Early Greek and Roman Civilizations

Early Greek and Roman Civilizations Charles Inabnitt American InterContinental University Abstract The early Greek and Roman empires or civilizations shared a lot of similarities in geography for they both are Mediterranean countries. They had similar religions also. These are some of the cultural aspects that are compared and contrasted. Early Greek and Roman Civilizations The following are examples of cultural elements of comparison and contrast: geography, government, economy, art, philosophy, religion. Furthermore, the graph below will go into more detail in all of the subjects discussed above. Greece| Roman| Geography| Some of the Greek poleis or city states as they were called where naturally separated by the sea from the mainland. Now the mainland was very mountainous. | Geographically, Rome was built on seven hills on the east bank of the Tiber River. The lower lying areas were prone to flooding. | Government| Greek governments were divided in groups by the great Aristotle, a nd are still used today by historians, into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies, and democracies. | Rome was ruled by kings at the beginning of their time. Then it became a republic with emperors of royal blood and a senate and an assembly. | Economy| The Greeks since their poleis where unreachable by land they were reached by sea. Thus in the early part of the history of Greece the main source of economy was through fishing and trading. Later led onto agriculture and the growing of wheat. | Romans where known for their trading and were also known for taking slaves from all of the wars that they had from the expansion of their empire. Therefore, the people of Rome had grown a custom to slave labor. Art| The Greeks where known for the art form of perfecting the human body. They were known for sculptures and other famous art works known as ideal artistic form of art. | The Roman people were engineers. Concrete was one of the greatest inventions by the romans. They were able to make great expanded forms of architecture. | Philosophy| Philosophy or ‘love of wisdom’ was the enriched need of knowledge without the use of history. Some of the greatest thinkers came from ancient Greece mainly from Athens. | Roman philosophy was borrowed from the Greeks philosophy and the concepts of ethical and political. Religion| The religion of the Greeks where that of gods for every aspect of life. For example, there were gods for things like the sea ruled by Poeidon and the underworld ruling over the dead ruled by Hades. Then the all mighty Zeus ruler of all gods and of mankind. | Roman also believed in gods for every aspect of life. Therefore they borrowed the Greeks gods and just renamed them. | So in conclusion, as we can see that the Greeks and the Romans had many similarities. Reasons of this may stem from the fact that the Romans develop from the Greek colonies and also the Etruscan settlements. This may be the reason why the philosophy and the religion of the Greek and Romans are very similar. As you can also see though both civilizations had their differences in how their civilizations were maintained and ran in everyday life and morals. References Miller, Lee, Patrick. , Reeve, C. D. C. (2006). Introductory Readings in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc Sayre, Henry. (2010). Discovering the Humanities. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Hall

Literary Analysis

Langston Hughes’ â€Å"Theme for English B† is an interesting piece of perspective from an author who is obviously struggling to come up with an answer to what a teacher had thought to be a fairly straight forward question. When Hughes’ instructor asks him to go home and simply put down truth on a single page, it opens his eyes up to all of the things that he has done in his life. In addition to that, it opens his eyes to who he really is, what things drive and motivate him, and how other people have helped to shape him. He touches on certain racially charged issues, though he never really gets into them in detail. For the most part, his writing is a compilation of that several aspects that have made up his life and turned him into the relatively young man that he is. Hughes begins his writing by simply wondering out loud to himself. His first words serve as something of a critique of the assignment itself. The teacher has indicated that this would be something that should not take long and it should be relatively simple for the students to complete. Hughes realizes right away that it is not that easy, at all, to come up with a real picture of the things that make a person who they are. At the beginning, the majority of Hughes’ doubts have to do with the fact that he was brought up in some different places and that he has always been something of an outlier when compared to his contemporaries. Hughes writes, â€Å"I wonder if it's that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem. I am the only colored student in my class.† (Hughes). In this, the reader gets a clear picture of the road that has led Hughes to the university and how those things have had a seemingly profound impact on his life. Hughes also takes the time to touch on some racially charged themes in his life in the later part of his opening dialogue. He does not look like a lot of the students around him, which obviously presents some problems for him and it also makes him appreciate his background. He learns to appreciate the reasons why he was able to come as far as he has come. Jane Alice of American Studies had some interesting thoughts on the main themes behind this particularly piece of poetry. In her analysis, she writes, â€Å"The instructor of his class is then implying that everyone here in his college class has something in common or has some what of the same life† (Alice). This serves to address the big problem of perception that can often time separate people in academia. For the teacher, everything was simple and everyone in the class had a similar upbringing. After all, they were there in a good college, so they had to come from the same type of background. Little does she know that it was much more of a struggle for some people than it was for other people. For the poet, getting to college was no simple task. Instead, it was something that required the ability to overcome many hurdles along the way. Hughes is an interesting case when it comes to his perspective. He is no small player in the African American community, having ascended to the position of poet laureate and having produced some of the most well recognized work of his time. It is absolutely essential to understand these things if one is going to understand what he is trying to say in â€Å"Theme for English B†. According to Mark Maier of AssociatedContent.com, this is the primary piece that readers have to grasp. Maier writes, â€Å"Hughes was a staple in the Harlem community, and a major player in the Harlem Renaissance—a coming-of-age for African American creativity in the throughout the 1920’s and ‘30’s. He is 47 by the time he writes this poem (not actually for the assignment’s due date) and it serves as both an educational and reflective vehicle—a voice that tells the how and why of not only what was happening during the time of his class but what was happening during the time he penned the piece† (Maier). This was a reflective piece, one that Maier had to think long and hard about before he put it down onto paper. Not everything is racially charged in the poem, though. Hughes spends a lot of time thinking about what it means to be an American and life in America is life. He comes to the conclusion that being American is all about having different people as a part of your life, regardless of their background and their upbringing. Hughes writes in the poem, â€Å"But it will be a part of you, instructor. You are white— yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That's American† (Hughes). This is something that Chris Semansky speaks to, as well. There, he writes, â€Å"As ‘Theme for English B’ indicates, Hughes, from the beginning of his career, consistently explored the idea of an American voice, and he repeatedly insisted that what we define as â€Å"American† must include the experiences, language, and visions of both its black and white citizens† (Semansky). All in all, many themes are addressed in Langston Hughes’ poem. From the obvious racial issues to the idea of an educational gap, he uses the idea of a simple assignment to address some things that are very important to him. Tina Mazzula speaks to this on more than one occasion in her analysis of the poem. She writes, â€Å"Langston Hughes, in writing â€Å"Theme for English B,† creates a poem that addresses the â€Å"white† concern for traditional English syntax, while at the same time, acknowledges the distance between the â€Å"white† culture and his â€Å"colored† self† (Mazzula). One cannot truly understand what Hughes was trying to get across without addressing each of these things individually and as a whole. Though some have tried to suggest that one thing was more important than another to the poet, it is clear from his many writings that he took many different aspects of the educational process very seriously. Not only did he appreciate and understand the struggle that he and many other African American students had to go through, but he also understood how difficult it was for his white teacher to relate to him on that level. In a way, it was this understanding that helped Hughes become as successful as he was during the entirety of his career. Works Cited Alice, Jane. Critics and Builders: American Studies. Analysis: A Theme for English B. ;http://criticsandbuilders.typepad.com/amstudiesblog/2008/03/anaylsis-a-them.html; Hughes, Langston. Theme for English B. ;http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html; Maier, Mark. Deconstructing Langston B. Hughes’ Theme for English B. 21 October 2005. ;http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/11600/deconstructing_langston_b_hughes.html; Mazzulla, Tina. ‘It will be true’:   A Look into the Voice of Langston Hughes. ; http://titan.iwu.edu/~wchapman/americanpoetryweb/hughthem.html; Semansky, Chris. Poetry for Students, The Gale Group, 1999. ;http://www.answers.com/topic/theme-for-english-b-poem-6; ; ; ; ; Literary Analysis Langston Hughes’ â€Å"Theme for English B† is an interesting piece of perspective from an author who is obviously struggling to come up with an answer to what a teacher had thought to be a fairly straight forward question. When Hughes’ instructor asks him to go home and simply put down truth on a single page, it opens his eyes up to all of the things that he has done in his life. In addition to that, it opens his eyes to who he really is, what things drive and motivate him, and how other people have helped to shape him. He touches on certain racially charged issues, though he never really gets into them in detail. For the most part, his writing is a compilation of that several aspects that have made up his life and turned him into the relatively young man that he is. Hughes begins his writing by simply wondering out loud to himself. His first words serve as something of a critique of the assignment itself. The teacher has indicated that this would be something that should not take long and it should be relatively simple for the students to complete. Hughes realizes right away that it is not that easy, at all, to come up with a real picture of the things that make a person who they are. At the beginning, the majority of Hughes’ doubts have to do with the fact that he was brought up in some different places and that he has always been something of an outlier when compared to his contemporaries. Hughes writes, â€Å"I wonder if it's that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem. I am the only colored student in my class.† (Hughes). In this, the reader gets a clear picture of the road that has led Hughes to the university and how those things have had a seemingly profound impact on his life. Hughes also takes the time to touch on some racially charged themes in his life in the later part of his opening dialogue. He does not look like a lot of the students around him, which obviously presents some problems for him and it also makes him appreciate his background. He learns to appreciate the reasons why he was able to come as far as he has come. Jane Alice of American Studies had some interesting thoughts on the main themes behind this particularly piece of poetry. In her analysis, she writes, â€Å"The instructor of his class is then implying that everyone here in his college class has something in common or has some what of the same life† (Alice). This serves to address the big problem of perception that can often time separate people in academia. For the teacher, everything was simple and everyone in the class had a similar upbringing. After all, they were there in a good college, so they had to come from the same type of background. Little does she know that it was much more of a struggle for some people than it was for other people. For the poet, getting to college was no simple task. Instead, it was something that required the ability to overcome many hurdles along the way. Hughes is an interesting case when it comes to his perspective. He is no small player in the African American community, having ascended to the position of poet laureate and having produced some of the most well recognized work of his time. It is absolutely essential to understand these things if one is going to understand what he is trying to say in â€Å"Theme for English B†. According to Mark Maier of AssociatedContent.com, this is the primary piece that readers have to grasp. Maier writes, â€Å"Hughes was a staple in the Harlem community, and a major player in the Harlem Renaissance—a coming-of-age for African American creativity in the throughout the 1920’s and ‘30’s. He is 47 by the time he writes this poem (not actually for the assignment’s due date) and it serves as both an educational and reflective vehicle—a voice that tells the how and why of not only what was happening during the time of his class but what was happening during the time he penned the piece† (Maier). This was a reflective piece, one that Maier had to think long and hard about before he put it down onto paper. Not everything is racially charged in the poem, though. Hughes spends a lot of time thinking about what it means to be an American and life in America is life. He comes to the conclusion that being American is all about having different people as a part of your life, regardless of their background and their upbringing. Hughes writes in the poem, â€Å"But it will be a part of you, instructor. You are white— yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That's American† (Hughes). This is something that Chris Semansky speaks to, as well. There, he writes, â€Å"As ‘Theme for English B’ indicates, Hughes, from the beginning of his career, consistently explored the idea of an American voice, and he repeatedly insisted that what we define as â€Å"American† must include the experiences, language, and visions of both its black and white citizens† (Semansky). All in all, many themes are addressed in Langston Hughes’ poem. From the obvious racial issues to the idea of an educational gap, he uses the idea of a simple assignment to address some things that are very important to him. Tina Mazzula speaks to this on more than one occasion in her analysis of the poem. She writes, â€Å"Langston Hughes, in writing â€Å"Theme for English B,† creates a poem that addresses the â€Å"white† concern for traditional English syntax, while at the same time, acknowledges the distance between the â€Å"white† culture and his â€Å"colored† self† (Mazzula). One cannot truly understand what Hughes was trying to get across without addressing each of these things individually and as a whole. Though some have tried to suggest that one thing was more important than another to the poet, it is clear from his many writings that he took many different aspects of the educational process very seriously. Not only did he appreciate and understand the struggle that he and many other African American students had to go through, but he also understood how difficult it was for his white teacher to relate to him on that level. In a way, it was this understanding that helped Hughes become as successful as he was during the entirety of his career. Works Cited Alice, Jane. Critics and Builders: American Studies. Analysis: A Theme for English B. ;http://criticsandbuilders.typepad.com/amstudiesblog/2008/03/anaylsis-a-them.html; Hughes, Langston. Theme for English B. ;http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html; Maier, Mark. Deconstructing Langston B. Hughes’ Theme for English B. 21 October 2005. ;http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/11600/deconstructing_langston_b_hughes.html; Mazzulla, Tina. ‘It will be true’:   A Look into the Voice of Langston Hughes. ; http://titan.iwu.edu/~wchapman/americanpoetryweb/hughthem.html; Semansky, Chris. Poetry for Students, The Gale Group, 1999. ;http://www.answers.com/topic/theme-for-english-b-poem-6; ; ; ; ;

