International Mass Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Mass Communications - Essay Example For instance, 30% of women have been victims of domestic violence while 38% of murders of women are committed by the intimate partner. Moreover, domestic violence has serious implications such depression, effects on mother and baby, as well as long-term health problems. Austerity Pain also show that domestic violence is a serious atrocity since the trauma suffered by the victims is similar to the cruelty experienced by the survivors of war, terrorism, and concentration camps. Additionally, Pain draws a connection between domestic violence and geography and politics by stating that it affects communities, states and various wider groups’ interest. Moreover, this type of violence is an act of exertion of excessive power by the superior partners in a romantic relationship. Additionally, it set within the context of globalization, colonization, gender, and ethnicity, which further creates a political connection. Domestic violence occurs within the family unit, but since the family is a central cog in the nation, it therefore, becomes a political agenda. Majority of partners who commit domestic violence use it to gain and maintain control over their spouses and use force to instil fear in their spouses. The most vulnerable partners to domestic violence are women and children in the family or relationships (Kenney, 2011). Since perpetrators of domestic violence seek to gain power, the victims remain fearful and vulnerable as they suffer in silence. Victims of domestic violence tend not to tell what they are going through. In fact, they are made to believe that it is their fault, and thus, they are unable to voice their horrific experiences. Pain gives an example of Jennifer who thought she was responsible for the violence. This was because her partner made her believe so, and the culture of the society too conditioned her to believe that she is the one at fault. Domestic violence according to the lecture is also linked with the

Final Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Project - Essay Example Many Americans feel this reluctance stems from an unwillingness to reveal something that they do not want consumers to know. The best solution is to require mandatory labeling of all of the products that are considered GMO, genetically engineered, or in any way augmented in or by a laboratory. Genetic research has been going on for several decades and is still going strong. Most people hear the words genetic engineering or biotechnology they think of science fiction stories. However, real, modern biotechnology is quite different and it is certainly not science fiction. The manifestation of biotechnology is not so much â€Å"in your face,† as it is â€Å"in your food.† In fact, for more than a decade the majority of processed foods in the United States include ingredients containing genetic material derived from plants whose DNA has undergone laboratory manipulation. The most common genetically altered crops in the United States include soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola . The soybeans carry DNA derived from bacteria that cause the plants to be resistant to common weed killing pesticides, as well as, corn crops, which, also, is taken from DNA from bacteria, which allow the corn to produce its own natural pesticide.(Harmon & Pollack, 2012) It has been determined that most store bought products contain some form of soy or corn, including high fructose corn syrup, and exist in 60-70% of the foods on the grocery store shelves, including cereals, snack foods, dressings/dips, crackers, and chips are all the products of genetic modification, in one way or another.(Byrne, 2013) Supporters of mandatory labeling believe that they manufacturers do not want labeling because they do not want consumers to be aware of how much GMO food they are already consuming. They, also, feel that the scientists, biotechnological farms, and the big businesses that profit from them do not want to be forced to label such products. In their eyes they are putting profit before pub lic awareness and, potentially, public safety. This public concern is not strictly an American phenomenon. Consumers prefer to be informed. Twenty-one countries have already implemented mandatory labeling requirements; so one might ask, why should the United States be any different? (Byrne, 2013) Consumers have a right to know through clearly marked packaging, to make informed choices about the ingredients being mentioned, and understand what exactly they put into their bodies. The claim that GMO goods are completely and thoroughly safe, however, is not something that any of the scientists today can actually guarantee. They can only confirm that there appears to be no danger or side effects associated with consuming GMO foods or food ingredients. It has never been confirmed through human testing that that is true, especially over a period of long term consumption. That said, they are essentially asking us to take their word for it without providing much in the way of facts and detai ls. In fact, biotechnologists today are, basically, using the same limited

