International relations major Personal Statement

International relations major - Personal Statement Example Saudi Arabia ranks among the fastest developing countries, which experience high rates of migration to different parts of the world. In addition, the country’s relationship with other nations is at its peak due to various factors such as the terror war, oil trade, politics, and sports. The issue of Islam and terrorism, as well as the position of women in the Saudi Arabian public, is essential motivators to study International Relations. These aspects of the society have motivated me to study the subjects in order to understand the influence of reaction, interactions and actions of governments’ policies on humanity. I firmly accept that an influential and so far-reaching subject warrants a critical understanding and analysis at higher levels. My elementary and high school education prepares me adequately to study International Relations. I received broad education in various subjects such as mathematics, literature, and history as well as politics. The extensive knowledge in many subjects enables me to communicate effectively with individuals from different parts worldwide during the course of the degree. Additionally, my singing ability enables me to disseminate information regarding various political and economic issues in Arab. The motivation to sing triggers me to explore current political, economic and social events across the world. My main educational goal is to attain a doctorate in International Relations in order to establish a stable career in the field. The motivation to enroll for the International Relations courses results from the knowledge I have acquired through extensive reading of different political materials since childhood. In addition, my dad bought political books, and historical books play a significant role in my interests in the subject. I also engaged my father in extensive discussion of the current issues in various countries such as international politics and crisis in gulf and Palestine. I anticipate

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - Essay Example Matthew, Mark and Luke are the Synoptic Gospels because they are written very much alike, while John seems to stand back and view the same events in a different perspective. The overall major theme found in these first Gospels is the teaching of the way in which humans are to live as instructed by God through Jesus Christ. He was not just here to give an example of how to act, but to teach those who would listen and believe the truth and the way to salvation. He taught that through faith one could have salvation and through deed one would be following God's instructions on life. Even in persecution and death Jesus remained faithful and forever the teacher, telling the disciples to go to the ends of the world and teach what He taught them. This discussion will enlighten the basic concepts, parables and points of view in relation to Jesus and His word. According to Matthew, Jesus visited Bethany prior to being arrested in Gethsemane. It was during this time in Bethany that the disciples were told by Jesus that He would soon be leaving their presence, and that they needed to prepare to take God's word and spread it across the land (Koester 1995). Jesus knew at this time as well that the chief priests were preparing and planning for the most opportune time to arrest Jesus without causing a riot among His believers. While the time is a little off between the Gospels the important difference of this part of the story is the kiss from Judas. In Matthew it mentions that Judas greets Jesus with a kiss that is also the mark of his betrayal. The other Gospels mention the kiss, but have no mention of the initial greeting between Jesus and Judas. Some scholars speculate that Matthew retained more of his Jew background than the other disciples which will explain his mentioning and using Jew traditions as ways to tell the story. However others believe that the greeting before the kiss is just a function of literature that makes the event more believable to the followers of Jesus. During the last supper Jesus tells the disciples one of them would deny him three times, and another would betray him. Even at this point Judas knew Jesus was talking about him. He had already received the 30 silver pieces and was just waiting for the right time to take the soldiers to Jesus. Jesus told Judas to "do what you have to do." The time came at within days at the garden of Gethsemane. This betrayal of disciple and Jesus reinforces the message that Judas was fulfilling the Scriptures by betraying Jesus. Matthew's insistence that Jesus continued to adhere to many traditional forms of Jewish piety, and that he advanced the true interpretation of the Law of Moses, suggest that the author himself and some, perhaps most, of his audience were Jewish. After being arrested, Jesus is taken to see Pontus Pilate. Each of the books talks about the questioning at this time. The main difference is that fact that Matthew conveys that Pontus Pilate puts Jesus under oath of the "living God" and then asks Him if He is the Messiah. This line of questioning follows suit because at the time some Jewish and Christian groups thought Jesus was a human rabbinic teacher whom God had made into a great prophet (McGuckin 2004). According to Ehrman, the community in which Mark lived would have been the first people to have heard the word of God through Mark. He or someone in the temple would have read it to

