East Asian Buddhism Essay Example for Free

East Asian Buddhism Essay The Ghost festival, the second most important festival of the year, is an event in which features of Buddhism are most relevant in Chinese culture. The ritual, by essence, belongs to the living and the dead – it creates a harmony between the two, as well as that between the individual, society and nature in its performance. Its Chinese term, Yu lan pen hui, is composed of the foreign word â€Å"yu lan† that refers to the pitiable fate of those hung upside down in the prisons of hell and the Chinese term â€Å"pen† which indicates the bowl in which offerings are placed. As the story of Mulien recorded in the Hungry ghost sutra represents, the festival synthesizes elements of Indian Buddhism into the indigenous concepts of China. Stephen F Teiser essentially captures this quality when he descirbes it as â€Å"China was made more Buddhist and Buddhism was made more Chinese. † Because the Yu lan pen jing is a key text in the development of the Buddhist rites in the ghost festival that is held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, it will be examined to observe the blending of the two values. The Ghost Festival Sutra (also known as Yu lan pen jing), which was written in the sixth century, is peppered with traces of Buddhism attempting to integrate into Chinese life. Its first few lines become all the more significant when considering that they were not present in the oldest narrative forged approximately eighty years earlier that serves as the basis of the ghost festival, The Sutra on Repaying the Kindness by Making Offerings (also referred to as Bao en feng pen jing). As Alan Cole, Professor of Religious Studies at Lewis and Clark College cites in his book Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism the Ghost Festival Sutra, Buddha pronounces these words as Mu Lian explains his failure in feeding his mother: â€Å"Even [you cannot achieve this feeding] though your filial submission resounds [everywhere], shaking heaven and earth. Neither the gods of heaven nor the gods of earth nor the evil demons of the heterodox [sects], nor the Daoist masters, nor the four heavenly kings can achieve this either† (Cole 88). Primarily, this passage directly highlights Mu Lian’ s filial affection – as Cole points out, he is endowed with the honor of being praised by the Buddha as someone whose filial submission â€Å"[shakes] heaven and earth,† which indicates that Mu Lian is considered to be the paradigm of filial piety (89). This addendum could be construed as an adaptation to the Chinese ideal, in which filiality is of the essence. More importantly however, the second half strongly suggests that the Buddhist institution has the sole rights to perform such form of ghost festival. The writers deem the non-Buddhist religious specialists – including all other gods and Daoist practitioners to be incapable of achieving the feeding of the dead (Cole 89). This reflects the increasing competition between the Buddhists and Daoists over crafting such offerings. The mix of Chinese and Buddhist ideas is also manifest in Buddha’s explanation of the reason for â€Å"the food enter[ing] [Mu Lien’s mother’s] mouth †¦ chang[ing] into flaming coals, so in the end she could not eat† as cited by Stephen F Teiser (Teiser 50). The Buddha states that his â€Å"mother’s sins are grave† (50). This directly refers to the Indian notions of Karma, signifying that his mother’s actions in previous lifetimes have led her to her current state. The second half of the Yu lan pen jing further denotes the filial theme, but emphasizes that it can only be fulfilled using Buddhist ritual means, by making offerings to the Buddhists. As Cole puts it, filial devotion is evidently â€Å"equated with being a good Buddhist† – this can be observed for instance, in the Mu Lian’s question to the Buddha shown in the following quote from Stephen F. Teiser’ s translation of the Sutra in his book The Ghost Festival in Medieval China: â€Å"But all of the future disciples of the Buddha who practice filial devotion, may they or may they not also prevent yu-lan bowls as required to save their parents as well as seven generations of ancestors† (Teiser 52). This again concords with the Chinese essentiality of filial affection, which â€Å"surpasses all other ethics in tis historical continuity† as Ho describes in William Lakos’ book Chinese Ancestor Worship (Lakos 52). Moreover, as translated by Teiser, the final passage states the desired relationship between the ritual and the Chinese society in affirming that â€Å"kings of states, princes, sons of kings, great ministers, counselors, dignitaries of the three ranks, any government officials or the majority of common people who practice filial compassion† are required to perform the ritual. This again underlines the explicit connection that the Sutra draws between performing the ritual and being filial. As Cole coins it â€Å"if you are to be filial, you perform this 7/15 Buddhist offering regardless of who you are in Chinese society† (Cole 93). In this respect, the text places the date 7/15 as the center of discussion on Buddhist filiality, characterized by the duty to save one’s parent and the necessity to make offerings to the Sangha. The festival reveals the syncretic character of Buddhism with Chinese social and cultural systems. Buddhist myths and rituals exist simultaneously with the Chinese indigenous forms of ritual and conceptions of society. The ghost festival also offers a solution to the problem of the ascetic way of life of Buddhism that imposes on Chinese culture that resounds family values. While opponents have long condemned the Sangha for fostering otherworldliness, the celebration integrates those who have chosen the ascetic path to participate in the well-being of their ancestors. As noted in the canonical source of Yu lan pen sutra as translated by Teiser, the Buddha orders â€Å"the assembled monks of the ten directions should chant prayers on behalf of the family of the donor for seven generations of ancestors† (Teiser 52). The ritual hence by nature, accepts monasticism and more importantly appoints it as a central aspect of the life in the community – the participation of the monks is pivotal to the salvation of the ancestors. Their ascetic energy is especially effective during the ritual because the full moon of the seventh month designates the day on which Sangha has finished its three-month summer retreat during which they â€Å"release themselves† through meditation, meaning the energy has been accumulated during the period (Teiser 4). In a larger sense, because the festival takes place at the time of the fall harvest, it can be interpreted as not only a symbol of the passage of priests and ancestors to new forms of existence, but also of the â€Å"completion of a cycle of plant life† (4). Their role came to entail a state level importance in the seventh century when the practice was established as part of Chinese state religion, rituals being performed for the benefit of imperial ancestors. The vitality of such function, rather than being confined to local cult, assured the cult to survive into the modern times (5). An irony arises from this ritual – wandering ghosts as well as settled ancestors are recipients of the offering. Ancestors contrast with the concept of ghosts. In his book