012. With 1,575,480 Audi vehicles sold over the course of the past fiscal year (2013), the volume target of 1.5 million deliveries originally envisaged for 2015waseasilly Exceeded, two years ahead of schedule. [2] The reason I choose to analyze porter five forces of Audi, because I like the appearance of Audi SUV Q5 and Q7. And I deserve to own my car in the few years when I have enough money. Thus, for me, it has some help that I have the knowledge of the background. 2. Explanation of the Porter Model Porter five forces analysis is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development. It draws upon industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An â€Å"unattractive† industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching â€Å"pure competition†, in which available profits for all firms are driven to normal profit. This analysis is associated with its principal innovator Michael E. Porter of Harvard University (as of 2014). 3. Porters five forces Automobile industry Barriers to Entry Capital requirements The amount of capital required to start a car company is enormous. For the average person, they can’t come along and start manufacturing automobiles. As to build an auto firm, they need many factors like the site, labor and the support of technology, which be obtain by capital. Thus, the capital is the biggest factor for the creation of auto firm. Technology Technology also is an import factor to build the auto firm. It is complicated not only for the auto firm itself, also for the parts suppliers. As we know, production of the cars can’t complete by the auto firm, which has significant influence by the automotive suppliers. Meanwhile, ideas and technology that provides competitive advantage over others when patented, preventing others from using it and thus creates barrier to entry. Competition There are already significant well established competitors. Globalization the tendency of world investment and businesses to move from national and domestic markets to a worldwide environment, is a huge factor affecting the auto market. Thus, many auto firms are able to compete with the others from domestic markets to the world. Competition will become more violent than the past. Government regulations and policies Although government’s job is to preserve free competitive market, it restricts competition through regulations and restrictions. Thus, government regulations are a big part of barriers for the auto industry. Automobile firms need to observe safety design, emission standards and fuel efficiency by government. And different countries have various policies and restriction on automobile industry for instance Economic Commission of Europe. Marketing a new brand Marketing a new brand can be difficult. Not only distribution costs and marking costs are very expensive, but people cannot easy to accept a new brand especially auto brand. People will be worried on the performance and safety of cars. For this reason, marking a new brand is a barrier to entry automobile industry. Bargaining Power of Suppliers For automotive suppliers, there are two different situations which due to different bargaining power. Firstly, some strong suppliers (e.g. BOSCH, DENSO) have big discourse power to auto companies and the market, as they supply many products for a number of auto companies (not only Audi). The suppliers have more market share than the others and much revenue. And the products of the suppliers have patents and are not able to replace through changing the suppliers. If there are few suppliers providing material essential to make a product then they can set the price high to capture more profit. Powerful suppliers can squeeze industry profitability to great extend. Thus, auto companies are vulnerable to the suppliers. Secondly, some suppliers are often small and medium size, whereas car companies are large and globalized. Many suppliers are dependent on a single car manufacturer, as they just have the capacity of supplying a litter product. Moreover, as  we know, globalization has greatly increased the possibility to lower-cost but suitable suppliers. If an automaker decided to switch suppliers, it could be devastating to the previous supplier’s business. As a result, suppliers are extremely susceptible to the demands and requirements of the automobile manufacturer. For many years, the relationship between assemblers and suppliers has been straightforward. Because each car was designed from scratch and seen by the automaker as a unique product, all investments in solutions and technologies for new models were undertaken by the automaker. Given this market setting, it is easy to conclude from the above discussion that no role existed for the supplier at the development level. At the manufacturing stage, particularly for simpler parts where there was a well-developed market, subcontracting would naturally occur. [3] For this reason, Audi AG has significant power to these suppliers. Bargaining Power of customers For Audi cars, customers may be distinguished by the power of economic function. While consumers are very price sensitive, they don’t have much buying power as they never purchase huge volumes of cars. However, the price is not a main factor for the people who have capacity of buying luxury cars. The customer can freely choose the product that best fits its preferences, status and lifestyle among many. Customers can find many different brands and car models in the market, paying attention to widely differing performance, quality, appearance, pricing, additional features. Customers have substantial power, mainly because of the large variety of luxury brands and product to choose from, and because of the presence of substitutes. The presence of many substitutes to luxury cars enhances significantly the bargaining power of potential customers. Buyers have the power to demand lower price or higher product quality from industry producers when their bargaining power is strong. [4] On