The Cia Essays - Central Intelligence Agency,

The Cia CIA: The Black Sheep of the US Government Thinking in the philosophical terms of good and evil, nothing purely good can survive without the slightest taint of evil, and vice-versa. The same standard exists for everything. Just as you cannot always succeed by being purely honest, a government cannot hold itself together without committing its own personal rights and wrongs. The United States of America has protected its residents well in the past, and kept the appearance of a mild innocense; well, most of it, anyway. The Covert Intelligence Agency (CIA) is mostly swamped in its wrongs, though many have not even been proven. The CIA has been this countrys yang to protect the populace of the USA. CIA is an agency of the Executive Branch of the United States government. It was created by the National Security Act of 1947, which also unified the three military departments (the Army, Navy and Marines) under a secretary of defense. It replaced the National Intelligence Authority and the Central Intelligence Group. Its purpose is to keep the U.S. government informed of foreign actions affecting our nation's interests. The agency gathers political, economic, and military information about more than 150 nations and evaluates it for other U.S. government agencies. The CIA employs many foreign agents to supply intelligence about their native countries. It can also gather intelligence by listening to foreign radio and television broadcasts. Other ways include: reading foreign printed material available to the public, using aircraft with cameras, and using satellites to take pictures. The CIA works mostly by espionage, which is the act of spying on a country, organization, movement, or person. Using this method, the CIA evaluates and interprets information from its agents and researchers. It uses a lot of technical devices such as electronic eavesdropping equipment and also performs counterespionage. This prevents the theft of secret information and detects the presence of spies in the United States. Some think the history of espionage goes back to prehistoric times. The bible tells of Moses sending spies into Canaan. Frederick the Great of Prussia is credited with originating organized espionage. George Washington's spies obtained intelligence and information during the Revolutionary war. The CIA's original job was primarily intelligence gathering, but when Communism started to spread, the National Security Council directed that the agency take part in political, covert, paramilitary, and economic operations. When the Korean War broke out, the CIA performed these operations, it also had additional requirements to support the combat forces. In 1950 and 1953, the CIA went through several changes. An Office of National Estimates was given the mission of projecting future developments. Overseas operations were placed in one directorate. Another directorate was in charge of all intelligence production and a third directorate included all support activities. During this period, up until 1961, the CIA was at the height of its cold war activity. It carried out continuous foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, political action, and propaganda.3 In 1955, Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill granting $46 million for the construction of a CIA Headquarters Building. The cornerstone of the building was laid on November 3, 1959.2 The CIA has played a big part in the U.S. controversy with Cuba. On April 17, 1961, the CIA, supported by Cuban exiles, invaded Cuba. It was known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. On the same day, the first employees moved into the completed CIA Headquarters Building. On Oct. 15, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis began. The CIA was the organization that discovered the Soviet-made nuclear missiles in Cuba. The missiles were capable of reaching most of the United States.2 Also in 1962, the CIA had a mission in Cuba called MONGOOSE. In this mission the CIA planned to destroy a railroad yard and bridge. It also persuaded a German ball bearing manufacturer to send reject bearings to Cuba so the machines that they were used in would malfunction. It also sabotaged new busses that were ordered by Cuba for its own use. The CIA also assisted others in assassination planning against Cuban President Fidel Castro.6 Cuba is not the only foreign country that the CIA has carried out missions in. In Afghanistan, the CIA responded to the 1979 Soviet invasion. The CIA operated in conjunction

Understanding the Wuthering Heights Title

Understanding the Wuthering Heights Title Wuthering Heights is a great title! It sounds Gothicit sets the mood for one of the most dramatic and tragic love stories in literary history. But, what is the significance of the title? Why is it important? How does it relate to the setting or characterization? The title of the novel is also the name of the Yorkshire family estate, located on the moors, but Emily Bronte appears to have used the title to imbue the text with a feeling of dark foreboding. She carefully created the mood of the novel and placed her characters on the wild moors. Other reasons for the title: Wutheringmeaning quite literally windy or blusterysets the scene for the volatile, often-stormy-passionate relationships in the novel, but it also sets the stage with the feeling of isolation and mystery.The setting is based on the Elizabethan farmhouse, Top Withens (or Top Within), located near Haworth, West Yorkshire, England. Heres more information (photos, description, etc.), from Haworth Village.In Ch 1 of the novel, we read: Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliffs dwelling. Wuthering being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily, the architect had the foresight to build it stron g: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones. In the Preface, we read: It is rustic all through. It is Moorish  and wild, and knotty as a root of heath. Nor was it natural that it should be otherwise; the author being herself a native and nursling of the moors. Doubtless, had her lot been cast in a town, her writings, if she had written at all, would have possessed another character. Even had a chance or taste led her to choose a similar subject, she would have treated it otherwise... her native hills were far more to her than a spectacle; they were what she lived for, and by, as much as the wild birds, their tenants, or as the heather, their produce. Her descriptions, then, of natural scenery are what they should be, and all they should be.We also read in the Preface: Having avowed that over much of Wuthering Heights there broods a horror of great darkness; that, in its storm-heated and electrical atmosphere, we seem at times to breathe lightning: let me point to those spots where clouded daylight and the eclipsed sun still a ttest their existence. The setting of the placeso dark moody and stormyalso sets the perfect stage for her obstinate lovers, who carry on such a tumultuous relationship. And, with ghostly visitations, and multiple generations in the mix, its all a mess of supernatural portents and mad passions. (We could almost recollect a Shakespearean tragedy.) Every relationship is charged... The landscape is the personification of the turmoil experienced by the characters of Wuthering Heights. Also, the raw, even (what has been described as) animalistic passions of the novel reminds us once again of the long and controversial history of the novel.