Unities and diversities in Chinese Religion, Robert P. Weller explains that ghosts are socially marginal beings that lack â€Å"both social standing of the gods and the kinship standing of the ancestors† (Weller 60). In contrast, ancestors re deemed to have â€Å"permanent wealth and power† in the community at large – they were more than a religious concern, involving both social and political implications and upholding â€Å"indispensability in the socio-political realm† (Lakos 32). Their worship serves as a cornerstone for the ancestor-family-kinship system. This idea is well supported with the traditional Confucian view. As sociologist Hugh Baker puts it in Teiser’ s article, â€Å"other people’s dead were of little concern, the only dead to be worshipped were one’s dead and ancestors† (Teiser 60). This view corresponds to those of the defenders of indigenous traditions like Yen Chih-t’ui who assert that the solidarity of ancestors is the solely valid aspect of the celebration – they disapproved of the offerings for the hungry ghosts. Comparably, others consider the ghosts as the only recipients of the offerings, claiming that including the ancestors as the recipients were aimed to adapt the religion to the dominant, yet ultimately non-essential, cultural values (60) – their emphasis is on the Buddhist deliverance from the six paths of rebirth. This stark contrast is deemed to create a conflict between the Buddhist idea of ephemerality and Chinese social solidarity. Interestingly, the two concepts are able to be reconciled to form a bigger whole. In fact, historical records clearly reveals that both entities were served. As Teiser cites from the yun lian pen sutra, the Buddha orders the Sangha to release themselves â€Å"for the sake of seven generations of ancestors, your current parents and those in distress† (61). In his article â€Å"Ghosts and Ancestors in Medieval Chinese Religion: The Yu-lan-p’en festival as Mortuary Ritual† from the book History of Religions, Stephen F. Teiser tackles the controversy by construing the ghost festival as rites of passage. This means that the ritual allows the individual to undergo a transition from one social group to another. He or she hence leaves one â€Å"world† and joins another, with liminal period in between (Teiser 52). The celebration imbues in the dead a sense of regeneration and rebirth, through the cycle of seasonal festivals (58). In this respect, both the marginal state of the ghosts and the settled group status of the ancestors are imperative aspects of the entirety of the process. While both sides are different, they are by ritual structure, on the same side, hence by no means contradictory. Anthropologists tend to describe this as the ideas the yin and yang aspect – the fundamental basis of Chinese philosophy- of death: two seemingly opposing sides that in fact complement each other to a unitary process. Acknowledging the mutual existence of ancestors and ghosts reflects the dual nature of the hungry ghost festival. Several other views prevail in appreciating the duality of the yun lan p’en. The ritual can also be interpreted as a practice that allows a new form for an old practice – as In de Groot contends, Buddhism has offered Chinese culture with an â€Å"exotic edifice† of ritual that concords with the Chinese â€Å"extreme concern for the destiny of the dead† (62). Another perspective relies on the Chinese practicality to explain the seemingly contradicting nature of the ritual. As Holmes Welch explains, the Chinese cult exercises both aspects of the practice like a â€Å"prudent man dealing with the unknown,† since there is no way of knowing which version of the afterlife is true. This results in the form of ghost festival, which ensures that the rites of both versions are engaged (62). Essentially however, the practice recognizes the immortality of the group – as demonstrated by the ancestors – in the face of death – the ritual by nature is aimed to place the deceased as a part of the structurally unchanging king group and compels all of the members of the group, both living and dead, to gather for a communal meal (Teiser 64). One does not have to dominate, suppress or reduce the other. Understanding that these concepts are not mutually exclusive allows for an appreciation of the bigger framework of the festival – one that is full of seemingly contradictory ideas such as Buddhism and Chinese cult, ancestors and ghosts, life and death. Hence the coexistence of the ideas in the ritual are not an irony but rather a paradox in that juxtaposing the two concepts sheds light to the value of the Hungry Ghost festival.

Value of Suffering in Markandayas Nectar in a Sieve Essay -- Nectar S

Value of Suffering in Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve  Ã‚   Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve portrays its positive woman characters as ideal sufferers and nurturers. "[T]he cause of her suffering springs mainly from poverty and natural calamity. The women are from the rural sections of society. They are the daughters of the soil and have inherited age-old traditions which they do not question. Their courage lies in meek or at times cheerful way [sic] of facing poverty or calamity" [Meena Shirdwadkar, Image of Woman in the Indo-Anglian Novel (New Delhi: Sterling, 1979), 49]. Rukmani, the main character, and her daughter Ira display suffering hroughout the novel. Rukmani works hard and is devoted to her gentle husband. She endures blow after blow from life: poverty, famine, the divorce of her barren daughter, the deaths of her sons, her daughter's prostitution, and finally her husband's death. When she finds te emotional cener of her life, her relationship with her husband, threatened by the discovery that he fathered another woman's sons, she neither strikes out at him nor crumbles: Disbelief first; disillusionment; anger, reproach, pain. To find out, after so many years, in such a cruel way. ... He had known her not once but twice; he had gone back to give her a second son. And between, how many times, I thought, bleak of spirit, while her husband in his impotence and I in my innocence did nothing. . . .At last I made an effort and roused myself... "It is as you say a long time ago," I said wearily. "That she is evil and powerful I know myself. Let it rest." She accepts the blow and moves on in life. In addition, when her son Raja is murdered, even her thoughts do not express rebellion. She moves from nu... ...osites of Kunthi. Their goodness originates in their acceptance of suffering, whereas Kunthi's evil originates in her refusal to sacrifice herself for others. As ideal images, Markandaya's heroines correlate with Shirwadkar's conception of how early Indo-Anglian novels portray women as Sita-like characters. By fulfilling cultural values, however, Rukmani and Ira find in their way of lifenot only suffering but also a sureness and inner peace. Shirwadkar claims that women in later novels lose even the satisfaction of this fulfillment, because they find themselves trapped between the traditional and modern requirements for women. Earlier images of calm, enduring women change to new ones, of frustrated women caught between the Sita-Savitri figure and the modern, Westernised woman. Works Cited: Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar In A Sieve. New York: Signet Fiction, 1995.