Transnational Organized Crime

Transnational Organized Crime 1) Describe the role and function of the Transnational Organized Crime Convention and the Convention’s relationship to its Protocols. The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (also known as the ‘Palermo Convention’) has attached to it the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air 2000, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition. The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime was adopted by General Assembly resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000 and is â€Å"the main instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime†. It entered into force on 29 September 2003. States that ratify the instrument commit to taking a series of measures against transnational organized crime, including the creation of domestic criminal offences; the adoption of new and sweeping frameworks for extradition, mutual legal assistance and law enforcement cooperation; and the promotion of training and technical assistance for building or upgrading the necessary capacity of national authorities. The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocols are not human rights instruments in themselves, but have instead been described as providing â€Å"treaty framework to help states unite to combat transnational organised crime†. One commentator views the Convention and its Protocols as a framework of guidance which needs â€Å"filling in†, particularly in the areas of the exchange of information, the registration of biodata and the building of common entrance policies. The Protocols are not binding upon signatories of the Convention itself unless the signatory also becomes a party to the Protocol. The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime states itself that its purpose is â€Å"to promote cooperation to prevent and combat transnational organized crime more effectively†. Article 3 provides that the Convention applies to a range of offences that the Convention criminalizes when they are transnational in nature, and then spells out that such an offence is transnational in nature if: (a) It is committed in more than one State; (b) It is committed in one State but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction or control takes place in another State; (c) It is committed in one State but involves an organised criminal group that engages in criminal activities in more than one State; or (d) It is committed in one State but has substantial effects in another State. The Protocols then add to the list of crimes contained in the Convention. As Kofi Annan states in the foreword to the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, â€Å"Criminal groups have wasted no time in embracing today’s globalized economy and the sophisticated technology that goes with it. But our efforts to combat them have remained up to now very fragmented and our weapons almost obsolete. The Convention gives us a new tool to address the scourge of crime as a global problem. With enhanced international cooperation, we can have a real impact on the ability of international criminals to operate successfully and can help citizens everywhere in their often bitter struggle for safety and dignity in their homes and communities.† 2) What do we mean by the term ‘securitisation’ of transnational crime? Do you think policies that ‘securitise’ TNC are useful? In basic terms, the securitisation of transnational crime means the movement of legislative bodies from viewing crime in a cultural, social, economic and/or legal context to viewing transnational crime as a matter of national security. The Copenhagen School defines the concept of securitization: â€Å"Securitization refers to the process of presenting an issue in security terms, in other words as an existential threat†. Transnational crime may be presented as an existential threat to the security of nations through the discourse that political leaders utilise, but also through others. Transnational crime has been referred to as a security issue in the academic literature. McFarlane and McLennan claimed in 1996: â€Å"Transnational crime is now emerging as a serious threat in its own right to national and international security and stability†. In modern times, forms of transnational crime in the Asia Pacific have been securitized that is, represented by policy elites and security actors as crucial or existential threats to national and regional security. At the first summit of ASEAN heads of state and government held in Bali in 1976 President Suharto declared: â€Å"Our concept of security is inward looking, namely, to establish an orderly, peaceful and stable condition within each territory, free from any subversive elements and infiltration, wherever their origins may be†. Galeotti has recently indicated that â€Å"the struggle against organized and transnational crime will be the defining security concern of the twenty-first century†. As Emmers states â€Å"transnational crime poses a threat to states, national economies and civil societies.† He provides the example of non-state actors using terrorism to promote their political causes. In his opinion the groups are able to gain strength from their ability to forge links across national boundaries and in turn are able to threaten national sovereignty and the integrity of independent states with the result that they can effectively threaten the survival of the governments of those states. However, it is not just terrorism which may be ‘securitized’, other forms of transnational crime affect states and their societies. As Emmers again notes, â€Å"drug trafficking and money laundering reduce a government’s capacity to govern, weaken the credibility of financial institutions and undermine social order†. Nevertheless, Emmers has also expressed the opinion that the problem of transnational crime could be dealt with more effectively if it was approached primarily as a criminal matter rather than as a security issue. He notes that the concept of securitization of transnational crime can work better in some nations than others, depending on the commitment shown by those nations to tackle transnational crime in a security driven way. Comparing the US and the ASEAN states he says that in the US the securitization rather than the criminalization of terrorism has allowed the US to use more traditional security responses against al-Qaeda, with the obvious rhetoric being â€Å"War on terror†. It may therefore be argued that where a state is prepared to tackle transnational crime in traditional, often military, ways, policies that securitize transnational crime are indeed useful. However, it has been argued by Emmers that where states are not prepared or are unable to tackle transnational crime in a traditional security based way, criminalization rather than securitization, should take precedence. As Emmers states: â€Å"In the context of Southeast Asia, ASEAN may be advised to further rely on the criminalization of transnational crime, as it does not dispose over the collective will, joint political instruments and military capabilities to match its rhetorical claims about security†. He also argues that transnational crime being seen in a criminal context rather than a security one could lead to better results. In his 2002 paper he suggests that criminal activity cannot be solved by resorting to the traditional security means, such as army activation and concludes: â€Å"The US war on drugs in Columbia and its failure to reduce the supply of narcotics in America is testimony to that reality.† 3) Briefly describe the role of globalisation in modern TNC. In order to describe the role of globalisation in modern transnational crime, it is useful to consider what ‘globalization’ really means. As Gros states, â€Å"globalization does not mean the same thing to all people† and therefore there is â€Å"confusion around what it is and what it does†. Gros defines globalization as â€Å"the deregulation of national economies and financial markets, on the one hand, and their international integration under the aegis of free-market ideology on the other†. In policy terms, globalization often entails the deregulation of capital flows, eviction of the state from areas that concern production and the privatization of former state-owned enterprises, reduction in the size of government, trade liberalization and the creation of large trading blocs. Wright argues that the globalization of business serves to foster organized crime. He states that â€Å"In the case of organized crime (and arguably in the case of international business ethics) we should not be surprised at the failure of the invisible hand of the market to control malpractice.† Furthermore, he states that it is â€Å"for this reason, at least part of the solution to the problem of organized crime is not connected to law enforcement at all It is connected to the further development of the free associations of civil society which can influence government policy and eventually relegate organized crime to the status of a fringe activity.† The impact of globalization on transnational crime can be seen by looking at examples from previously communist and less capitalist regimes. As Sanz and Silverman explain, in the past 30 years or so Communist countries throughout Asia and the Pacific rim have moved toward a more capitalist economic system. These countries’ business communities have welcomed capitalism because it provides more entrepreneurs to achieve greater independence and a richer standard of living. This economic shift in turn receives support from foreign investors. Furthermore, the general population also embrace the capitalist system because it is able to provide new goods and services. As Sanz and Silverman conclude, â€Å"such changes bring us closer to a global economy which will open new markets and expand opportunities for both legitimate and criminal entrepreneurs†. This can be seen in Poland where, â€Å"many new kinds of economic and financial crimes appeared along with the free-market economic system – crimes that had been typical and known for decades in capitalist countries but which had not appeared in Poland for the past 45 years†. The voluntary relaxation or involuntary loss of state control domestically and at international borders coupled with the fact that mechanisms of state governance and incidents of sovereignty have been lost, altered, or sacrificed to produce domestic economic change and promote international trade mean an increase in the ease with which international criminals can operate. As Myers states: â€Å"while this is a gross simplification of the complex issues unique to each state individually, and to regional and global alignments generally, it points to salient factors, which have permitted criminal groups whose activities had domestic, regional or limited international impact to become transnational in scope.