The earning inequality in Israel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The earning inequality in Israel - Assignment Example Often, the media houses have covered this story focusing on issues relative to Israeli’s economy. The United States, a close follower of Israel’s practices, has acted against the discrimination challenge in the past as it reflects negatively on the countries well-built reputation (Plaut, 2014). Naturally, Israel is the only state in the Middle East lacking an apartheid regime and looking at its success, as a developed country; it faces no threats from rivals and defamers. This condition makes Israel’s practices a dream for most of the western countries. A decade ago, discrimination was the country’s most pressing challenge but today, things have taken an influential step. The most worrying characteristic of Israel is the growing income inequality. It became prevalent a few years ago and in 2015, it attracts the attention of most states, organizations and international corporations (Filut, 2015). As from April 2015, Israel ranks at number 15 in labor productivity of the international economies. This fact is from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) most recent report. Israel has had a record increase in labor productivity for a limited time with more than three million people in the country having standard jobs. World’s leading countries such as China, United Kingdom or even South Korea are yet to attain Israel’s current labor productivity. However, the OECD claims as much as Israel has made improvements, the country’s economy is in an awkward position because they are 4% out of their constant track as depicted in the past two decades (Filut, 2015). The economic growth continues to increase gradually because of the variations in labor productivity - over three times that of the major emerging markets. This might seem impressive but China, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia have had over 100% productive increase in less than a decade, which shows they are most likely to surpass Israel in due time (Matthew,

ADVANCED PRICING TECHNIQUES Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ADVANCED PRICING TECHNIQUES - Assignment Example US has an absolute advantage in ______________Chemicals____________ (apparel, chemicals, both apparel and chemicals, neither apparel nor chemicals). e. China has a comparative advantage in ________ both apparel and chemicals __________________ (apparel, chemicals, both apparel and chemicals, neither apparel nor chemicals). US has a comparative advantage in __________ neither apparel nor chemicals ________________ (apparel, chemicals, both apparel and chemicals, neither apparel nor chemicals). g. Compared to the initial optimal product combinations D and S, world output of chemicals is ________smaller________ (smaller, greater) by __18___ tons of chemicals and world output of apparel is ________greater________ (smaller, greater) by __28___ 1000 units of apparel. i. Based on the actual terms of trade in previous part of this question, US can now choose four 1000 units of apparel and ___1.5___ tons of chemicals and China can now choose six tons of chemicals and ___1.5___ 1000 units of apparel. Specialization and trade between the two nations has ______decreased________ (decreased, increased) the standard of living in US and has ________Increased______ (decreased, increased) the standard of living in

Case study, Sensible Life Products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study, Sensible Life Products - Essay Example for disinfectant products has been increasing steadily owing to the increased awareness from campaigns focusing on the importance of cleanliness and disinfection. Additionally, recent years have seen an increment in the number of infectious such as the avian flu thereby causing increased demand for disinfectants. This implies that there is a relatively large and ready market for SLP products. However, amid the rising demand consumers trends are changing in favor of products that consume minimum time possible. As such, it is recommended that SLP’s management consider organizations that are producing products that are easy to use and time saving such as wipes. This will ensure that benefect will retain its relevance in the market amid changing consumer trends. Additionally, market research shows that consumers are highly interested in learning about bacteria and germ protection. Furthermore, research studies shows that consumer preferences are changing in favor of environmental friendly products. As such, it is recommended that SLP channels more energy and resources into partners that have clear strategies of marketing benefect. Additionally, more importantly is a firm that will teach about the benefits of using environmentally friendly disinfectants such as benefect. However, this is seemingly difficult since a campaign promoting use of organic disinfectants would act against other products of most companies. Nonetheless, striking such a deal would ensure that benefect is still being produced and ensuring human health while simultaneously conserving the environment. Furthermore, disinfectants are regulated products hence the need to have a firm with extensive experience regarding the sale of regulated products. This implies the befitting firm to strike a deal with SLP was probably one already dealing with disinfectant products. Moreover, potential firms needed to have knowledge of the appropriate target market in which to sell the disinfectant products. This