Alibaba Business Model

Abstract: â€Å"Alibaba† has experienced eight years of comprehensive development the establishment of a unique business model, and a new interpretation of e-commerce, launched a new Internet business model – Alibaba model. This new network business model not only for manufacturers to reduce production and marketing costs, but also to â€Å"Alibaba† cleverly avoided because of distribution, logistics and inventory, such as forming a bottleneck for the continued development of e-commerce industry opens up New roads.Alibaba in just a few years to create the myth that Alibaba model for a time and a lot of competitors to imitate the focus of attention. But Alibaba create a model is only a beginning, the Chinese e-commerce to go for their own development path, we must Alibaba model to analyze the advantages and disadvantages, so look for more market opportunities. More careful analysis point of view Alibaba e-commerce model of the advantages and disadvantages of resea rchers and the need to establish e-commerce for SMEs to provide information useful reference. Key words: Alibaba ; E-commerce model; Sales channel; Advantages and DisadvantagesAlibaba's success has told us that the distance between dreams and ideals are not far away, but it is not the pie fall from the sky, I have a few Friends and colleagues of a site visit and repeated after the team of research, we believe that Alibaba is the main success factors: Dream Team's combination of a clear development strategy + execution + effective + unique corporate culture †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ? Now the results of our research and analysis to share with you, initiate, but also hope you criticism and valuable advice, and seek common A better future!Alibaba's success has been close to myth, even though he claims are using international standards themselves, and Ali Baba, not the slightest satisfaction. China's Internet, the business less than 5 years of Alibaba, to have the performance and impact of today, there must be worthy of him, digging Dig, and explore the profound connotation and unique reasons. Ali Baba in the success of many elements, we believe that interpretation of the dream team of Ali Baba, especially worthy of focus.Too many entrepreneurs Persons, entrepreneurs can not build a proper team, leading to their cause bottlenecks; the face of these bottlenecks in the case, although we Can find a very comprehensive theory of healing on the team, many Habitat for Humanity in the discourse of scholars lamented wake up to reality, you can continue to learn Imitation learning the truth from getting close, but once things really imminent, most people are still at a loss without a tree, sighed with regret of the free Copies.Dream Team Alibaba inspiration to us, allows us to wake up and look at itself, the team face the problem, stimulate program ideas, from This need not find any reason to stall themselves, deceive themselves, so that is directed at the core of the problem and find solutions. Ali Baba tells us: a prerequisite for establishing the team must have a clear strategy. An important strategy for an enterprise, no one has ever dared to be ignored. Establishment of an effective team must also be robust clear strategy when As a prerequisite, it is meaningful.Ali Baba that there is no clear strategy, there is no clear direction, no clear direction of the group Team, at best, but mob. Taste of Tang Seng Alibaba advocate team, it is very insightful, have long been ridiculed look down The â€Å"Simon did not know,† the monk, in accordance with the laws of the strategic priority measure, actually turned into a very competent leader, and why? As Buddhist sutras, he Clear and committed to adhere to the direction.Learn the reason for the entire â€Å"Journey to the West† can be set up, Monkey, Pig, Shahe Shang sex Cells was clear and became a valuable and complement each other good team structure. Strategy is both a prerequisite for the establishm ent of the team, but also the central figure on the team, the highest requirement standards. It is this point, when the company started horse Standing rhetoric cloud on the Great Wall, Ali Baba to do in China, the world's best e-commerce sites began to form a team for this well-laid A solid foundation.That the strategic objectives of Alibaba, the strict planning of the long-term goals and short-term objectives and specific practical war Surgery program. So, when Alibaba 1999 heat wave in the Internet and let an withdraw from the Beijing and fade into the paradise of Hangzhou, the public No one left behind and more entrepreneurs. Many people may not care about this, because to set a strategic goal of rhetoric is long term and many people Strengths.However, because of this, Ma and Alibaba China Internet will be the first to smell the smell of smoke in the bubble, and then be carried out Acclaimed series of thin rectification movement, to the attendant to Alibaba in the winter of the I nternet, maintain and enhance the team's strength, as The rise followed lay a solid foundation. Ali Baba tells us: there is no effective execution of all non-existent implementation is the true test of a team, of course, Measure of whether the marker of a team. Tang Seng, a team of four to Buddhist sutras, the definitely not get back, although four of them are present Mark clearly the strong.The team carefully explore the execution of Ali Baba, it is very surprising. The four â€Å"O† (CEO, Ma Yun, chief financial officer CFO Caichong Xin, Chief Technology Officer CTO Wu Jiong, Chief Human Officer CPO related Ming-sheng) and the team, their strengths and Entirely different characteristics, even in related fields are leading figures. These leading characters, explore their resumes to Found that they have a wealth of practical experience, has gradually grown from zero career success of their growth, the