Bronx Tale Questions

From A Bronx Tale You can be anything you want to be. Remember the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. You can have all the talent, but if you don’t do the right thing, nothing happens. But when you do the right thing, guess what, good things happen. ***** Mickey Mantle don’t care about you, so why should you care about him? Nobody cares. ***** Trouble is like a cancer and you got to get it early. Nobody cares. Worry about yourself, your family, the people who are important. **** The people in the neighborhood who see me every day who are on my side, they feel safe because they know I’m close. That gives them more reason to love me. But the people who want to do otherwise, they think twice and that gives them more reason to fear me. It is better to loved or feared? It’s nice to be both, but it’s difficult. But if I had my choice, I’d rather be feared. Fear lasts longer than love. The trick is not to be hated. *****I tell your son to stay in school and go to college. You don’t understand – it’s the clothes, the cars, it’s the money, it’s everything – I treat him like he’s my son. He’s not your son. He’s my son. ***** Sonny’s right. The working man is a sucker. He’s wrong. It don’t take much strength to pull a trigger but try to get up every morning day after day and work for a living. Let’s see him do that. And then we’ll see who’s the real tough guy. The working man is.Your father is the tough guy. ***** They don’t respect him; they fear him. There’s a big difference. You want to be somebody? Be somebody who works for a living and takes care of his family. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. ***** Don’t blow it, son. These people will hurt you, son. Don’t waste your talent, son. Be careful, C. Don’t lose it, C. Keep your head, C. ***** Don’t you trust anybody? Tha t’s a terrible way to live. For me, it’s the only way. Not for me, not for me.

How do religion and culture intersect in the realm of ethics Essay

How do religion and culture intersect in the realm of ethics - Essay Example Religion is more stern and inflexible than culture in the realm of ethics. Religious teachings are established and not prone to change over the passage of time. Most religions are based on the philosophy that their teachings are everlasting and cater for the needs of all societies till the end of the world. The difference between religious beliefs and ethics based on religion is that the former describes the beliefs of an individual whereas the latter proposes a framework of ethics based on the religious rationale (Huntington). Culture, on the other hand, is a more flexible and modifiable factor with the passage of time under the influence of different internal and external factors affecting a nation. Since ethical policies are based on the interplay of religion and culture in a nation, practices that might be condemned by religion find their way into a society from time to time because of the flexibility carried by the culture. While a modernistic society considers many religious te achings and principles outdated and inapplicable, culture is modified to cater for the needs of the advanced society. The role of both religion and culture in the development is prominent in history (Hill). Religion and culture intersect in the realm of ethics in a complicated manner. â€Å"[T]here are three spaces that provide the arenas of performance†¦we identify first a space where power and politics are performed, a second space where ethics are performed, and a third space where aesthetics are performed creatively and in response to the first two† (Hecht and Biondo xvi). A common element between all three of these spaces is that each is a social space that provides room for performance. The pattern of intersection of religion and culture cannot be generalized for all nations as there are a host of factors that make this intersection different from one nation to another. â€Å"Virtually everybody who writes about the topic portrays religion as

Jubilee Debt Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jubilee Debt Campaign - Essay Example There have been claims that these debts have been a continuation of the legacy of colonialism in the way they are given out without looking at the way in which they will be repaid. 1 The jubilee campaign has been a debt calling for eth cancellation of more the $400 billion which the developing nations owe to the G8 countries. It is a campaign that has taken a moral direction on the way these debts have been issued and the legality of these debts in light of the world unequal distribution system of the world. The campaign has been calling for the cancelation of the debts in light of the fact that while the whole nation continue to be paying for the debts, most of them are not used to build the interest of the while nation but rather they are channel to build the interest of the few individuals who are in the leadership of these countries. These debts therefore have a lot of negative impact on women and children, education, climate change, heath sector and the general welfare of the society. The campaign has realized some progress as some debts totaling to $88 billion has been cancelled off but there is a lot that is to be done. The main assertion of the campaign is that most of the debts can be attributed to irresponsible lending decision. Although the developing nations have also been blamed for the increased debt d... The paper look at the case of the helping the poor nation and the moral issues that surrounds. Then it will look at how the developing world has accumulated these debts and the role that developed nation has played. Finally it will set the agenda on what could have been done in order to reverse the situation. Debt as a continuation legacy of colonialism The history of debt in the developing nations has been described as legacy of great siphoning off of their resource by the international financiers. It has been described as unjust process which is used by the rich and developed nation in order to siphon the resource of the developing nations and to ensure that the developing nations live under the shadow of their will. It is a process that has been designed in order to perpetuate itself using a diabolical mechanism where debt replicates in an even greater scale to create cycle that can only be broken by the use of debt relief mechanisms. 2 There have been claims that the process of debt creation in the developing world has been result from unjust transfer to them the debts that they have been accumulated in a colonizing state. To support this argument there is a lot of evidences that shows that a massive $59 billion in form of external debts to the developing world was transferred to the independent state when they were given independence in 1960. The debts have been increasing at a great rate of about 14 percent since then as a result of the unilaterally set rate. This has led to high rate of increase of these debts. Even before the new independent state got time to organize their economies, there were their lenders knocking on the door to get their money back. In order to understand the cycle of debt well,

The effects of Honda Motors financial status on the stock market Research Paper

The effects of Honda Motors financial status on the stock market - Research Paper Example He started his company from a garage workspace. Honda went onto retirement on the year 1973 and left a man named Kiyoshi Kawashima to continue with his legacy. The company witnessed the birth of another successful corporation in Ohio called Honda of America Manufacturing. The company has also grabbed several awards in the business field including the motor trend import of cars of the year selections. Today the company with its headquarters in Japan is the world’s first and largest motorcycle producer (Carrier 1). The company, like most other companies, has had its periods of strong and weak financial status. However, during this period, with the current economic downfall, many of these companies are not getting favorable financial status. Honda motors are currently and surprisingly at the top of their game. The company recently registered a high financial status. This is, however, coursing ripples in the stock market (Carrier 2). The best and most common way of measuring a company’s performance, in the stock market, is by looking at its total returns over a given period. When a company is performing well it means that people have high expectation on the company to continue performing, in the same manner. People will then come out and start buying shares. The share price of the company in the market will thus grow and affect the whole stock market (Teweles & Edward 97). A company’s stock price is a matter of considerable concern, if the performance in the stock market is ignored, then the management and the company all bound to face adverse consequences, these may include the unhappiness of investors and the company will then experience future capital deficits (Teweles & Edward 56). . Honda has posted a profit of 234.4 billion yen, in the first reporting quarter for the financial year 2011. This represents an increase of 830% when compared to the 25.2 billion for the past financial year. In the second quarter