the other hand, it is positive to help the auto firms develop and promote themselves. Threat of substitute products Substitute products have two different types. Other types of transport can fulfil the commuting of demand, such as motorbikes, bicycles, public transportation systems, planes. To personal considerations, people will find substitute products. Jogging and bicycle can give people a healthy  lifestyle, while protects environment by choosing transport. While we analyze porter five forces of Audi, we should consider not only other types of transport for substitute products, also concern cars themselves. As customers choose cars of other brands in the marker, which replaces the cars of Audi. If we consider the problems which use other brands to substitute the Audi, we will find the relativity between bargaining power of customers, threat of substitute products and competitive rivalry. With increasing number of substitute products, bargaining power of customers and competitive rivalry will become increase at the same time. For Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are the most obvious substitutes in the market of mid-luxury cars. Or either higher-end cars which ultra-luxury brands (such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Bentley)and the other end of the spectrum, less expensive cars from non-luxury brands (such as Toyota, Ford, Fiat, GM) are able to participate in the competition. Actually, the distinction between luxury cars and non-luxury cars itself is rather blurred sometimes. Pressure of the bad economic climate induces customers to choose less expensive cars, as their income decreases and expectations on the future worsen. Thus, threat of substitute products change with demand of our lives and the situation of economy. Competitive rivalry The rivalry between companies is rather intense, especially between the three global leaders: Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It is not simple that three companies have competitive rivalry. Because trends that are not radical that you lose touch with the market, but that go far enough that the market is prepared to follow. [2] It means a little mistake will make the auto firms lose its market. The three companies explicitly recognize each other as competitors, and their public statements and advertising campaigns make provocative comparison between the cars as to performance and innovativeness. Technological innovation is one of the fields of fiercer competition, as each of them claims to be technological leader in the industry. As previously said, substitute products will intensify competitive rivalry. With the development of Asian market, there are new luxury brands taking part in competition, such as Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. As we can see, competitive rivalry will be more intense t hat the past. Audi weaknesses Audi is clearly aiming to be a leader in automotive sustainability and is therefore stronger for it. Investment into production and vehicle technology can only increase the carmaker’s potential to become carbon-neutral. Investment into new technology could also be the cause for Audi’s biggest weakness: its cars’ reliability issues. Fitting complex electronic systems to every single one of its new cars, Audi has received a poor rating in many aspects of reliability. [5] The other weakness is about design language of cars of Audi. For the normal people who are not really into cars, they can’t really point out the differences between the A4 and the A6. Therefore, Audi need to make their productions diversified. In Audi annual report 2013, trends that are not radical that you lose touch with the market, but that go far enough that the market is prepared to follow.[2] Thus, Audi need to find a balance between trends, technology and design. Conclusion For the average person, they can’t come along and start manufacturing automobiles. The barriers are so high to the average person. Of course, Audi is not worried about barriers to entry. For Audi, bargaining power of suppliers are mutative depend on different suppliers, but overall bargaining power of suppliers at low position. As the suppliers and automotive firms they support each other. Then when we focus on bargaining power of customers, threat of substitute products and competitive rivalry, there is an interesting phenomenon. As previously said, if we consider the problems which use other brands to substitute the Audi, we will find the relativity between bargaining power of customers, threat of substitute products and competitive rivalry. Thus, when people find they have many substitute products to Audi cars, bargaining power of customers, threat of substitute products and competitive rivalry are high. Auto industry has many barriers and violent competition rivalry which not be limited in mid-luxury cars market. Meanwhile, there are many difficulties and challenges, as the situation of global economy is not well that the past. However, with appearing the burgeoning Asian market, such as China and India, auto industry has many chances to develop themselves or walking away from  difficulties. Reference [1] Audi History (n.d.) [online], available: http://www.audi.com/corporate/en/company/history/videos.html [accessed 18 May 2014]. [2] Audi Annual Report 2013 (n.d.) [online], available: http://www.audi-reports.com/ar2013/ [accessed 18 May 2014]. [3] Fixson, S. (2010) ‘Make–Buy Decisions in the Auto Industry: New Perspectives on the Role of the Supplier as an Innovator ’, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, pp. 239–257. [4] Porter’s five forces model (2013) Porter’s Five Forces [online], available: http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/porters-five-forces.html [accessed 21 May 2014]. [5] Sam Sheehan (2014) The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Audi [online], available: http://auto2014.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-audi/ [accessed 19 May 2014].