maximum quantity body Is the implementation of the charm and indispensable. Strategic direction is clear, the implementation of actions towards the direction of interpretation. For many friends, the parties may prefer to talk Direction and strategy, often overlooked and complicated implementation over time. On a team, the tireless performer is not necessarily an effective complementary Or the lack of scarce resources. Only the rich resources in this area and to join, be possible to show the strength of the team. Otherwise, whether or four monk Four Monkey King, the ultimate collapse of this team are very normal thing.Alibaba looked stunning the implementation details, whether every employee of a customer, whether products and services or staff Worker training programs, are known down to the executable can be seen the point of evaluation feedback can be, with the vice president as saying Kim Hang built, some rules and regulations Implementation of assessment criteria, did we all feel is not worth spending the time or costs, but the cost of all the important front in the implementation of all changes Was pale, but must yield.Ali Baba told us: There is no business of their own culture do not form a good team always. As a team, agree on the strategy, as the recognition of common mission, that is, the recognition of corporate culture. Without such recognition As a basis, the team only in the rain is blowing in a lax. Culture involves many aspects of a business culture is very easy to use one or two sentences General, it is difficult to nuanced interpretation of the details of the enterprise and among all levels.Alibaba trough the Internet during the plan and only 500 yuan per person salary. Took only form of pay is 500 yuan, 500 yuan but take only group Team dispersed, the cultural identity, contains the expectations on the prospects for long-term interests of the immediate interests of the discarded, the confidence of the enterprise, drip Flow with the same entrepreneurial spirit and blood. Without this cultural identity, not only unable to retain 500 per person Alibaba team, Ariba Barry worth of any person simply can not use the 500 exhibits.Very dramatically, not only to retain the original 500 venture group Team, but also attracted millions of dollars in salary as investors appeared Caichong Xin, this sounds like some mysterious circumstances in a true Ali Baba, Ali Baba visible cultural charm. Many enterprises create and can not recognize the role of culture, or that are certainly important but can not find ways and means of how to form construction, or The formation of self-righteous to build, is only a hobby and create a personal habit.To survive as a business development as mentioned above, leaving no Live talent, team morale and other phenomena, it will become normal and can not stop. Culture is building software, invisible, Can not find what you want and can not copy the clone. Alibaba experience tells us that: Create a culture, must have their first Culture. The culture here is not an ordinary sense of the culture, but have a deep understanding of the essence of the enterprise after the enterprise direction, mission, Team, a highly recognized and a consensus interpretation.He formed the atmosphere can be felt, not explained, people moving, people march in a huge Tension, to absorb the spirit of a strong, peaceful, tolerant, generous but challenging, progressive and positive factors. Ali Baba tells us: the only good team was excellent organizational structure may form the organizational structure and capacity and capability between the same teams In fact, the relationship is a mutually reinforcing one another indispensable and interdependent, the link is a healthy relationship.The operation of the enterprise, do not The operational phase with the needs of different teams to work, only the absolute best team, it may be in the enterprise through its continuous operations Adjustment at different stages of the mission capable. More teams will appear at different stages of the collapse of the different, the same as the pain can not be avoided. See fourth Internet â€Å"Competition on the West Lake† photos, almost all of the outstanding team of Internet companies have ceased to exist.Only Ariba Pakistan, five down, as the original, the only change is more confident, more refined, and more mature. This seems to inadvertently Alibaba Completed masterpiece, really surprised us insight: it is the team and organizational structure Alibaba interaction between, so that such a young Ability to organize a huge glow. A group of Internet enthusiasts that absolute idealism of action and color, not only create wealth God Words, and created a team of role models, creating a unique corporate culture, reating a large number of maverick darling of the new economy. Excellent organizational structure in the enterprise at different stages have different adjustments. The organizational capacity of the best from every employee who embodies, In the team gathered in the whole company broke out. Ali Baba said: to help customers and colleagues success is the best embodiment of their own success. Blindly chase Find their own success and the team will not be good team, and ultimately could not reach the other side of success.Alibaba ultimate understanding of the team, we think: There is no competent excellent team of key figures, it is impossible to form good team; Without the excellent team, the company can not have good execution; even execution are not the company, can not form a strong corporate culture , More can not form an effective organizational structure and organizational capacity. Inseparable link between this, which is full of inherent logic of the interdependence relations Department, both divisions of the importance of our team, but also tells us that, indeed, not every business or everyone can easily have a superior form Show team.