Philosophy of Freedom

Philosophy of Freedom What is freedom? Is it absolute right? If we ask this question to people around us, we will receive around a hundred different answers, because everyone will understand this phenomenon in his or her own way. Freedom can be defined starting from different aspects, according to different cultures, from different points of view and even from different beliefs. Everyone was born totally free and all of them must have the right to live freely. Based on some articles, we can see that out there people want to be free and independent from each other, but is this concept possible and acceptable by the society? Freedom is the right to do what we want, live where we want, eat what we want, learn what we want to learn, for example we choose what religion we want to believe, without caring about others judgments! Honestly, I am not sure if this in of right really exists because we were taught in a way where we are allowed to choose, but at the end someone will do that job (choosing) for us. So are we really free?! Are we following the definition of Freedom? In my opinion, freedom is an absence of pressure and enforcement from other people, where people is free to do what laws and social customs do not prohibit. We can hardly say that all societies are free in the same way. Personally, I believe that we, Human beings are God creatures. God is the one who made us and gave us the right to life. According to the Bible, God started to create the heavens and the earth, then the morning and the night where He allowed the existence of life, starting from birds to all the animals and till the end the creation of the Man, called Adam. Since Adam was so alone, God decided to give him a company, a partner. Based on all this, God made a society for Humans and with it, we were taught to obey and follow rules. Can we try to imagine what the world might turn into if every one of us could do whatever we wantedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with no limitations and respect towards the rules and others? After all, how can we live freely? From my point of view, we can live freely by respecting others rights to live freely too, by taking other people rights into consideration. In other words, the main idea behind the word freedom is to be respectful and responsible to the society. Freedom is a very important thing to every human being because as we had encounter in the past decades a lot of debates have started debating about this topic. For example, I would like to talk about the freedom of speech. I think freedom of speech is the most important part when we try to see what the meaning behind freedom is. As we know, out there is a lot of people that are convicted because of their creative mind and even, some of them are buried just because the society cannot accept their way of expressing their feelings. In my research, someone said that freedom of expression will never result in hostility among people if they respect each others ideas. As I mentioned before, freedom is not an absolu te right, and there are too many limitation on it. First of all, the society right including national security which is very important, security is the most important thing in freedom. Our freedoms should never cause to threatening our national security. I have stated some of my opinions about freedom, now I would like to describe the word freedom by a definition. According to Wikipedia, freedom is innate to human and that he will fights as long as he lives to restore his innate right to be free man, I like this definition very much because I think it is true, our freedoms are settled by us, no one can set it! Since God gave us freedom for free, we must do our best to maintain and keep this right. I think the most humiliating ways to punish a human, is to deprive him or her from freedom, for example when someone goes to jail, that person is deprive from freedom and so he is suffering. Freedom is not absolute, it must be limited. We cannot just do what we like and say I am a free man!. We cannot kill, smuggle drugs or violate the laws and rules for freedom, they should be respected and I totally agree with this sentence the freedom of anyone ends where the freedom of another one begins!. For me, every youngster should be taught to be free, planting in them the love for freedom, but they might be supervised, it should not be without limits. Freedom in teens state is very important for building a good character and a stable personality. Teens want to hang around with friends, do whatever they like, or do not like, they want to experience everything. If they are given freedom with no limits, they may get lost, so parents should tell them what is right or wrong, so there is no limit or restriction. That is why parents guidance is really important for our existence. Only freedom with no guidance will lead to a bad actions and cause destruction in the society. Freedom is a state, a process of interaction of individuals and groups with the environment, when the society is changing or a person makes some changes so that there appear more opportunities of choice and realization of important purposes and values. The most important thing that we must care about is enjoying our freedom without harming our security. For conclusion, freedom is an innate right, something that humans are born with. Nothing in this planet can threaten our freedom, deprive us from our rights. As mention before, our right of freedom must never cause harm to any other human being, directly or indirectly. We must respect freedom as everyone in the world/society has it, if you want others to respect your freedom, firstly you must learn to respect them. And following this ways, we can enjoy and live our freedom through our life. Last but not the least, I want to quote a sentence that my teacher in high school used to say Quanto mais liberdade, mais responsabilidade., it means the more freedom you have, the more responsibilities you face. After all, this sentence is really reflective and I hope that that people out there have realize this little secret!

The Great Gatsby :: Essays Papers

The Great Gatsby In the story The Great Gatsby, many corrupted relationships are found. George & Myrtle, Myrtle & Tom, Tom & Daisy, Daisy & Gatsby, Gatsby & everyone are all perfect examples of misleading relationships seen in the novel. Fitzgerald may seem pessimistic in portraying every relationship as a fraud. I however, must agree that the time this novel was written, which was around the same time that the story took place in, was a very materialistic time. This is why I feel Fitzgerald could not have made these relationships seem any more realistic than he did. Friendship was seen a lot throughout the story. A good example to speak of would be Gatsby and all of his friends. Apparently Gatsby had many friends during his life, none of which decided to go to his funeral. While he was alive, throwing huge parties, Gatsby actually seemed to have friends. When he died, it seemed like he had never existed. The only friend who decided to go to Gatsby’s funeral was his neighbour, Nick. Marriages seemed quite transparent in this story. None of them were solid. Tom and Daisy would come across as a nice, happily married couple, you would never be able to tell that Tom had a mistress and Daisy was still in love with another man. Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, was married as well. She was married to George Wilson, Tom’s mechanic. Sure, it all seems a little bit unreal but if you think about it, do things like this not happen today. Why would it have been any different back then? Maybe it was more difficult to pull off having an affair but it still could have been done, and I’m sure it was. Affairs seemed to be what corrupted marriages, but affairs are still relationships. They seemed to be the healthiest relationships because they were built on the individuals’ desire for one another, not money or possessions. Tom and Myrtle were together regardless of the fact that they were both married. They loved eachother much like a married couple would only they weren’t married, at least not to eachother. The fact that these relationships were considered wrong didn’t make them bad, these were just people following their hearts.