Tobacco/Cotton Slavery FRQ

Compare and contrast the experience of slaves on tobacco plantations in the early seventeenth-century Chesapeake region with that of slaves on nineteenth-century cotton plantations in the Deep South. What forces transformed the institution of slavery the early seventeenth century to the nineteenth century? When approaching slavery from a historical standpoint, it is a tendency to generalize the experience of slaves. However, slavery differs per region and time period.The differing climates of the Chesapeake region and Deep South determined the crops that would be grown and consequently the severity of slave labor. Likewise, over time slavery evolved from a class based system (poor indentured servants working alongside blacks) to a racially based system, creating an identity within the slave community. However, not only the slave experience differed, the institution itself transformed.The transition from class-based slavery to racial slavery, accompanied by new technologies that made the industry more profitable, changed how the institution was run. Thus, despite a general continuity in the institution of slavery, such as it being agrarian-based and involving black subordinates, many forces changed the institution like the installment of slave codes in 1670s, making it a legal and racial practice, and the development of the cotton gin and other technological advances in the 1790s.Whilst seventeenth century slavery was characterized by smaller tobacco plantations, racially-mixed servitude, and somewhat less-demanding labor, nineteenth century slavery was characterized by large-scale cotton plantations, solely black slavery, harsh and dangerous working conditions, and syncretic slave societies within plantations. This essay will approach identifying factors of change through the general categories of beginning, middle, and end of American slavery. It will also directly compare and contrast the institutions of early Chesapeake and later Deep South slavery.Slavery i s not new and unique to United States history, and many factors caused it to change and evolve in America. The first major transformation took place in roughly the 1690s when slavery was defined legally and racially. Slavery began in the Chesapeake region as indentured servitude, granting migrants passage to the New World in exchange for a labor contract. The first Africans were brought to the Jamestown colony in 1619, joining the ranks of indentured servants and working side-by-side with whites. There was no legal definition of slavery at the time.Eventually, with significant free land to begin competitor farms, European indentured servants often finished or abandoned their indentured life to begin anew. This created an ever-growing void for labor, and presented a flaw with indentured-servitude— if they could start their own farm, what would keep them at another? This frightened the planters, who feared rebellion and faced a lack of labor. At the same time, Africans were ste adily being brought into America for servitude. In fact, by the mid-1680s black slaves outnumbered their European counterparts.Bacon’s Rebellion, 1676, was a rebellion staged by white descendants of or former indentured-servants living on the frontier against the government of Virginia over defending land from Indians. The result, however, was the end of indentured servitude. It presented too much of a risk— servitude would have to be continued in another way. This way was achieved when in 1682 Virginia issued a slave code that marked the first distinction that all peoples imported to the country of color were to be slaves. This was important because it introduced race into the realm of servitude.Now slavery was both legally enforced and racial. This was a significant force to the development of the black slavery and white supremacist culture we associate with American History today. Throughout the middle time period, racial slavery was concreted. In the eighteenth cen tury, it became evident that the fertile soil of the southern colonies would be instrumental to growing cash crops. Thus, the tobacco slavery practiced in the Chesapeake region boomed, increasing the demand for slaves. Tobacco was an appealing crop for planters, for it cost pennies to purchase and sold for much more.As a result, the slave trade expanded, and many companies sought to join the lucrative trade. This is shown by the Royal African Company losing its monopoly in 1698. By 1750, blacks comprised nearly half of the population in Virginia. To ensure the preservation of racial slavery, new slave codes deemed that the children of those enslaved would also be enslaved. Thus the concept of slavery for life was established. This furthered the claim of planters that the blacks they owned were in fact property or â€Å"chattels†, making the racial basis of slavery unquestionable.It is clear that America was no longer just a society with slaves— the institution of slave ry was integrated with race, the economy, politics, as well as everyday life. In addition to tobacco plantations, cotton slavery was also expanding in the Deep South. As the soil became exhausted from growing tobacco in the Chesapeake area, many slave-owners found it more profitable to sell their slaves to southern plantations. Thus, though slavery remained in the Chesapeake area, the growing cotton industry moved its epicenter to the Deep South. The major forces