Competitive advantages with the merger of exxon and mobil Case Study

Competitive advantages with the merger of exxon and mobil - Case Study Example Unlike other companies in this industry, such as Shell, Exxon-Mobil now has a new knowledge base of talented professionals that supersedes other industries. The revenues earned by Exxon-Mobil have also provided the firm with new opportunities for further acquisitions, including its 2010 purchase of XTO Energy (Miller, 1). This acquisition has given the business much higher competitive edge due to its capital purchase as XTO is a leader in providing new innovations in unconventional energy resources, including natural gas and fossils fuels that burn cleaner than competitive products. This is a competitive advantage since regulations for clean air emissions are targeting firms and Exxon-Mobil is already geared for compliance and will be able to avoid non-compliance fees and taxation like some of its gas industry competitors. It is clear that the company’s largest competitive advantage comes in the form of high profitability. Miller, Don. â€Å"Exxon Deal for XTO Energy May Set Off Wave of Energy Mergers and Acquisitions†. Money Morning Magazine Online. Accessed October 8, 2011 at

Spinster and Women Role Essay Example for Free

Spinster and Women Role Essay PART A: Introduction According to the latest statistics reported by the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, the population of single women has been on the rise over the past two decades. The population of women aged 30-39 who have never married has risen from 51,000 people in 1986, to 180,600 in 2009. In recent years, people in Mainland China and Hong Kong started to use the term â€Å" † to describe any woman who remains unmarried beyond the conventional age for marriage. In western culture, words like â€Å"Spinster† and â€Å"Old maid† indicate an older, childless woman who is unwilling and unable to marry. Undoubtedly, traditional Chinese culture has cultivated generations of women who believed that their ultimate and most important role in society was to get married and have children. If a woman cannot achieve those goals, she would be considered eccentric or unfulfilled. The objective of my term project is to change general perceptions of unmarried women. I do believe that there is a wider range of acceptable and alternative lifestyle choices for women, such as living together with a lover without being married, and marrying at an older age. Hence, I produced a short film, and entitled it â€Å"A Love Warrior†. The Choice of Character The character in my short film is Ada, a typical businesswoman who is confident, strong, outspoken and attractive. She represents a large group of modern women in our society. After graduating from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Ada was awarded with two additional master degrees with recognized qualifications in Hong Kong. Although she is in her early-thirties, she works as a senior marketing manager in a German-based sports apparel manufacturer. With a highly educated background, it is obvious that Ada sees herself as a career-focused woman. But like other women, she also enjoys love life. In her most recent long-term relationship, she found out that her boyfriend cheated on her with a younger girl, therefore she made up her mind and ended this eight-year old relationship. After this painful experience, she became very optimistic and joked that she should be calling herself a â€Å" † and sees the world differently, there are many other good men available. Nevertheless, she is still seeking her Mr. Right and asserted her belief of true love and settled down. The Spinster Stereotype According with the Circuit of Culture (du Gay et al. 1997), culture is described as the production and circulation of meaning. On the whole, there are five stations: Representation, Identity, Production, Consumption and Regulation which are connected to each other providing a synergistic impact. Even fluctuation in one station would affect all other elements. Meaning comes from representations from language, photography, painting and ot her media, which uses â€Å"signs and symbols to represent or re-represent whatever exists in the world in term of a meaning concept, image or idea. † (du Gay et al. , 1997). Identity refers to how meaning is constructed or made and internalized by individual person or cultural group when confronted with a text (du Gay et al. ,1997). Production refers to the effort that an entity, for example, an individual, culture or industry goes about representing itself or products to others. Nowadays, meaning is also produced in a variety of different media. The modern mass media in a global scale circulate meanings between different cultures on a scale and with a speed. Consumption denotes that meaning is produced whenever people make use of appropriate cultural stuff to express themselves in. Regulation indicates that meanings help to set the norms, rules and conventions by which social life is ordered and governed. In other words, it is accepted as appropriate if the observed behaviour is pleasing to the individual or group. As long as the behaviour makes one uncomfortable, it becomes inappropriate. The approval or disapproval of texts may be in the hands of individual or groups within a cultural setting. During the early nineteenth century, unmarried women earned a living by spinning cloth at home. It was really the thankless work. The term â€Å"Spinsters† originally identified those women. Nevertheless, people used to associate middle-aged and unmarried women with â€Å"Spinsters†. That was definitely a symbolic representation, and became a social stigma attached to their status.. Feminist reject the stereotype of spinster. They point out that the term â€Å"Bachelor† which is used to label unmarried man, did not have the same negative implication as that of â€Å"Spinster†. Moreover, words like â€Å"Spinster† and â€Å"Old maid† pertain to the sexual as well as marital state of a woman (Schur, 1983). A bachelor could have several partners, yet it would be immoral for a spinster to do the same. People mostly implies that a bachelor is young, energetic, virile and available while a spinster eventually ages to a point where she becomes infertile and never bear children. Obviously, these terms for labeling unmarried man and woman respectively did not parallel in meaning. There are several psychological characteristics associated with the spinster stereotype: abnormal, unfulfilled and pitiful. In the traditional sense, spinsters were viewed as abnormal because they did not have children. Since spinsters would not have husband and children, they were alone in life which were viewed as unfulfilled by traditional definition. Also, people took pity on the lonesome spinsters who could not have true meaning in life without a husband and children. The Contemporary Image of Single Women In my short film, Ada represents a fashionable and cheerful lady although she is unmarried. She is dressed in trendy and sexy clothes, and has her hair bobbed. She looks chic and posh. She is confident to speak what she wants to express. She admits that she is eager to seek for her Mr. Right through online dating websites and marriage agency. During the photo shoot, she struck a posed on the Jacuzzi in the bathroom, and she drank the red wine in an Italian restaurant. These images convey the message that she knows how to enjoy her life and make herself happy, and defy conventional stereotype of unmarried women. Conclusion After completing this project, I think short film production is similar to photovoice. These creative approaches enable people, especially the stereotype group, to identify, define and enhance their community based on their own specific concern and priorities. Furthermore, I believe that in order to minimize the stereotypes for unmarried women in our society, cultural changes and breakthrough must be made. The struggle for these women to become a respected part of the society has been carrying on for centuries. Today, most single women have become sensible and smart on selecting the other half through wide opportunity for dating. (Word Count : 1103) PART B: There are 4 suggestions for improving my work. Firstly, I believe that the target audience of this project is unmarried women sharing a similar background with Ada. Hence, for the representation, I would have Ada encourages these women to follow her attitude towards life, being independent, assuming their femininity, breaking free from conventions and showing confidence with strength in both their career and personal lives. Secondly, having a strong female character as the main focus, the male audiences may feel offended by the tonality. Therefore I would have included various scenes in which Ada shows her femininity side in a traditional way, such as baking cupcakes or planting lavender. In order to seek acceptance from the male audiences, it is necessary to slightly tune down the independent and strong characters of single women. Thirdly, music can be use as a medium to express our feelings. The background music I chose for the short film is in English. The powerful lyrics of these songs illustrate the modern women’s attitudes towards their lives, and they are perfect to show Ada’s point of views, also to add more excitement for the audiences. However, due to language barrier, some audiences may not be familiar with these songs and not easy to be associated with.

Home-Schooling Essay -- Education Teaching Learning Essays

Home-Schooling At least once in a child’s lifetime they wish that they were home-schooled instead of attending a public school. Imagine how nice it would be to have school right in your own home. It was stated that in the year 2001, over two million children were home- schooled in the United States (#1 Home Schooling Information and Software, 2003). This number continues to increase each year. Some believe home-schooling gives a child more attention and ensures a more intimate and personal environment which may in turn lead to a better education. Others, however, believe those who are home schooled will have trouble with social interactions. Home- schooling has both many benefits and drawbacks which will be addressed in this paper. There are many positive aspects of such educational facilitation. Statistics have shown that home-schooled children achieve high standards of academic success and excel socially, according to research from the Home-school Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). As seen through many cases, home-schoolers are better adjusted in society and are more likely to be engaged in their communities. They may not be in a â€Å"school room† situation, where they are among other children of the same age for the entire length of a school day, but they are comfortable working and socializing with people of all ages. Home-schoolers are often heavily involved with scouts, church groups, music lessons, sports teams, and volunteer work. These activities show their socialization skills with their communities, much of which is not done by children in public school systems. Many argue that home-schooling in general makes children more mature and better prepared for the â€Å"real world.† Pub lic schools are said to provide... ...com/Home-Schooling-Statistics.html Home School Association of California. (2001). Why Homeschool? Received November 22, 2003, from http://www.hsc.org/why.html Home School Legal Defense Association. (2003). Home-Schoolers are Socially Adjusted, Study Shows. Retrieved November 21, 2003, from http://www.hslda.org/docs/link.asp?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efamily%2Eorg%2Fcforum%2Ffnif%2Fnews%2Fa0028919%2Ecfm Minority Homeschoolers of Texas. (2001). Cost of Home Schooling. Received November 21, 2003, from http://www.mhot.org/cost.html Nantus, Sheryl. (2002a). Home Schooling, is it for you? Received November 21, 2003, from http://utut.essortment.com/homeschooling_oik.htm Nantus, Sheryl. (2002b). Information on the Pros/Cons of Practical at Home Schooling Programs. Received November 21, 2003, from http://papa.essortment.com/ homeschoolingi_rfih.htm