† 4) What role does technology play in modern TNC, both from the point of view of assisting TNC and assisting its interdiction? Following on from the impact of globalization on transnational crime is the impact of technological advances. As McFarlane comments, technology enables and increases the capacity of â€Å"transnational organised crime and terrorist groups to exploit advances in electronic banking, encryption, telecommunications, developments in global travel and commerce, and †¦ visa free regimes†. Furthermore, it may be difficult for law enforcement agencies to keep pace with the developing technologies which are capable of being exploited by criminal groups. As McFarlane states, â€Å"transnational organised crime and terrorist groups are usually small and flexible organisations capable of ‘buying the best brains’ to enable them to respond to new technologies more quickly than slow, bureaucratic government agencies†. One particular consideration is the technological advancement of travel (for example speed boats and aeroplanes). It is true that the technological advancement of transportation has had the effect of bringing Southeast Asia closer to Western markets with a quick and, relatively speaking, safe method of moving contraband. As Sanz and Silverman suggest, â€Å"global criminal ventures are now facilitated by the ease of catching a flight and quickly travelling to a country in which one is virtually unknown to the authorities†. As well as making contact between criminal organizations quicker and more accessible, allowing easily planned and accomplished transnational crimes, technological advancements also make the perpetration of certain crimes easier and has even brought new crimes into existence. Again, Sanz and Silverman comment â€Å"technological advancements†¦ make it easy to counterfeit nearly anything from currency to clothing to watches. Technology has also made it relatively easy to obtain a new identity. Medical advances have created a growing demand for human organs, while technological growth has created a market for trade secrets and information about new product research.† Since the break-up of the Soviet Union there has also been, of course, a development of a black market in high tech and nuclear weapons. In terms of transnational criminal finance, technology has had a very important role to play. As Glynn et al. (1997: 12) note, â€Å"the emergence of an electronic financial system markedly enhances opportunities for corruption, the difficulty of controlling it, and the potential damage it can inflict.† Indeed, Gros notes that anyone can move currency around the world, with at least some delay in being caught. He goes on to suggest that transnational criminal organizations are able to recognize opportunities not only in terms of transportation but also with regards the â€Å"fluidity of money markets† allowing for â€Å"movement of illicit profits in and out of countries that are at the epicentre of globalization.† However, technology is not all bad in the fight against transnational crime. For example, the tracing of transnational crime has been made easier by technology in that money can now be tracked across borders through the international banking system. See Dobinson for an interesting case study of how $40 million US dollars was traced across Australia and Hong Kong. Advances in technology also allow law enforcement agencies to update their national systems quicker, alert border control authorities and potentially enable the passing of information between states more efficiently, enabling transnational crime to be prevented, controlled and prosecuted more effectively. 5) What impact have the provisions for Mutual Legal Assistance and the Exchange of Information in the Transnational Organized Crime Convention had on the sharing of intelligence multi-laterally? As one commentator notes, â€Å"obtaining physical custody of fugitives means little absent the evidence needed to convict them at tria†l. MLATs provide assistance at all stages of criminal investigations and prosecutions. Available assistance under MLATs includes bank or other financial records, witness statements and testimony, search and seizure of people and things, and immobilization and forfeiture of the proceeds of criminal activity. As an example of how a MLAT has worked in practice, in 1997 the US made an MLAT request to Canada on behalf of prosecutors who were investigating a murder. Pursuant to the request, the US sought and obtained from the Canadian authorities the murder suspect’s car, copies of airline ticketing records, billing information and other evidence which was then used to secure a conviction. However, in the absence of a specific treaty provision, there is no mechanism whereby parties can be obliged to use formal mutual legal assistance provisions to obtain evidence abroad. In Re Sealed Case the US Court of Appeals rejected the argument that US law enforcement agencies were limited to obtaining evidence in accordance with the provisions set out in a mutual legal assistance treaty signed by the Swiss and US Governments. The appellant refused to comply with a subpoena to appear before a US court to produce documents relating to Swiss companies. Rejecting the argument that compliance with the request would be contrary to Swiss secrecy laws and in breach of international comity, the court held that it could ‘order any party within its jurisdiction to testify or produce documents regardless of a foreign sovereign’s view to the contrary. In Southeast Asia, the picture is complicated, with intelligence sharing and cooperation proving successful but only where the information is not of a nature that will challenge the political rulers of the states. As Emmers recently concluded, there has been success between Sinapore, Malaysia and the Philipines in the context of exchanged information, particularly leading to extradition proceedings. As recently as April 2007, Singapore and Indonesia signed an Extradition Treaty in order that terrorist suspects can be dealt with in the appropriate legal systems. However, despite these examples of bilateral cooperation, Southeast Asian states â€Å"resist sharing sensitive information on domestic matters that could embarrass or challenge the political positions of ruling elites†. Furthermore, difficulties in information sharing and mutual legal assistance may arise where there is a difference between the legal systems of the relevant states. For example, countries which have no mutual legal assistance treaties with Italy have tended to attract Mafia criminals, yet even where agreements have been in place other members of the Mafia have been able to live openly despite the existence of serious criminal charges outstanding against them. Jamieson provides an example of when the jurisdiction of the requested country does not acknowledge the Italian crime of membership of a mafia-type association or, as in the case of the Netherlands and Germany, where crimes of conspiracy do not exist there is a loophole created. The case of the camorra member Michele Zaza exemplified this: Zaza was wanted in Italy since 1984 on charges relating to his purported Mafia association, as well as murder and drug trafficking. His extradition was sought by Italy, however, he was allowed to live openly in France (apart from serving a two year sentence for cigarette smuggling). In fact it was not until 1993 that he was finally re-arrested and extradited to Italy, where he later died in jail. As well as the more ‘pure’ forms of mutual legal assistance provided for in modern times, training has also been an important part in collaboration. Peter Gastrow, a Special Adviser to the Minister of Safety and Security in South Africa identified the police force there as benefiting from international expertise in several areas including: detection and investigative methods; narcotics trafficking; motor vehicle thefts and smuggling; white collar crime, including money laundering and fraud; official corruption; and cross border arms smuggling. Bibliography Bantekas, I. Nash, S. (2007), International Criminal Law, Routledge-Cavendish, pg 401 Brolan, C. (2002), â€Å"An analysis of the human smuggling trade and the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Air and Sea (2000) from a refugee protection perspective†, IJRL 14, 561 Callahan, T. (1997), â€Å"Transnational crime strikes South Africa†, Crime and Justice International, 13 (2) 9 â€Å"Denying safe haven to international criminals: international crime control strategy†, Trends in Organized Crime, 4 (1), 25 Dobinson, I. (1993), â€Å"Pinning a tail on the dragon: the Chinese and the international heroin trade†, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 39 (3), 373 Elliott, L. (2007), â€Å"Transnational environmental crime in the Asia Pacific: an ‘un(der)securitized’ security problem?†, Pacific Review 20 4, 499 Emmers, R. (2002), â€Å"The securitization of transnational crime in ASEAN†, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies Singapore, no. 39 Emmers, R. (2007), â€Å"Comprehensive security and resilience in Southeast Asia: ASEAN’s approach to terrorism and sea piracy†. Emmers, R. (2003), â€Å"ASEAN and the securitization of transnational crime in Southeast Asia†, Pacific Review 16 3, 419 Galeotti, M. â€Å"Underworld and Upperworld: Transnational Organized Crime and Global Society† in Josselin, D. Wallace, W. (eds) (2001), Non-State Actors in World Politics, London: Palgrave Publishers, pg 216 Glynn et al. (1997: 12) Gros, J.G. (2002), â€Å"Trouble in paradise: crime and collapsed states in the age of globalisation†, British Journal of Criminology, 63 Hansen, L. (2000), â€Å"The Little Mermaid’s silent security dilemma and the absence of gender in the Copenhagen School†, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 29(2), 288 Interview with Mr J. Bijen from the IAM (‘Information and Analysis Centre for Smuggling of Human Beings’), The Hague, the Netherlands, 17 July 2000 Jamieson, A. (1995), â€Å"The transnational dimension of Italian organized crime†, Transnational Organized Crime, 1 (2), 151 McFarlane, J. (2005), â€Å"Regional and international cooperation in tackling transnational crime, terrorism and the problems of disrupted states†, JFC 301 McFarlane, J. McLennan, K. (1996), Transnational Crime: The New Security Paradigm, Working Paper no. 294, Canberra: Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, pg 2 Myers, W. (1995), â€Å"Orb weavers – the global webs: the structure and activities of transnational ethnic Chinese criminal groups†, Transnational Organized Crime, 1 (4), 1 Plywaczewski, E. (1997), â€Å"Organized crime in Poland†, Transnational Organized Crime, 3 (3), 109 ‘Proposed Solutions to Trafficking’ (2000) 21 Refugee Reports (US Committee For Refugees) Sanz, K. Silverman, I. (1996), â€Å"The evolution and future direction of Southeast Asian criminal organizations†, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 12 (4), 285 Singh, S. (2001), â€Å"Framing ‘South Asia’: Whose imagined region?† United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime available at http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/index.html Wright, A. (1996), â€Å"Organized crime in Hungary: the transition from state to civil society†, Transnational Organized Crime, 3 (1) 68