Economic Report on Housing Sector in Scotland Essay

Economic Report on Housing Sector in Scotland - Essay Example This paper is divided into three parts. Part A will present an analysis of the Scottish housing market for the first decade of the new millennium (2000-2010). It will look at the major factors affecting demand, supply, and price of housing units. In the process of analysis, it will also seek to determine whether the housing sector in Scotland is volatile or not and what are the reasons for this. Part B will go on to review specifics regarding the reasons for the ups and downs in the housing sector. Part C will differentiate between factors that are indigenous to Scotland and factors that may affect the whole of the UK housing sector. It will then end with recommendations to be implemented that when done, will hopefully reduce the volatility of the housing market in the UK in general and in Scotland in particular.  Ã‚  Available data shows that the average number of new housing units established per year in Scotland since the 1980s was 20,000 units; these have however peaked at 25,0 00 in 2007 and there has been a decline since then to around just 17,000 units in 2010. This decline was seen in the years 2009 and 2010. The average UK house price was  £163,244 at the end of 2010, with London being the most expensive region in the UK overall, and Edinburgh leading the price rise in Scotland.  Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire were areas that had recorded a housing demand growth of 4 percent over the year ending December 2010. These areas have benefitted from strong and stable economic opportunities.  

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Example for Free

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Chipotle Restaurant first opened its door in 1993 (www.chipotle.com) in Denver Colorado by Steve Ells. There are currently 1600 franchised restaurants in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom specializing in burritos and tacos. Careers range from accounting and management, information technology, cashiers and cooks. The success of any business, particularly the restaurant industry relies heavily on its code of ethics. Chipotle has an â€Å"open door† policy of which any of its employees who feel that any of its code of conducts is being violated are free to partake in. As the CEO of Chipotle, there are several key areas in Chipotle’s code of conduct significant to its success. Chipotle will do its best to protect the privacy of its employees who decide to partake in its open door policy. Some of those key areas relating to Chipotle’s code of conduct include: 1. Anti-Discrimination Policy- Chipotle believes that all of its employees should be treated with respect regardless to race, religion, national origin, disability, origin, gender, marital status or sexual orientation (ir.chipotle.com). The also applies to its hiring practices, as well as pay, performance reviews, training advancements and the ability to advance. 2. Sexual Harassment Policy- Chipotle strictly prohibits such behaviors posed upon any of its employees, male or female. Sexual harassment encourages intimidation and could lead to abuse of power. Chipotle defines sexual harassment as unwelcomed sexual advantages, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal and nonverbal conducts sexual in nature. Examples of this type of behavior include verbal comments regarding physical body parts and jokes that are verbally offensive. 3. Discrimination Policy- Chipotle stands firm  this policy and includes discrimination of race, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, and any other discrimination practice and like the anti-discrimination, applies to its hiring practice, pay, performance reviews, training and the ability to advance (ir.chipotle.com). It is every employeeâ⠂¬â„¢s responsibility at Chipotles to ensure that each code of ethics is being carried out and any such violation must be reported. Every employee is expected to use good judgment and act reasonable and responsible and avoid potential conflicts that may interfere with the day to business of Chipotle. However, it is the responsibility of those in management to enforce the rules. As soon as management sees for them self or receives confidential information regarding any ethical violation, management should immediately respond to that violation by informing their immediate supervisor/ director. Behaviors such as sexual harassment and discrimination may be grounds for immediate dismissal. Chipotle will also take actions against management that fail to recognize any ethical violation upon its employees. There are several ways Chipotle can engage in socially responsible behavior within the communities they operate. This can be achieved by donating a portion of their profits to the communities they operate out of. An example would be Chipotle pledging to donate a percentage of all orders for carne burritos to the local community center. Chipotle can also help the communities they operate out of by offering each employee paid time off for agreeing to volunteer for specific tasks performed throughout the community. An example of employee volunteerism is offering all employees two hours paid time off per quarter for volunteering to assist with the grounds maintenance at the local elementary schools. Lastly, but not least is through the offer of employee incentives. Employees can receive bonuses for meetings the company’s goal for reducing energy costs for the quarter. References: http://ir.chipotle.com/phoenix.zhtml www.chipotle.com/en-us/company/about_us.aspx