Hitlers Rise to Power

A Comparative Essay on Historical Schools: The Annales and Marxist Historiography Historical Interpretation, as a term, is a skill that historians acquire to describe human events. As historians gather information regarding the past and analyze the artifacts, they are left with the task to explain their findings to the masses. For many years, profound members of society were used as primary sources for historical events. But as the world turned, historians began to question the grounds of which these â€Å"facts† stood. How are the rulers and priest to be the only true source of widespread events?Such questions gave birth to schools of historical interpretation. These schools became well- known on their scrutiny of historical facts to the point where history became a specialized field with various focal points, such as linguistics, agriculture, cliometrics, culture, and many more. This essay will compare the analytical styles of the Annales and the Marxists historians. Althoug h these schools recognize the superstructure of socioeconomic relationships, they have different approaches and motivations for their historical analyses which has changed the way history is studied.The Annales School is a group of historians who innovated historical research. They focused on properly documenting French history prior to the French Revolution. Prior to their research, french history was dominated by Marxism and was made up mostly from the vantage point of the leaders and other well known figures. The Annales vigorously opposed Marxism due to its tendency to discredit the natural causes and individualism that also play a major part in history. However, the Annales countered Marxism’s monopolizing ways by presenting their socially scientific approach.The Annales was founded by two Strasburg professors, who taught history and it was through their connection that they were able to become a school of historical interpretation. Co-founders, Lucien Febvre and Marc Bl och developed a scholarly journal that incorporated their approach and was published in 1929. This groundbreaking article was titled â€Å"Annales d'Histoire Economique et social† which was subtle in its initial push for change in historical documentation. As they began this journey as the Annales, they opted for historians to examine the state of France as it is and then deduce history rather than judge the present based on the past.Although there works are one in the same, they had different approaches that worked well together. Bloch contributed an agrarian and comparative perspective, while Febvre’s contribution was geared more toward combining history and the social sciences. In the Annales School: An Intellectual History, Andre Burguiere states â€Å"the act of placing the present in perspective by setting it against what the past can teach us does not lead to skepticism but to a spirit of tolerance and responsibility. † This tells us that the Annales felt as though history should be judged not by the â€Å"great men† alone but by the masses.And the only way to get history outside of the proverbial box is to take into consideration the ideals of all men and evaluate them along with economic and material withholding of their country. In order to fully capture an unbiased survey of history Febvre and Bloch pushed for an intercontinental journal. This would allow them to expand their practices not only by incorporating other disciplines but also understanding these events from a broader perspective. Besides their interdisciplinary approach, they also wanted to transform history into a social science.For them, this would prove to be more practical and would be made up of checkable facts and resources. By turning history into a social science, collective beliefs and customs would be taken into consideration. With these approaches, Bloch and Febvre makes up the first generation of the Annales School of Historical Interpretation but their works are still being used, updated, and adapted in current historical interpretation. Marxist historiography takes a different approach to understanding history. Spawned from Marxism’s class scale, Marxist’s historical interpretation is limited, as it works backwards from the outcome to the event.However, this form of historical interpretation is recognized for its middle and lower class historical perspective. Karl Marx is well-known for his strong support for Communism. He professed that society goes through a cycle from anarchy to socialism, with capitalism and communism being on opposite ends of the spectrum. This approach led him to analyze and judge history on these characteristics. In Marxist historiography, every historical event was a result of the socioeconomic status in which the event took place.Marxist historians are sometime ashamed of the Marxist title that they have due to Marx’s position on what we call the free world. However, Marxist hi storians do not hang on every idea of Marxism. A Marxist historian analyzes history with the understanding that historical events are occurrences that are determined by the working class’ level of production and the type of government in place at the time of the occurrence. In Marxist historiography, historians pay close attention to historical materialism, class struggle, government, and production.These are the viewpoints that sum up this type of historical interpretation. The historiography of Marxism many times exclude political factors because it lacks the substantial and tangible evidence that other forms of historical interpretation embrace. Karl Marx both embraced and opposed the ideas of GWF Hegel, a German philosopher, who was well known for his conflict and contradictions theories. Yet, it was because of Hegel’s philosophy that Marxism thrives. Through Marxist historiography, historical events are at the mercy of a superstructure that has a predetermined pat h.The work of Karl Marx and the Annales are still in practice today. Both schools of historical interpretation emphasize the social and economic impact on society as being the source for historical events. They examine the framework of society and compare the circumstances of many events to verify their theories and downplay prior trust in political narratives. As Stuart Clark states, in The Annales School: Critical Assessments, â€Å"At the centre of these issues and at the point of convergence of the Annales school and Marxist history is the theme of power. He concluded that their two distinct methods explain the plight of human events without discussing power and because of this missing link, the two schools will have more differences than similarities. Power is a common idea of both schools, however, they do not point out this fact. As there studies show, shifts of power is the driving force behind all historical events. The foundations of the perspectives of these two schools are astonishingly similar, but their differences lie in the details of their work.The Annales eventually introduced their three tiered paradigm which was â€Å"structure at the base, conjecture in the center and the event at the top. This this was then divided again by geography, social, and the individual. †(Hunt ,1986) In their use of this paradigm, they set themselves apart from Marxism because they incorporated geography and the individual in their studies, which was unique. Taking into consideration , the individual gives a personal take on the superstructure because from this vantage point the big picture can not be seen.The Annales understood that the individual has personal motivations that are not apart of the collective opinion and that the structure affects each person differently. The evidence that the Annales consider when interpreting history is more detailed than the practices of Marxist historians. Marxist historians emphasize the super and sub-structures of s ociety and remain focused on the outcome rather than the events. Marx stated in the Communist Manifesto that â€Å"the history of all past societies has been the history of all class struggles. † This sentence sums up the motivation behind Marxist historiography.Marx wanted inform the world that details did not matter as much as the inevitable social cycle. In The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852), Marx states that history repeats itself, first as a tragedy and second, as a farce. † The Marxist historian upholds this statement to be a slogan for their studies. As they uncover new ideas regarding the â€Å"system†, they are able to interpret historical events from the outside in. Schools of historical interpretations have the duty of setting their methods apart from others and coming up with different ways to analyze history.Although each event has its facts, each school interpret the findings in interesting ways. The Annales began their journey trying to combat the Marxist historical methods and they prevailed in the way they were able to contribute to history what Marxist historiography could not cover. With each of their motivations deriving from the fallacies of political narratives, these schools have transformed historical documentation from a series of both unfortunate and fortunate events to a narrative of social and economic situations that inevitably force certain outcomes. Bibliography: . Burguiere, Andre. The Annales School: An Intellectual History, trans. Jane Marie Todd, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2009; cloth; pp. 328; 2. Long, Pamela. Annales d'histoire economique et sociale 7 (November 1935), Les techniques, I'histoire et la vie Technology and CultureVol. 46, No. 1 (Jan. , 2005), pp. 177-186 Published by: Society for the History of Technology Article Stable URL:http://www. jstor. org/stable/40060803 3. Hunt, Lynn. French History in the Last Twenty Years: The Rise and Fall of the Annales Paradigm. Journal of Contemporary History. Vol. 21, No. , Twentieth Anniversary Issue (Apr. , 1986), pp. 209-224Published by: Sage Publications, Ltd. retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/260364 4. Marx, K. , and F. Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1998. Print 5. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. Karl Marx 1852 Course Textbooks: 1. Tosh, John. The Pursuit of History. 5th. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2010. 2. Green, Anna, and Kathleen Troup. The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twenthieth-century History and Theory. Washington Square, New York: New York University Press, 1999.