One Day at Work Essay -- Descriptive Writing Examples

One Day at Work Every day, I followed the same old routine. Get up, eat breakfast, find my work vest, get dressed, leave. White polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Little red PharMor vest. Every single day. No variation, no chance for change or creativity. When working somewhere as mundane as a grocery store, you almost pray that something exciting happens to you during the day. But never does a cashier hope to encounter a tremendously irascible customer, the way that one summer day turned out for me. I followed my humdrum routine, arriving for work on time, punching in, and returning to the front to begin my shift. The store was mostly calm, except for the constant beeping of the registers, the bickering of elderly couples, and the hum of activity swirling about the manager's desk. In other words, there was nothing out of the ordinary at all at good old PharMor. I was used to the noise, to the persnickety comments from customers, and to our sarcastic managers. Just when I thought I'd heard every possible complaint, seen every possible accident - it got worse. ...

Using Grounded Theory Methodology and Rich Picture Diagrams in Analysing Value Creation in Houses of Culture Projects in Sweden

The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Using Grounded Theory Methodology and Rich Picture Diagrams in analysing Value Creation in Houses of Culture Projects in Sweden Laurell Stenlund, K. Kristina. [email  protected] se Lulea University of Technology, Lulea, Sweden Abstract What kind of value does a public building for cultural activities create for clients, construction professionals and users? One approach to understand the complexity of ongoing processes over time is by identifying value-adding activities in building processes.However, value added activities are difficult to analyse especially when related to resources that have an immaterial character, e. g. knowledge, know how and social relations. Based on an indepth case study of stakeholders’ evaluation of a construction project, grounded theory methodology (GTM) and rich picture diagrams (RPD) were used in analysing stakeholder and end-user value. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews with actors, public client, project manager, architect, contractor, employee and visitors of the building and during a workshop with representatives for different stakeholder groups.The results from the analysis show that building a house of culture creates stakeholders’ and end-users’ value that can be categorised into human, organisational and social capital. The strength of combining GTM and RPD is demonstrated in its ability to study complex organisational structures and relations between different actors, and specific as shown in this case, when analysing value creation in a construction project with many stakeholders with different interests and value. Keywords: case study, grounded theory method, intellectual capital, rich picture diagramsIntroduction Discussions during the last few years (e. g. Egan 1998; Finch 2000; Spencer and Winch 2002; Saxon 2005) have shown that integrating design and construction potentially delivers better value for money as well as better buildings, particularly when attention is paid to the full costs of a building over its whole lifetime. Research on how buildings deliver better value for money during their lifetime involves complex data analysis of activities and processes. Value-adding activities consist of complex building processes performed over time.A condition for activities to be value-added is that they are supported by resources that are utilised and developed in a positive way (Laurell Stenlund and Horte, 1999). According to the resource-based view, the resources that are difficult to imitate and replace create a competitive advantage to companies (e. g. Penrose, 1959; Grant, 1991; Hamel and Prahalad, 1994). The characteristics of these resources are described as dynamic organisational capabilities (Dosi et al. , 2008). However, value-added activities are more difficult to analyse. Resources that are immaterial, e. g. knowledge, know-how and social relations (e. g.Sveiby, 1997; Edvinsson a nd Malone, 1997) are difficult to 17 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 describe and measure. Sutrisna and Barrett (2007) argue that rich picture diagrams are tools suitable for analysing complex building processes. The purpose with this paper is to describe how grounded theory method (GTM) and rich picture diagrams (RPD) were used in analysing stakeholder and end-user value when developing and constructing houses of culture. Empirical evidence is developed from a single in-depth case study where data was collected by interviews, archives, documents and during a workshop.In the next section GTM and RPD methods are discussed in relation to the case study. The results from the analyses are finally presented and concluded. Theories and General Conclusions from Case Studies A researcher’s choice of methodology is not only a matter of strategy. Researchers argue that their â€Å"Weltanschauung† (ontology, i. e. our view on how the world is constructed) and opinion of how knowledge is developed (epistemology) are behind the planned or unplanned choice of methodology and research methods.Management studies involves people’s decisions and activities and are thus influenced by rules and structures built in society as well as in the specific organisation. The industry and the context of the studied processes are therefore important to consider (Chroneer and Laurell-Stenlund, 2006). The specific structure of construction industry, mainly project oriented organisations must find other solutions and concepts for improving performance and efficiency according to Segerstedt and Olofsson (2010).Inter-firm processes in construction industry could be identified by the supply chains and networks consisting of different supplying construction companies, e. g. architectural offices and contracting firms, engaged in the early phases of the construction project (Brochner and Kadefors, 2010; Segerstedt and Olofsson, 2010). In th e early phases of a construction project, these inter-firm processes may create a creative chaos developing new ideas of buildings and constructions. According to Gray and Hughes (2001), the collaboration between individuals is a part of the wider collaboration between firms in the construction sector.Describing and developing a deeper understanding of these networks also requires new research methods. Case studies are commonly accepted in management studies. Yin (1994) argues that a case study with one or more cases and with different methods for data collection, both quantitative and qualitative, can be theorised and generalised. A single case study makes it possible to capture different angles and perspectives in depth based on an inductive research strategy open for analytical generalisation and implications from a theoretical perspective rather than comparison with other cases (Eisenhardt, 1989).Selection of the Case The case presented in this study is selected by the uniquenes s of the building itself according to its special functional design and conditions of combining different cultural activities in one building involving art professionals with different goals. The House of Culture in Lulea was selected due to the researcher’s access to data as well as to the interest from the public client and the construction professionals. Previous studies (for example Short et al. 007) have discussed how arts clients require additional commitment from construction professionals. Building a house of culture is in this sense an interesting cultural construction project to study. Qualitative Research Based on GTM Qualitative data analyses with GTM are here applied to describe regularities and sequences (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) for certain building projects in a given situation creating common knowledge within a specific area. 18 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010Grounded theory was developed in the 60s by Glaser and Strauss in social medicine (Bryant and Charmaz, 2007). After a couple of years, Glaser and Strauss went in two different directions. Strauss revised the methods where data was interpreted by the researcher (Alvesson and Skoldberg, 2000). Glaser, on the other hand, continued to develop the ‘classic’ grounded theory with analytical methods for qualitative data coding with an inductive approach but also including methods for deduction and abduction, i. e. methods for developing and testing theories (Glaser, 1992).Grounded theory refers to the result of using grounded theory method according to Bryant and Charmaz (2007). The results should be traceable back to the empirical data and the studied phenomena (Sutrisna and Barrett, 2007). In this paper GTM is applied with an inductive approach (Miles and Huberman, 1994). The purpose of using GTM in this study was to investigate what kind of stakeholder value is created when building a house of culture. Stakeholder value is the key vari able in this study with the purpose of visualising stakeholders’ different value in the building process.Data collection and data analysis based GTM Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used in the case study. The total data collection was broad and open based on several methods, i. e. integrative focus groups, participatory observations, archive data, documents, semi-structured interviews and a survey (Yin, 1994, p. 80). According to the Swedish principle of free access to public records all archive data from the construction project was available and could be analysed.The analyses presented in this paper are mainly based on 17 semi-structured interviews with actors with different interest in the construction project, building documents and data from a workshop with internal and external stakeholders (Table 1, Appendix). The interviews were recorded and transcribed. After transcription, the interviews were analysed by coding the respondents’ activities chronologically in building processes. The interviewed respondents were belonging to different stakeholder groups with different roles in the construction sector as well as in society.Internal stakeholders, active in the construction sector may on the one hand act as clients, financiers and users, on the demand side, and on the other hand act as architects, engineers, contractors and materials suppliers, on the supply side, in the specific construction project (Winch, 2002, p. 67). External stakeholders also have a direct interest in the project and can be broken down into private actors (e. g. local residents) and public actors (e. g. local government) (ibid. ). In Table 1 the respondents are presented together with their stakeholder classification and role in the project by their title.Table 1: Data collection the House of Culture Semi-structured interviews, no 17 Internal stakeholder/Public client-Municipality: Municipal commissioner (Cmc080401) Municipal employee (Cme 070905) Project manager (Chp080117) Participants, Workshop 20090331 Client: Municipal commissioner (Cmc) Client/End-user: Municipal Culture Chairman (CEcc) Secondary data Feasibility study A 2002-08-15 19 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Project leader (Cpl080220)Client/End-user: Cultural manager (CEcm) Client/End-user: – Municipal Technical chairman (CEtc) Client: Project manager (Chp) Designer: Architect (DA) Constructor: Manager construction company (Com) Constructor: Project leader in construction company (Cop) Industry: The Swedish Construction Federation, Region North (BI) End-user: Concert Hall manager (Echm) End-user: Art Hall manager (Eam) Feasibility study B May 2003 Internal stakeholder/Municipal and cultural organisations: Cultural manager (CEcm070601,080117,080925) Library manager (Elm081006) Concert Hall manager (Echm081005) Art Hall manager (Eam081015) Planning document 2003-12-22Project directive 2003-10-20 External stakeho lder/Contractor: Manager construction company (Com071004) Project leader in construction company (Cop080930) Brief for architectural competition 2003-12-22 External stakeholder/Designer: Architect (DA081002) End-user: Tourist manager (Etm2) End-user: 2 Peoples Parks and Community Centres (Eppc) End-user: Orchestra member (Epo) External stakeholder/ End-user: 2 citizens (Eci) Commercial organisations : Tourist manager (Etm081022) Business manager (Ebm081023) End-user/Citizens, public and visitors: Orchestra member (Epo070905), Public (Eci, 2090330) Reference Group MeetingsThe public client as well as the construction professionals participated in the process of evaluating the effects of the construction project and the use of the building. They participated in so called reference group meetings and focus group interviews. During the research project four reference group meetings were carried out with two representative from the public client; one initiating the project and one intern al end-user of the building, one representative from the construction company, two representatives from construction industry and one representative from a non-profit cultural organisation together with three academic researchers.During these meetings the first evaluation results were presented and discussed. The relevance of the results was discussed and new questions developed for further investigations. 20 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Focus Group Interviews The empirical data was first coded and summarized and then confirmed and discussed by the practitioners. The focus group interviews were conducted more specific regarding a subject where the participants were asked a question that was answered individual in the group, by each of the respondents and then discussed within the group.The five focus group interviews were performed in accordance with the reference group meetings and one at another time. Workshop A workshop was performed with respondents representing the stakeholders of the construction project as presented in Table 1. The workshop consisted of two parts. The first was to present the results from the descriptive analysis of the construction project to implement the results back to construction industry. The second part was to develop a story line of the construction project based on the stakeholders’ successful factors describing the success of the building.Open coding – First Level From the data analysis based on the interviews, a story of the building process emerged. This story was built by the respondents and confirmed by all respondents when summarized in a case study report (Laurell Stenlund, 2010). Within this story different activities were specifically mentioned by different actors due to their significant influence on the performance of the construction projects as well as on the effects of the final building according to the respondents. These activities were confirmed by archive data and found in the construction projects documentation.There are different views about how categories emerge from the analysis, e. g. let the data ‘talk’ or if the researcher is shaping the categories (Bryant and Charmaz, 2007). In this study, no specific and objective theoretical frameworks were ready to pick. They were instead developed during analysis. Coding was in the first step based on a preliminary theoretical framework consisting of different phases of the building process. The activities were then categorised, based on their empirical characteristic, first in relation to the different stages in the construction project, e. . communication during design between architect and library manager and secondly in themes due to their organisational belonging, i. e. the content of the activity, for example, communication regarding specific functional solutions within the library between the architect and the library manager: strategic briefing during the design phas e. The resulted value-adding activities are presented in Table 2 below. Table 2: Value-adding activities in building houses of culture Activities in the briefing process related to strategic briefing The feasibility study 2002 and 2003 a. he rejection of the first proposal consisting of private and public investors in the construction project b. the development of the second proposal of combining different cultural activities in one building The political decisions 2003 a. political agreement on building a new house for the existing public library, the public art gallery and a new concert hall 21 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 b. political initiatives of starting the construction project The development of the project directives with requirement regarding a. ost b. time c. responsibilities The development of the strategic brief a. overall vision and goals for the building and building performance b. end-users’ functional requirements, ne eds and desires c. qualifying criteria for participating in the architectural competition d. order-winning criteria for the architect The client’s procurement decision a. design-bid-build based on a architectural competition b. architect creating a design team with client c. contractor’s relation to client during construction Open coding – Second LevelThe second analysis was based on a preliminary theoretical framework (Values surrounding the House of Culture, developed from Boyd and Chinyio, 2006:80) where the client’s requirements were coded to different stakeholder groups, and stakeholders’ value were coded in relation to project and product (Laurell Stenlund et al. , 2009). Coding into rich picture diagrams and general themes The third categorisation was an analysis of the value-adding activities performed by actors within the construction project as well as by end-users in the final building.Here the general themes developed by Sutrisna and Ba rrett (2007) were applied when coding the data into the rich picture diagram for further analysis of developed intellectual capital. This analysis is presented in the following section. Intellectual capital in rich picture diagrams Sutrisna and Barrett (2007) found that the use of the multiple case study approach was in agreement with the principles of GTM, i. e. that it relies on multiple sources and constant comparison of empirical data for the purpose of theory building.However, when using multiple case studies and GTM, the cross-case analysis can be found overwhelming and difficult to grasp all at once, according to Sutrisna and Barrett (2007). Therefore the rich picture diagram is suggested by Sutrisna and Barrett (2007) as an analytical tool in data analysis and here applied when analysing the development of intellectual capital in construction projects. 