Rational Choice Theory Essay

â€Å"Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. † As seen from Oscar Wilde’s famous quote, rationality is one of the most crucial and controversial subjects in studying human behavior. To study and examine this rationality, numerous scholars have tried to establish their own theories and generalize their explanation with empirical evidences from real world, which ultimately produces so called, the theory of rational choice. Rational Choice Theory is an approach to understand human behavior. The approach has long been the dominant paradigm in economics, but in recent several decades it has become more widely used in other fileds such as Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rational choice theory and briefly discuss its basic assumptions, critiques, political implication, and alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism. First of all, historical backgrounds of rational choice theory and its transition from the field of Economics to that of Political Science will be elaborated. Next, various definitions and meanings of the rational choice will be discussed. The basic assumptions of the rational choice approach with political implication will be followed. Several issues raised by rational choice theory will be followed after this discussion. This paper will suggest some of the main criticisms that have been levied against the rational choice approach. Limited empirical validity of rational choice theory and methodological individualism, which reveals innate problematic nature of the theory, will be discussed. Finally, alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism will sum up this discussion. Before elaborating its theoretical discussion, it is necessary to discuss historical backgrounds of rational choice theory. In the article, â€Å"A Genealogy of Rational Choice: Rationalism, Elitism, and Democracy†, Maloy introduces Skinner’s analysis of behaviorism as fundamental background for the discussion of rational choice theory. He argues that, â€Å"Skinner’s analysis deserves the attention of the recent debates around rational choice ecause it calls attention to the ineluctable ideological features of methodological debate† (Maloy 751). According to Maloy, Skinner could â€Å"clarify the sorts of normative force which attach to empirical theories in social sciences by a close textual analysis of some leading contributions to the behaviorist debate†, which ultimately enables the discussion of rational choice to be furthered applied into different fields of study (Maloy 751). Milton Freidman is another crucial figure that provides profound theoretical base for discussing rational choice theory. In â€Å"The Methodology of Positive Economics†, Friedman argues that people and firms make decisions that can maximize their profit under perfect information. He defended rational choice model by arguing that, â€Å"a theory should be judged by its predictive accuracy, not the realism of its assumptions† (Friedman 10). His argument provides theoretical foundations of rational choice theory in Economics, even though it is often criticized by later scholars because of its weak empirical validity and ceteris paribus nature. While rational choice theory has been dominant paradigm in Economics, it has become â€Å"adapted and adjusted in a number of ways to fit† different fields of study such as Political Science; Maloy explains that â€Å"the distinctiveness of the rational choice approach among political scientists consists, in general terms, in the use of economic models to explain and predict political behavior (Maloy 753). Maloy points out three prominent figures, Arrow, Downs, and Olson as rational choice founders especially in the field of political science. According to Maloy, Arrow’s work focuses on so called, â€Å"collective rationality whose underlying purpose is to measure collective choices using standards normally applied to individual choices (Maloy 753). Down uses Arrow’s collective rationality as the starting point of his study and â€Å"aims to articulate a behavior rule for democratic governments so that they could be included in economic theories of general equilibrium, alongside non-state agents like private firms and consumers (Maloy 754). Finally, Olson’s analysis has taken â€Å"the key elements of Arrow’s and Down’s constructs and applied them to a narrower field†; He argues that â€Å"as long as the service provided by a voluntary association is a public good on which an individual can ride-free, there is no incentive actually to take on the costs associated with joining, membership and participation, unless the marginal contribution of that individual appreciably advances the organizational cause† (Maloy 754). All three choice founders’ works have enabled rational choice theory to be in the central place of political discussion in â€Å"the creative and cross-disciplinary ways† (Maloy 755). By arguing that voting results have no specific social meaning, voting has no individual efficacy, and participation in interest group activity has no special individual efficacy, these rational choice founders could criticize unrealistic and irrational assumptions and norms of traditional democratic system and bring rational choice model to the place of political discussion from the field of Economics (Maloy 755). Rational Choice Theory generally starts with consideration of the choice behavior of individual decision-making units, which in economics are often consumers and firms. The theory suggests that the individual decision-making unit is certain larger group such as buyers or sellers in a particular market. Once individual behavior is set up, the analysis generally moves on to examine how individual choices interact to produce outcomes. Then, what does it mean by arguing that a choice is rational? In rational choice theory it means that an agent’s choices reflect the most preferred possible alternative among given opportunities. In other words, choices must reflect utility maximization. Elinor Ostrom defines rational choice theory as a guide to â€Å"understand humans as self-interested, short-term maximizers† in his work, â€Å"A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action† (Ostrom 2). In the article, â€Å"The Political Psychology of Rational Choice Theory†, William H.  