Commonly Confused Words Literally and Figuratively

The word literally is well on its way to becoming a Janus word—that is, a word having opposite or contradictory meanings. And despite the best efforts of language mavens, one of those meanings is... figuratively. Lets see if its still possible to keep these two words straight.  Ã‚   Definitions Traditionally, the adverb literally has meant really or actually or in the strict sense of the word. Most style guides continue to advise us not to confuse literally with figuratively, which means in an analogous or metaphorical sense, not in the exact sense. However, as discussed in the article How Word Meanings Change and in the usage notes below, the use of literally as an intensifier has become increasingly common. Examples Very young children eat their books, literally devouring their contents. This is one reason for the scarcity of first editions of Alice in Wonderland and other favorites of the nursery.(A. S. W. Rosenbach, Books and Bidders:  The Adventures of a Bibliophile, 1927)In the infamous essay A Modest Proposal, . . . what [Jonathan Swift] really means is that the rich should care for the poor instead of figuratively devouring them with their policies of neglect and exploitation.(Chris Holcomb and M. Jimmie Killingsworth, Performing Prose: The Study and Practice of Style in Composition. Southern Illinois University Press, 2010)  With its rapturously fragrant, sweetly aromatic pale blue ink, mimeograph paper was literally intoxicating. Two deep drafts of a freshly run-off mimeograph worksheet and I would be the education system’s willing slave for up to seven hours.(Bill Bryson, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, 2006)The most important thing in art is the frame. For paintin g: literally; for other arts, figuratively--because, without this humble appliance, you cant know where The Art stops and The Real World begins.(Frank Zappa)John went to one window, unfolded his paper, and wrapt himself in it, figuratively speaking.(Louisa May Alcott, Good Wives, 1871)During his extended visit to the area, [poet Gà ©rard de]  Nerval got (figuratively) drunk  on the ambiance and (literally) drunk on Black Forest Kirschwasser (an awful thought, actually).(David Clay Large, The Grand Spas of Central Europe.   Rowman Littlefield, 2015) Usage Notes Literally  . . . means just what it says, which is to say: meaning just what it says.(Roy Blount, Jr.,  Alphabet Juice. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009)  Ã‚  Literally in the sense truly, completely is a SLIPSHOD EXTENSION. . . . When used for figuratively, where figuratively would not ordinarily be used, literally is distorted beyond recognition.(Bryan A. Garner, Garners Modern American Usage. Oxford University Press, 2003)For more than a hundred years, critics have remarked on the incoherency of using literally in a way that suggests the exact opposite of its primary sense of in a manner that accords with the literal sense of the words. In 1926, for example, H.W. Fowler cited the example The 300,000 Unionists . . . will be literally thrown to the wolves. The practice does not stem from a change in the meaning of literally itself--if it did, the word would long since have come to mean virtually or figuratively--but from a natural tendency to use the word as a general intensive , as in They had literally no help from the government on the project, where no contrast with the figurative sense of the words is intended.(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., 2000)Like incredible, literally has been so overused as a sort of vague intensifier that it is in danger of losing its literal meaning. It should be used to distinguish between a figurative and a literal meaning of a phrase. It should not be used as a synonym for actually or really. Dont say of someone that he literally blew up unless he swallowed a stick of dynamite.(Paul Brians, Common Errors in English Usage. William, James Co., 2003)Literally  is a bad intensifier, almost always overkill.(Kenneth G. Wilson,  The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, 1993)  Ã‚  Literally has been misused for centuries, even by famed authors who, unlike youngsters posting duckface photos of themselves shot in their bathroom mirrors (Your 2 sexy!), had a good handle on the languag e.Misuse began gathering legitimacy by 1839, when Charles Dickens wrote in Nicholas Nickleby that a character had literally feasted his eyes in silence on his culprit. Before you knew it, Tom Sawyer was literally rolling in wealth, and Jay Gatsby literally glowed. Come on, the guy grew up in New York lake country, not a New Jersey toxic waste dump.(Ben Bromley, Literally, We Have a Language Crisis. The Chippewa Herald, April 3, 2013)What would the world say? Why, it would say that she didnt think our money was clean enough to mix with old man Goochs. Shed throw it in our faces and the whole town would snicker.Figuratively speaking, young man, figuratively speaking, said one of the uncles, a stockholder and director.What do you mean by that?That she--ahem! That she couldnt actually throw it.Im not so literal as you, Uncle George.Then why use the word throw?Of course, Uncle George, I dont mean to say shed have it reduced to gold coin and stand off and take shots at us. You understand that, dont you?Leslie, put in his father, you have a most distressing way of--er--putting it. Your Uncle George is not so dense as all that.(George Barr McCutcheon, The Hollow of Her Hand, 1912)The solution, of course, is to eliminate literally. Most of the time the word is superfluous, anyway, and its easily replaced with another adverb.(Charles Harrington Elster, What in the Word? Harcourt, 2006) Practice (a) Some students are getting swept out of the library, _____ speaking.(b) The word photography _____ means drawing with light. Answers to Practice Exercises:  Literally and Figuratively (a) Some students are getting swept out of the library,  figuratively  speaking.(b) The word  photography  literally  means drawing with light.

Media Influences The People Who Watch It Or Are People...