22 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Rich picture diagrams Firstly, the value-adding act ivities of the ‘successful’ construction project, were used as a basis to develop a rich picture diagram.The activities were coded in accordance with the general themes developed by Sutrisna and Barrett (2007). Secondly, the results from the workshop were included into the rich picture diagram. During the workshop, each stakeholder representative presented their three most important success factors, written on ‘post-it’-notes in four dimensions, namely strategic with external (market) perspective; strategic with internal (vision and financing) perspective; operational with external (customer) perspective and operational with internal (organisational and cost) perspective.For the purpose of the workshop, the four dimensions were related to the general themes developed by Sutrisna and Barrett (2007). The notes were then transformed into the same rich picture diagram as the story line of the construction project. Intellectual Capital The intellectual capital m odel consists of identifying financial, human, social, customer and organisational value (Sveiby, 1997). Identifying and visualizing intellectual capital are problematic and discussed for many years. Research with focus on intellectual capital started intensively during the 90s within the field of accounting.The Balanced Scorecard, developed by Kaplan and Norton (1993), The Intangible Assets Monitor, developed by Sveiby (1997) and The Skandia IC model with the world’s first public intellectual capital annual report, as a supplement to the financial report (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997), are examples of management models categorising, measuring and valuing companies’ tangible and intangible resources and assets. Edvinsson and Malone (1997) describe the company’s intangible assets as â€Å"those that have no physical existence but are still of value to the company.Typically, they are long term and cannot accurately be valued until the company is sold. † Measu rement of intellectual capital is thus difficult. According to Mouritsen (2009), it is not possible for an organisation to copy its intangible properties in a number; yet it is necessary because it allows intervention to happen since it develops a wholly new set of dimensions to manage. Measuring size, value and effects of intellectual capital does not yield definitive measures, yet the measures are comforting because they help develop the actions that can be made in the name of intellectual capital (Mouritsen, 2009).Analysing Intellectual Capital in Rich Picture Diagrams In the rich picture diagram value-adding activities in the building process together with stakeholders’ value of the construction project and building in use are pictured in a story line of building a house of culture as presented in Figure 1. In Figure 1, number 1 describes activities creating human capital in the municipality. Here the municipal commissioner played an important, entrepreneurial client role . This is seen as a distinctive feature in the case.Human capital was developed in a creative process of finding a new solution to an old demand, the need of a concert hall, and also driving the political process to a building decision of building a house of culture by combining the library, the hall of arts and the concert hall. The decision was a result of a more than 60-year-long discussion in the municipality, where special interest organisations argued for and against a new concert hall in the city. Human capital is measured in the individual’s knowledge and experiences creating a capability within the organisation (Sveiby, 1997; Laurell Stenlund, 2004).The development of construction industry, with advanced technol- 23 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 ogy put a pressure on actors’ capabilities to adapt to these new technologies. However, construction industry also relays on actors’ capabilities to create new ideas, new technologies and new types of buildings, as shown in this case were the public client was using his competence, based on political experience as well as on his skills from construction industry.Figure 1: The story line of a successful construction project visualising created intellectual capital Number 2 in the figure describes the activities related to the development of the brief for architectural competition, based on the vision of the building together with the transformation of the public client’s requirements into building programmes, e. g. functional and technical specifications. The public client's role during the development of the building programme was important.Different employees in the client's organisation were involved in the development of the feasibility studies taking political decisions and developing the project directives with requirements regarding cost, time and responsibilities. In the brief for architectural competition, the public client formulated the overall vision and goals for the building and the end-users’ functional requirements. People from the artistic organisations were partly involved in this strategic briefing process.The process, in the figure illustrated with dotted arrows, illustrates how the client’s representatives, foremost the project manager together with the architect, worked together with actors responsible for art and library activities. This work should also be seen as a strategic briefing process performed in the project during the design phase. The public client’s procurement decisions regarding the architectural competition made it possible for the architect to create a â€Å"dream-team† of consultants working together with designing the building.The bid-to-build procurement decision engaged a contractor, with the ambition to develop new knowledge within their own construction organisation concerning technical solutions in the building of concert halls. Here the municipali ty created organisational capital in measures of communication, trust and business relations (Sveiby, 1997) between actors in the local construction industry. The organisational capital belonging to the public client has created new construction projects in the community, even during recession, when normally no construction projects should have stated.Finally number 3 in the figure describes how the public client's decisions had an impact on creating social capital in the community. This is closely related to the client’s ambitions to create a building with symbolic value and also to the distinctive feature of having created future beliefs in the city. Social capital is described in terms 24 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 of change in attitudes, but also in terms of economic value regarding new job opportunities, development of organisational and business activities.End-users participating at the workshop expressed their view of the buil ding in use in terms of social value. They valued the multitude of cultural activities in the building as well as the building is easy accessibility, aesthetics, comfort, safe with a central location in the city. The social capital developed by building a house of culture in the community is described by the public client as valuable for the cities development in the future, not only because of its cultural activities, but also because of the buildings architecture and location. DiscussionFrom the results of analysing value-added activities and stakeholders’ value in a story line, the distinctive features for this specific construction project illustrates three key competencies generating human, organisational and social capital; firstly the human capital based on the public clients political and construction knowledge and skills in the pre-phase of the construction project; secondly the organisational capital based on the actors competencies of interacting when developing th e strategic brief involving internal and external stakeholders goals and visions, during the onstruction project; and finally the social capital based on the building’s multifunctional activities, its architectural design and its central location in the city, when building in use. From the results, one could determine certain success factors and key competencies that should be maximized. These success factors and key competencies could in turn be grouped into a number of distinct areas of focus such as financial, human, customer, process, renewal and development. Within each of these areas of focus, one could identify numerous key indicators to measure performance.Previous research studies have shown that companies and organisations have to identify their own relevant key indicators and success factors and relate them to their specific activities and resources when making the tools usable in management decisions (Laurell Stenlund, 2004; Anumba et al. , 2005; Roos et al. , 200 5). Measuring size, value and effects of intellectual capital does not yield definitive measures, yet the measures are comforting because they help develop the actions that can be made in the name of intellectual capital (Mouritsen, 2009).Conclusions Stakeholder value is the key variable in this study with the purpose of visualising stakeholders’ different value in the building process. From the results of the study, intellectual capital developed during the construction project has been visualised in terms of human, organisational and social capital. Houses of culture, public buildings for cultural activities, enable meeting places for citizens as well as they provide places for cultural events and spaces for creativity as well as they contribute to the development of new cultural activities.The outcomes were found useful when implementing the results back to the studied client organisation and the actors in the project team as well as they can be used to better understand t he situation, formulating improvement as well as a platform for future research. The strength of combining GTM and RPD is demonstrated in the ability of the methodology in studying complex organisational structures and relations between different actors, and specific as shown in this case, when analysing value creation in a construction project with many stakeholders with different interests and value. 5 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 References Alvesson, M. and Skoldberg, K. (2000) Reflexive methodology: new vistas for qualitative research, London: Sage. Anumba, C. J. , Egbu, C. and Carrillo, P. (2005) Knowledge Management in Construction, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Boyd, D and Chinyio, E (2006) Understanding the construction client, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Bryant, A. and Charmaz, K. (2007) The SAGE handbook of Grounded Theory, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Brochner, J. and Kadefors, A. 2010) Varden och vardekedjor inom samha llsbyggande, forstudie. [Values and value chains in building societies, prestudy], Stockholm: KK-stiftelsen. Chroneer, D. and Laurell-Stenlund, K. (2006) Determinants of an effective product development process: Towards a conceptual framework for process industry. International journal of innovation management, 10(3), 237-269. Dosi, G. , Faillo, M. and Marengo, L. (2008) Organisational Capabilities, Patterns of Knowledge Accumulation and Governance Structures in Business Firms: An Introduction. Organization Studies, 29(08&09), 11651185. Edvinsson, L. and Malone, M.S. (1997) Intellectual Capital, The proven way to establish your company’s real value by measuring its hidden brainpower, London: Harper. Egan, J. (1998) Rethinking Construction, Report of the Construction Task Force to the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, on the Scope for Improving the Quality and Efficiency of UK Construction. Department of Trade and Industry, HMSO, London. Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989) Building t heories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532-550. Finch, P. (2000) Better public building, a proud legacy for the future, The Better Public Buildings Group.Department for culture, media and sport, London. Glaser, B. G. (1992) Basics of Grounded Theory Research. Sociology Press, Mill Valley, CA. Glaser, B. G. and Strauss, A. L. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Aldine, Chicago. Grant, R. M. (1991) The resource based theory of competitive advantage: Implications for strategy formulation. California Management Review, 33(3), 114-135. Gray, C. and Hughes, W. (2001) Building Design Management, Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. Hamel, G. and Prahalad C. K. (1994) Competing for the Future. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press. Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D.P. (1993) Putting the Balanced Scorecard on work, Harvard Business Review, (SepOct), 134-147. Laurell-Stenlund, K. (2004) Three perspectives on measuring and valuing losses of key competence. (Licen tiate thesis in Swedish), Lulea: Lulea University of Technology. Laurell Stenlund, K. (2010) Effekter av byggandet av Kulturens hus i Lulea, [The Matter of Culture], Research Report, Lulea: Lulea University of Technology. Laurell Stenlund, K and Horte, S-A. (1999) Competence accounting – methods for measuring and valuing keycompetencies. Managing Operations Networks, EurOMA Conference, Venice, Italy, June 7-8. 26The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Laurell Stenlund, K. , Ryd, N. and Vennstrom, A. (2009) Client's decisions in strategic briefs and their impact on user values. Proceedings 25th Annual ARCOM Conference. Nottingham: Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 361-370. Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994) An Expanded Sourcebook, Qualitative Data Analysis (2nd ed. ), California and London: Sage Publications. Inc. Mouritsen, J. (2009) Classification, measurement and the ontology of intellectual capital entities. Journal o f Human Resource Costing & Accounting, 13(2), 154-162. Penrose, E. 1959/1995) The theory of the growth of the firm. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Roos, G. , Pike, S. and Fernstrom, L. (2005) Managing Intellectual Capital in Practice, Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier Ltd, Oxford. Saxon, R. (2005) Be Valuable: A Guide to Creating value in the Built Environment Construction Excellence, London. Segerstedt, A. and Olofsson, T. (2010) Supply chains in the construction industry. Supply Chain Management, 15(5), 347-353. Short, C. A. , Barrett, P. , Dye, A. and Sutrisna, M. (2007) Impacts of value engineering on five Capital Arts projects. Building Research and Information, 35(3), 287-315. Spencer, N. nd Winch, G. (2002) How buildings Add Value for Clients, Construction Industry Council, London. Sutrisna, M. and Barrett, P. (2007). Applying rich picture diagrams to model case studies of construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 14(2), 164-179. Sveiby, K . E. (1997) The Intangible Assets Monitor. Journal of Human Resource costing and accounting, 2(1), 73-97. Winch. M. G. (2002) Managing Construction Projects, UK: Blackwell Science Ltd. Yin, R. K. (1994) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Newbury Press, California: Sage. 27 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 28