4 Step Process to Contract Law Essay

Question a) Step One The principle of law is that for a valid contract to be formed there must be an agreement reached by both parties. Step Two There are three main elements for the formation of a legally binding contract, intention, agreement and consideration. The requirement that requires discussion here is the existence of an agreement by the parties to enter into a legally binding contract. An agreement means a consensus on at least those essential terms needed for a workable transaction. The process of reaching an agreement is generally analysed as involving an offer and acceptance. Where the offer is a clear indication of the terms upon which a person is prepared to be bound, and an acceptance is assenting to, agreeing, or receiving the terms offered. See more: Basic Economic problem of Scarcity Essay The requirements of an ‘offer’ must be promissory, such as in Placer Development Ltd v Cth (1969) 121 CLR 353 where what the government had said was not a legally enforceable promise, but had appeared to be one. It must be sufficiently complete, and intended to result in a contract if accepted. The requirements of an ‘acceptance’ to exist must be in the same terms of the offer. It cannot still be subject to a condition, such as where it was clear that Cameron had not intended to be bound until a formal contract was prepared and signed, Masters v Cameron (1954) 91 CLR 353. An acceptance must be made while the offer is still in existence. It must be made by a person whom the offer was addressed. If the offer is intended to be made to any person that learns of it then any such person can accept the offer on the stated terms. Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co (1893) 1 QB 256, where Carlill had read an advertisement offering a reward to anyone who caught influenza after buying the company’s smoke ball. Carlill bought the ball and caught influenza, since the offer was made to ‘the world at large’ it is capable to be accepted by anyone who learns of it, including Carlill. An acceptance must be made in acceptable form. In the case of emails, it is considered to have been received when it reaches an information system designated by the person to whom the email is addressed via s 13 electronic Transactions (Victoria) Act 2000 and equivalent legislation in other stated and territories. For the process of offer and acceptance to result in agreement, the terms of the offer must be accepted without suggesting changes. For example, in Olley v Marlborough Court Ltd (1949) 1 KB 532 Olley had her furs stolen in the hotel, and there was a notice in the room notifying that the hotel was not held accountable for stolen goods. This notice was not part of the agreement as it was not in the initial contract and therefore the hotel was made liable. Step Three The review of whether an agreement has been reached between both parties involves determining the requirements of an offer and acceptance have been met. Firstly, for an offer to exist, it must be intended to result in a contract is accepted. The advertisement made by Games Travel Ltd is not viewed as an offer by the courts because advertisements are not intended to signal a readiness to be bound, but rather an invitation asking customers to make an offer to buy. Secondly, for the requirements of an acceptance to exist, it must be in the same terms of the offer. If the advertisement were to be seen as an offer, the terms agreed on would be $1000 for the tickets and tickets to the finals in swimming, archery and gymnastics. Jon only authorized the payment of $1000 as the terms on the offer expressed. As the terms had changed after he had authorized payments, there were no tickets to the gymnastics, which made the offer invalid. Lastly, for the process of offer and acceptance to result in agreement, the terms of offer must be accepted without suggesting changes. The change from $1000 to $2000 breached this requirement. An attempt to accept an offer on different terms should have been constructed as a rejection of the original offer and the making of a counter-offer. Step Four Due to not meeting the requirements of an ‘offer’ through not being intended to result in a contract if accepted, and not meeting the requirements of an ‘acceptance’ by not being in the same terms of the offer, there is no legal binding agreement between both parties and Jon is not obliged to pay $2000 for the plane tickets as there is no authorization for $2000, rather $1000. Question b) Step One The area of law relevant to this question is the review of a contents of a contract enforced between two parties. Step Two There are particulars to a contract which structure its existence. This includes the importance of terms within the contract, the freedom of contract, statements that do not become part of contract, and terms of contract. Within a contract consideration must be made to the creation of the contract. The terms of the contract define the obligations of the parties. It is by analysing the terms that you can find out what has to be done to discharge those obligations. For example in Cehave NV v Bremer Handelsgesellschaft mbH [1976] QB 44; [1975] 3 All ER 739, the buyer Cehave did not want to accept the delivered goods because they were not in ‘good condition’ although they were in satisfactory condition to perform their purpose which was to be used as animal feed. Freedom of contract is the freedom of individuals to bargain among themselves the terms of their own contracts, without external interference. People can negotiate effectively in their own interest and both parties negotiate from a position of equal strength. Limits included on freedom of contract are illegal undertakings not enforceable, such as anything more than minimal regulations and taxes may be seen as infringements. Policy considerations may limit freedom of contract. There are certain statements that do not become part of the contract but are said in negotiations. This includes puffs, opinions and representations. Puffs are statements of exaggerated praise to excite buyers and encourage sales and are without any real or measurable substance. Opinions are statements of personal views or beliefs and should not be relied on as it may be incorrect. If a person misrepresents their true opinion, their statement is treated as a representation. Representations are statements often made to encourage the other party to enter the agreement, without intending that they be contractual promises. For example Oscar Chess Ltd v Williams [1957] 1 All ER 325, the car dealer sued Williams for breach of contract due to the car age document being false. The courts decided the document was a mere representation rather than a contractually binding promise. The terms of a contract describe the entire contents of a legally enforceable agreement. Terms are ‘express’ when they have actually been declared or definitely stated. There are disagreements over whether particular terms have been included in the contract or not. For example Causer v Browne [1952] VLR 1 the statement on the docket was not seen as contractual terms as it was only an identifying docket. A term may also be ‘implied’ into a contract when that term was intended to be part of the contract without being expressly stated or referred to. It can only be implied if it is obvious that the parties had intended to include the term as part of their agreement. Implied terms must be reasonable and fair, be capable of clear, unambiguous expression and it must not contradict any express terms. In Codelfa Construction v State Rail Authority of NSW (1982) 149 CLR 337 Codelfa tried to claim extra payment for the extra costs incurred due to stopping and starting work overnight. The courts rejected this as there was no such term implied that would see unforeseeable stoppage to work and compensation paid out. A breach of contract that causes loss gives rise to a claim for damages. If sufficiently serious, a breach may justify a claim to damages plus a refusal to accept performance. To evaluate the seriousness of a breach various terms are distinguished and some terms are described as ‘conditions’ and the others ‘warranties’. Conditions are terms of fundamental importance to the agreement, whereas warranties are terms of lesser importance than conditions. In a breach of condition an injured party can terminate contract and/or sue for the damages. Whilst in a breach of warranty the injured party can sue for damages. In Associated Newspapers Ltd v Banks (1951) 83 CLR 322 Bancks, the cartoonist had the right to terminate his contract as the promise to publish Blancks drawing’s on the front page of the comic section was a condition term. Step Three Identifying the content of the contract between Jon and Games Travel Pty Ltd shows that there are express terms that exist within the contract. For example, the two tickets for the price of one, and the tickets to the finals in the swimming, archery and gymnastics. These terms are contractual terms and must be carried out as specified by the agreement. The terms sought throughout the contract are categorised as warranties, as they are not terms of fundamental importance. Such terms are the swimming tickets, where Jon had received men’s event and not the women’s. Also, the ticket price was doubled when charged, the initial contract was $1000 which is a warranty term. Terms that are conditional are the actual flight to the Commonwealth Games in India. Breaches of Warranty terms such as the swimming ticket and $2000 charge would be a breach of contract. In such a case, the remedy available for breaching warranties are to claim for damages only. This would include $1000 which Jon was overcharged. Step Four In conclusion, through analysis of the contents of the contract a breach of warranty has arisen. The remedy of such can include a sue for damages incurred.

The Role of Personality in Job Satisfaction

The Role of Personality in Job Satisfaction There is a conventional belief that the performance of an employee depends on the level of job satisfaction. It is common knowledge that employees who have job satisfaction will give a great performance as well as enjoy their work. Job satisfaction also depends on a number of factors like employee personality. From this it can be seen that all these factors are dependent on each other.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Personality in Job Satisfaction specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A lot research effort have been directed at finding out the relationship between job satisfaction and performance but the factors that lead to job satisfaction have not been deeply explored. Recent studies have shown that the individual personality of an employee plays a key role in determining the level of their job satisfaction. This paper will look at the role of employee personality in job satisfaction and the various employ ee personalities that are suitable in a crisis. Despite the strong relationship between satisfaction and performance, it has been proved that job satisfaction alone does not necessarily improve performance. A combination of strong positive personalities with job satisfaction will definitely lead to maximum performance by the employee. Employee personality is key to both job satisfaction and high performance. Personality is a collection of the characters and qualities within an individual that make them distinctive. A negative personality will always affect the work environment in a negative manner. For job satisfaction to be achieved, the work environment must be at its best. A positive personality will always make the working environment look positive. There is no doubt that the individual attributes of a person can greatly influence the general operation of the company. Employees with a creative personality will help change the old and redundant systems by creating new systems tha t are relevant and easy to work with. This satisfies the creator and the rest of he employees in the organization. On the hand, these creative people can bring confusion and chaos in the working environment if their talents are not complemented with a balanced personality. Those employees with good organizational skills help in bringing stability and order in the organization. Stability and organization are vital in achieving job satisfaction. When creativity lacks in a work environment, new idea that can bring job satisfaction are suppressed thus eliminating any possibility of change. A dynamic and flexible working environment is key to attaining job satisfaction.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employees with a sage personality are also the most satisfied. Employees with a sage personality are good communication skills and job enjoyment. These are the kind of emp loyees who are good at speaking, writing and have exceptional body language to accompany that. Employees with this type of personality naturally have fun and enjoy everything they do. This lively atmosphere is automatically passed down to other employees. Their excellent communication skills enable them to freely share their feeling and ideas. Communication is important in achieving job satisfaction and employees with a sage personality will always seem satisfied even if the rest are not. Although these personalities directly affect the level of job satisfaction, some people argue that it depends on the type of work being done. There are some jobs that do not necessarily need some personalities. An employee who is open to experience will attempt new ides that can improve his or her satisfaction and performance. In a work environment, a crisis is bound to arise at some point. In times a crisis, special and positive personalities are needed to effectively deal with the crisis. To begi n with, dealing with a crisis needs creative minds. People with a creative personality will be in a better position come up with quick solutions to solve the problem. Some problems require a quick fixing and if creative and sharp people are not around, the situation may become worse. A caring personality is needed in times of a crisis. Crisis management is almost impossible if people with caring and supportive personalities are not available. Employees who care for their company and fellow employees will do their best to solve any problem that can bring the organization down. Instead of being absorbed in the blame game, they will focus on the crisis at hand as they try by all means to look for a solution. Teamwork is also vital in dealing with a crisis. In conclusion, the personality of employees plays a major role in job satisfaction. Individual attributes and character will always determine if the employee will be satisfied or not. Positive personalities will influence the level o f individual and collective job satisfaction in the organization. Different personalities are needed in different types of jobs as some personalities will not necessarily bring satisfaction to employees doing a particular job. There are other special personalities needed when an organization faces a crisis. Effective crisis management in an organization can only be possible if the management and employees have strong positive personalities to deal with the crisis. Employees with teamwork will solve a problem affecting the organization in the shortest time possible compared to those without teamwork.