Synesthesia and the Nature of Perception Essay example -- Biology Essa

Synesthesia and the Nature of Perception Although scientists do not fully understand the workings of the brain and perception, the basic concept seems fairly simple on an intuitive level. The brain interprets one set of stimuli in a specific way. Certain people with synesthesia, however, can experience a single stimulus in different ways. Are they naturally predisposed to hear red? Do these people have extra neural connections allowing them to taste green? Some scientists claim that all humans begin their lives as synaesthetes until they learn to differentiate their senses. It brings into question the nature of perception, and how the brain perceives reality. Synaesthetes experience "cross-modal" associations involuntarily, so that the feeling of one sense stimulates the sensations of another (1). Five features for clinical synesthesia exist (1): People with the rare condition of synesthesia experience it passively, but it requires a certain stimulus to elicit a response. The individual projects the sensations into his peri-personal space. The sensations do not change over time, and are generic, unelaborated sensory perceptions. In addition, the experiences are very memorable; one subject said that "he was merely a passive observer as the reminiscence unfolded itself" (1). Experiments with a single synesthetic subject show perfect consistency for colour descriptions of words, compared to a 17% consistency rate of a control subject with similar intelligence and memory levels (3). Not only did the subject seem genuine, based on her high level of consistency, but she gave far more detailed and vivid descriptions of the associated colours than the control subject. In a larger group of nine subjects, the consistency rate fo... ...until the brain learns to separate sensations. The source of the connections, the limbic brain, still serves as an emotional guide to the rational objective world, giving reality different perspective for each individual. Internet Sources 1)http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v2/psyche-2-10-cytowic.html, in Psyche 2)http://www.psychiatry.cam.ac.uk/isa/whatis.html, Overview on the ISA homepage 3)http://www.psychiatry.cam.ac.uk/isa/expinv.html, Experiments on the ISA website 4) http://www.ozemail.com.au/~ddiamond/synth.html,paper on Synesthesia 5)http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v2/psyche-2-27-baron_cohen.html, in Psyche 6)http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9511/synesthesia/, article on CNN 7)http://www.ad-i.com/viral/what/synes2.html, paper by Kamel 8)http://www.healthlink.usa/synesthesia.html,health information about synesthesia from Healthlink