that caused this shift will be included in the paragraph about the end of slavery.The soil was beginning to become overused because of the intensity of tobacco growing in the Chesapeake, and many plantation owners decided to sell their slaves to Southern cotton plantation owners. In the nineteenth century, the institution of slavery peaked economically and politically. Cotton slavery was a lucrative industry. This was made possible by Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793, and the British Industrial Revol ution. The British had an increased need for cotton for their growing textile industry. The cotton gin allowed slaves to more efficiently yield cotton.Thus, the supply-demand relationship gave rise to massive plantations, some owning hundreds of slaves. The fortunes in slavery were clear by the huge estates of planters and many acres of slave-tended fields. Although, the Atlantic Slave Trade was outlawed in 1808, the slave population in America was self-sustaining (it would eventually peak at about four million before the Civil War). In addition, illegal Atlantic slave trade continued as well as trading within the country (take for example the Second Middle Passage). Slavery, now legally restricted to southern states, was the core of the southern agrarian economy.Because it was so lucrative, planters took initiatives to ensure productivity from their slaves. Whipping was a common practice. Also, Fugitive Slave Laws gave planters the right to their slaves as property, even if they es caped to the free North. Slave codes were strict, and even an inappropriate greeting could guarantee a slave punishment. In response to rebellions like that of Denmark Vesey in 1822 or the Nat Turner Insurrection of 1831, paranoia was high. Planters used these laws to keep slaves in line, and preserve the institution of slavery.In conclusion, a clear progression is made from a legally undefined practice of servitude to a heavily legislated institution with severe punishments. Likewise, slavery developed from servitude of the lower class to racial enslavement. These developments would not be possible without the initial shift caused by Bacon’s Rebellion and the slave codes, to the eventual invention of the cotton gin that made slavery such a lucrative venture. As a direct result of the evolving institution of slavery, slaves had different experiences at different times and places in American history.To exemplify the effects of the forces that transformed slavery, it is importa nt to examine how they altered the experience of slaves over time. To begin we will shed light on the experience of a seventeenth century Chesapeake tobacco slave. This slave would have likely worked alongside white indentured servants, considering slavery was not yet racial. Since slaves were first brought to the Chesapeake in 1619, African servants of this time may not have known English. The nuclear family of slaves often stayed together at this time, and if not they usually remained within the same region.Although the climate of the Chesapeake area is hot in the summer, the conditions were not as bad as further south. The experience of seventeenth century slaves had many similarities and differences to that of their later, Deep South counterparts. By the nineteenth century, slavery was a booming industry, especially in the Deep South where the growing demand for cotton resulted in many plantations. Similarities to the experience of seventeenth century slaves were the consistent agrarian nature of slavery— it still involved significant manual labor.In addition, the slaves lived roughly the same way, with as much (or as little) food and sleep required to keep them productive. Although it was less apparent in the seventeenth century, the black race was always viewed as subordinate. The force that caused significant differences was the increased scale of nineteenth century slavery. It is truly the difference between a society with slaves and a slave society. The Deep South was dependent on the cotton industry. Slaves of the nineteenth century faced grueling conditions, as described in Frederick Douglass’s autobiography. It can be assumed the mortality rate was higher.The nuclear family of Deep South slaves was often broken apart. The marriage vow of slaves was â€Å"until death or distance do you part. † It was profitable to sell slaves down the river, and many slaves like Sojourner Truth watched all of their family sold away. Compared to the mixed ethnicities of slaves in the seventeenth century, by the nineteenth century American slaves formed an identity as a separate ethnic group. Most spoke English, and syncretic slave languages like Geechee and Gullah were formed. In addition, ‘spirituals’ (slave songs) helped the slaves survive harsh work.Deep South slaves also faced more punishment, to keep them mentally enslaved as well as physically. Overall, despite the same general structure, slavery in nineteenth century Deep South was much harsher than tobacco slavery in the Chesapeake. In addition, the resulting identities formed by slaves defined the culture and effected their lifestyles. In conclusion, many forces culminated to transform slavery from an economic to a social and racial institution. The resulting outcome was a huge and lucrative industry. This changed how slaves lived, transitioning from less-harsh work to grueling labor, as well as forming a cultural identity.