Riker also suggests that â€Å"the rational choice model begins with the assumption that actors know what they want and can order their wants transitively† (Riker 25). â€Å"Transitively† here means that an agent of rational choice model can do so called, â€Å"a transitive ordering†; â€Å"To know what one wants requires one to choose the best from among several goals and, failing to attain it, to choose the second best, etc† (Riker 24). This formulation of ordering enables an agent to pursue the best option with given constraints that limit choices he or she can have. In their work, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory†, Coleman and Fararo define rational choice sociologically as they use the term, â€Å"models of purposive action†, rather than rational choice; â€Å"These models rest on the assumption that actors are purposive which means they act in ways that tend to produce beneficial results† (Coleman and Fararo 21). These several definitions point out that choices pursuing utility maximization and outcomes made by these choices are key elements in rational choice theory. Then how is different when rational choice theory is applied into the field of Political Science instead of other fields of study such as Economics and Sociology? According to Riker, Economists’ main concern for rational choice is â€Å"the process and outcomes produced by voluntary exchange, where of course, all participants benefit. On the other hand, â€Å"Politics mainly concerns processes and outcomes produced by group decisions which are practically binding on those who cannot resign from the group. Thus, there can be losers and winners in politics according to Riker’s argument (Riker 24). Although Rational choice theory has long been the dominant paradigm in Economics and other fields of study, it has been subject to vigorous criticism. In â€Å"Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory†, Don Green and Ian Shapiro raises several empirical problems that rational choice theory possess; they â€Å"conclude that a number of methodological deficiencies plague empirical applications of rational choice models. They argue that, â€Å"fundamental and recurrent methodological failings rooted in the universalist aspirations that motivate so much rational choice theorizing† (Freidman 59). According to Green and Shapiro, â€Å"these mistakes stem from a method-driven rather than a problem-driven approach to research, in which practitioners are more eager to vindicate one or another universalist model than to understand and explain actual political outcomes† (Friedman 59). Green and Shapiro’s argument can be summarized into three propositions; â€Å"there is a list of methodological characteristics that are undesirable in an empirical science and are thus to be avoided. † â€Å"Empirical applications of rational choice theory are more likely to commit these mistakes than other types of empirical analysis in political science. â€Å"These pathologies are not due to and historical coincidence, but are rooted in fundamental characteristics of rational choice theory, especially its universalist aspirations and the lack of specificity in the rational actor assumption† (Freidman 60). These propositions suggest that rational choice theory has its empirical limit for testing and predicting actual political outcomes. In detail, Green and Shapiro point out several problems of rational choice theory that possibly undermines the empirical validity of the theory itself. Post hoc theory development† known to statisticians as â€Å"curve fitting† is one of these problems that rational choice theory contains. Green and Shapiro â€Å"contend that rather than formulating bold predictions that are falsifiable by empirical evidence, rational choice theorist tend first to look at the empirical evidence, then design a rational choice model that fits it† (Friedman 5). Another problem raised by Green and Shapiro is rational choice theorists’ engagement in â€Å"arbitrary domain restriction† (Friedman 5). As discussed earlier, certain restrictions or constraints enable â€Å"a transitive ordering† in rational choice theory. Green and Shapiro argue that these constraints and restrictions are defined in ambiguous ways in rational choice model, which ultimately makes the empirical validity of the theory weakened. Green and Shapiro’s examination of the phenomenon of voting behavior is another major example that shows these problems rational choice theory innately possesses. â€Å"In a real-world election with a large electorate, it is instrumentally irrational for anyone to case a ballot, since no single vote has more than an infinitesimal chance of deciding the outcome. Whether one favors selfish or selfless ends, virtually any activity in pursuit of those ends would be more effective than the time spent on voting and on educating oneself about candidates and issues. Yet hundreds of millions of people do vote. For rational choice theory, this would appear to be a gigantic anomaly† (Friedman 6); As noted earlier, rational choice theory presumes that an agent of the model seeks best possible outcomes to maximize his or her utility in given constraints. However, according to Green and Shapiro, in a real-world voting behavior does not confirm this assumption of rational choice theory where voters cast a ballot without having enough time to assess or predict its possible outcome and realizing whether his or her action of voting maximize benefit or not. Another issue raised by Green and Shapiro is free riding problem; While voters can easily pursue a free riding action on the efforts of others to help the cause succeed, there is no need for people to devote resources of time and money to cause desired results. In other words, â€Å"rational choice theory would seem to be refuted not only by people who vote, but by those who contribute small amounts of money to political campaigns, attend rallies, and engage in other forms of collective action designed to secure goals whose achievement is independent of the efforts of any single participant† (Friedman 