Defining Portraits and Portraiture in Art

Defining Portraits and Portraiture in Art Portraits are works of art that record the likenesses of humans or animals that are alive or have been alive. The word  portraiture  is used to describe this category of art. The purpose of a portrait is to memorialize an image of someone for the future. It can be done with painting, photography, sculpture, or almost any other medium. Some portraiture is also created by artists purely for the sake of creating art, rather than working on commission. The human body and face are fascinating subjects that many artists like to study in their personal work. Types of Portraits in Art One could speculate that the majority of portraits are created while the subject is still alive. It may be a single person or a group, such as a family. Portrait paintings go beyond simple documentation, it is the artists interpretation of the subject. Portraits can be realistic, abstract, or representational.   Thanks to photography, we can easily capture records of what people look like throughout their life. This was not possible prior to the invention of the medium in the mid-1800s, so people relied on painters to create their portrait.   A painted portrait today is often seen as a luxury, even more than it was in previous centuries. They tend to be painted for special occasions, important people, or simply as artwork. Due to the cost involved, many people choose to go with photography instead of hiring a painter. A posthumous portrait is one that is rendered after the death of the subject. It can be achieved by either copying another portrait or following instructions of the person who commissions the work. Single images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, or any saints are not considered portraits. They are called devotional images. Many artists also choose to do a self-portrait. It is a work of art depicting the artist created by their own hand. These are typically made from a reference photo or by looking in a mirror. Self-portraits can give you a good sense of how an artist views themselves and, quite often, it is rather introspective. Some artists will regularly create self-portraits, some just one in their lifetime, and others will not produce any. Portraiture as Sculpture While we tend to think of a portrait as a two-dimensional piece of artwork, the term can also apply to sculpture. When a sculptor focuses on just the head or the head and neck, it is called a  portrait. The word  bust is used when the sculpture includes part of the shoulder and breast. Portraiture and Appropriation Usually, a portrait records the subjects features, though it often also tells something about them. A portrait of the art historian Robert Rosenblum (1927–2006) by Kathleen Gilje captures the sitters face. It also celebrates his outstanding Ingres scholarship through the appropriation of Jean-Auguste-Domonique Ingres portrait of the Comte de Pastoret (1791- 1857). Ingres portrait was completed in 1826 and Giljes portrait was completed in 2006, several months before Rosenblums death in December. Robert Rosenblum collaborated on the choice of appropriation. Representative Portraiture Sometimes a portrait includes inanimate objects that represent the subjects identity. It doesnt necessarily have to include the subject itself. Francis Picabias portrait of Alfred Stieglitz  Ici, Cest Ici Stieglitz (Here is Stieglitz, 1915, Stieglitz Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art) depicts only a broken bellows camera. Stieglitz was a famous photographer, dealer, and Georgia OKeeffes husband. The early twentieth-century Modernists loved machines and Picabias affection for both the machine and Stieglitz is expressed in this work. The Size of Portraits Portraiture can come in any size. When a  painting was the only way to capture a persons likeness, many well-to-do families chose to memorialize people in portrait miniatures. These paintings were often done in enamel, gouache, or watercolor on animal skin, ivory, velum, or a similar support. The details of these tiny portraits- often just a couple of inches- are amazing and created by extremely talented artists. Portraits can also be very large. We often think of paintings of royalty and world leaders hanging in enormous halls. The canvas itself can, at times, be larger than the person was in real life. However, the majority of painted portraiture falls in between these two extremes. Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa (ca. 1503) is probably the most famous portrait in the world and it was painted on  a 2-foot, 6-inch by 1-foot, 9-inch poplar panel. Many people do not realize how small it is until they see it in person.

How to Create Emotional Messaging That Resonates [PODCAST]

How to Create Emotional Messaging That Resonates [PODCAST] You’ve probably read uninspiring, forgettable content. Having emotional messaging helps you connect with prospects, creating trust and relationships that can lead to sales. Today we’re chatting with Emma Tupa. Emma is the product marketing specialist at and is an expert on conversion copywriting. She uses just the right messaging to help clients find solutions to their problems and to make ’s content memorable and trustworthy. If you want to know how to create emotional messaging to stand out, build relationships and sell more, you won’t want to miss out on today’s show! Emma’s background and how she ended up being the product marketing specialist at , as well as what Emma does on the product marketing team. Emma’s definition of product marketing and how it helps create relationships that can lead to sales. Why it’s important to include emotion in the copy that you write and how to figure out which types of emotional messaging would best resonate with your clients. Emma’s thoughts on finding a good message when you have a diverse clientele, as well as why it’s important to have an idea customer in mind. How to tell whether your messaging is effective and actually working to help you build relationships and create conversions. Some easy ways to jump-start adding some emotional messaging into your copy. Incorporating humor into your copy: How to do it with GIFs, hashtags, and more. What Emma recommends for someone hoping to improve their writing. Links: Emma Tupa PopKey Copy Hackers If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Emma: â€Å"We are writing for an actual person. We aren’t writing for ourselves or for a robot. We need to be able to relate.† â€Å"It’s all about the research and putting yourself in your ideal customer’s shoes. â€Å"You can’t write for everyone when you try to satisfy too many people, you’re really satisfying no one.†

Operations Management Principles-Phase 1 DB Essay

Operations Management Principles-Phase 1 DB - Essay Example This makes today’s customer more sophisticated in terms of tastes and preferences. Customers have come to demand the value of their money in relation to quality and other critical features of products or services. Recent research shows a massive growth in numbers of people complaining about poor services or faulty goods as well as being more assertive and willing to take action against companies (CIM, 2003). Customer complains may range from faulty goods or inadequate services. Thus there is the need to realize we are operating in a more competitive and litigious environment where our company must respond to customer complains. Research also indicates that it is far easier and cheaper to retain current customers than it is to cultivate new ones (Wilmshurst J. & Mackay A, 1999). Moreover, research shows that dissatisfied customers tend to spread the news of their bad experiences very quickly – something that will affect not only our company image, but also risk loosing sales in the long run. There need for the company to develop a strategy that must effectively deal with customer complains for us to achieve growth and sustainability in the industry and take market leadership. For the purpose of establishing practical steps in establishing a customer complaints program, I will use steps established by Wilmshurst, J. and Mackay, A 1999 in their book The Fundamentals of Advertising, which suggest identification of customer needs and perception as first step. Our company must clearly establish what these are and how our customer care department needs to be designed to meet them (Wilmshurst J. & Mackay A, 1999). Secondly, we need to establish a mission statement that is widely accepted for the approach of customer care. Thirdly, our company must clearly set standards and specifications, such as standard for courtesy, credibility, communication, responsiveness, empathy with customer and confidentiality. Fourthly, we

An Allegory of Divine Wisdom and the Fine Arts by Paolo de' Matteis & Essay

An Allegory of Divine Wisdom and the Fine Arts by Paolo de' Matteis & Pictura by Frans van Mieris the Elder - Essay Example The essay "An Allegory of Divine Wisdom and the Fine Arts by Paolo de' Matteis & Pictura by Frans van Mieris the Elder" explores paintings by Divine Wisdom, Paolo de' Matteis and Frans van Mieris the Elder. Divine Wisdom is a conglomeration of many subjects to include men, women, angelic beings, and artifacts of a compass and a drawing, clock, laurel wreath, and paddle while Pictura is of a lone woman holding a palette, brushes, and a small plaster sculpture for a model for larger works. Hanging from her neck is a mask on a chain. Divine wisdom suggests a hierarchy of the disciplines where Science is paramount before Painting and Architecture, which may point to the necessity for these two fields of human interest to uphold principles, facts, and knowledge. But these may have to be tempered with Virtue, Time (the clock) and Truth (the unfolding canvass). On the other hand Pictura is said to refer to the Arts and seems to warn of the capacity of art itself to deceive sights through th e art of illusions as suggested by the mask. Both paintings expectedly were influenced by the stylistic characteristics of their period, the masters with whom the painters worked, and the clients of these painters. Paolo trained under Luca Giordano which explains his leanings toward naturalism, a trademark of the Neapolitan school. In his Divine wisdom, he employed the delicate graceful manner (the hand of Science, for example), an influence of a French master, but â€Å"broke into baroque† as exemplified by the rich his work.