Earth Science movie review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Earth Science - Movie Review Example Are any of the characters playing scientists? How are these characters portrayed? Geeky or cool? This movie has many characters playing the role of scientists; extremely part of the movie had its own reason and the parts were clear well. The casts had different roles to play in the movie making the movie to have a flow that to the viewer. The best part of the movie is the coordination that was there between the casts some scenes were direct to the point meaning they did not require any scripting one had to put his words that fit the story well. The target to set by NASA to stop an asteroid on a collision course with the earth was successful (Robert 4). What parts of the movie were scientifically accurate? I.e. what happened that was actually possible and correctly portrayed? The Armageddon movie involves rush thrills narrow escapes and explosions. Extremely thing in the movie is the superb content and it is attractive to the eyes of the viewer; the lighting and the change of scenes i n the movie are correctly timed (Rick 2). The scientists are also extremely well equipped this makes the movie to be real and appealing, this movie if its accuracy is to be compared to talk shows it may be Oprah’s show. ... The directors should have also used the most equipments for astronomy to improve the content. This movie gives many flashlights to the viewer. Were there parts of the movie that may have been possible, but were likely exaggerated for entertainment purposes? The building of a comet that was to head to the earth, the comet had larger bunkers that could keep up to a million people. This was fiction and the fact that they found two hundred thousand people with significant jobs to get into the bunker. At the end, the comet does not hit the earth surface, and people still survive. This part of the movie was exaggerated because in real sense, this is something that can be done but the number of people in the comet seems to be significant, if the number was little this could be argued to be fact (Yoram 9). The number of people, who were in the movie, should be significant because the movie talks about extremely many things at once. Reflect on the movie as a whole. Would it have been as inter esting or entertaining if it had been scientifically accurate? If the movie was scientific it would have been extremely easy for people to understand, if a person many people understand what they see if there is no fiction in the characters taking part in the movie. The scientific technology that in the movie is easy to digest so if any were improvement made then the movie would have been interesting. Some people may just not get in mind what is happening by listening to the words, by watching what is in the movie makes them understand even more and seeing what you have never seen. The word Armageddon is derived from scary thoughts. This word means too many people that it’s destruction of

Da Vinci and Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Da Vinci and Freud - Essay Example The notebooks that Da Vinci left behind disclose an exceptionally alert and incisive mind swimming with so many fantastical initiatives that it would have taken several lifetimes to bring just the realistic to fruition. As a result of what he did accomplish and the truly breathtaking scope of what he intended to accomplish, for most of his legacy Leonard Da Vinci has been relegated to that airy sphere of the genius, removed from the rabble of consistent mediocrity. For this reason, Da Vinci's image has tended to withstand contemporary assaults and interpretations through the ages. Safely removed to a period considered among the heights of human achievement, it has always been easier to simply dismiss any realistic examination into the psyche of his mind by explaining him inadequately away as a genius. The past century, however, has witness a revitalization of the image of Da Vinci that has gotten particularly vital in the past few decades. No longer content to explain away artistic prodigy with the lame excuse of genius, the critical investigation into what has made Da Vinci a titanic figure in history has come down to earth through careful examination of all extant material. Da Vinci's exertions on an assortment of subject matter have made its way across the world, found in museums on nearly every continent. It has even come to light that not everything that is found in the scribbles of those notebooks originated in the mind of Da Vinci himself; he possessed not just a creative mind, but an interpretive mind as well, adapting pre-existing ideas. This new information and the analysis of what had already been known have supplied an enhanced considerate for the process by which Leonardo benefited from the ideas presented by both his peers and predecessors. In this way, Leonardo has been lowered a little closer to earth, while still striding over most of us like an Olympus. Without doing anything to reduce his accomplishments, this new portrait of Da Vinci serves to reveal a figure that is somehow more human and even vulnerable. Yet, despite an artistic canon that is renowned for a massive fresco depicting the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, as well as countless portraits of the Madonna and baby Jesus, Leonardo Da Vinci's contemporary idealization is based upon the conception of the artist as a secular figure. Da Vinci, despite his clear talents as a traditional artist of Biblical images, is foremost grounded in the modern consciousness as a scientist who used his art as a device for peering into the clandestine world that lies hidden just behind the veil of knowledge. The great irony of Da Vinci's life may be that his fame rests greatly upon two of paintings that considered the ultimate Renaissance accomplishment of bringing to life the mysteries of the human soul while he was as a person actually rather disinterested in the affairs of men such as religion and politics. Clearly, Leonardo Da Vinci ranks as one of history's greatest intellectuals, despite his self-exile from much of the realm of society. Just as obvious from the sheer breadth of his accomplishments and the truly astounding range of his interests, Da Vinci suffered-or perhaps thrive would be apt-from conditions related to obsession. Intellectualization is a psychological term used to describe the endeavor of obsessive to sublimate uncomfortable emotional disorders through the

Happiness. Pursuit of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Happiness. Pursuit of Happiness - Essay Example Therefore, I argue that happiness is the central core of living, which depends entirely on cultivation of virtues. Playing the mean is the way of cultivating virtues that includes moral virtues for the attainment of individual happiness. Playing the mean is the virtue between two extreme excesses and deficiency. For instance, exercising the act of justice in getting too little or getting too much. Therefore, human beings make choices depending on the circumstances that surround them by choosing on one option and neglecting the other. In most cases, the option that people choose will give them peace of mind or happiness. Human beings like other animals are adapted to a particular state of struggle for life and the mere lack or absence of effort or energy from life eliminates an important ingredient of happiness. Therefore, the hardship or difficulties of life may frustrate us. As such, we should realize and learn to appreciate the challenges that life presents. Without life difficulti es, we would be bored and probably be unhappy. However, Russell asserts that human beings should try their best to overcome these difficulties since failure to overcome them will lead to unhappiness. In my own opinion, I think that every person in society would like to have a good life. ... self not separate person from those against him† (McMahon 999) Pursuit of Happiness Russell describes happy people as those without inner division or feelings against the society. They should be attached to themselves and the world too in order to gain happiness. Desires can at times be a nuisance and can easily drive one to trouble especially in cases where there exist two impulses. For instance, the initial desire can push one to purchase beautiful things but on the other hand, the second impulse that one should not buy them but if one follows the first impulse of desire, she or he is likely to go broke. However, the desire based on one’s basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing are more reasonable and should be dealt with without a second thought (McMahon 998). Desire to some extent can be negative or positive depending on the situation or one’s background. For example, there is no harm for one from a successful background to desire a car as it will assis t in operating his or her daily activities. However, for one from a poor background it can be troublesome as this brings an uncomfortable feeling to the surrounding population such as being jealous but to the owner the car brings fulfilment and enjoyment. According to Lama, self-satisfaction alone does not determine the negativity or positivity of a desire or an activity. All the non-virtuous actions committed by people may appear to be a feeling of satisfaction at the time of action but that cannot justify the actions (McMahon 993). Therefore, the ultimate consequence of the action is the determinant of the positivity or negativity of the action. How to Obtain Happiness There are two ways of obtaining inner fulfilment and that is happiness. One way is by acquiring anything that one needs and desires for

What have your experiences with writing been like Do you enjoy writing Essay

What have your experiences with writing been like Do you enjoy writing Why or why not Write a few paragraphs about your thoughts - Essay Example this stage became crucial in the sense that writing journal entries has developed my interest to explore with insights as drawn from personal experiences. Gradually I have gotten accustomed to noting down stories or encounters I suppose are worth my precious whiles and record, taking plenty of concrete and accurate details into account. In the process, I have felt a significant degree of improvement as I proceed writing with spontaneous fluidity of thoughts. Since I typically make it a point to use a thesaurus and acquire constant engagement in reading literature, I keep discovering ways to write in a more creative manner. With an increased level of creativity and enriched vocabulary, I observe being capable of effective self-expression when conveying sentiments and ideas through writing. Such joy and fascination leads me to establish writing as a hobby or a form of diversion by which to escape into a world of wonders and possibilities yet unknown. To an extent, it has even brought me to find delight in composing essays and poems I savor reading as well. If my own wealth had the capacity to afford a sauna house or facility for therapeutic spa then I would certainly buy one. Given a blank check, I would think of putting up a flower garden of my own design and choice of exotic flowers on the ground that besides love of nature, I believe that such remarkable setting fosters a stimulating atmosphere for the mind to indulge in tranquility and happy thoughts. It is essential for an individual to be able to generate a positive outlook in life especially in dealing with an unstable state of economy and technology-driven social affairs and one would only attain to this objective by deriving an inspiration from the beauty that is seen and felt inside and out. Finding a way out of complications is necessary indeed particularly whenever this situation in its complicatedness affects not only a person but even those around him who may be highly impacted by the negative vibes