7). As seen from Green and Shapiro’s founding, most criticisms of rational choice theory seem to be that the assumptions of the theory are not literally and completely true. No model can pass such a test, as all theories abstract from reality in certain way. Determining the empirical validity of a model would therefore seem to involve an examination of both feasibility of assumptions and conformity with real-world data. The most basic assumption of rational choice theory is that the primary unit of analysis is the individual decision-maker. Those who believe that groups are fundamental have criticized this assumption. This issue of so called, â€Å"methodological individualism† are dealt in many contexts in the social sciences. In the book, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and Critique†, Coleman and Fararo argues that models of purposive action or rational choice model can be useful in explaining and predicting human behavior. They further their argument by saying that â€Å"because the values and beliefs of individuals are shaped primarily by the socializing influences of society, especially as mediated through social relationships with significant other, an understanding of the culture and structure of societies and of the positions of individuals within them is necessary† (Coleman and Fararo 22). According to Coleman and Fararo, major problem for applying rational choice model particularly into Economics and Political Science, in which the primary interest has been in aggregate level outcomes, â€Å"is that the postulate of purposive action has been linked to arbitrary and narrow assumptions about what individuals value and believe† (Coleman Fararo 33). Also the assumption that human behavior is narrowly self-interested and the use of the term rationality to refer to the efficient pursuit of economic benefits has often produced incorrect assumption that rational choice model are innately egoistic; â€Å"that they regard individuals as calculating the expected benefit to themselves of alternative lines of action and acting accordingly (Coleman and Fararo 34). Recent empirical evidences suggest that human beings are capable of acting in ways for the interests of others or the social group above their self-interest, which implies that the assumption of individual’s pursuit of self-interest does not match with reality. Coleman and Fararo further their discussion of this â€Å"methodological individualism† by arguing that a social norm can be one primary example, which refutes the basic assumption of rational choice model. According to Coleman and Fararo, â€Å"When a social norm is know to have been violated, some type of formal or informal sanction will result† (Coleman Fararo 35). Formal sanction like a legal code or a set of rules and informal sanction like a disapproval or social ostracism would affect individual’s choice making process. Therefore, unlike the basic assumption of rational choice model suggests that human behavior is oriented from self-interest, by the effect of social norms and values, individuals can consequently act in altruistic or selfless way for pursuing the interests of groups they are involved in. Because of its limit and problematic nature of rational choice theory, the need for alternative explanation has become necessary for many scholars who criticize the theory. Dennis Chong provides some insights for the possible alternative of rational choice theory in his article, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory’s Mysterious Rivals†. According to Chong, even though Green and Shapiro’s critique against rational choice theory has failed to provide complete form of alternative explanation, there are some theoretical debates and discussions that suggest possible theoretical replacement or revision. Chong argues that, â€Å"Green and Shapiro occasionally allude to the influence of social-psychological and moral factors† such as group loyalties, emotions, political identities, ideology, obligation, and altruism (Friedman 47). As found in Coleman and Fararo’s arguments that institutional or social factors can affect individual’s choice making process, many scholars further their discussion of this social motivation as the alternative of rational choice theory. In his article, â€Å"When Rationality Fails†, Michael Taylor argues that social identification and intrinsic motivation can explain some of significant social phenomenon and collective action that has been ignored by rational choice theory; â€Å"If a person defines herself as a member of a group, or if her membership in a group is made cognitively salient, then she is more likely to observe the group’s norms and cooperate with group members in social dilemmas† (Friedman 230). For intrinsic motivation, Taylor explains that there are some activities that are intrinsically motivating people to be participated such as interesting work, volunteering, and political activities. In this case the activity itself or enjoyment of that activity is the reward for people. When extrinsic rewards like money are introduced, intrinsic motivation would diminish (Friedman 231). By suggesting the concept of social identification and intrinsic motivation, problems of rational choice model for explaining some collective action can be resolved. In this paper, a sense of how rational choice theory works and of its methodological foundations has been introduced. It has also been noticed that rational choice theory is not an ultimate answer. The theory is subject to a number of criticisms, but there is no doubt that its influence in various fields of study have brought tremendous amounts of theoretical debates, and increased the depth of economic, sociological, and political discussions. It is impossible to attain complete knowledge about anything, especially social phenomena. However, it is certain that rational choice approach is one of most crucial theoretical resources for human beings to explore and examine to gain this ultimate answer. It can be useful or misleading, depending on how it is treated. It is responsibility of remaining and future scholars and people to correctly apply and use this theory with open-minded attitude.