Fiji Water

Introduction FIJI Water LLC is a U. S. based company, that market its famous brand in more than a dozen countries out of its bottling plant located in the Fiji Islands. The product concept was developed in the early nineties by David Gilmour, the Canadian-born owner and founder of Fiji’s renowned Wakaya Island Resort. 1 As of 2008, FIJI Water marketed its bottled mineral water in about a dozen countries in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It was marketed as FIJI Natural Mineral Water in Europe and as FIJI Natural Spring Water in Australia.The two main markets for the product were the United States and Australia. At the same time, the company’s relationships with the Fiji government were at the lowest point. The government accused FIJI Water of transfer price manipulations and seized hundreds of containers carrying FIJI brand. The company’s tax- free concession granted by the Fiji government for 13 years in 1995came to an end in October 2008 and th e company will be required to pay corporate tax in Fiji. The new water resource tax, although much lower than the draconian 20-cents-a-litre excise, still will adding about FIJI$1 million to its cost every year.In other hand, the company was making efforts to live up to its good corporate citizenship claim by focusing on its contributions to the local communities. In the following report you will find my selected analysis of the FIJI Water Case Study. I have chosen to respond to Question 2: What factors contributed to the marketing success of FIJI Water? And Question 5: Are the FIJI government's concerns about the â€Å"negative† contribution of the FIJI Water to the local environment justified?Does the company do enough to improve its relations with the FIJI government and the local community? What else should it do to improve those relations? What factors contributed to the marketing success of FIJI Water? 1 James McMaster and Jan Nowak, â€Å"Natural Waters of Viti Limite d-Pioneering a New Industry in the Fiji Islands,† Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, 9:2,2003 (Special Edition on Management Case). FIJI Water’s International Market Expansion FIJI Water global trends in bottled water consumption and demand were very important.Since more than 90 per cent of all the FIJI Water was exported, the sales of FIJI Water in the domestic market were very small. In 2007, Eurpoe and North America were the biggest regional markets for bottled water, accounting for 30. 9 and 30. 7 per cent of the world’s sales volume, respectively. Asia accounted for 24. 3 per cent and the rest of the world accounted for 14. 1 per cent. 2 FIJI Water had made its strategy revolve around capturing international market opportunities and strongly positioning the brand in large and growing markets for bottled water.Conquering the U. S. Market The United States is the very first and important international market that FIJI Water launch ed. Due to its light mineralization, FIJI Water was characterized by a smooth taste and no aftertaste. The light mineralization also gave the water a clean, pure taste. Many U. S. consumers instantly liked the taste of the water and, having tried it, repurchased the product in preference to the more mineralized waters. Also the company continued to educate the consumer about main advantages over other bottled water brands. 3The successful marketing equation plays an important role in the product content. One of the important elements was packaging. The packaging is the first thing that comes to the customer’s eye. For many years, all bottles containing natural water were the same—round, with paper labels. Packaging, one of the most fundamental ways to differentiate a product, was not used as such a toll in bottled water markets. Over the last decade, both companies and consumers had discovered the power of packaging in bottled water brand positioning and imagery.Simila rly to packaging, FIJI Water’s price was higher than that of most brands offered to U. S. consumer; people all believe that a premium-price policy reinforced the product’s high-quality image. Another important factor that had contributed to FIJI Water’s success in the U. S. market was its distribution. Having good distributors was important in that it enabled the brand to be well placed in and readily available to the market. Building an image of the high quality, uniqueness and class of the product was another aspect of this successful marketing campaign.The successful launch of FIJI Water in the United States was attributed to a skilful marketing strategy and the high quality of the people who drove the initial marketing campaign. 4 The company made people believes that FIJI Water was much more than just pure, good-testing liquid; it was also a promise of good health, refinement, status, and exclusivity. It evoked images of unspoiled natural beauty and purity. It was a tropical paradise captured in a bottle. 2 â€Å"The Global Bottled Water Market. Report 2007,† Beverage Marketing Corporation, January 2008. www. fijiwater. com. 4 Paul Yavala, â€Å"Fiji Water Travels,† The Fiji Times, November 2000, P. 4. Relations with the FIJI Government The â€Å"negative† contribution to the local environment—Tax Issues Fiji Water appeared to provide little direct benefits to government revenue because of the tax-free status granted by earlier governments The success of FIJI Water was very evident to all citizens of Fiji as they observed the large number of trucks transporting containers of bottled water to the ports of Lautoka and Suva using the Queens highway.One could argue that the damage caused to the national roads and bridges by the huge number of heavily laden trucks carrying FIJI Water might have exceeded the road and fuel tax, and that the citizens of Fiji were subsidizing FIJI Water. Based on FIJI Water’s export levels, the new export tax would result in the company paying many millions to the government coffers. In 2006, FIJI Water exported 119,000,000 litres of bottled water to the United States. Appling a tax of 20-cents-per-litre, FIJI Water will be paying the government FJ$24 million just for its exports to one market. FIJI Water and the nine other companies immediately mounted a campaign against the new tax. They first threatened to cease production and to lay workers off. They argued that this sudden decision by the Cabinet was made without thorough analysis of the economic costs and benefits. They also pointed out that it would undermine the government’s economic development strategy that was based on increasing the level of investment and export-oriented growth. A critical issue was the likely impact of this new tax on both foreign and local investment.Behind the scenes, the bottlers were very active in seeking the support of the media and key decision makers, trade unions, village leaders and local chiefs as well as lobbying interim ministers and members of the Military Council. On July25, 2008, the Fiji government made an announcement that it had decided to drop the new tax. Immediately after the announcement of the repeal of the tax, the major bottled water-exporting companies resumed production and re-employed the hundreds of workers who had been laid off. 0 In November 2008, the Fiji government re-introduced the disputed water tax as part of the 2009 budget in a different form. It was called â€Å"water resource tax† and was progressive depending on the amount of water extracted. FIJI Water’s tax-free concession granted by the Fiji government for 13 years in 1995 came to an end in October 2008, and the company will be required to pay corporate tax in Fiji. The new water resource tax, although, much lower than the draconian 20-cents-a-litre excise, is nevertheless likely to erode the company’s profitability by adding ab out FJ$1 million to its costs every year.This is expected to coincide with a slow-down of growth or even stagnation of FIJI Water sales in its main markets due to the global recession. 5 FIRCA Press Release, July 21,2008, www,frca,org,fj/docs/firca/press_release/Press Release 21. 07. pdf Transfer Pricing In January 2008, the government became concerned that FIJI Water was engaging in transfer price manipulations, selling the water shipments produced in Fiji at a very low price to the company headquarters in Los Angeles.A press release by FIRCA, issued in January 2008, noted that FIJI Water had received advice from international law firm Baker ; McKenzie, which conducted an economic study on transfer pricing and declared what the company was doing in Fiji was fair. FIRCA rejected the claim by stating that: â€Å"FIRCA will not passively accept the verdict of Baker ; McKenzie without itself having access to the information on which same is based, and to the instructions on which same is based, and without the opportunity to conduct its own transfer pricing study based on such matters and upon the profitability of Natural Waters of Viti Limited. 6 Relations with the local community Establishing and maintaining good relations with the five neighboring Fijian villages that were the traditional landowners of the Yaqara basin, where the bottling plant was located is very important. FIJI Water had established an excellent work environment with good interpersonal relationships among the workforce. In other hand the company also supported children’s education, provided the pre-schools with equipment, educational material, teacher training and other support.In March 2002, the company voluntarily established an independently administrated community development trust fund and allocated FJ$275,000 to it. The Trust provided founds for developing the infrastructure, expertise and skills needed to supply clean, safe and sustainable water to more than 100 communities, s chools, health centers and nursing stations throughout Fiji. 7 Maintaining good relations with the Fiji government will be vital. A series of ads sponsored by FIJI Water, placed in the popular daily Fiji Times in late 2008 and early 2009, was focused on letting the public and the overnment knows how good a corporate citizen the company is. The ads highlighted FIJI Water’s contribution to creating new jobs, improving education and raising standards of living in Fiji. FIJI Water was making efforts to live up to its good corporate citizenship claim. But is it enough to dispel government officials’ and ordinary citizens’ doubts about FIJI Water’s positive contribution to the local economy and community? 6 â€Å"Press Release,† Fiji Islands Revenue ; Customs Authority, January 11, 2008, p. 3. 7 www. fijiwater. com