Australian Feminist Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Australian Feminist Movement - Essay Example These works denounced marriage as slavery for women. Feminism started in America as a revolution. The Seneca Falls convention held in 1848 is considered a milestone in the history of the Feminist Movement. It put forth the demand for women's rights which included right for equal pay, right for property, right for divorcing the husband, right for taking guardianship of the children etc. the most important in this agenda was womens' right to vote. This was a declaration of demanding equality without sexual discrimination. Their voice slowly started getting people's attention. When the 19th amendment was made in the American Constitution to give women the right to vote, it looked like they had finally won the battle. On 14th December, 1961, the President's Commision was set up by the then President John F. Kennedy to review the status of women. Its purpose was to review the status of women and remove the obstacles that prevented women from enjoying equal status in the society. This Commission was aimed to combat the customs, notions and other factors prevalent in the society that were hindrance for the women. So the movement that was building up quietly in the 50's, gained momentum and became more visible and more audible. The 60's were the era of demonstrations, marches and processions. This time it saw the participation of school and college girls as well. Status in Australia Feminism has its presence in Australia also. Although Australia has always been conceived as a true democratic state with total egalitarian attitude.(Summers, Anne, 1994, Dmaned whores and God's Police, p.103) But the feminist movement in Australia has been raising the issue to provide the Australian women equal access to power. This movement started in the nineteenth century and its prime focus was to get the women their right to vote and also an equal opportunity to participate in the political activities and help them come to power. ( Oldfield, A., Woman Suffrage in Australia: A gift or a Struggle. 1992) Australian women got their right to vote much after the American women. In fact their neighboring country New Zealand got their right to vote before them. This gave them the status of citizens finally.(Summers, Anne 1994, Ibid, p.405) But even then the Aboriginal women were not given the same status. It was only in 1967 that they also got the right to vote.(Brenner,J.1996, p.20) 1960 was the beginning of the second wave of Australian Feminist movement. This was focused on the legal and social equality. Although women had got their right to vote but practically they were still considered the "second sex". They faced discrimination at the workplace and often got exploited. At home also they did not have equal status as men. They had no control over their sexual and reproductive lives. This second wave had some achievements as they succeeded in getting equal wages for the women. They also got the discrimination based on marital status eliminated from the work place. Simultaneously there was another movement coming up which was for the rights of the marginalized groups. This movement wanted equality for people regardless of their country of origin or their color or race or their sexual preferences like being gay or lesbian. The feminists got a ground as patriarchy, against which they were