How Can RyanAir maintain its dominance in the European low-cost Dissertation

How Can RyanAir maintain its dominance in the European low-cost airline market - Dissertation Example The use of secondary research methodology in the research confers some distinct advantages for which it is extensively preferred. Firstly with the development of internet communication the secondary research activity has become easier in terms of gaining access to large amount of data within a much lesser time period. Secondly the use of secondary research activity also helps in reducing the level of research cost as the researcher does not have to depend on market or field research. Thirdly the use of secondary research serves as a background for conducting effective primary research activity. The researcher armed with potential information can test the practical aspect through conducting a survey based research. Fourthly the use of secondary research generates authentic information gained through the study of potential literatures written by eminent authors. Al these aspects reflect the effectiveness for depending on secondary research in conducting a research activity (McDaniel, & Gates, 1998, p.90). Apart from conducting the research based on secondary data sources primary or survey based research is also conducted. Primary or survey based research is conducted through the construction of questionnaires which would be used over a particular sample size of 200 respondents. The use of primary research activity helps in gaining focus over a particular focus group to retrieve answer to a specific research question. This methodology is considered to be pragmatic in that it helps in generating current and more feasible information pertaining to external marketing conditions. Moreover through the use of primary research the researcher can gain access to large number of views in regards to the research query. However the process of primary research entails an increase of research expenditure for employing people to conduct the research survey. Still primary research activity is considered more effective for it potentially endeavours to reflect on the marketing cond itions (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2008, p.246). Further the use of statistical operations is encouraged in regards to the research conducted for it helps in depicting the figurative aspects of the information gained through the interviews made. Statistical operations made in the form generating charts and diagrams make the research more practical as one can gain a complete understanding of the views gained and thereby helps in making an effective analysis. Statistical based research enhances the effectiveness of the research activity for it generates large amount of quantitative data and thereby enhances the understand ability of the research (Nunan, 1992, p.8). 1.2. Population and Sample Size The main focus of the research activity understands RyanAir’s dominance in the markets of Europe. Thus focus must be rendered over European based customers pertaining to various demographic sets like income, age and occupation patterns. Selection of the European population been done focus is rendered to identify specific target groups based on the

Winning Marketing campaign for ZARA Jacket Essay

Winning Marketing campaign for ZARA Jacket - Essay Example During the initial phase of pre-launch, ZARA will try to generate curiosity among the target market so that they are looking forward to get involved in activities arrange by the brand. In order to inform the customers about the latest offering, advertisements will be placed in leading magazines and Television channels. Moreover, E-marketing will be done so that the online customer base can be provided with the appealing offerings. Finally, the concert will be arranged after a month of the launch so that all other brands of Inditex are promoted simultaneously. Also, customer’s feedback will be sought to be assured that the unique product meets their expectations effectively. The concept of ZARA belongs to ‘Inditex’ Group, established by the company in year 1975 by Ortega Gaona in A Caruna, Spain. The group is recognised globally for offering eight store formats for the shoppers i.e. ZARA, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, ZARA Home, Uterque, Massimo Dutti, Oysho and Bershka (Inditex, 2013a). The competitive edge of the group lies in its differentiated business model which has two cornerstones i.e. flexibility and innovation (Inditex, 2013b). The success of the marketing campaign is highly dependent on tools utilised by well-known experts for conveying the right message (Keller, 2012) and persuading them to trying out the new offering instantly (Kotler & Keller, 2012). Although ZARA has been able to attract a large number of customers through prevailing marketing tactic but it is considering other options as well. As the fashion industry is getting competitive due to increasing number of companies and cost effective opportunities for apparel production (Pani & Sharma, 2012), it has become imperative for the companies to employ the best measures for strengthening their stakes (Hemphill & Suk, 2009). Considering the global fashion industry, it is observed that the leading brands are making effective use of four marketing practises i.e. Television

Read the sources and summarize them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Read the sources and summarize them - Essay Example The Haymarket riot or Haymarket massacre was a struggle for workers’ rights and has become a symbol of the rights of workers internationally. The incident highlighted the increasing confrontations that were taking place between the workers and the industrialists. The workers having formed unions were agitating for greater power and economic security as well as better working conditions in the workplaces. Since 1889 it has been associated with international Labor Day celebrated on May 1 every year. The riot took place on May 4, a day after police intervention between strikers who wanted to return to work and those who tried to prevent them, during a strike at McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago. The strike was part of a workers campaign for 8 hour working days. The labor leaders called a meeting at Haymarket square to protest the police action and the governor was present as an observer. After most of the demonstrators had dispersed peacefully, a bomb was thrown by an unidentified person and the violence that followed a peaceful meeting, led to several deaths. The riot created an atmosphere of distrust and frenzy against immigrant workers and labor leaders. Amidst allegations and counter allegations eight people were convicted of murder, although nothing was ever proved against any of them. Of the eight known as the Chicago Eight, four were hanged on November 11 1887 while one committed suicide. When the remaining three sent a mercy petition to the then governor of Illinois, a few years later, it was found that the judge and jury had been biased and evidence fabricated against the defendants. They were therefore pardoned to the dismay of industrialists and the press. The pardon was a shot in the arm for those in favor of labor reform. Mary Harris Jones who worked as an organizer for the Knights of Labor passionately declared â€Å"I long to see the day when Labor will have the destiny of the nation in

Winning Marketing campaign for ZARA Jacket Essay

Winning Marketing campaign for ZARA Jacket - Essay Example During the initial phase of pre-launch, ZARA will try to generate curiosity among the target market so that they are looking forward to get involved in activities arrange by the brand. In order to inform the customers about the latest offering, advertisements will be placed in leading magazines and Television channels. Moreover, E-marketing will be done so that the online customer base can be provided with the appealing offerings. Finally, the concert will be arranged after a month of the launch so that all other brands of Inditex are promoted simultaneously. Also, customer’s feedback will be sought to be assured that the unique product meets their expectations effectively. The concept of ZARA belongs to ‘Inditex’ Group, established by the company in year 1975 by Ortega Gaona in A Caruna, Spain. The group is recognised globally for offering eight store formats for the shoppers i.e. ZARA, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, ZARA Home, Uterque, Massimo Dutti, Oysho and Bershka (Inditex, 2013a). The competitive edge of the group lies in its differentiated business model which has two cornerstones i.e. flexibility and innovation (Inditex, 2013b). The success of the marketing campaign is highly dependent on tools utilised by well-known experts for conveying the right message (Keller, 2012) and persuading them to trying out the new offering instantly (Kotler & Keller, 2012). Although ZARA has been able to attract a large number of customers through prevailing marketing tactic but it is considering other options as well. As the fashion industry is getting competitive due to increasing number of companies and cost effective opportunities for apparel production (Pani & Sharma, 2012), it has become imperative for the companies to employ the best measures for strengthening their stakes (Hemphill & Suk, 2009). Considering the global fashion industry, it is observed that the leading brands are making effective use of four marketing practises i.e. Television

Black world study reflection paper, based on reading and viewing Essay - 1

Black world study reflection paper, based on reading and viewing materials - Essay Example In the early 60s, stereotyping was rife in United States whereby people from certain races were subjected to discrimination. In a bid to oppose the treatment, many resorted to art using music and other forms. With time, the Americans recognized very race courtesy of art demonstrated by many artists. For this reason, it is appropriate to agree that â€Å"dance, poetry, music can bring difference in this country and in this world† (Brown, p.2). To cement this point, various movies have been released where the oppression in many Islamic countries happen. As a result, some countries like Qatar have lately been viewed as civilized due to its approach to various issues. Additional, singer Elton John, a renowned gay activist has transformed the way same-sex marriages are viewed through music. As a result, same-sex marriages have been legalized and the couples are treated the same as heterosexuals. From the case materials, the story of Primus proves beyond reasonable doubt the power of art. Even though stereotypes still exists in today’s society, it is appropriate to state that much of the change that has been witness is due to art. For instance, in the case of Primus, the owner at the Cafà © society judged her as per her appearance. However, upon insisting for a chance, Primus, â€Å"danced with such skill and enthusiasm at her audition that she earned a coveted slot as a Cafà © Society entertainer† (p.13). From the above explanation, it is clear that afterwards, the perception towards Primus change thanks to art. It is for this reasons that emphasis is made on the power of art. Indeed, it has the capability to change the society but only when given a chance. Racism issues in United States were rampant but one of the people who actively participated in its end was primus. Interestingly, to do this, ‘she waged her artistic and political fight for