Is media influencing the people who watch it or are people influencing the media? One such show challenges both those questions and its South Park. South Park is a show that parodies absolutely everything that goes on in popular culture and the world. The show is about four young boys that deal with bizarre and outragues or even disturbing events in their town of South Park. The show may look like a cartoon but the show itself is NSFW and those easily disturbed or offended will not enjoy the show what’s so ever. At the same time however, the show does provide a sort of a culture shock to any current events going on and makes its viewers think twice about it whether it be positive or negative. Like most American television shows the main characters in the show are promitly white. Even with most characters being white a lot of there are episodes always have other minorities sprinkled around as the main characters of that episode even if it is represented mostly as a stereotypes of that group. Still, South Park does bring a lot of awareness to important topics like race or sexuality but it’s influenced by society while oddly enough influences society in turn. In the first episode I watched I did tally more white males than anything else as the main characters of the episode but both episodes I watched had other social classes and races that balanced out the tally. I Believe the reason for a majority of white males in this show is because the creators Matt stone and TreyShow MoreRelatedMedia Is The Main Source Of Mass Communication877 Words   |  4 Pagesthe globe, media is seen everywhere. Billboards, magazines, television, the Internet, newspapers; it’s everywhere! Every day, each individual is exposed to some sort of media. 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Kant s Grounding For The Metaphysics Of Morals - 1072 Words

In Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant seeks to develop a clear understanding of moral principles. Qualities of character and fortune can be exercised for either good or bad purposes, and only the good will is naturally and inherently good. Humans are at once rational and natural beings; our reason and natural characteristics are distinct from each other. Kant suggests that we must choose either to follow our rational or natural capacities. Although man’s highest purpose may seem to be self-preservation and happiness, as rational beings our highest purpose is to develop this good will. Our instinct leads us to the pursuit happiness and self-preservation, but the will developed by our reason would be good in itself and†¦show more content†¦The good will calls for certain obligations known as duties. Kant suggests that duty ought to be done out of acknowledgement of the importance of moral law. The first proposition of duty that Kant puts forward stat es that actions are good only when they are committed out of a sense of duty. Moral actions are not done in the desire of a particular result, and the importance is instead found in the purpose behind the action. Kant argues that moral worth is never found in what is hoped to be attained by a certain choice, but in the maxim according to which the action was done. Duty should always be done out of recognition of significance of abiding by the moral law. Kant claims that our actions are not completely moral if they are done only out of a sense of duty or obligation. Rational beings possess a will in that we can act in accordance to our own principles. We can choose to either align our will with the moral law and reason or with our personal needs, interests, and desires. Reason imposes certain demands, which Kant deems imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives desire an action for a certain result, not as an end in itself. Categorical imperatives command an action in and of itself that is not based on our needs and desires: â€Å"but what sort of law can that be the thought of which must determine the will without reference to any expected effect, so that the will can be calledShow MoreRelatedThird Breaking Down His Most Important Philosophies1097 Words   |  5 PagesGroundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals 2. Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science 3. Critique of Practical Reason 4. Critique of the Power of Judgment 5. Critique of Pure Reason a. Knowledge b. Metaphysics Topic: Critique of Pure Reason In order to understand Kant’s position, we must first understand the philosophical environment that influenced his thinking. There are two major historical movements in the early modern period of philosophy that had a very large impact on Kant: Empiricism andRead More Immanuel Kants Ethics Of Pure Duty and John Stuart Mills Utilitarian Ethics Of Justice2753 Words   |  12 PagesImmanuel Kants The Grounding For The Metaphysics of Morals and John Stuart Mills Utilitarianism Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral traditions are formed. Immanuel Kant has presented one viewpoint in The Grounding For The Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his ability to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another opinion as presented in the book, Utilitarianism thatRead MoreJohn Stuart Mill And Immanuel Kant1387 Words   |  6 PagesImmanuel Kant. Mill, in Utilitarianism defines happiness as pleasure without pain. He builds upon this idea of happiness when establishing his moral philosophy, stating that the action that would bring about the maximum amount of happiness is the most moral action. On the other hand, Kant establishes happiness as well-being and a satisfaction with one’s condition. Kant, however, argues that happiness is too fully based upon one’s own personal experience to use as a grounds for a universal moral philosophyRead Mo re A White Lie in the Heart of Darkness Essay examples1277 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophical issue of the morality of Marlow’s lie begs a philosophical perspective. In fact, the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote quite extensively on the subject. Kant’s categorical imperative states: â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.† (Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, pg30). Marlow lied to avoid the unpleasant situation of telling Kurtz’ intended the truth. 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However, because most people do not act in a purely rational because of the situations which surround them and influence them, is it unfair to judge their good actions as not ones of true good will? If a person, regardless of the knowledge of circumstance and known results, still acts in good faith, why can this action not be considered a moral good will act? Kant reasonsRead MoreKant s Philosophy Of Philosophy2351 Words   |  10 Pagesphilosopher, tutor and professor, Immanuel Kant, contributed highly complex deontologic al works of philosophy during the time of the Age of Enlightenment—an era when learned men in society urged others to live according to reason and individualism, rather than continuing simply to follow tradition. This was a time for questioning, for employing scientific, evidentiary knowledge where once there had been action only according to faith, to unsupported beliefs. 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Kant believed that the rightness or wrongness of an action is not determined based onRead MoreS exist vs Misanthrope1018 Words   |  5 PagesIndividualism and Utilitarianism //Carla Non-consequentialist theories †¢ Kant’s Theories: Good will, the categorical imperative Kant in an organisation // Joanna and Hector †¢ Ross // Hector †¢ Virtue Theory // Carla Hybrid Theories †¢ Ruggiero: Obligation, Ideal, Effect // Joanna †¢ Solomon: 3 ‘C’s of business // Daniel †¢ Shaw, Barry Sansbury: logic, facts, moral principles // Daniel Topics chosen to argue in the debate: Non-Consequentialist theories, Open the debate by Joanna: ActRead MoreThe Impracticality of Kants Discussion of Will: Consequences of Actions2104 Words   |  9 Pagesevils, which means that people should carefully think about all possible outcomes before making decisions. I. Kant and the Categorical Imperative: It is generally understood that society would tear itself apart if people suddenly stopped following a few fundamental laws; such as, arson, theft, and murder. In addition to these basic guidelines, most people tend to follow a set of moral rules that involve respect, honour, and dignity considering society is not only filled with law-abiding citizens