A cultural analysis of Greece Essay Example for Free

A cultural analysis of Greece Essay This paper presents a cultural analysis of Greece and how this translates into the countrys business practices. The importance in such profiling can be seen in the emergence of many cross-cultural studies that aim to come up with an effective theoretical framework that guides international companies to relate to other companies from different countries with different cultures. One of these frameworks was formulated by a series of national studies conducted by Hofstede in which the author identified cultures according to five indices. Basically, Hofstedes approach presents that culture can be described as a set of characteristics ingrained or wired-in to the brains and the psyche of the members of a particular society thereby affecting behavior. With such understanding according to national cultures, cross-cultural managers can therefore make use of this information that can serve as a basis for cross-cultural and international initiatives of the organization. In application, this paper examines Greece according to Hofstedes five dimensions and how this translates into the countrys business culture; this paper then compares this with the business culture in the United States. The conclusion then leads to the identification of the different points of compatibility and conflict, and the areas which the Greek and the American business cultures can reconcile for a more successful business communications and relations. Global Business Cultural Analysis: Greece I. Section One Introduction Communication plays an important role in any cross-cultural relations, and in the aspect of business, communication in the international context spans beyond language and includes protocols, perceptions and other elements pertaining to business practices. According to Hendon, Hendon and Herbig (1996), the challenge is that although two or more parties are trying to reach an agreement aiming to serve each others interests, cultural factors whether in terms practice and perception significantly contribute to the processing of information that would lead to either the success or the failure of the negotiations or the management strategy should international companies decide to operate together. As Hendon, et al. (1996) pointed out, cultural aspects influence managers, thereby affecting their behavior; this also reflects at the organizational level thereby the degree of the embodiment of the national culture of these companies is constantly present. Cross-cultural issues have become crucial given that more and more businesses are taking advantage of the opportunities brought by globalization. One of the issues that emerged from this is that there was an identified potential point of conflict based on the precept that the differences in the values of the different groups may lead to problems, thereby jeopardizing the advantages offered by the global and international markets (Fontaine, 2007). As a result, international organizations have invested in cross-cultural management initiatives in order to create the most effective approach should the company reaches the point of venturing into foreign operations or cross-cultural negotiations. In addition to the organizational dimension in cross-cultural issues are the elements that can further influence the operations of any business. Kanungo (2006) identified that globalization ha also created a significant impact to the consumers behavior now that they are aware of the strong global forces; technological innovation; and the environment. These elements do not only represent modifications in terms of the markets and the societies global businesses cater to but also the potential overall shift and cultural perceptions that resonate at various levels, from the individual to the organizational behaviors. Which is why given that globalization has become a phenomenon that represents present-day reality (Steger, 2003), even companies who are not internationalized are still subject to many global forces such as buying or selling their supplies from sources overseas. It is also possible that the company may have to work with a foreign employee or a worker from a different cultural background. In any case, the instances of a cultural add-on has become more and more regular (Berger, 1998, 124). However, it is important to look at the many theoretical foundations on cross-cultural studies, especially as to how national cultures are perceived as an important influence in organizational and management behavior. There is one distinctive studies that can be considered to have created a substantial buzz in the entire context of cross-cultural studies: Geert Hofstedes four dimensions, which would later add another component. Hofstedes studies gave way to conclusions that would help in the different approaches towards understanding different cultures, and how these can also create effects at individual, organizational and national levels. Hofstedes Four Dimensions One of the most commonly used model in cross-cultural studies is Hofstedes four dimensions; these dimensions emerged from Hofstedes studies on 40 different countries in which he identified four major prevailing factors in terms of the cultural aspect (Bjerke, 1998): ? Power distance ? Uncertainty avoidance ? Individualism/collectivism ? Masculinity/femininity In order to understand these four dimensions, it is important to look at how Hofstede views culture and how this plays a role in global business applications. Hofstede is renowned for his research on differences among countries in terms of their culture and how these differences are essential. Hofstede operated based on the concept that comparisons among cultures can play a significant role in the making the right decisions based on the acquired information about other cultures; this is deemed helpful when it comes to making negotiations and even designing business strategies should companies decide to enter a foreign market. Hence, Hofstedes works have been founded on how the differences of these cultures are influential to behavior across may social levels. Hofstedes dimensions tend to generalize groups, hence, for instance, multicultural nations are taken as a singular culture (Fontaine, 2007). The four dimensions Hofstede formulated are the main indicators that can identify the points of similarities and differences across these many national cultures (Vinken, Soeters Ester, 2004). His studies on many national cultures have therefore served as a reference point among many cross-cultural managers. Hofstedes approach is known to adapt a more scientific approach as he argued that cultures can be measured and analyzed (Hofstede, Neuijen, Ohavy Sanders, 1990); such can be seen not only in his database which analyzed countries according to their measures in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, and masculinity/femininity but also in terms of how these factors can impact many organizational tasks such as business negotiations. Culture is therefore an important indicator of behavior and at the same time, it acts as a binding force that defines a group, a society or a region. The four dimensions Hofstede identified are based on how a culture can be also defined according to relations, attitudes and values; in specific contexts, it can be observed that these four dimensions that pertain to Hofstedes definition of culture the programming of the mind that differentiates one group of another (as cited in Fontaine, 2007, 125) presents a predictable framework of characteristics. A fifth dimension was also introduced by Hofstede by including Confucian framework to his dimension, and he identified this as the long term/short term orientation. The long term/short term orientation, a recent addition to Hofstede/s dimension, was founded on the perceptions of time, and how this can affect the behavior of people. This dimension was based on the Confucian orientation with respect to past, present and future, and for Hofstede, this fifth dimension can reflect a societys perception of time, especially as to how this affects their perseverance and regard for values, and how societies also wish to command respect and gain stability (Jacob, 2005). This orientation is seen as an important component as this can reflect how some people can act as based on their expectations with respect to time, such as, for instance, whether their actions are motivated by long-term causes or their short-term goals. The power distance aspect refers to a cultures orientation towards authority. This orientation includes how people understand power and how power works in their communities. With this component, power distance serves as an indicator of equality such as whether some cultures tend to be more democratic or practices a great amount of inequality (Hofstede, 2001). Another index identified by Hofstede (2001) is the uncertainty avoidance. Generally, this refers to how society can tolerate uncertainty. This therefore shows how a culture may be more comfortable in a more structured and rational framework because the tolerance of ambiguity is low whereas some societies may tend to live in the uncertainty, hence, their systems do not adhere to strict rules. Individualism/collectivism pertains to how a culture tend to be more individualist and autonomous or the spirit of the collective fills the members of its society (Hofstede, 2001). In the former, there is a greater sense of independence because the individual is encouraged to think for himself or herself. A collectivist culture, its opposite, tends to have a greater degree of influence according to the social or cultural psyche and norm. Although individuals can be said to initially come from defined groups such as families, the degree of cohesion across social levels differs from one culture to the next. Last but not the least, the masculinity/femininity index measures gender roles in a culture, especially as to how each of these genders are positioned in the society. The values among these two genders are among the fundamental elements in any society because one tends to dominate the other, if not, the attempt to equalize roles can be said to be also present in some cultures (Hofstede, 2001). In addition to the aspect of the relevance of power in these roles, this indicator also describes whether the country is masculine or feminine; the former associates the culture as more assertive and competitive, thereby embodying the male characteristics whereas feminine cultures are viewed as caring and more modest. The strength of Hofstedes approach is that the study and the gathered data have come up with a set of information that generally describes the national cultures thereby demonstrating a general sense how people in a certain country can be expected to behave. The five dimensions have served as an important framework and Hofstedes model has served many nation-level researches especially as to how the applicability of his collected data can be regarded to be valid at a certain point (Smith, 2006). However, the model is not without any criticisms as this brings the issue on how many dimensions must be used as a means to measure culture (Smith, 2006). Another study conducted by Blodgett, Bakir and Rose (2008) that the model has limitations especially as to its validity among individuals. From this, it can be gathered that applicability of Hofstedes framework mainly gives a good reference for a cultural overview of nation, but in more specific terms, there is still some debate as to the design of a more effective cross-cultural analysis model. II. Section Two Greek Culture: an Overview Greece can be easily associated with its glory during the antiquity, with the country immersed in a rich culture of intelligence and might, in addition to the production of several works of art and architecture that can be considered to still have an influence in the modern world. Hence, Greece has always had the impression of classicism, especially with the mark left by Hellenism in the world and Greek history transcending fact and has become an interesting subject for literary works. From political thought to mythology, Greek as a culture remains to be an object of fascination, especially as it has founded an important definition where the Western world begins in this Mediterranean archipelago. Culture can be basically defined through customs and traditions, and in Greece, albeit its development into modernity, has maintained a strong grasp for tradition; this tradition is defined by the roles played by religion and paganism in the country. Greece is dominantly Orthodox Christian although some variations of the faith, as determined by paganistic influences, can be seen to be present and also vary from island to island. This is why Greek culture is generally regarded to have a higher degree of mixed beliefs and that Greeks also tend to be superstitious (Buxton, 1999). Early Greek civilization has demonstrated a significant amount of intellect yet at the same time, the society was also driven by its mythological past. Such combination can be seen to present an attempt to balance myth and reason, and in modern Greece, this can be seen to have developed as modern Greek society remains to take pride in its past through the continuous presence of its customs and traditions, yet at the same time, modern Greek culture has demonstrated significant social changes that have take place in the last century. This is discussed by Mouzelis (1978) who mentioned how societal values remain to be dictated by its core values, and these core values, evidently, play a significant role in the definition of a societys culture. The economy, in the past centuries, has created a significant impact to the social development of any society, and Greece, as it moved on to the modern times, had adapted to these changes. In the social context, Greece had demonstrated the ability to adjust to these new economic demands, and its society, inevitably, has redefined social classes. Its economy also started to redefine itself especially as to how it would define its role in the modern world. All in all, the modernization of Greece has created a degree of impact to its modern culture, but interestingly, Greek culture has strongly maintained what it has always been. As previously mentioned Greek culture has been distinct in terms of the roles religion plays in the lives of the people; this religion fuses the more organized leanings of the Christian Orthodox Church and the more paganistic or mythical practices that many Greeks still practice today. In addition to customs and traditions, Greek culture has maintained its strong identity across many cultural facets, from its art, music, food and wine. The Greek people has demonstrated a strong sense of resilience considering the number of wars they had to endure in the modern times. These wars include its conflict with the Ottomans in which the country fell under rule for a long time, the Balkan Wars, the First World War, and the Greco-Turkish wars. The country also fell under military dictatorship from 1967-1974. With their wounded past, the Greek people had redeveloped a strong national