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Essay Example for Free

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Essay The Reagan Doctrine was the foreign policy in the United States, enacted by President Ronald Reagan. The doctrine was design to eradicate the communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that were authorized and corroborated by the Soviet Union. This assignment will review by what method the United States delivered open and private backing to guerrilla and resistance movements during the Regan years. Additionally, explain the political doctrine detailed events that occurred in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded. As a final point, this assignment will define the benefits and drawbacks established on the Regan Doctrine. Summarize the Situation of U. S. Diplomatic of the Regan Doctrine During the course of the initial years of the Cold War, Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter all endorsed dogmas against communism in order to enclose it. Ronald Regan prohibited their detente policy in 1979, when the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan. This alone demonstrated that policies that only contain communism were unproductive. Regan criticized in the compromise policy when it emanated to any communist government. As an alternative, Reagan proposed the Rollback policy. The creation of the Reagan Doctrine moved from containment and dispersal to eradicating all current communist governments. Likewise, the United States wanted to rise and encourage democracy and capitalism in additional of overthrew communist administrations (Conservapedia, 2012). Execution of the Regan Doctrine was to deliver explicit and concealed support to guerrilla and resistance movements in nations were the Soviet Union wanted to feast their communists plan or where eradicate an existing regime (Conservapedia, 2012). The doctrine was in complete operation when The Soviet Union deprived of aggravation and with overpowering force attacked Afghanistan in 1979. This roll back of Soviet control met little resistance from the international community excluding Central America. Internally, Democrats in Congress advised that the Regan Doctrine would ultimately lead to a nuclear war in return; they attempted to hamper and break the enactment of the doctrine (Conservapedia, 2012). Historian Barbara Tuchman differed with Regan confrontation doctrine and desired the United States to follow the stuff goose strategy. This decision was to offer the Soviet Union with consumer goods and all the grain they needed. Nonetheless, in spite of Regans lack of foreign policy qualifications his detection to stop the â€Å"Evil Empire† would not deter him. Nevertheless, several people thought he was a precarious warmonger (Souza, 1997). Explicate the Regan Doctrine and Specific Actions and Events With the war in Afghanistan into a year, most of the international community believed that the Soviet Union was invincible and to stop them would lead into a nuclear war. In an article written in the Third World Quarterly, by Andrew Hartman titled, The Red Template: US Policy in Soviet-Occupied Afghanistan. â€Å"The broad framework of US foreign policy in the era of the Cold War, as well as other eras, the U. S. must adhere to the bottom line. This means, protecting a constructive investment environment for private business benefits† (Hartman, 2002). In 1981, former Pakistani Dictator and General Mohammed Zia al-Haq, understood US Policy bottom line. In a meeting with William Casey, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the dictator offered Casey with a map of the Near East demonstrating how the Soviet Union occupation is moving towards Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea. General Mohammed proposed that if the US does not interfere, the Soviets would produce great economic disturbance in the region (Hartman). Of course, the CIA recognized that this was not only possible but a fact. The Regan Doctrine not only stops the spread of communism but to eradicate the â€Å"Evil Empire†; is the core essence of U.  S. policy. The subsequent action was that the CIA introduced a concealed war against the Soviet Union. Just as during the Cold War, the Soviets campaign to initiate and increase was met with the reaction of U. S involvement. This state was no different. Describe the effects of these diplomatic efforts for the U. S. and other countries. As stated previously, The US foreign policy is driven by the bottom line. Communism is a threat to a capitalist country, consequently the Reagan Doctrine is only reinforced. US policy makers understood that if the Soviets were permitted to expand towards Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea capitalism and democratic civilizations would be in grave endangerment. The oil rich field in those areas could not be governor by any communist regime. The chief economic motivation for hegemony in Afghanistan, Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea is make sure that the U. S. provide military logistics and support to anti-Soviet armies and or guerrilla and resistance movements. The U. S. iplomatic efforts are to also keep these oil rich countries as a private interest and not under the control of a communism. The fact of U. S. reliance on foreign oil, is reason enough for involvement. An economic failure ripple effect in the Western Hemisphere would have distressed all democratic governments on both sides of the Atlantic ocean as well (Evelyn, 2011). The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Regan Doctrine The Regan Doctrine allowed the advantage of the U. S. to retain revenge for Vietnam and the invasion of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan provided that opportunity which could not be ignored (DSouza, 1997). The Pulitzer-Winning Historian Barbara Tuchman, stated that if Reagan had taken the â€Å"Stuff Goose â€Å"approach when it was offered in 1982, the â€Å"Evil Empire† would most likely still exist (DSouza). The drawbacks of the Regan Doctrine were not in absence in particular. The Iran Contra is perchance the best-known scandal connected with the policies of the Reagan Doctrine. Agreeing to the television program American Experience, broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS), the online article and video titled, â€Å"Regan† stated, â€Å"In 1985, while Iran and Iraq were at war, Iran made a secret request to buy weapons from the United States. The detail that an embargo was established against selling weapons to Iran, and the U. S. broke their own policy to advance their international relations with Lebanon and gain more power in the Middle East was a pressure on Reagan Doctrine. Operating a covert mission to a communist regime was intolerable. Conclusion The Cold War agreeing to former United States, Sectary of State Henry Kissinger defines as, â€Å"the most stunning diplomatic feat of the modern era. † Margaret Thatcher states, â€Å"Ronald Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot†. The Afghanistan war by delegations was just another reaction to the Soviets several efforts to expand their socialism. Before Regan, the U. S. policy was only to contain, but as with any untreated disease, the contagion would eventually spread. In the 1985 State of the Union, President Ronald Reagan stated â€Å"We must not break faith with those who are risking their liveson every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaraguato defy Soviet aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth. Support for freedom fighters is self-defense† (Regan, 1985).