Describe the shifts in the world economy over the last 30 years free essay sample

Describe the shifts in the world economy over the last 30 years. What are the implications of these shifts for international businesses based in Britain, North America, and Hong Kong? Although the question is talking the shifts of the world economy over the past 30 years, however, since the end of World War II, global trade has grown faster than global income. Globalization is the trend in these 30 more years because of the technological change. According to the textbook, globalization is defined as the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent world economy. Telecommunication, transportation technology and information transition (including World Wide Web) has been developed rapidly in the past years. These upgrades have made many firms to go globalization. We can see the Evolution of world trade and global gross domestic product in 1981 and in 2010 in the following two diagrams. In 1981, United States (U. S. ) was in dominance in the world trade. She exported products of 12. 3% of the total exports while China exported 1%. However it was changed sharply in 2010. U. S. ’s export decreased from 12. 3% to around 10% while China’s total export was dramatically increased from 1% to nearly 10%. Also, we can find some figures from the textbook Table 1. 2 which showed the demographical change of world Gross domestic product (GDP) and trade. Both of them indicated that U. S. is still in the leadership of export in the world. However, some emerging countries like China, India, and Brazil are continuous growing their economic power. It is optimistically believe China will become the leader of the world’s largest exporter in the future. Another reason for the change is the changing foreign direct investment picture. U. S. firms were the dominance of the foreign direct investment in the 1960s. British firms were the second. It was changed afterwards as the barriers of the free trade of goods, services and capital decreased. Many firms changed their manufacturing and assembling processes to the cheaper cost nations. As a result, the foreign direct investment moves to the developing countries and make their economies grow. Third, there is the changing nature of the multinational enterprises. In the 1960s, U. S. enterprises were the major players of the economy and U. K. firms were the second. However, many enterprises from other nations started to do multination in the following decades. Many of them were come from the developing countries. The rise of medium-size and small-size multinational enterprises was lower down the percentage of U. S. firms’ dominance. The last trend was the changing from Communist world to democratic world in between 1989 and 1991. Many former Communist countries of Europe and Asia were allowed to free trade. Democratic policies made these countries’ economy grow much faster than before. From the data above and in the textbook, U. S. remains the most multinational enterprise now. This implication is similar to the North America and Britain. Britains economy remained strong when it was in the 1960s, but towards the end of the decade this growth began to slow. In the late 1970s, a different economic policy made British companies reverse. It was including changes of tax, company’s ownership, regulation, and industrial relations. Free trade allows goods transaction within the European Union area which benefits the competition of local firms and increases its efficiency and effectiveness later on. As they are developed countries and now the continuous rise of economy growth in the developing countries threaten the U. S. and British firms. Hong Kong is one of the developing nations which has good location for exports, skilled labors and financial services nowadays. But in the 1960s or 1970s, Hong Kong was just a fish port. Manufacturing and textile industries were prosperous at that time. Telecommunication was not so developed and popular. When Hong Kong government gave nine years free education, the overall education level of Hong Kong people was increased. Also, the opening of China markets and the rises of payrolls made the manufacturing and textile industries move out of Hong Kong in the 1970s. From the technologies and financial services rise, Hong Kong becomes an international financial center. It attracts foreign capital investment to invest in Hong Kong and make it to enter one of the l00 largest multinational enterprises. 2 What is the relationship between corruption in a country (i. e. , bribe-taking by government officials) and economic growth? Is corruption always bad? Q2: Corruption is all around the world. In most developed countries, corruption is low level because there are strict laws and corruption is treated as illegal. But in many developing countries, corruption is like a kind of culture. There are several reasons for corruption, e. g. trade restriction, bad regulations, government subsidies, price controls by the government, multiple exchange rate, low salaries of civil servants, natural resource factors and sociological factors. Many of them are happened in the third world. At a result, many firms would like to bribe government officials to let their businesses smooth. In the short run, this kind of action can increase the economy growth. When the firms grow, lesser corruption occurs. From many studies by Economists in the world throughout the past decades, they always say that corruption and the economy growth is not linear relationship and hardly measure. Heckelman Powell (2008) quoted by Giorgi Mekerishvili, if the government is big enough and has good control on regulation and bureaucratic burdens, the corruption has a good effect on economic growth. By practical experience, corruption can improve growth by allowing firms to pay money to prevent inefficient regulations and bureaucratic put off. It also can shorten the time for processing. In the working environment, time means money. Therefore, many firms would like to use money for shorten the processing time and conflict. As a result, the whole transaction will be more efficient and competitive. Corruption in an international level is also giving a help. For example, a company needs to transport goods from one country to another country. If the company pays bribes, the transportation time will be shortened a lot and can meet the tight schedule. It is very important for a company to deliver goods to his customers on time. In the short run, we can say that a bit of corruption is not harm to the economic growth. However, one of the Economists, Paolo Mauro (1995 and 1997) who thinks that corruption affects investment and economic growth. There is new evidence on the relationship between corruption and the components of government expenditure. On his findings, a significant occurrence is management of a firm treats corruption is a must when they want to start a business. Then the total cost of operating a business increases. The attractiveness of investment will then be a concern and may be lesser investment occurs. Even reduce the attractiveness of foreign direct investment. In the long term, the corruption affects the general economic growth. In addition, bribes through some large infrastructure and public services will lower the quality. Corruption is difficult to stop as governments need to figure out effective ways to combat it. According to the findings of Mauro, if government of the country has anti-corruption campaign can benefit the economic growth: â€Å"†¦A country that improves its standing on the corruption index, say, 6 to 8, (0 being the most corrupt, 10 the least) will experience a 4 percentage point increase in its investment rate and a 0,5 percentage point increase in its annual GDP growth rate. † (Mauro, 1998). On the other hand, many economic researchers found that the more corruption occurs, the less foreign direct investment. And therefore, economic growth reduces. In the textbook, the author gave an example – Corruption in the Philippines. In the example, The United Nations Development Programme estimates that over 10% of the