character that had adapted to the realities they faced, especially as Greeces glory would seem to be stuck more in the past and the modernity seems to have favored more the Western nations (Chilton, Dubin, Edwards, Garvey, Fisher, Ellingham, 2008). Interestingly, as Greece would struggle to find its place in the modern world, the Greek society and the people had gone through periods of diaspora in order to escape the conflicts at home. Those who were left behind would be stuck in the chaos of the country in which the economy would find a hard time adjusting to the greater powers coming from the western world, more specifically Europe. The Greek people experienced lack of opportunities in addition to poverty, especially as the country would prove to lack in enough economic resourcefulness until recently. Greece, for a significantly portion of the 20th century, was under-developed, but it was not until in the 1980s that the country would start to catch up and become more integrated with the rest of Europe (Chilton, et al. , 2008) There are some interesting factors in Greek culture that can be regarded to have influenced attitudes of its people. One of these concepts is filotimo. Although hard to translate, filotimo generally refers to the Greeks love for deep honor that they should possess; this goes well with anther important Greek characteristic of integrity which is about behaving as an upright individual. Although a sense of deep honor, as a translation, does not provide enough interpretation of the concept, filotimo can be considered to refer to a character that is highly desirable, but basically, it can be associated with a sense of self who is intrinsically good (Makedon, 1995). In addition to the concept of filotimo, modern Greece had emerged with additional cultural concepts in terms of character, and these are leventia and palikaria. Leventia refers to a sense of manly excellence thereby emphasizing the importance of having certain male characteristics. Leventia is paired with palikaria which also refers to the same meaning. As pair, possessing or being leventia and/or palikaria is about the ability to survive through hard times, especially if the individual or the family has been subject to a critical amount of duress. Having leventia and palikaria can gain an individual substantial admiration from those around him because of the display of a strong sense of self as seen in courage or proactiveness that addresses the source of any problem (Makedon, 1995). Last but not the least, albeit its painful periods of oppression, the Greek people have a great amount of love towards freedom. The love for liberty has always been a Greek characteristic, as seen from the ancient Greek civilization to the modern Greek society. Many themes in the Greek arts have portrayed the importance of freedom, and evidently, as the cradle of democracy, Greek culture had long wanted to fight oppression and aimed for a more liberal and democratic society in which they get to possess a certain amount of freedom despite the restrictions posed upon them (Makedon, 1995). Generally, these characteristics show how modern Greece have managed an important element of its identity, and that is its Orthodox church; however, despite the practice of orthodoxy, this aspect of freedom is practiced in such a way that the Greek people remains to have an open mind towards its paganistic past. In a way, the Greek culture can be regarded to have managed to lessen the conflict between mythos and logos, and today, the Greek people has been finding ways to make room for the modern and how it fits to its long standing tradition. Greek Business Culture Studies on the Greek business culture has had references to Hofstedes cultural framework. In terms of the scores of Greece according to Hofstedes four dimensions, Greece has the following measures in these four indices (Hofstede, 2001): ? Power distance index: 63 ? Individualism: 35 ? Masculinity: 57 ? Uncertainty avoidance index: 112 In terms of Greeces score in the power distance index, this score shows how its people, according to Hofstedes framework, demonstrates the emergence of the social classes in Greek society. This is to say that people are aware of the powers that are present in the society and they know their place with respect to that power. The score of the country in this index can be considered to be average, hence, demonstrating that although people do recognize the presence of inequalities in its society, they see the presence of means to get over certain barriers. The median score for this index is 55, and with Greece at 63, the amount of inequality is above average yet not as drastic as compared to other countries. Basically, this shows how hierarchy plays in the society which can be considered as a paradox considering the Greeks love for liberty and democracy. In a sense, such score shows how the Greeks have embraced reality and that certain powers have created a strong influence in the country. The next score shows that the country has lower measures of individualism thereby showing that Greece is a highly collective society. This shows how Greeks have a strong regard for family and community, and how individuals are strongly influenced by their environment. Kessapidou and Varsakelis (2002) mentioned that when Greeks enter an organization, there is already the expectation that the Greek employee expects to work for this company for the rest of his or her life, and at the same time, in exchange for this loyalty, they expect that the firm will also look after their family. The next indicator is masculinity, and Greece scored slightly above the global average of 50 (Hofstede, 2001). This is an interesting score as generally, the Greek society has demonstrated the strong male influence in terms of their position in the family and the society. The roles between males and females have been regarded to be also more distinctive, in which case the women know their positions and the limits of their power and influence. The uncertainty avoidance index shows the highest score for Greece, and based on this, there are many rules that prevail in the Greek society. Again, this is an interesting score because this contradicts the Greeks love for freedom, but then again, such rules and restrictions may have brought the Greek people to be hungry for more liberty in its societies. The many bounds in Greek society can be seen in its history where the country went through oppression through foreign occupancy and dictatorship. Overall, as employees, Kessapidou and Varsakelis (2002) discussed the characteristics of Greek employees, as follows (273): For Greek people, the working culture is based on sense of honour, dignity, loyalty, and sense of duty reflected in the Greek word filotimo which is similar to the concept of face as reported for China in these societies, filotimo or face becomes an asset for organizations. In cases, however, where expectations are not met, the personnel can be alienated. From the results of Hofstedes study, Greece can be summarized as high power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance, collectivistic and masculine (Joiner, 2001, 232). This profile, as translated into Greeces business culture, strongly demonstrates its association with societal values. According to Hofstede (2001), among the four indicators in his cultural model, the most relevant in the aspect of organizational design can be attributed to power distance and uncertainty avoidance which is why these factors are important in assessing the relationship of national cultures and the organization. In the organizational context, the Greek business culture shows a strong sense of hierarchy and the partenalistic relations that exist in Greek companies; this is evident in the high score in the power distance. In further putting this with respect to Hofstedes description of this dimension, the Greek society as well in Greek organizations, there is the accepted presence of inequalities in terms of the distributio of power. The acceptance in human inequality, interestingly, may not fair well with the Greek fundamentals on democracy but apparently, such cultural characteristic is more of an indicator of a strong sense of respect towards authority (Joiner, 2001). Leadership is therefore emphasized in Greek organizations, and in business, there is much dependence on the companys leaders when it comes to making decisions. Such cultural factor can then be attributed to the historical development in Greece which, accoding to Psychogios and Szamosi (2007), lived in a society with the centralized Greek political system that highlights the powerful state and the large public sector (8). In terms of the reflection of Greeces high uncertainty avoidance index, many studies have actually revealed that groups with hih uncertainty avoidance index demonstrate a fear of making decisios, hence, the presence of many rules that can be easily referred to. In Greece, according to studies by Bartholomew (1995), Bourantas, et al. (199), among others (as cited in Joiner, 2001), fear of decision-making has been found among Greek managers and subordinates, hence, much of these activities are left to the upper management. There is indeed the influence of culture in terms of the business own practices. Although this may not be true in all cases, the general perception towards Greek businesses reflect how the business culture have its foundations according to its societal values, these values are which influenced by the countrys culture. III. Section Three In Comparison with the US Business Culture Based on Hofstedes cultural model, Greece scored high in power distance index, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance index, whereas it scored low in individualism. These scores translate to the Greek business culture of centralization, concentrated power, more distinct gender roles, and high reliance on the organizations to take care of the employees family. Greek employees are also found to possess the characteristics of loyalty, integrity and dignity, as guided by the concept of filotimo. In comparing this to the American culture, the contrasts can be immediately seen the differences in the scores Hofstede gave the United States (Hofstede, 2001). The US scored high in individualism, low in power distance index, uncertainty avoidance index, and long term orientation, whereas in terms of masculinity, the US scored above average. The similarities can be therefore seen in the masculinity aspect in which both shows that gender roles remain to be differentiated in the American business culture. However, the similarities end there. Based on the scores, the American culture can be described as highly individualistic, with a greater sense of equality and fewer rules thereby showing greater tolerance in new ideas and beliefs. Basically, the American business culture does embody these characteristics. As the country embraced capitalism and industrialization earlier than Greece, the countrys business culture tends to have a more progressive and liberal approach. There is a strong presence of market economy forces in the United States, and employees are also driven by the economic opportunitis presented to them. One of the important aspects in the American business culture is the presence of competition, and competition is present not only among businesses but among individuals as well (McCraw, 2000). Hence, unlike in Greece where a bulk of the important responsibilities are left to upper management, American organizations and their employees grab these opportunities to hold more responsibilities because it means more opportunities for them to gain better positions. Competitive is therefore a characteristic of the American business culture, and this makes sense according to the results of the scores of the United States according to Hofstedes model. Although these scores and comparisons between national and business cultures can be regarded to be applicable, it should be noted that the degree of relevance may not be true in all cases. In addition to the challenges as to the validity of Hofstedes model (Blodgett, et al. , 2008), there is also the case of change that can possibly take place at social and business levels. As discussed in the first section, the applicability is limited as to the relevance of national cultures to business cultures although the fundamentals of a national culture tends to become apparent generally. For instance, the Greek concept of filotimo can be considered to be true even at business levels, and at the same time, the collective spirit can be seen in how many Greek corporations are family-owned. Such is true in the case of the United States in terms of the masculunity scores. Although in some instances gender roles remain defined in the US, in the business world, more and more women have started to hold significant positions across many organizations. Therefore, the relevance of national culture perceptions are only true up to a certain extent but information such as those gathered by Hofstedes studies serve as useful references to the basics of the social and business dynamics in a country. IV. Section Four Opening an American Business in Greece Based on the scores in Hofstedes cultural framework, the USAs national culture distance from Greece is at 3. 47 according to 42 surveyed American firms in the country (Kessapidou Varsakelis, 2002). With this number, it can be assumed that there will be greater difficulty in the successful establishment of the American company in Greece; however, this may not be the case, and the same is true even if the company has a Greek affiliate. According to Kessapidou and Varsakalis (2002), the strength lies in the Greeks characteristic to be collective, hence, they tend to comply with the requirements of the company. In addition, the concept of filotimo can drive Greek employees to perform better, thereby filotimo, in a sense, serves as a source of competitiveness, which is compatible with the American busines culture. However, there may be some problems in terms of the management aspect between the American and the Greek managers, or the Greek managers needing to comply with the demands of American management practices. Although there are highly centralized American companies, the delegation of power and responsibility is one of an American companys assets, hence, should decisions need to be made, even some subordinates may step in and show a sense of leadership. This may intimidate Greek managers and employees, especially if the firm would have American employees working in the Greek operations. In addition, the Greek employees may think that the Americans are too aggressive and ambitious in the workplace, thereby possibly creating a rift among the employees. Hence, the recommendation is that prior to the establishment of the American operation in Greece, both sides need to be educated about the cultures they are about to encounter. Since that Greece is going to host the company, the American company needs to comply more with the Greek culture, but since it is the American company that is going to establish the business, the Greek employees and managers also need to