Create a Plan for Positive Influence Paper Essay Example

Create a Plan for Positive Influence Paper Essay Example Create a Plan for Positive Influence Paper Essay Create a Plan for Positive Influence Paper Essay Create a Plan for Positive Influence Paper Kevin Sanderson LDR/531 October 18, 2010 Lawrence Hibbard Create a Plan for Positive Influence Paper Working in a team environment requires that each team member be motivated to complete the tasks at hand in an efficient and effective manner. Member performance is normally proportionate to satisfaction. Bases for this winning combination can be derived from self assessments such as The Platinum Rule Behavioral Style Assessment and team collaborations. The outcome of such assessments and collaborations are instrumental in the positive influence of teamwork both in school and workplace environments. Often teams are assigned large projects to work on and the attitudes, values, emotions, and personalities of the members are direct attributes of the projects success or failure. A plan to promote a positive environment is the first step of ensuring team success. The Platinum Rule Behavioral Style Assessment identifies four styles of behavior: dominance (the need to control and the need to achieve), interactive (thrive on the admiration, acknowledgment, and compliments), steadiness (warm, supportive, and nurturing individuals), and cautious (analytical, persistent, and systematic problem solvers) (Alessandra, 2010). Each style includes four sub-styles: Dominance-director, adventurer, producer, pioneer Interactive-socializer, helper, impresser, enthusiast Steadiness-relater, specialist, go-getter, harmonizer Cautious-thinker, master-minder, assessor and perfecter Each sub-style has its own motivators, which will be addressed later. When each team member has identified his or her individual style and sub-style, the team can collaborate to see who is best for what role and find the right dynamics for the team. It is found that for some, the assessment is a perfect description, whereas others believe the results are off the mark. The differences in perceptions of individuals self is good during team collaborations because individuals can discover behaviors and personalities that they were not aware they possessed. Also it helps each member identify with whom he or she can work with the best. Different people have different values indicative of their behaviors and personalities that must be identified as well when working as a group and large projects. For example, A person looking to hurry and get-by would not go well on a team that is dedicated and looking to deliver a quality product or service. However, this type of individual’s energy could be used to handle any manual labor that may be needed and can be controlled and monitored. Once the identification phase has taken place, it is important to find ways to increase motivation, satisfaction, and performance. Increase in Motivation As mentioned earlier each behavior style has a sub-style with unique motivators. For example the Interactive Enthusiast (Id) is motivated by influencing others. This means this type of individual experiences higher levels of satisfaction by stimulating other team members in some positive form or fashion. The realization of this influence then causes the individual to perform at peak levels. The more Interactive Enthusiasts can influence people, the more motivated and satisfied him or she will be and individual performances will increase (Alessandra, 2010). Another example is a Dominance Pioneer (Dc). This type individual is motivated by functioning in a position to direct and redirect task accomplishments. These futuristic focused individuals are quick on their feet and work well in contingency situations. Assigning new tasks in unchartered territories will increase the motivation, satisfaction, and performance of these individuals (Alessandra, 2010). Job satisfaction may also be increased when a person is doing work that is liked. Other job-satisfaction facets included pay, advancement opportunities, supervision, and coworkers; however, if a person is doing what is of interest to them he or she will tend to experience satisfaction long-term (Robbins Judge, 2007). Performance levels also can be increased when specific goals are set. A person, striving to do the best he or she can, may not reach optimal performance. The goal-setting theory suggests that specific goals act as internal stimuli and increase individual performance (Robbins Judge, 2007). Therefore, if team members have definite objectives and timelines the team has a better chance at effectiveness and efficiency. Behavior Influences It is evident that a person’s behavior has an effect on the dynamics and productivity of a team. Many factors play a part in individual behavior. Behavior can be influenced by attitudes, personalities, values, and emotions. Attitudes are said to be casually related to behavior meaning that a person’s attitude will dictate his or her behavior. Importance is one of the most powerful moderators of attitudes-behavioral relationship. According to Robbins Judge (2007) â€Å"Important attitudes are ones that reflect fundamental values, self-interest, or identification with individuals or groups that a person values† (p. 78). These types of attitudes demonstrate a strong relationship to behavior. A person’s personality, in a sense, dictates how individuals interact with the masses. Two extremes of personalities opposite of each other have a great deal of influence on behavior; Type A and Type B personalities. Type A people are aggressive, always moving, multi-taskers obsessed with numbers, and measure in volume and mass. This type of personality is best used when an organization taking off or going through a transition; may be harmful during the maturity period of the business life cycle. Type B people are rarely hurried, patient, reserved, and can put their mind at ease. This type of personality is best used when an organization is trying to focus on the mission and objectives as well as the big picture; can be a spontaneous thought detriment (Robbins Judge, 2007). Values are individual perceptions of reality itself and the way the individual chooses to deal with it. Because values are based on individual perception, he or she can obstruct objectivity and rationality. This can have a negative impact on a team if an individual values cause the team to deviate from its goals and objectives by deciding to place self want over team need (Robbins Judge, 2007). The direction of intense feelings toward someone or something is called emotions. In an organizational setting it is hard for a person to function if he or she experiences the emotion of anger, for example. This oment of emotion can alter the mood from pleasant to unpleasant. This in turn can affect one’s creativity. People in good moods tend to be more open-minded, think fast, and come up with many ideas, while those in bad moods can be pessimistic, abrupt, and have their mind wonder (Robbins Judge, 2007). Differences Many differences exist in referencing attitudes, personalities, va lues, and emotions. Just as one of the aforementioned can have a positive effect on a team, it can have an equivalent negative effect as well. A team may be diverse and contain many personality traits that may play part on one’s emotions. These emotions can dictate the individual attitude, which has a direct affect on the individual value system. Of course, the sequence of cause and effect can be rearranged yielding a different outcome of the same elements. Knowing and understanding the individual and collective differences of attitudes, personalities, values, and emotions can help a team organize its committees, plan its strategies with strategic personnel, make timelines more conducive to team member preference, and develop trust among members. Conclusion When a team assembles the members must figure each other out to work together. Different motivating, satisfying, and performance-driven feelings exist in everybody. Mix the feelings with the attitudes, emotions, values, and personalities that each member possesses, and the outcome is unpredictable. If provisions are made for positive influence, the benefits to the team can be unlimited. References Alessandra, T. (2010, October). The Platinum Rule Behavioral Style Assessment. Retrieved from https://uop. blanchardassessments. com/reportcontents. asp? id=174030 Robbins, S. P. , Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational Behavior (12th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Landslides Essays - Landslides, Environmental Soil Science