How to Read a Book

The author, Joseph Brodsky, of this passage taken from â€Å"How to Read a Book† from On Grief and Reason, presents the reader with an enigmatic literature dilemma that individuals face in determining what they should read. This dilemma questions how to manage all the literature material that is presented continuously and how to decide what one should read, as there is limited time of one existence. This passage has an educative, informative, and didactic tone to present this dilemma, as it tries to inform and teach the reader about the controversial enigma about literature, and presenting some solutions to the problem, however ending in the beginning. From the beginning of the first paragraph he presents two kinds of antithesis ideas. As the first sentence says, â€Å"Since we are all moribund, and since reading books is time-consuming, we must devise a system that allows us a semblance of economy. † The first idea is that the task of reading is a time consuming one. The other idea is that as human being, we have limited time of existence, therefore limited time of reading. Here the author is presenting one part of the dilemma, of how to manage what to read, as there is limited time. For the author, in the end this management of reading, is only done because human want to learn, for this reason the need, as the author says, â€Å"for concision, condensation fusion – for the work that brings human predicament, in all its diversity, into its sharpest possible focus; in other words, the need for a shortcut. The author embraces an extended metaphor for the search of a shortcut, and marks it as â€Å"some compass in the ocean of available printed matter†. Nevertheless, Brodsky suggests that the role for the compass is â€Å"played by literary criticism, by reviewers†. The author goes on by explaining the trouble of the reviewers` purposes. It says that the reviewer can be someone that does not knows much and is not that smarter that ourselves, a â€Å"hack†, someone that has strong bias one certain subjects, or simply be influence by the publishing industry, or someone with a great literary talent that will make the review even more appealing and interesting than the book itself. The author mentions one of the great literature influences, Jorge Luis Borges, supporting his point that at the end â€Å"you may end up reading reviews rather than the books themselves†. Joseph Brodsky expands his metaphor of the compass in the third paragraph. He does this by interpreting the reader as a castaway adrift in a literary ocean, â€Å"with pages and pages rustling in every direction, clinging to a raft whose ability to stay afloat you are not so sure of. † The author then suggests an alternative solution for this particular dilemma. He suggest that the reader could â€Å"develop your own taste, to build your own compass, to familiarize yourself, as it were, with particular stars and constellations – dim or bright but always remote. † However, he then establishes that this process consumes a lot of time and concluding that at the end this is not a respectable idea. He then proposes another alternative solution, implying that is kind of similar than the first one, that to rely on a â€Å"friends advice†, and find something that is appealing. However, the author continues to find a downside by saying that it is a â€Å"poor insurance, for the ocean of available literature swells and widens constantly. † At the end of the passage the author has just come to the same question of what to do, and just leaves something to thing about. The passage end with rhetorical questions â€Å"So where is one’s terra firma, even it may be but an uninhabitable island? Where is our good man Friday, let alone a Cheetah? This conclusion of the passage can be interpreted that at the end there is no answer. Therefore at the end I think the author did not accomplish what was intended of providing a solution for the dilemma that individuals face in determining what they should read, as the author does not presents a clear and direst answer to the pr oblem. Nevertheless, at the end the author, alludes to the castaway protagonist in Daniel Dafoe’s novel Robinson Cuisses’ â€Å"man Friday† and to the Tarzan’s chimpanzee companion Cheetah. Both of these allusions strongly support the idea of a guidance, which this dilemma does not have to obtain the answer.

The Hemispheres Adaptability to Function Independently

The Hemispheres Adaptability to Function Independently Physiologically; the right side of the brain deals with neurological impulse for the left side of the body and the inverse is true. In his â€Å"split-brain† research on an epileptic patient, Roger Sperry (1973) (cited in Dan Eden, n.d) demonstrated that with the severing of their communication connection the two hemispheres could function distinctively.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Hemispheres Adaptability to Function Independently specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance the right eye and hand could name an item, like a pen, but the subject could not determine its use. On the other hand the left eye and hand could demonstrate and determine its use but could not determine its name. In his further studies to establish the functional map of the brain, Sperry (1973) (cited in Eden, n.d) supposes the existence of two nature of thought, namely the verbal and the non-verbal, which have their basis in th e left and the right brain hemispheres respectively. The chart below illustrates the function mapping of the hemisphere (Eden, n.d). LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe uses feeling big picture oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy religion can get it (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking The two Hemispheres functional integration Personality can be thought of as the product of the extent to which hemispheres associate or dissociate. For instant, criticality and orderliness is an attributed of the left hemisphere; while the artistic, creativity and unpredictability is that of the right. However, every individual integrate s particular sides of the brain in their various daily activities based on factors such as education, age and experiences. Thus, the involvement of a specific hemisphere in different circumstances determines our character and molds our personality (Eden, 2008). Studies have established that majority of the children creativity rank high (right hemispheres attribute) prior to schooling. However, only 10% of the children would retain their creativity by the age of seven, since the current educational system emphasizes on the left brain characteristics like mathematics, language and logic than on creativity (Eden, 2008). Despite their function lateralization, the hemispheres do not perform independently, but communicate via the corpus callosum. Nevertheless, this association does not operate on equality basis because one hemisphere usually dominates over the other. Thus, individuals can either be left or right handed. Normally, the left hemisphere is considered the dominant hemisphere ( Ball, 1998).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Implications for the cognitive research neuroscientist Owing to the obstacles of direct methods in neurological studies of a particular behavior, neurological scientists have render use of indirect methods, such as handedness technique to establish the dominant hemisphere. However, the understanding of how this methods work poses a challenge to many research neuroscientists, in which practical and theoretical implications are, attached (Ball, 1998). However, distinction are not absolute, thereby necessitating verification of a patients’ match to the right or left hemisphere profile before a brain surgeons excise an area of an epileptic brain to avoid causing major impairments. To achieve this objective, many methods have been developed to allow the evaluation of activities of the two hemispheres in life subjects (Ball, 199 8). The first technique was known as the Wada test, coined after a neurologist name Juhn Wada. It involves the injection of sodium amorbarbital into either the left or right carotid artery. Consequently, the hemisphere which corresponds to the injection becomes numb, allowing the doctor to carry out language test on the conscious hemisphere (Ball, 1998). These and other techniques developed for this purpose are expensive and dangerous. Easier methods of evaluating lateralization must be opted for. Thus handedness method has been opted for by many neuroscientists in their approach to the relevant psychological issue. The essence for this choice is the fact that right-handedness implies that the left hemisphere dominates and vice versa. Apparently, this technique has proven to be the most convenient method of determining the dominant hemisphere (Ball, 1998). Reference List Ball, J. (1998). Lateralization of function in cerebral hemispheres. Serendip; biology 202. Retrieved from https: //serendipstudio.org/exchange/node/1782 Eden, D. (2008). Left brain; Right brain. Retrieved from http://viewzone2.com/bicamx.html

50 Synonyms for Control

50 Synonyms for Control 50 Synonyms for Control 50 Synonyms for Control By Mark Nichol Numerous words are available to take the place of control to more specifically convey one’s meaning. Here’s a list of synonyms and their senses. 1. Arrest: slow, stop, seize, or catch 2. Block: stop passage or progress; also, chart, shape, or mark outlines, and other meanings 3. Bottle: see restrain; also, literally or figuratively put into a bottle 4. Bridle: restrain as if using a bridle; also, indicate hostility or resentment as if being restrained by a bridle 5. Cap: set a limit on or prevent from growing or spreading; also, provide with a cap or other protection, conclude, or outdo 6. Check: block progress, slow, or stop, or see restrain; also, examine, inspect, or verify, or mark with a check mark or another symbol to indicate that such an action has occurred, and other meanings 7. Choke: obstruct or control growth, and other meanings 8. Circumscribe: control an activity or a range of activities, or surround 9. Confine: hold or keep within limits 10. Constrain: see confine, limit, or restrain, or hold back, or produce in a strained manner 11. Constrict: narrow or reduce 12. Contain: halt or prevent, or enclose or hold 13. Curb: control, or impose a limit 14. Detain: put into custody 15. Enjoin: see forbid, or impose an admonition or order 16. Forbid: order so as to prevent 17. Gag: control freedom of expression or freedom of speech 18. Govern: control or influence actions or exercise legitimate or illegitimate authority 19. Hamper: see impede or restrain; also, disrupt or encumber 20. Handcuff: render powerless or ineffective; also, place handcuffs on 21. Harness: use for a particular purpose 22. Hinder: see impede 23. Hold: see restrain 24. Impede: interfere with; also, slow the progress of 25. Inhibit: see prohibit and restrain, and discourage 26. Keep: see detain or restrain 27. Limit: curtail or reduce; see also restrain 28. Measure: see regulate, and other meanings 29. Mince: restrain speech for the sake of decorum or discretion 30. Muffle: see smother 31. Muzzle: see smother 32. Obstruct: see block or impede 33. Prevent: keep from existing or happening, or hold back 34. Prohibit: see forbid and prevent 35. Quell: overwhelm so as to produce passiveness or submission; also, quiet or pacify 36. Regulate: adjust or set amounts, degrees, or rates, or make laws or rules or bring under control of authority 37. Repress: see prevent and subdue 38. Restrain: keep under control; see also prevent 39. Restrict: see restrain 40. Rule: exercise authority over 41. Silence: see smother 42. Smother: prevent communication or expression; also, deprive of air or otherwise suffocate, and other meanings 43. Squelch: crush or silence, or see quell 44. Stifle: deter or discourage, or cut off, or see smother 45. Stop: put a halt to occurrence or progress 46. Strangle: see hinder and stifle; also, choke or stop someone’s breathing 47. Subdue: see curb; also, conquer, or tone down 48. Suppress: see curb, prevent, smother, and subdue 49. Swallow: keep oneself from expressing 50. Tame: bring under control; also, to humble or soften Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and ToesDoes "Mr" Take a Period?Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied

Definition and Examples of the Middle Style in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of the Middle Style in Rhetoric In classical rhetoric, the middle style is reflected in speech or writing that (in terms of word choice, sentence structures, and delivery) falls between the extremes of the plain style and the grand style. Roman rhetoricians generally advocated the use of the plain style for teaching, the middle style for pleasing, and the grand style for moving an audience. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: DecorumLevels of UsageOn Familiar Style, by William HazlittStyle Examples and Observations An Example of the Middle Style: Steinbeck on the Urge to TravelWhen I was very young and the urge to be someplace was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. Four hoarse blasts of a ships whistle still raise the hair on my neck and set my feet to tapping. The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage. In other words, I don’t improve; in further words, once a bum always a bum. I fear the disease is incurable. I set this matter down not to instruct others but to inform myself.(John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America. Viking, 1962)Three Kinds of StyleThe classical rhetoricians delineated three kinds of stylethe grand style, the middle style, and the plain style. Aristotle told his students that every kind of rhetorical style is capable of being used in season or out of season. They warned against the too grand style calling it swollen, or the too plain style which when misused they called meagre, and dry and bloodless. The middle style used inappropriately they called slack, without sinews and joints . . . drifting.(Winifred Bryan Horner, Rhetoric in the Classical Tradition. St. Martins, 1988) The Middle Style in Roman RhetoricThe speaker who sought to entertain his listeners would choose a middle style. Vigor was sacrificed for charm. Any and every form of ornamentation was appropriate, including the use of wit and humor. Such a speaker possessed the skill to develop arguments with breadth and erudition; he was master at amplification. His words were chosen for the effect they would produce on others. Euphony and imagery were cultivated. The overall effect was one of moderation and temperance, of polish and urbanity. This style of discourse, more than any other, typified Cicero himself and would later influence us in English through the marvelous prose style of Edmund Burke.(James L. Golden, The Rhetoric of Western Thought, 8th ed. Kendall/Hunt, 2004)The Tradition of the Middle Style- The Middle Style . . . resembles the simple in striving to communicate truth to the understanding with clearness, and resembles the grand in aiming to influence the feelings and passions. It is bolder and more profuse in the employment of figures and the various emphatic verbal forms, than the simple style; but does not use those appropriate to intense feeling, which are found in the grand.This style is employed in all compositions intended not only to inform and convince, but at the same time to move the feelings and passions. Its character varies with the predominance of one or other of these ends. When instruction and conviction are predominant, it approaches the lower style; when influencing the feelings is the main object, it partakes more of the character of the higher.(Andrew D. Hepburn, Manual of English Rhetoric, 1875)- The middle style is the style you dont notice, the style that does not show, ideal transparency. . . .To define a style in this way, of course, means that we cannot talk about the style itselfthe actual configuration of words on the pageat all. We must talk about the social substance surrounding it, the historical pattern of expectations which renders it transparent.(Richard Lanham, Analyzing Prose, 2nd ed. Continuum, 2003)- Ciceros idea of the middle style . . . lies between the ornateness and perorations of the grand or vigorous style (used for persuasion) and the simple words and conversational manner of the plain or low style (used for proof and instruction). Cicero designated the middle style as a vehicle for pleasure and defined it by what it is notnot showy, not highly figurative, not stiff, not excessively simple or terse. . . . The twentieth-century reformers, up to and beyond Strunk and White, were and are advocating their version of the middle style. . . .An accepted middle style exists for any form of writing you can think of: news stories in The New York Times, scholarly articles in the sciences or humanities, historical narratives, Web logs, legal decisions, romance or suspense novels, CD reviews in Rolling Stone, medical case studies.(Ben Yagoda, The Sound on the Page. Harper, 2004)

Mousetrap by Agatha Christie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mousetrap by Agatha Christie - Essay Example When the culprit is caught, everyone is shocked and relieved. The play comes to an end with the Ralstons exchanging anniversary gifts. There are eight inhabitants of Monkswell Manor. There are Mollie and Giles Ralston who are the hosts. Christopher Wren is the most suspicious one since he behaves in a peculiar manner. Mrs Boyle is an old woman who is never pleased by anything and only talks to complain about something or the other. Her presence is not appreciated by anybody and she is later killed in the hotel. Mr Paravicini is a foreigner. Major Metcalf has retired from army and later we find out is a policeman in disguise. Miss Casewell is an odd woman who seems to have had a difficult childhood. She turns out to be the sister of the escaped murderer. The last guest is Detective Sergeant Trotter who is not actually a man of law but one defying it. He is, in fact, the killer and Miss Casewell’s brother. Later in the play we find out that Trottor - also called Georgie - is the man behind the murders. His awful childhood led him to first killing Mrs Lyon who did not take care of him or his siblings, resulting in the death of one of them. Then he strangles Mrs Boyle since she sent them under Mrs Lyon’s responsibility. He tries to kill Mrs Mollie Ralston whose help he had asked for but not received. He is not successful in his attempt but it is clear that despite the time passed, Georgie still carried the grudge with him. It affected him mentally till he took matters in his own hands to take revenge, planning deaths of the people who he thought did him wrong. Agatha Christie has a great way with words but speaking them out loud makes quite a difference too. Mrs Boyle always gives off the air of a woman unimpressed with the world. Mollie has these naive comments to say. Miss Casewell slips up at times, giving off the look of someone always occupied with something else. All the characters have a certain way of

Systems Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Systems Project Management - Essay Example Moreover, the mode of data referencing seemed to be difficult and time consuming. Therefore, adoption and implementation of information systems in hospitals will automatically increase the efficiency and effectiveness of data interaction thereby increasing the quality of services offered in the hospital set up. Hospital information systems are massive, integrated system aimed at supporting hospitals’ comprehensive information requirements that include patient, ancillary, and financial management. It should be noted that hospitals have become extremely complex. Moreover, they have large units and departments that need to be administered from a central unit of management as a mean of coordinating care to patients (Velde, 1992; Pg. 342). Therefore, manual data management will be quite cumbersome especially due to the large departments and the ever growing number of patients in these institutions. Thus, the only sure way to help hospitals to become reliable and efficient is to adv ise them to adopt hospital information systems in their patients and data management. The use of information systems will help the hospital to diagnose, manage, and educate relevant stakeholders towards improving their services and practices (Winter and Haux, 2011, Pg. 21). Implementation of information systems in hospitals is inevitable since numerous dominating factors including people, organization, and technology are currently inseparable. Hospitals have currently integrated a series of functions and activities including: Consultation, Disease diagnosis, Providing treatment and treatment facilities, Patients and children immunization, Admission facilities including beds, nursing, and medicine among others. Hospitals also conduct other operational services that include: Recording patients’ information General billing Recording diagnostic information per patient Keeping immunization records per patient or per child Keeping records for various diseases and medicines for cura ble diseases All these activities and services are often done manually, for hospitals that have not adopted the use of information systems. The activity involved in recording such data is hectic in that each patient’s information is often recorded manually and some of the patient’s personal information includes name, age, and gender (Dudeck, 1997; Pg. 261). These information or data are usually stored afresh whenever the patient visits the hospital. Furthermore, bills that are generated from other units and hospital departments are recorded separately and provided to customer of separate bill sheets. At the end of it all, the same bills will be summed up differently and this will be a waste of time and writing resources. All these data often occupy space; therefore, they are usually destroyed after sometimes to provide space for other day data set. The quantity of data or file piles usually hinders doctors from referring to such files as the need may demand. The volume of the files will obviously discourage the doctors; thus, they will resort to gauze work and such actions may be injurious to the patients involved (Schmitz, 1979; Pg. 92). Therefore, the aim of this project is to eliminate of physical data collection, storage, and reference to improve management of both the patients and hospital management. Part one: Scope The scope of this project is to develop and install software that will automate management in