Early Intervention for Child with Visual Impairment

Early Intervention for Child with Visual Impairment Discuss the role of early intervention for children with visual impairments Introduction The whole area of visual impairment is a complex and difficult field. Children may either be born with a degree of visual impairment or they may acquire visual impairment at some stage after birth. Some defects may be comparatively obvious and easily detectable other may be very subtle and not obvious for some time. Visual defects may occur as a single lesion or may be part of a larger spectrum of congenital or acquired problems. They can be directly referable to the eye itself, as in the case of infantile cataracts, or may be as a result of more diffuse trauma such as cerebral palsy or perhaps a genetic error of metabolism or even infections such as meningitis. In this essay we intend to consider the role and value of early intervention together with an assessment of the value of screening which is obviously part of the same consideration. The mechanism of examination of the issue will be by means of a critical review of some of the relevant literature which has been recently published on the subject Screening There are many definitions of screening. Perhaps one of the best for our purposes comes from Wald (1) The systematic application of a test or enquiry, to identify individuals at sufficient risk to benefit from further investigation or direct preventive action, amongst persons who have not sought medical attention on account of symptoms of that disorder Screening is a common practice in many areas of the NHS. Whenever it is discussed, it is usually accompanied by prolonged discussions relating to cost-effectiveness and efficacy. With specific regard to visual impairment, screening for conditions that can produce visual impairment at an early age is utterly essential because of the development in early life of the visual processing pathways in the visual cortex (see below). (2) There is a window of opportunity for correction, which rapidly closes depending on the nature and severity of the visual impairment. Because of the dire implications for vision in later life, the cost effectiveness of such screening procedures are seldom applied in this area. This does not mean to say that considerations of efficacy are not valid (see below), but simply that it is not possible to put an appropriate value on a person’s sight. (3) Clearly the purpose of a screening programme is to try to identify those individuals who may be at risk of developing a potentially treatable condition. It is not a diagnostic service. There will usually be both false positives and false negatives. The importance of the National Screening programme is to identify those individuals who would benefit from further specialist assessment. A good place to start is the paper by Rahi (4). This study was designed to consider the efficacy of the screening programme in detecting a comparatively straightforward, although not necessarily easy to detect, lesion – the congenital and infantile cataract. The study was a cross sectional design study with an entry cohort of nearly 250 children under the age of 15 yrs. The object of the exercise was to ascertain the proportion of these children who were detected and treated at 3 months and I year of age. The significance of this study is that it highlights either the difficulty of diagnosis (or possibly the inefficiency of the system) as the results were poor by any interpretation. The paper itself is quite detailed and comprehensive, but the results that are relevant to our considerations in this essay are that only 35% of congenital cataracts were diagnosed at the routine new-born examination and only another 12% had been diagnosed by the time of the 6-8 week examination. Only 57% of the cohort had been seen and assessed by an ophthalmologist by the time they were 3 months old and a further 33% had not been examined or assessed by the time that they were one year old. The authors comment that their study showed that the prime reason for getting an assessment was because of the carer’s concerns in about 40% of all cases. We shall consider the importance of early assessment, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment later in this essay, but it is clear from these figures that all three of these eventualities are denied to a very substantial proportion of children and infants with possible adverse consequences for their subsequent visual acuity. In all areas of medicine, we should ideally work from a rational and verifiable evidence base. (5) Given the fact that we can point to evidence that shows that a significant proportion of children with one (at least) visual defect are not routinely detected, we should examine the evidence base for the assumption that early detection is important. For the sake of clarity we will initially confine our considerations to the circumstance of infantile cataract. We do know that infantile cataract is an important and potentially avoidable cause of visual handicap.(6) The resultant stimulus deprivation of the optic tract and visual cortex (7) caused by the inability of the retina to receive normal images, because of the distortion caused by the cataract, produces various degrees of amblyopia.(8) There is a substantial body of evidence to show that in order to optimise the eventual outcome, particularly with the denser forms of cataract, that corrective surgery needs to ideally have been carried out before the age of three months.(9) Because of the developmental importance of the early visual stimulus it is reasonable to assume that the earlier that corrective treatment can be implemented, the better the result is likely to be (10) Although we have initially considered the impact of early screening for the condition of infantile cataract, it follows that other conditions can equally well be screened with the same rationale for early treatment. If we accept that early treatment is the â€Å"gold standard† in childhood visual impairment (11), then it is possible to predict some populations of high risk births that will clearly need increased surveillance. Many of the genetic disorders which can cause visual impairment can be predicted (at least in statistical terms) and the children specifically assessed at birth (12) The majority of the papers examined with regard to infantile cataract are of the same opinion that early treatment is vital to secure any hope of reasonable visual acuity. The evidence base for some other conditions of visual impairment is nowhere near as clear, and in some places, frankly contradictory. If we consider the implications for other conditions of visual impairment in childhood we should consider the paper by Clarke MP (13) which specifically considers the efficacy of treatment of a unilateral visual impairment in the 3-5 yr. old age range. This is particularly relevant to our considerations here because the trial itself was well constructed and has a meaningful outcome. In broad terms, nearly 200 children who were identified as having a degree of unilateral visual impairment were allocated into two groups. One group had â€Å"appropriate treatment† the other had no treatment. The authors note that all children had treatment after the six month observation period. the children who received â€Å"full treatment† with glasses universally had better visual acuity than those who did not receive treatment. Interestingly, the mean treatment effect between the two groups was only one line on the Snellen chart. The degree of improvement was proportional to the degree of original impairment. The specific conclusions of this particular study are worth quoting verbatim:- Treatment is worth while in children with the poorest acuity, but in children with mild (6/9 to 6/12) unilateral acuity loss there was little benefit. Delay in treatment until the age of 5 did not seem to influence effectiveness. It is worth considering these conclusions in more detail as they have distinct relevance to the need for early intervention. The authors point out that there is a tendency for amblyopia to undergo a degree of spontaneous improvement which is consistent with the results of another trial (14). It is also fair to point out that other trials do not concur. Simons K (15) suggest that untreated amblyopia will deteriorate with time. The authors feel that, on balance, they recommend the continued wearing of glasses until the age of 7, even if the visual acuity returns to normal before this time, to prevent the development of refractory amblyopia. (16) When the authors compared the results of their study with children from districts who did not receive pre-school screening, the follow up study showed that deferring their treatment did not limit their potential for improvement and, very significantly, it nearly halved the number of children that needed to wear eye patches at all. (17) On the basis of this evidence the authors felt able to conclude that it is the acuity at presentation rather than the chronological age of the child, that is the most important determinant of eventual outcome. This is consistent with a similar study by Hardman-Lea SJ (18) They actually quantified this by stating that:- Children with a moderate acuity loss of 6/18 or worse showed a clear cut response to treatment, which itself arguably justifies screening to identify and treat these children. In contrast, children with mild acuity loss, who represent over half those identified with unilateral acuity impairment at screening in this and other studies, received little benefit from either treatment. This level of impairment, though often excluded from studies, is still commonly treated in routine clinical practice. We argue that children with 6/9 in only one eye should no longer constitute screen failures and do not justify treatment, even with glasses. Rather disturbingly the trial threw up one (probably statistical) anomaly:- The glasses group with moderate initial acuity, in whom patching treatment was deferred, showed no overall gain in acuity at post-trial follow up. While this is probably a random effect, it raises the question whether prior refractive correction might in some way limit the effectiveness of subsequent patching. Clearly this cannot be regarded as based on firm evidence, but raises the spectre that early treatment may actually be detrimental. If we consider a more technically sophisticated study (19) Weiss A et al 2004) that looked at visually evoked potentials (VERs) in amblyopic children and compared the ages of instigation of treatment (patching) and the detectable effects on the VERs. This is an extremely complex paper but careful weighing and critical analysis of the results shows that, as far as amblyopic children are concerned, the critical window for demonstrating and exploiting cortical neuronal plasticity extends up to the age of ten.( also 20). Although this paper specifically does not comment on the fact, an earlier paper by the same author (21) points to the fact that the plasticity, and therefore adaptability, progressively diminishes from about the age of five onwards The PEDI Group (22) complicate the findings further with their contention that treating amblyopic children in the 3-7 yr. age range did not produce significantly different clinical outcomes when compared to an older age range Screening, in general terms, has been overhauled by the National Screening Committee (23) which has sought to apply the classic Wilson Junger (24) criteria to all aspects of NHS screening. Within the recommendations of this body, various specialist organisations have produced their own guidelines. In the UK, the need for early visual impairment screening is recognised. Clearly this is different from being done efficiently in all cases. The most authoritative guidance that is currently available in this country is that which is based on the recommendations of the two national working parties who produced a joint report. The Royal Colleges of Ophthalmologists and Paediatrics and Child Health (25) The current recommendations include an inspection of the eyes together with an evaluation of the red reflex at birth and then a fuller assessment which would include an examination for the presence of squint and visual behaviour generally at about 6-8 weeks. (26) Later on in childhood there are other specified screening procedures which are designed to detect abnormalities such as strabismus, abnormalities of colour vision and reduced visual acuity although an examination of the literature would suggest that the pick up rate is surprisingly small (27). This particular author suggests this is mainly because the vast majority of cases are brought to the attention of the primary healthcare teams by the carers before screening is carried out. In this essay we have conducted a brief overview of some of the relevant literature in the field of early detection of visual impairment. The results are disappointingly confusing. Some areas appear to have a fairly clear cut and universal agreement, others seem to produce well constructed studies that offer seemingly mutually exclusive results. (28). The area of the infantile or congenital cataract appears to be one of those areas where there is fairly universal agreement that early treatment is beneficial, but the biggest stumbling block appears to be the comparative inability to pick up or detect the abnormality in a clinical screening setting. Although we have not presented firm evidence, as it is not directly relevant to our discussions, there is also the problem that surgical intervention, although obviously helpful in terms of preserving vision, may actually have a down side that iatrogenic glaucoma is a possibility in later life. (10) The converse situation appears to apply to the amblyopic patient, or the patient with strabismus. We have presented evidence that appears to be frankly contradictory. Although it appears easier to detect these abnormalities in the older child there is considerable disparity in opinion about whether early treatment is either beneficial, or in the case of one of the papers presented, even helpful. It is clearly difficult to form an opinion with any sort of firm evidence base in these circumstances. Although it is reassuring to read a paper and find that the authors call for â€Å"more research to be done† in that particular area, it does not help those practitioners currently working in the clinical field, to come to a firm view on whether early treatment is either indicated, useful or even necessary in these particular circumstances. References Wald NJ. Guidance on terminology. J Med Screen 1994;1:76. Barnes GR, Hess RF, Dumoulin SO, Achtman RL, Pike GB. The cortical deficit in humans with strabismic amblyopia. J Physiol. 2001;533:281–297 National Screening Committee. First report of the National Screening Committee. Health Departments of the United Kingdom, 1998. (4) Jugnoo S Rahi and Carol Dezateux National cross sectional study of detection of congenital and infantile cataract in the United Kingdom: role of childhood screening and surveillance BMJ, Feb 1999; 318: 362 365 (5) Berwick D 2005 Broadening the view of evidence-based medicine Qual. Saf. Health Care, Oct 2005; 14: 315 316. (6) Foster A, Gilbert C. Epidemiology of visual impairment in children. In: Taylor D, ed. Paediatric ophthalmology. 2nd ed. London: Blackwell Science, 1997:3-12. (7) Taylor D. Congenital cataract: the history, the nature and the practice. The Doyne lecture. Eye 1998; 12: 9-36 (8) Campos E. Amblyopia. Surv Ophthalmol 1995; 40: 23-39 (9) Lloyd IC, Dowler JGF, Kriss A, Speedwell L, Thompson DA, Russell-Eggitt I, et al. Modulation of amblyopic therapy following early surgery for unilateral congenital cataracts. Br J Ophthalmol 1995; 79: 802-806 (10) M Vishwanath, R Cheong-Leen, D Taylor, I Russell-Eggitt, and J Rahi Is early surgery for congenital cataract a risk factor for glaucoma? Br. J. Ophthalmol., July 1, 2004; 88(7): 905 910. (11) Barrett BT et al. 2004 B. T. Barrett, A. Bradley, and P. V. McGraw Understanding the Neural Basis of Amblyopia Neuroscientist, April 1, 2004; 10(2): 106 117. (12) Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine Section on Ophthalmology. Eye examination and vision screening in infants, children and young adults. Pediatrics 1996; 98: 153-157 (13) M P Clarke, C M Wright, S Hrisos, J D Anderson, J Henderson, and S R Richardson Randomised controlled trial of treatment of unilateral visual impairment detected at preschool vision screening BMJ, Nov 2003; 327: 1251 ; (14) Hard AL, Williams P, Sjostrand J. Do we have optimal screening limits in Sweden for vision testing at the age of 4 years? Acta Ophthalmol Scand 1995;73: 483-5 (15) Simons K, Preslan M. Natural history of amblyopia untreated due to lack of compliance. Br J Ophthalmol 1999;83: 582-7. (16) Kutschke P, Scott W, Keech R. Anisometropic amblyopia. Ophthalmology 1999: 258-63 (17) World Health Organization. Elimination of avoidable visual disability due to refractive errors. Geneva: WHO, 2000. (18) Hardman-Lea SJ, Loades J, Rubinstein MP. The sensitive period for anisometropic amblyopia. Eye 1989;3: 783-90 (19) AH. Weiss and J. P. Kelly Spatial-Frequency-Dependent Changes in Cortical Activation before and after Patching in Amblyopic Children Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., October 1, 2004; 45(10): 3531 3537. (20) Barnes G, Hess R, Dumoulin S, Achtman R, Pike G. The cortical deficit in humans with strabismic amblyopia. J Physiol 2001;533: 281-97. (21) Weiss AH. Unilateral high myopia: optical components, associated factors, and visual outcomes. Br J Ophthalmol. 2003;87:1025–1031. (22) PEDI Group 2002 Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. The clinical profile of moderate amblyopia in children younger than 7 years. Arch Ophthalmol. 2002;120:281–287. (23) National Screening Committee. First report of the National Screening Committee. Health Departments of the United Kingdom, 1998. (24) Wilson JMG, Jungner G. Principles and practice of screening for disease. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 1968. (25) Royal Colleges 1994 Royal College of Ophthalmologists and British Paediatric Association. Ophthalmic services for children. Report of joint working party. London: RCO, BPA , 1994. (26) Hall DM. Health for all children. 3rd ed. Report of the third joint working party on child health surveillance. Oxford: Oxford University Press , 1996. (27) Snowdon SK, Stewart-Brown SL. Preschool vision screening. Health Technol Assess 1997;1:i-83. (28) Clare Gilbert and Haroon Awan Blindness in children BMJ, Oct 2003; 327: 760 – 761 18.11.05 PDG Word count 3,010