Siddhartha Climax Apotheosis and Ultimate Boon

The climax of a novel or another literary work, such as a play, can be defined as the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse. The climax of Siddhartha occurs in the chapter entitled â€Å"By the River,† when Siddhartha hears the word Om while standing at the river as he considers drowning himself. This mystical sound heartens him, restoring his will to live. The moment represents a turning point that eventually leads to his achievement of nirvana. One day Siddhartha’s pain becomes too much and Siddhartha sets off in a desperate search of his son, but stops as he hears the river laughing at him. He looks into the river, sees his own father whom he had left, and turns back, concluding that â€Å"everything that was not suffered to the end and finally concluded, recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone†. Returning to his hut, Siddhartha tells Vasuveda all of this, but as he does, Siddhartha notices a remarkable change in the old man. After listening to Siddhartha, Vasuveda leads Siddhartha back to the river, telling him to listen deeply. At first Siddhartha hears only the voices of sorrow, but these voices are soon joined by voices of joy, and at last all the voices are under the great sound of â€Å"Om. Realizing the unity of these voices, Siddhartha's pain fades away and â€Å"his Self had merged into unity†. He has at last found salvation. Recognizing his friend's achievement, Vasuveda departs into the woods to die, thereby joining the unity he had helped Siddhartha find at last. Siddhartha realizes the unity of all things in the world which is the apoth eosis of the novel. The ferryman is a guide for both the river and the path to enlightenment. The ferryman is positioned between ordinary world and enlightenment, and those who seek enlightenment and are open to guidance will find what they need within the ferryman. The ferryman, however, shows Siddhartha how to find enlightenment within himself. The first time Vasudeva meets Siddhartha, Siddhartha wants only to cross the river, and that is all Vasudeva helps him do. Vasudeva is not a teacher who will simply tell Siddhartha what he should know, but a guide who will lead him where he wishes to go. Years later, Siddhartha searches for knowledge from the river itself, and Vasudeva guides him in his attempts to hear what the river has to say. Siddhartha himself becomes a ferryman after he achieved his goal of attaining nirvana.