A death of princess (Misha'al bint Fahd al Saud) Research Paper

A death of princess (Misha'al bint Fahd al Saud) - Research Paper Example There is no denying the fact that one major reason for which people would want to travel from one place to the other is to have a feel of the diversity in culture that exits in different parts of the world. But as much as cultural differences give different people of this world unique identities and personalities, there are cases that some cultural practices practiced in certain places of the world have come up for very sharp global and universal debate and discussion (Brown, 2008). Such debates and discussions are most common about cultural practices that touch on themes of gender, class, race, and ability. In this essay, there is critical review of the case of Misha’al bint Fahd al Saud from a cultural and religious perspective, while discussing how various forms of privilege become evident in her story. This is done with the use of the docu-drama story of â€Å"Death of a Princess†, which gives a secondary account of the execution of the princess on the accusation of adultery. The essay shall be addressed from an argumentative perspective, seeking to weigh all sides of prevailing issues as gender, class, race, ability, the reaction of the media, use of privilege. A conclusion shall then be drawn on the side or opinion held by the writer on both sides of the arguments to either justify or condemn various acts that took place. Interlocking themes of social justice Gender During the setting of the event, which was in the 1970s, issues of gender discrimination and gender suppression, especially against the female gender had gone on against most Islamic nations and for that matter, Saudi Arabia. The commonest forms of discrimination and suppression that females suffered are recorded to include in issues of education and selection of a life partner (Smillie, 2009). Some secondary sources have actually debated that the fact that Princess Misha’al bint Fahd al Saud had her education in Lebanon could be attributable to the opposition that she cou ld have faced if she took her education in Saudi Arabia (LittleJohn and Foss, 2008). Argumentatively however, the question of justification in some of these practices that are considered as abuse of the personality of the female gender has been raised in other debates. For example the preservation of chastity and the impact that it has on the moral fiber of the people has been raised. It would be noted that even though education was not totally absent, there were laws that forbad the education of boys and girls in the same classroom setting. Such practices have been said to champion the quest to minimize the natural and biological bond that exists between males and females, especially when they become adolescents. This debate notwithstanding, there is another school of thought that believes that gender related laws in Saudi Arabia is biased against females and this is where the problem is. For the princess, it has been argued that her freedom to make choices of whom she wanted to be with was greatly abused when the royal family attempted to impose a man on her. Class Throughout primary and secondary sources for the story of Pincess Misha’al bint Fahd, the issue of class and how it was used have been questioned and debated. First and foremost, there are researchers who hold the opinion that the king’s action might not have gotten to the extent it did if the Princess was from any ordinary family, and for that matter, a low class family (Jacobsen, 2008). This is because according to such reviewers, the princess’s grandfather, who ordered her execution, took particular interest in the case following the level of shame and

Grid computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Grid computing - Essay Example The use of computational grid better known as grid technology is basically an application of numerous computers facing the very same problem. Grid computing involves dealing with huge chunks of data and this term is soon becoming extremely popular with each passing day. The most imperative part in grid computing involves the use of software that divides several pieces of program among many computers; it involves dealing with tens and thousands of systems at a time. Cluster computing at a very large stage can also be called as grid computing. Grid computing can be restrained in a corporation or it can be distributed in the public sector too, efficiently meeting the need of the hour. Grid computing involves the use of super or virtual computer and the super computer performs the task of distributed computing. This is an amazing technology which has been applied to more areas than one. For instance, this technology has been applied in the field of Mathematics, problem solving in academi cs etc. This technology is very useful in various fields like drug development, handling the back office work etc. When it comes to e-commerce and web development, no company can ever realize its full potential without making use of this technology. This technology is very different from the conventional cluster computing systems in terms of grid distribution, heterogeneity of grids and the dispersal of grids. This technology involves the use of many loosely coupled grids and also the geographical distribution of grids is extremely different when compared to the conventional cluster computing systems. The advantages of grid computing will be discussed in the following part of the paper. â€Å"Grid computing has been around for a few years now and its advantages are many. Grid computing can be defined in many ways but for these discussions lets simply call it a way to execute compute jobs (e.g. perl scripts, database queries, etc.) across a distributed set of resources

Political science - Africa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Political science - Africa - Research Paper Example Historical Background to The Situation - European Colonialism As discussed by Sharma (1973), in the beginning European interest was confined to the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean - the rest was "Dark Continent" fraught with savage cannibals, wild animals and dreadful diseases stalking an inhospitable terrain. By the end of the fifteenth century Portuguese started trading in ivory, pepper, dyestuff and gold dust. This was also the time when Europeans commenced colonisation of the American continent and a very profitable slave trade flourished from Africa to meet the enormous demand of manual labour of the colonisers. By 1870s explorers and missionaries started adventuring into the deep jungles of Africa. With the advent of industrial revolution the demand for raw materials and markets to sell finished products grew in leaps and bounds. This led to rivalry amongst European colonialists to spread their territory, which reached its zenith in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The sharing of the 'African Pie' was amicably settled thro ugh the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 whereby Africa was apportioned by the European powers without any regard to the lie of the land or the psyche of the natives. It is to be noted that in posterity such lacerations presented serious problems of integration at the time of independence of most states. A primitive culture prevailed amongst the tribes in Africa and wars between clans and tribes to settle disputes were very common. Whenever there were disputes amongst the tribes the weaker ones sought outside help. The European traders who had modern weapons and better fighting skills to offer were their first choice. In due course areas that were rich... Africa is primarily a land of ethnic tribes and clans. A tribe does not represent any homogeneity or criterion by which sects of people differentiate themselves from other sects. They are a natural formation of people who get together and affirm their obligations to unite in warfare against outsiders and acknowledge the rights of their members to compensations for injuries. The colonisation of Africa has brutalised the people and vandalised the resources by warlords and despotic rulers. It has left Africans psychologically scarred and scared. Letting loose one tribe against another and creating insecurity and dependency was the most convenient way of subjugating a race. With their better intellect and strength, subjugating large states was not a difficult task for the Europeans. Here one must remember that Africa was not the only country that Europeans colonised. Large parts of Asia, Australia and America were also once under their occupation for centuries. Today many of them are env iable economic powers, technological marvels and military superpowers. Therefore, one cannot escape an accepted wisdom that Africa has wrought self-destruction on themselves unable to overcome the unique racial and social inadequacies. To gloss over Africa as a puzzle that cannot be solved or explained is simplistic. The happenings in Africa lead us to assume the Africans have some inherent ethnic shortcomings that keep them as underdogs on this planet earth. The historical fact file encourages one to accept such a presumption.

3 major events in California that we can feel today Essay

3 major events in California that we can feel today - Essay Example Emigration led to the increase in population which brought about desire to own land. The populous areas tended to have small tracts of land for farming and settlement, yet people desired to have large pieces of land. This dilemma was solved through government’s intervention, by introducing the California Land Act (1851). The policy monopolized land and solved the problem of land tenure. The rush brought about diversity in the sense that the people who went to exploit gold came from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. We feel the impact of this diversity in California. Currently, there are various ethnic and racial groups living in California. This has enhanced the unity in diversity, and has helped the people of California to appreciate and enrich different cultures. We can feel the impact of the gold rush in current California economy, as it opened up California to other parts of the world for trade. Hollywood movie production is one of the largest movie makers in the world. It makes Los Angeles, California a historical and cultural center for exhibition of movies, and this enhances social growth of the state. The revenue of the movies producer contributes a lot to California economy2. It is true to say that Hollywood productions are part of California’s main exports. Apart from earning the state considerable amounts of revenue, the industry provides employment to the vast population in the state and it offers a positive balance in international trade. It makes more contributions to the economy as compared to legal, medical, insurance and telecommunication sectors. It is indeed an economic powerhouse industry to reckon with, not only in California, but in the whole of America. The Great Depression of 1929-1940s was an economic tragedy that made many people in California jobless. It began with the crash of stock markets in USA on 29th October, 1929, â€Å"Black Tuesday.† The depression rendered many people

Political science - Africa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Political science - Africa - Research Paper Example Historical Background to The Situation - European Colonialism As discussed by Sharma (1973), in the beginning European interest was confined to the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean - the rest was "Dark Continent" fraught with savage cannibals, wild animals and dreadful diseases stalking an inhospitable terrain. By the end of the fifteenth century Portuguese started trading in ivory, pepper, dyestuff and gold dust. This was also the time when Europeans commenced colonisation of the American continent and a very profitable slave trade flourished from Africa to meet the enormous demand of manual labour of the colonisers. By 1870s explorers and missionaries started adventuring into the deep jungles of Africa. With the advent of industrial revolution the demand for raw materials and markets to sell finished products grew in leaps and bounds. This led to rivalry amongst European colonialists to spread their territory, which reached its zenith in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The sharing of the 'African Pie' was amicably settled thro ugh the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 whereby Africa was apportioned by the European powers without any regard to the lie of the land or the psyche of the natives. It is to be noted that in posterity such lacerations presented serious problems of integration at the time of independence of most states. A primitive culture prevailed amongst the tribes in Africa and wars between clans and tribes to settle disputes were very common. Whenever there were disputes amongst the tribes the weaker ones sought outside help. The European traders who had modern weapons and better fighting skills to offer were their first choice. In due course areas that were rich... Africa is primarily a land of ethnic tribes and clans. A tribe does not represent any homogeneity or criterion by which sects of people differentiate themselves from other sects. They are a natural formation of people who get together and affirm their obligations to unite in warfare against outsiders and acknowledge the rights of their members to compensations for injuries. The colonisation of Africa has brutalised the people and vandalised the resources by warlords and despotic rulers. It has left Africans psychologically scarred and scared. Letting loose one tribe against another and creating insecurity and dependency was the most convenient way of subjugating a race. With their better intellect and strength, subjugating large states was not a difficult task for the Europeans. Here one must remember that Africa was not the only country that Europeans colonised. Large parts of Asia, Australia and America were also once under their occupation for centuries. Today many of them are env iable economic powers, technological marvels and military superpowers. Therefore, one cannot escape an accepted wisdom that Africa has wrought self-destruction on themselves unable to overcome the unique racial and social inadequacies. To gloss over Africa as a puzzle that cannot be solved or explained is simplistic. The happenings in Africa lead us to assume the Africans have some inherent ethnic shortcomings that keep them as underdogs on this planet earth. The historical fact file encourages one to accept such a presumption.