Impacts of Terrorism on Sporting Events

Impacts of Terrorism on Sporting Events Examining the Impacts of Terrorism on Sporting Events: Focusing on the FIFA World Cup. Terrorism is now, more than ever, a prevalent subject within media discourse. The impact of threats of terrorism, be they perceived or realised, is one that should not be underestimated. While the threat of terror attacks is one that we see on a regular basis, the fact that large scale events such as the FIFA World Cup draw thousands of spectators to one confined area (i.e. a football stadium, and the location surrounding the stadium) means that terror attacks and the threat thereof should be addressed as part of the risk assessment for the event. The events industry, focusing particularly on sports tourism, have been affected by the global concern surrounding terrorism. Hinch and Higham (2001) recognise that sport in general, be that on a local or a global level, has a huge influence on the numbers of tourists that are attracted to a particular area. Sport is a massive, multi-billion-pound industry, and the tourism that it encompasses makes a significant contribution to the revenue it creates. There are a number of facets to sport tourism that make it what it is. There are three prominent markers of this particular aspect of tourism, which include outdoor sports, fitness activities, and major events (Hall, 1992). If we consider one of those criteria – major events – then this study will focus on the FIFA World Cup, and will explore how the World Cup has been affected by terrorism. Since the 2001 terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre, major events have been directly affected by the threat of terror attacks. Sports tourists no longer feel as safe as they did travelling to destinations for major sporting events, as the risk of attack is perceived as being much greater. These fears are exacerbated by the fact that tourists are in enclosed spaces for the duration of the sporting event, with means of escape being difficult to navigate and police in large crowds. Since the late 1900’s sports tourism has seen a surge in popularity unrivalled by other large scale events (Standeven and DeKnopp, 1999). Sport tourists are known to spend a significant amount of their income on travelling to destinations in order to watch their favourite team or sportsperson perform. We can define sports tourism as â€Å"‘sport-based travel away from the home environment for a limited time, where sport is characterised by unique rule sets, competition related to physical prowess, and a playful nature† (Hinch and Higham, 2001, p.56). This can be directly attributed to the FIFA World Cup, as teams of players will take part in a match with defined rules, are athletic by their very nature, and if we break football down to a basic level, the players are playing a game. So, as discussed one of the criteria that makes up sports tourism is ‘major events’. This title can be attributed to the likes of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. We can see how the act of putting on such a large-scale event has benefits for both the fans of the particular sport in question (in this instance the FIFA World Cup) and also the country in which the event is to be based. The fans are afforded the opportunity to witness their favourite sports team in action, while the revenue produced through their tourism contributes greatly to the area in which the event is to take place. During the FIFA World Cup that took place in South Korea in 2002, the then-president of South Korea is quoted as stating that the event was ‘a chance for us to make the country prosper diplomatically, economically and culturally, in sectors like tourism and science’ (McCormack, 2002, p.39), ‘us’ in this instance being South Korea. As there is a significant return made when compared to the actual investment involved in the planning, launching, and running of such an event, many destinations who are able to host events such as the FIFA World Cup vie for the opportunity to do so, as they are all too aware of the benefits they will be rewarded with in exchange for their investment (Kelly, 2000). Although we have seen significant growth in terms of sports-related tourism (which may be due to the advancement of travel networks, and the ability to now travel to events for a smaller financial outlay), the notion of sports tourism is still a fairly new construct. With this in mind, consideration by organisers must be made towards how terrorism can have negative effects on sports tourism. Sport is a global phenomenon, which means that global incidents, such as acts of terrorism, have a direct effect on the industry. Terrorism is a difficult term to describe. In fact, the US Department of State (2001) has argued that there is no universally accepted definition of what terrorism actually is. There are a significant number of variables that can affect how people perceive an act of terrorism, and indeed whether they actually see an act as one of terrorism at all. Ganor (2001) argues that in order for terrorism to be fought back against, then a specific definition should be in place that sets out exactly what an act of aggression (or otherwise) should constitute in order for it to be labelled as ‘terrorism’. This inability to agree on what constitutes terrorism has led to several difficulties. Governments are unable to create laws around terrorism because they can’t agree on what terrorism is (Whitaker, 2001), and also opposing terrorism, in certain circumstances, could be construed as an act of terrorism in of itself. Freedman (2002) attempts to remedy the situation of disagreement regarding what is and isn’t terrorism by stating what those attempting to define it do agree on. These factors include: Terrorism is carried out in a purposeful manner (i.e. specific targeting).Terrorism is inclusive of acts of violence, which vary in their extremity.Terrorism has some form of political motivation.Victims of terror are not ‘pre-selected’ (i.e. victims of suicide bombers for example)The act of terror is intended to affect people, bodies or movements outside of the direct victims of the attack (i.e. coercion of a government to act in a certain way as a result of the attack). Most of the discourse surrounding violence within the sporting industry has been directed towards the violent conduct of spectators of a specific sport. Football fans in particular have found themselves the subject of much conjecture regarding the causes of sports violence, and this has been the case since the 1960s and 70s. There has, however, been an underwhelming degree of investigation into the effect of terrorism on sports tourism (Atkinson et al, 2000, p.54). Wedermeyer (1999, p.218) supports this assertion in stating that ‘specialist literature on the relationship between sport and terrorism is rare’. This is in contradiction to the fact that major sporting events are in no way insusceptible to terrorist attacks, a point which is highlighted by the fact that in December 2016, a series of car bombs was detonated outside the stadium of Turkish football team, Besiktas, injuring many in the process, the majority of whom were completely innocent civilians. Atkinson and Young (2000, p.54) further their point by saying that although, on the face of it, sports may not seem to be linked to acts perpetrated by terrorist organisations, there is no escaping the fact that major events in the sporting world may become the target for terrorist attack. These acts of terrorism may not only be directed towards the spectators at a major sporting event, but also those who partake in the events themselves (i.e. the athletes), or even the large corporations who have put funds towards sponsorship of the event. They are, in essence, saying that everyone associated with the event is a potential target for terrorism. If we consider the FIFA World Cup, then this is quite obvious a major event, with a huge amount of prestige attached to it. As a result, it makes sense that we can consider the FIFA World Cup, in the contemporary climate in particular, to be at risk of a terrorist attack. We have seen historical instances of major sporting events attracting the attention of terrorist groups. Perhaps one that will be forever remembered is the 1972 Olympic Games, which took place in Munich. A militant terrorist organisation known as ‘Black September’ stormed the grounds of the Olympic residents accommodation and attacked the Israeli team’s hospitality area. In doing so, they murdered one Israeli sports coach in cold blood, and took ten hostages. The attempts to save the hostages failed tremendously, and they all died as a result of the failed attempt, as did a number of the Palestinian terrorists involved in the coup, and several police officials. More recently, during the Olympic games which took place in Atlanta in 2002, several individuals died either as a direct result, or indirect result, of a concealed bomb which was hidden in a backpack in the spectator area of the stadium. Many were injured in the attack, while one of the spectators died as a result of the blast. We have seen how World Cup Football has contributed to violence in the past, and sometimes on a serious and larger scale than ‘mere’ hooliganism. In 1969, two countries, Honduras and El Salvador, ended up declaring war on one another after they came head-to-head in a pre-tournament qualifying match. Because friction between the two countries was already high, this translated directly to the football field, and as a result the spectators clashed violently with eachother. This escalated and the two countries entered into a war in July of that year. Whilst this may not be seen as a direct act of terrorism, it does serve to illustrate how violence is present in World Cup football, or any kind of football for that matter. However, this kind of violence can be seen as politically motivated. Two separate sets of fans are brought together, from separate countries, between which tensions may be running high. The emotion of the event, and the patriotism felt for each sets of fans’ own countries, by the fans themselves, could potentially lead to an act of terrorism taking place. As mentioned earlier, sport is a truly global phenomenon. So, it goes without saying that globalisation will have an effect on sports related-violence. We have seen how global travel has become much more accessible to those who previously were unable to make journeys to far-away destinations due to the financial implications of doing so. However, we briefly touched upon how football hooliganism has been an issue in sports events since the 70s. Inexpensive holiday deals, and even travel deals tailored specifically towards the sports tourist, have been prolific for the past 30 years, and so it makes sense to make the link between sports tourism and sports violence. Working class males have been given access to the deals mentioned above, which means that they can travel to destinations for a comparatively nominal fee. It shouldn’t be viewed as entirely coincidental that where these travel opportunities are made available, and are combined with cheap alcohol, that sports violence (particularly hooliganism, which is often associated with working class males) would increase and become more of a threat in the time leading up to a major sporting event. Taylor (2002, p.27) supports this assertion. He states that ‘For many (especially) ‘working class’ young men, it was football that first initiated them into ‘foreign’ travel’. To return to World Cup Football and acts of terrorism, we saw that there was a great deal of concern surrounding the safety of spectators and participants of the 2002 South Korean FIFA World Cup. As stated earlier, this was as a direct result of the atrocities that took place during the 9/11 terror attacks in America. Nevertheless, all the authorities involved decided that this major event should go ahead unhindered. This may well have simply been down to the fact that the revenue generated by the tournament would have been undeniably beneficial to South Korea. Indeed, as quoted earlier, the South Korean President, Kim Dae-Jung, stated himself exactly how beneficial it would be for their country, bringing in hundreds of thousands of tourists from across the globe. Bibliography Atkinson, Michael and Young, Kevin. 2002. Terror Games: Media treatment of security issues at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Olympika: the International Journal of Olympic Studies 9; 53-78. Ganor, Boaz. 2001. Terrorism: No Prohibition Without Definition.7 October. http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=393. 14 April 2003. Hall, C. Michael. 1992 Hallmark Events: The Impacts, Management, and Planning of Event Tourism, Belhaven Press: New York. Hinch, Tom and Higham, James. 2001. Sport Tourism: A Framework for Research. The International Journal of Tourism Research. 3(1); 45-58. Kelly, J. 2000. Looking to sports for development dollars. American City & Country. 115(14); 20. McCormack, Gavan. 2002. Things more important than football? Japan, Korea and the 2002 World Cup. In Japan, Korea and the 2002 World Cup eds John Horne, J. and Wolfram Manzenreiter. pp 29-42. London: Routledge. Standeven, Joy and DeKnop, Paul. 1999. Sport Tourism, Human Kinetics: Champaign, Illinois. Taylor, Rogan. 2002. World Cup fans: hooligans or tourists. In Proceedings of the Korean Academic Society of Tourism Management International Conference for the Success of the 2002 World Cup., pp. 22-35. Seoul. 18 January. United States, Dept. of State. 2001. Patterns of Global Terrorism. Washington: Dept. of State: vi. http://www.history.navy.mil/library/guides/terrorism.htm#definition. 14 April 2003. Wedermeyer, B. 1999. Sport and terrorism. In The international politics of sport in the 20th century eds. Jim Riodan and Arnd Krà ¼ger. pp. 217- 231. New York: Routledge. Whitaker, Brian. 2001. The definition of terrorism. The Guardian. 7 May. http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,487098,00.html