Exploring The Culture Of Denmark Sociology Essay

Exploring The Culture Of Denmark Sociology Essay My great, great grandfather, Paul Christian Lautrup, a single, caucasian man of 35, migrated from Denmark to the United States. He came from a wealthy family originating in the Danish culture and was educated to become an architect. He was expected to continue in the occupation that his nuclear family had persuaded him to train for in order to be kept in the family will. If he were to move away and not pursue the career that had been expected of him, he would be removed from the family will and lose all his inheritance. Against his familys wishes, he chose to leave Denmark to escape their career demands and to pursue his own interest. He moved to the United States in 1880 to follow his dream of becoming an actor. He made Washington DC his home, where he met his wife Delia whom he had 6 sons with. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in becoming an actor and settled for becoming an architect in the US. This is rather ironic, because he ended up moving away from Denmark and losing all his inheritance only to become an architect in another land. (Lautrup, Paul). Denmark is a small nation nestled within the Scandinavian countries located on the European continent. Denmark, also known as the Kingdom of Denmark, has a tiny population of roughly 5.3 million citizens with only a 69km land border that is shared with Germany; this is the only land connection that Denmark has with Europe through its only peninsula and largest region, called Jutland. Also, Denmarks main realm has 5 major islands, which support most of Denmarks population, accompanied by 406 minor islands. Only around 90 of the 406 minor islands of Denmark are known to be inhabited. Also, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) They are both located in the Atlantic Ocean and considered to be autonomous regions within the Kingdom of Denmark; both have very small populations under 100,000 citizens. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and is the nations largest city. Copenhagen is also the biggest and most modern city in all of Scandinavia. Scandinavia includes the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Over 70% of Denmarks population lives in an urban environment, while most of the population consists of people of Danish ethnicity, although there are a growing number of immigrants from Asian and African nations. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The North Sea is to the west of Denmark and the Baltic Sea is to its east. Denmark is separated by its northern, neighboring, Scandinavian nations of Norway and Sweden by the Kattegat and Skagerrak straits. Sweden, the second closest neighbor to the Danes is cut off from Denmark by only 5km of water named the Oresund strait. Denmarks climate is humid and chilly during the winter, with an average temperature of 34 degrees F and during the drier, summer months, the temperature averages 72 degrees F. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Denmark has gently rolling hills with fertile soil that are at a close range to sea level with no true mountains throughout the nation. There are many lakes, rivers, streams and moors, which create an ideal environment for agricultural prospects. There are no extreme changes in climate due to the Gulf Stream that flows up from the south over Denmarks western borders. Since the land is accessible to the sea, it is a prominent supplier to the ship industry is Northern Europe. Denmark has no point on its land that is more than an hours drive from the sea. There are numerous bays and inlets, which creates gainful opportunity for their prosperous shipping industries. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Some especially important Danish landmarks include: The Tivoli Park, the most popular amusement park in Denmark, Fredericksborg Castle, and The Royal Theater. Hans Christian Andersen, known for his fairytales with relatable moral teachings and Karen Blixen, known for short tales and life memoir are among many famous writers of Danish literature. Soccer is Denmarks national sport, but sailing, cycling and rowing are also Danish favorites. The national language is Danish, although, many Danes can speak English and/or German at least on elementary levels. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The Krone is the source of Denmarks monetary exchange and the Euro has not yet been accepted, due to the nations suspicions that switching over to the Euro will have a detrimental effect on their beloved social welfare system, which the citizens of Denmark take great comfort in. Denmark maintains the oldest continual monarchy in Europe and the second oldest in the world. Queen Margrethe II is the current Queen and head of the constitutional monarchy in Denmark. She is only the second queen to rule the monarchy throughout the entire history of Denmark. The Danish community is very proud of their form of government, their royal family and their Dannebrog, which is their national flag. Danes are not a people who are easily insulted, but one way to offend them would be to criticize anything concerning their Dannebrog, royal family or form of government. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The subsistence strategy relied upon most in Denmark today is information. Higher education, the promotion of environmentally green solutions, literature and the fine arts are all very important to the Danish people. (Bendure, Glena, and Ned Friary) Over 77.3% of the jobs held by Danes are part of the information subsistence strategy through service-related jobs. (CIA The World Factbook) Since education is paid for by the heavy taxes the Danish people submit to, it is financially obtainable for anyone with high enough scores to continue their education into any of Denmarks universities. There are 5 universities for the citizens to choose from which include: Copenhagen, Roskilde, Odense, Aaloborg and Arhus Universities. Queene Margrethe II and her son, Crowned Prince Frederik are graduates of the elite Arhus University. Danes also have the option of continuing their education by attending community colleges or vocational technical schools. Some of the occupations that Danes are going to school for include: maritime studies, nursing, physicists, architects, social services, literature, history, religion, photography, teaching or various other information service occupations. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) These jobs all rely on technology and tools such as computers, cameras, high-tech printers, internet connections, satellites, sterilized medical equipment, body-image scanners, reference texts, cell phones, writing utensils, specialized uniforms and printers are just a few examples of the many advanced tools that are necessary for these various fields of information subsistence strategies. For example, a teacher would use tools such as a blackboard, a computer projector, chalk, erasers, videos, books and printers in order to relay information to teach her class a particular subject. Of course, these types of tools and technology are used all over the nation in rural and urban areas, but perhaps slightly more in the densely populated regions. Division of labor can be divided up in a number of ways in regards to the information subsistence strategy. For example, a dean of a college may oversee that the college professors are following the guidelines for teaching classes from the code of ethics in their employee handbooks. The professors oversee the progress of skills and information learned by his/her students. The students attempt to maintain good grades in their class by completing all their schoolwork to the best of their ability. Division of labor usually depends on the socioeconomic status and education acquired. However, in Danish society, social caste or social status does not create an obstacle in regards to whom can do what type of career. The citizens have a silent understanding amongst one another that every individual within the nation is important and should not be treated differently whether the citizen is a doctor or a trash man. The opportunity to pursue an information career is equally welcome to men and women; gender does not hinder occupational roles in Danish society. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The second most important subsistence strategy amongst Danish society is industrialism in which some 20.2% of the population is employed. (CIA The World Factbook) Some examples of the products manufactured are ships, boats, ceramics, silverware, furniture, chemicals, paper, fish products, dairy products, canned ham, electronics, textiles, concrete, marine engines, radio and communication equipment, toys, glass, pharmaceuticals, agriculture/forestry machinery, electrical products and diesel engines. Most of the industrial facilities that produce these Danish goods are located in more urbanized areas throughout the country. Many of these products require special skills used by laborers that have been trained at either a vocational school or through a type of apprenticeship training program paid for by the Danish government. Particular tools and equipment are necessary for creating these products that can include: pulleys, compressors, mixers, castes, hammers, nails, scissors, ovens, k ilns, saws, test tubes, Bunsen burners, beakers, glue, electrical wiring, assembling machines, counting machines, computers, charts, slicing equipment, turbines, converters, nets, sails, anchors, food processors, milking machines and generators. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) For instance, if a plant is producing paper products, large, metal rollers, would need to be used in order to press the paper into the desired thickness. Also, mixers would be used to stir and prepare the paper pulp in order to pour it into the appropriate screening containers. A specialized machine would be necessary to wrap the finished paper product for distribution and sale. Distribution of labor depends on experience, skill level and seniority of the workers involved in the particular industry. Owners of factories and heads of departments oversee the quality and efficiency of production, which is reported from the supervisors. Supervisors organize, direct and monitor manual labor workers in their duties. Manual labor workers attempt to create products at a company-desired rate and quality, while not bearing the responsibility of their overseeing their co-workers. The third of the most important subsistence strategies used in Denmark consists of agriculture. The main products grown in The Kingdom of Denmark include: sugar beets, barely and wheat, grains, rapeseed, fruits, vegetables and flowers. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Agriculture is most commonly practiced by only 2.5% of the population and is normally achieved in rural areas of the country. (CIA The World Factbook) Training apprenticeship programs and information passed down through family generations are used to teach agricultural methods. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Some technologies used for agriculture include items such as combines, separating machinery, generators, irrigation systems, planting machinery, tractors, plows, fertilizing distributors, storage units and computers for analyzing crop quantity and quality. Irrigation systems are used to water the large expanse of crops, plows are used to till the land for preparation of planting seeds and computers are used to keep record of seasonal harvest yields and perhaps even profit margins. There are over 60,000 family-owned farms in Denmark (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) and the division of labor is shared by the family and or corporation that own the farms along with the hired employees who are used for cleaning and fixing equipment, sorting crops, running machinery, irrigation and maintaining the health of the crops. The family or corporation of the agricultural operation oversees the employees or hires a supervisor(s) to ensure that the agricultural laborers are working efficiently. The supervisors or owners of a farm may calculate the quantity of crop and the value it yields per season. The agricultural land owners or supervisors also may keep track of the laborers improvement or lack of effort on the job. The farm laborers will tend to any manual labor that the agricultural operation needs completed while only having to be responsible for their individual production. The division of labor in agriculture is based mostly on skill, seniority and ownership. The fourth most important subsistence strategy in Denmark is pastoralism of which is included in the 2.5% of the nations population that maintains a career in agriculture. (CIA The World Factbook) The animal goods raised and produced in the Kingdom of Denmark include: canned ham, butter, cheese, fish oil, fish meal and milk through the use of fish hatcheries and typically family-owned farms. As in the agricultural subsistence strategy, pastoralism is either passed down through families or learned through an apprenticeship training program. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Some tools used for pastoralism include: fences, watering/feeding troughs, barns, herding rods, milking machines, slaughtering equipment, medical tools, labels, hoof clippers, lead ropes, halters, hoses, generators, heaters and computers. Fences are used to keep the livestock confined to a desired location, animals are put in barns to protect them from predators and the occasional harsh outdoor elements and heaters may be used in the barns to keep a sustained temperature that is more suitable for the livestocks health. As in the agricultural subsistence strategy in Denmark, the division of labor amongst workers in pastoralism is based on skill level, seniority and ownership. For example, the owner of a herd of swine may hire a supervisor or herd manager in order to keep track of the manual laborers and also the efficiency of herd quality, health and maintenance. The owner of the swine operation may calculate yearly profits, upkeep costs and decide what to pay employees based on their skill levels. The employees without management skills, the hired hands or basic herd tenders will be responsible only for the safety, feeding and order of their set group of livestock that they are to have authority over. Denmark has a centralized political organization and maintains a constitutional monarchy as a political model. A constitutional monarchy can only be led by offspring of the current king or queen after he or she is deceased. It is a requirement for the king or queen of Denmark to be a member of the national church. A single-chamber parliamentary runs hand-in-hand with the constitutional monarchy. The prime minister, currently known as Lars Lokke Rasmussen, leads Denmarks political organization with the indirect support of all 179 parliament members and direct assistance from the cabinet ministers who lead numerous political departments throughout the nation. Voting age in Denmark is 18 and all parliament members are elected for a term of 4 years, unless state minister forces a new election before the 4 years is completed. It is the duty of the members of parliament to come to consensus on decisions to enact or not enact new legislation and the duty of the prime minister to carry the d ecision to action, however new legislation cannot be enacted fully until Queen Margrethe II writes her finalizing signature on it. There are typically around 12 political parties that make up the single-chamber parliamentary system of the Danes. The top 2 of these major political parties consist of Social Democrats and Liberals-a right-of-centre part. Social Democrats seem to be the most popular considering the fact that they are tied heavily to the belief that all Danish citizens should be granted security by maintaining the comforts of social-welfare programs, but of course, these are safety features only made possible by very high taxes to the Danish people. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The royal constitutional monarchy headed by Queen Margrethe II has control of the executive powers, while legislative powers are for the most part, granted to the parliament and judicial powers are carried out by the courts of Denmark. Denmarks military branches include: a home guard, an air force, a navy and a national rescue corps. Military members are usually enlisted for 4 months to a year of service. During war times, the Danish military acquires 58,000 members, but during peace times, there are roughly fifteen thousand participating members. The Danish military ranks are usually based on mandatory enrollment in order to be ready when an emergency arises. Denmarks police force has about 10,000 law enforcement officers who are known for their more civilized, calmer approaches to domestic disputes by using advanced communication skills and maintaining close, positive relationships with the overall communities they work in. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) One form of internal political control in Denmark is the enforcement of laws through the judiciary court systems. Although, crime in Denmark is very low and it is not normal for a Dane to even consider breaking the basic laws of the land. An example of externalized political control would be the decision of the Danish Parliament to not accept the Euro as Denmarks new currency, even though Denmark is a member of the European Union. Internalized political responsibilities of Denmarks parliament involve the maintenance of social welfare programs that protect all Danish citizens regardless of socioeconomic status. The externalized responsibility of the parliament consists of maintaining peaceful political connections with the European Union and other nations in regards to preserving a secure way of life for its citizens and also keeping a cohesive relationship with national allies for added protection. After all, Denmark is a very small nation and it would be beneficial to preserve as mu ch peace with as many nations as possible. (Bendure, Glena, and Ned Friary) The economic system of Denmark is based on negative reciprocity due to the use of capitalism throughout the nation. Capitalism is used by the Danes to generate profit through sales of products from private businesses and corporations to customers. Redistribution is also used throughout the Danish culture in the form of health care and educational needs. Danish pay high taxes that allow them to enjoy the freedoms of free health care and education of any type. This allows the Danish citizens to give and take as they need, for example, all citizens are taxed regardless of how much income they generate, but it is possible that not all of them will use the free education opportunities or the free health care services during their lifetimes. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Market exchange is also used through capitalism in Denmark in regards to having the freedom to set up a private business and gain profit from it without limit, which is a prime example of capitalistic market exchange. Denmark uses both socialism and capitalism, but the predominant economic system would have to be capitalism. This is true, because Danes are free to pursue their own interests through careers that will allow them to generate profit without limit to the individual. Although, socialism is prevalent in the way Denmark controls and maintains social welfare for the citizens in order to provide free and easily accessible, equal-quality health care and education to all Danish citizens regardless of social or economic status, gender, religion or ethnicity. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The primary economic sector, which involves extraction of resources form the land, also known as mainly agriculture in Denmark, makes up 2.5% Danish employment. (CIA The World Factbook) A few of Denmarks exports consist of canned ham, butter, cheeses, beer and processed fish products of which are brought forth through agriculture, pastoralism and industry. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The nations secondary economic sector, which involves processing of goods, also known as industry makes up 20.2% of the Danish workforce. (CIA The World Factbook) Denmark manufactures machinery, chemicals, furniture, electronics of which are exported all over the world. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) The tertiary economic sector, which involves services, makes up 77.3% of the working Danish population. (CIA The World Factbook) A few of Denmarks popular service industry jobs are found in the fields of architecture, nursing, teaching, physics, environmental science, literature and social sciences. Denmark enjoys the highest Gross Domestic Product in Europe and maintains one of the highest standards of living for its citizens compared to all nations in the world. Unemployment is very low and over half the country is employed with the reassurance that health care and education will not be a challenge to pay for. Denmark relies heavily on the income from its exports and puts a great deal of value on maintaining its social welfare programs. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Denmarks most common religious organization is Evangelical Lutheran, of which over 90% of Danish citizens belong to. Evangelical Lutheran is a denomination that is part of a national church, supported by the state called the Danish Peoples Church. Only about 5% of Danish people actually attend church weekly; most Danes only participate in church services during important religious holidays such as Christmas or Easter. Evangelical Lutheranism is a monotheistic religion, which means that they worship only one god. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Other religious organizations that exist in Denmark consist of Catholicism, Judaism and Islam, which also practice monotheism. Also, a small percentage practice forms of religious organizations such as Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism, which promote polytheism, the worship of many gods. It is ironic that the overall Danish society does not have a strong faith in the god or gods of their religious choice, yet at birth most of the country is automatically enrolled as a member of the national church, also known as the Danish Peoples Church. Their enrollment is expected unless they belong to a religion other than Evangelical Lutheran. It is a requirement that the current king or queen of Denmark be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran religious organization. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Danish churches are typically located in close proximity to all Danish towns and are encompassed by graveyards. Evangelical Lutheran religious organizations have sermons and worship in churches on Sundays. Their ceremonies include a minister, a servant, an organist and a cantor. Evangelical Lutheran important ritualistic ceremonies include: weddings, confirmations, funerals and baptisms. It is expected that most Danish churches have fairly low attendance rates during Sunday services. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Throughout the Danish social organization, monogamy, the practice of marriage to single spouse, is the most accepted and nationally predominant form of union. Marriage is important in regards to the most common form of religion in Denmark, Evangelical Lutheranism, yet because Danes are not known for being highly involved in the practices of their religious organizations, there is a loose view on marriage and when it should be chosen, if at all. It is common for a Dane to cohabitate for years, have offspring and not be married until many years after. Therefore, it is not uncommon for Danish households to have illegitimate children born outside of wedlock. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) If Danes do decide to marry, it is usually not until they are in their very late twenties or early thirties. Danes do not participate in arranged marriages, an event where parents choose a marriage partner for offspring, instead, single Danes choose their own marriage partners through the anthropological term love match. Endogamy, marriage created within ones own organized cultural group, is practiced in Denmark as well as exogamy, marriage outside ones own organized cultural group. Most often, Danes marry other Danes of their own ethnicity, yet those who choose to marry outside of Denmark or ones ethnicity is not condemned within the Danish societal organization. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Post-marital residence, pertaining to where a bride and groom reside after their marriage ceremony, only pertains to the Danish societal organization in the sense that marriage partners typically practice neolocal forms. A neolocal form of post-marital residence can be defined as the event of taking residence in a home that is set apart from the married couples families. Other forms of post-marital residence, such as patrilocal, the act of a married couple living close to or with the married males family of his father, or matrilocal, the practice of both marriage partners residing with or in close proximity to the married females family of her mother, are not commonly practiced. Marriage in modern Denmark societal organization, is not required, nor is it a high priority. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Therefore, post-marital residence is not of great importance, It is only on a neolocal sense, considering that Danes learn to be very independent at a very early age, while maintaining a close-knit family on an emotional level. The most important family type for Danes is the nuclear families containing dependent children, a wife and a husband. Even though the idea of marriage in the Danish societal organization is very loose and laid-back, out of all couples living together in Denmark, most of them are in fact married. Extended family, consisting of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and other individuals with marriage or blood relating them, are also important, but not as high a priority as the nuclear family. Most Danish nuclear families are small, having two or less dependant offspring. Privacy is valued greatly by Danes, especially when it comes to the nuclear familys home. It is rare for a Danish family to invite a guest to their home whom they have not known for a great while . (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) Each of the nuclear family members generally has their own private room in the home along with the rooms for meeting, such as the kitchen and larger family rooms. In Denmarks societal organization, descent is traced by using a lineage, which is used by connecting all ancestors back to a single, original ancestor. Descent in Denmark is traced in this way, because last names are important links to ancestry. Although last names are taken from the male within a married couple, patrilineal descent, tracing only by acknowledging male individuals as ancestors, is not used, because all genders are included when tracing Danish ancestry. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) When referring to kin, relatives connected by marriage or blood, Danish citizens value ties with both the mothers and the fathers side of the family, which is called bilateral kinship. Bilateral kinship is important for Danes, because both nuclear and extended family, regardless of mother or fathers side, builds a cohesive unit of strength emotionally, sometimes financially and offers support that is not commonly expected outside of family ties. National polls and summaries do not generally include information in regards to socio-economic classes, instead Denmarks citizens are divided up into 5 social layers. These social layers consist of subcategories within each layer. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) The first social layer consists of corporate owners, employees of the educational system and anyone that has over 50 workers. The second social layer involves academically professional owners of businesses, agricultural owners with at least 4 employees and corporate owners that have over 6 workers. The third social layer includes small business owners, individuals with employment that calls for special skills and agricultural owners with a limit of 3 workers. The fourth social layer is made up of employees containing academic training, owners of small plots of land and experienced employees. The fifth social layer consists of employees with no special skills or experience. (HOG, ERLING, and HELLE JOHANNESSEN) Denmark, as a social organization, is very tolerant of other peoples ways of perceiving life and is considered to be outgoing and well-educated. Danes are very accepting of homosexual marriage and equality of the sexes. Denmark was the first European nation to allow for legal gay marriages within its borders offering homosexuals the majority of rights granted to straight married couples. Danes are very conscientious when it comes to preserving a clean, toxic-free environment. (Bendure, Glenda, and Ned Friary) A recent news article summarizes a protest put on by Greenpeace activists at the Environment Ministry in Denmark. This article was used for this research paper, because Danes are very involved in environmental policies in regards to keeping the planet as clean and sustainable as possible. The article was personally interesting, because Denmark is one of the most environmentally conscious nations on the planet and I was curious to see how they react to the disposing of harmful waste products. The Greenpeace activists were protesting the transport of a poisonous pollutant called HCB from an Australian company named Orica. The Kommunekemi in Nyborg, Denmark is one of a small number of companies in the world that is able to incinerate the hazardous carcinogen, HCB. The Greenpeace activists argued that hazardous waste materials should be incinerated closer to the point to which they are processed. This is just one of many examples of the Danish cultures desire for a cleaner and greener pl anet. (Greenpeace Goes Aloft to Protest Transport from Down Under) Danes are also known to love their most famous amusement park, Tivoli. This amusement park is located in Copenhagen and is the most popular attraction in Denmark. The park was built in 1914 and maintains a dà ©cor and cuisine that is based on the historical, traditional Danish culture of the time the park first opened. Some Danes pay the parks entry cost just to eat at a few of the thirty-seven restaurants within the park. The park has roller coasters, games, gardens and various amusements and entertainment. (Copenhagen, Denmark) Danish people are in love with the concept of social gatherings combined with eating and the two almost always go hand-in-hand. It is customary for a Danish household to always have tea, chocolates, pastries and cheese just in case guests arrive unexpectedly. Their meals often consist of three or more courses and it is considered a crime to oneself to not savor and take time to enjoy ones meal. Danes love rich, whole foods of which often include broiled or marinated fish, thick and creamy cheeses, hearty breads, substantial gravies and delectable deserts. Hot tea is often served with milk and honey and it is customary to leave the last bit of food in a main communal dish when eating. This is a symbolic action of politeness to show that nobody is selfish or rushed during the meal. The Danish culture is known for being one of the happiest cultures on earth. They are generally friendly, warm and open to communication with strangers. Recently, Denmark has incorporated many American concepts, products, stores and fast-food conveniences into their societal organization. Unfortunately, they are also gaining a few of the health problems that are associated with the introduction of American culture into their nation. However, despite the Danes cultural borrowing, they still have a strong sense of uniqueness through a proud society that shows compassion for its citizens and welcomes visitors. (Waldron, Julie)