Philippines’ annual budget is lost because of corruption. Many foreign investors are not willing to invest in the serious corrupted country. The issue affects the whole investment and reduces the Gross Domestic Product (GDF) growth. In conclusion, corruption is not encouraged but for some special reasons, corruption is unavoidable and it is a good help for urgent case. 3 The world’s poorest countries are at a competitive disadvantage in every sector of their economies. They have little to export. They have no capital; their land is of poor quality; they often have too many people given available work opportunities; and they are poorly educated. Free trade cannot possibly be in the interests of such nations! Discuss. Q3: From the Trade liberalization statistics from WTO, it said, â€Å"Trade liberalization is negatively correlated with income growth among the poorest 40 per cent of the population, but positively correlated with income growth among higher income groups. In other words, it helps the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. (Lundberg and Squire, Inequality and Growth; Lessons for Policy, World Bank 1999, Chapter 3. )† Is it really free trade not helping the poorest countries? We will try to find out in the following analysis from different researchers. Firstly, government should focus on infrastructure, industry segmentation and technology competence, regulations and education. New jobs will be created when the government builds roads, factories and buildings. These constructions need many labors. Employment rate will then be increased. If citizens do not believe their government, it is no use for the improvement. The political issue is also another factor to affect the growth of the economy in a poor country. Those cities or countries are always in rebellion and no investors would like to invest in these cities or countries. The economies must be poor. Also, many children do not have a change to study and they work outside so early that they do not have knowledge on high technology, skilled technique. Low level of education makes the countries lack of comparative and affect the whole economy growth. Government intervention is a way to help the local firms when free trade opens. Government may use tariffs and subsidies to protect the domestic firms to compete with foreign companies. Tariffs and import quotas are normally applied and it reduces many foreign firms to do business and local firms can increase their dominance in a specific industry. After some years when the local firms are big enough and can increase their efficiencies and productivities, government could then reduce tariff barriers and subsidies. These firms may expand their exports to other markets and go globalization. As a result, free trade helps those strong firms to depart from poverty. At reverse, weak firms will be bankrupted. Also, WTO or EU helps the developing countries by reducing export tariffs or even duty free to other member countries. The firms can have a better profit by exporting various products and then increase their market shares. When tariffs decrease, more firms can also be benefited by importing various cheap raw materials or products to produce new types of goods. These goods will then be able to export to other countries and increase the market share and revenues. Eventually the growth of the economy increases the percentage of employment and earnings opportunities. There was a statistic showing that the economic growth and capital income were increased by free trade in the developing countries from 1970s to 2010s because foreign firms can use cheaper cost to access the developing countries. Researcher gives an example of Vietnam and Mexico. Both countries can increase exports to developed countries like United State. However, researcher points out that not everyone can benefit from free trade. It is varied depends on geography, nature of trade change. Researcher also points out that firms go globalization creates global standardization. We all know is called ISO. The firms in developing countries may not be able to fulfill that standard. The reasons are lack of human and technological ability. On the other hand, researcher thinks that the high standard can push those firms to improve their productivities, technologies, quality of goods and services as well as environmental standards. Others who cannot do it will downsize or even bankrupt. 4 Given the arguments relating to the new trade theory and strategic trade policy, what kind of trade policy should business be pressuring government to adopt? Q4. From the textbook, New Trade Theory has two main concepts which are economies of scale and first-mover advantages. As if domestic demand and the market of a country are small, firms may not produce a large volume of products to consumers to choose. And the price will be high since the cost of production is high. If more countries trade with each other, the demand will increase and may be large enough for producers to produce more products and thus attain economies of scale. Economies of scale mean a firm uses the same resources to produce a large number of products and reduce the cost. Government should negotiate or ally with other neighbor countries to free trade. After increasing the trade among countries, the variety of products would then be increased as well. The average cost of each product is thus lower and eventually increases the revenues of income. In addition, when the government helps the local firms to compete the economic scale, there should have enough related and support industries as well. This is a simple relationship. If local firms would like to increase their production, they have to buy more raw materials or semi-products for production. After finishing the products, they have to move to the sales place. The transportation network is very important for firms to transfer to its customers efficiently. The second point in the New Trade Theory is the first-mover advantage. Since the firms in the domestic industry treat economies of scale as a major factor, the firms need to get it by increasing the demands for production and exporting the products to other markets. The firms have to understand the customers’ expectation first. They have to consider whether the customers are well educated or living in high standards. In order to gain the pool of a larger market, the firms need to create competitive advantage on their products which are innovative and good quality. When the firms export them to other markets, these will expand the whole markets to a single market. If there is no other firms have the same features, the firms can get the first-mover advantage. Mostly the successful firms are lucky and their products are innovative in the new market. Many economists argue that the new trade theory create government intervention. From the textbook, some local firms in the developing countries are not large enough to operate by themselves. They need government’s help to maintain their comparative advantage and maintain their place in the industry. In this connection, government should help small firms by adapting control import quotas, tariffs, giving subsidies on especially technology as it is difficult for competitors to copy or prevent new entrants. There are several types of import quota to be used by the government. First, government controls on exactly how much of quotas to be imported. Fewer quotas of imports have fewer choices for consumers to choose. Consumers can only buy the local firms’ products and lastly increase their revenues. Second, government does voluntary not export so much to other countries. This also led the consumers to buy more local products than foreign products. Government may ask local firms to join together to do RD. When these firms successfully create new, innovate high technology products, they can get more market share. Some governments would use administration policies like anti-dumping policy to restrict the firms to sell products too cheap. These policies help domestic firms gain comparative advantage to foreign firms. In conclusion, when the small firms grow enough to get the first mover advantage and enter into the world market, the government can reduce its support and let the firms to overcome the short-term loss. Eventually, the economic growth will be increased.