Landslides Essays - Landslides, Environmental Soil Science Landslides Causing $1-2 billion in damages and more than 25 deaths per year, landslides are a major geologic hazard, caused by earthquakes and floods. Although, landslides are generally not as exciting or costly as earthquakes, major floods, tropical storms, and other natural disasters, they occur in more expanded places and may cause more property damage than any other geologic hazards. A wide variety of ground movements, such as rock falls, slope failure, and shallow debris flows can classify landslides. When a portion of a hill slope cannot support its own weight a landslide will occur. When rainfall or some other water source increases the water content of the slope the weakness is irritated, reducing the strength of the materials. Although gravity acting upon an increased slope is the main reason for a landslide, there are other elements that contribute to its cause. Loud sounds that occur during an earthquake also cause landslides. Erosion caused by rivers, glaciers, or ocean waves create oversteepened slopes. Heavy rains and melting snow weaken rock and soil slopes. Furthermore, vibrations from machinery, traffic, and even thunder may trigger failure of weak slopes. Excess water can run through slope material and can cause a debris flow or mud flow. The rock and mud left over after a landslide may pick up anything in its path, such as trees, houses, and cars, causing bridges and tributaries to become blocked which causes flooding throughout its path. Even though, the natural cause of most landslides is unable to be stopped, geologic investigations, good engineering practices and effective enforcement of land-use management regulations can cut back landslide danger. Landslides effect every state in the United States territory. The Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coastal Ranges and few parts of Alaska and Hawaii have intense landslide problems. USGS marine scientists have recently identified over fifteen giant landslides surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. These slides are some of the largest known on Earth, and most have taken place throughout the past four million years. The youngest landslide is estimated to have occurred only one hundred thousand years ago, and there is evidence today that large blocks of the island are starting to slide, causing enormous earthquakes. Each landslide that has happened over the bast four million years has ended with huge land loss and gigantic waves that move rocks and se diments up to 1000ft above sea level. The geologic hazards are important to learn about because, they don't occur as frequently as volcanoes or other disasters, they have potential to destroy lives, property, and natural

Cross-cultural,moral, ethic, and environmental issues of hospitality Essay

Cross-cultural,moral, ethic, and environmental issues of hospitality organization - Essay Example The forms are in relation to the hospital and physician, and each occurs at different integration stages. Hospital leadership often uses the stakeholders’ capability of management to understand, analyze and transact business in order to achieve the required goals for cooperates wellbeing. Internal and external stakeholders’ interests can be identified and managed by understanding the organization’s engagements, analysis, management, influences and partnership. Health system views the management of organizational culture as an important part of reforms today. The latest reforms in United Kingdom were based on major cultural transformation on the organization that should be secured on considerations of procedural and structural changes. This will help in the delivery of the required improvements in performance and quality services. Key factors that impede change of culture across a wide range of sectors include inappropriate leadership, professional allegiances and external stakeholders imposing constraints. There are effects that come with subcultural diversity and lack of ownership mentality. Cultural competency is important for potential strategy in eliminating ethnic or racial disparity and increase quality in the health care sector. The approach has taken varies depending on the influential sphere, goal and mission. Cultural competence has a multilevel nature in line with the key informants. Stakeholders are mainly interested in the organizational basis of the hospital. This is pivotal as it help in management of hospitals in order to maintain a good profitable organization. â€Å"Stake holders are mainly interested in the economic progress of the health facilities.† (Maybery & Nicewander, 103-119) The aspect revolves around creating employment training programs and zoning regulations. They are interested in social change, in efforts of racial harmony improvement. Involving workers in decision making

Economic Activity in Frace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economic Activity in Frace - Essay Example This was more that the OECD countries which had an average house hold income of 23,938 dollars per year (Gofen and Blandine, 27). Despite these high numbers, there is a considerable difference between the poorest and the richest in France. The top 20% of the population in France are able to earn five times more, than the bottom 20% of the population. The most relevant industry for the supply of ice cream laced wine is the hospitality industry (Gofen and Blandine, 21). This industry comprises of hotels, bars, discos, Casinos, etc. The hospitality industry in France is very stable, and the most lucrative. For instance, during the financial crisis, the hospitality industry was not affected. For example, France has the highest hotel penetration rate in Europe. This rate stands at 41%. The wine product sold by my company is a luxurious product, and hence the people of France can afford it. This is because they have a strong income per capita, and the target industry is performing