Drugs in Lebanon

Facts and Official Action Cannabis has been grown in the Beak valley ever since the Roman Empire, despite the laws prohibiting it. A long-running measure by the government before the Civil War was to burn the fields before the yearly harvest. The war stopped that action and the country became one of the most prominent in the world in the production & export of illicit drugs, reaching its peak in the late sass's at 1000 tons of cannabis resin and 3 to 5 tons of heroin, which had only been introduced a few years earlier.In the early says, after the war ended, the eradication began again, but with the absence of alternative income sources and the promise of international aid that never materialized, this action plunged the local population in dire poverty, so much so that they have nothing more to lose and so they replant their crops every year. The culture and production had been In steady decline, and by 2002, most of It was Limited to the extreme north of the valley. But due to the r ising political unrest since 2005, it has significantly increased again.With the close watch of the land and sea borders for the traffic of arms, whisking of drugs out of the country has become harder, thereby forcing the growers to broaden local markets, increasing the local consumption, which has now become a serious epidemic amongst the Lebanese youth. In 1998, Lebanon passed Law 673, which stated that drug addiction was not a crime in itself. But there was no real implementation of the policy, and the Government continued offering only two choices: prison or abstinence.With some of the dealers being politically protected, and thus unreachable. Punishment came hard on users. They were caught, trialed, and held in conventional prisons for varying periods. However, recently, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of State for Administrative Reform stated clearly that addiction should be placed midway between crime and Illness, and that the addict should be treated Instea d of imprisoned with criminals, murderers, & traffickers which will be nothing but an additional cause for drug use.They are starting to promote cooperation between Government and No's where the addicts is caught and sent to rehab for proper treatment. Many dealers were and continue to be seized, as fortunately, action now concentrates on the root of the problem rather than the consequence. However, the Government still has a long way to go, as no official studies have Eden conducted on menders, prattles, Ana correct governmental reenrolled processes, and no rehabilitation centers are government-based.Numbers and Non- Governmental Organizations There are currently 7 available rehabilitation centers in Lebanon, all No's, offering awareness, prevention, non-residential programs to short or long residential programs. Their success rates are more or less high, depending on the programs they offer and their social reintegration processes. The centers are Mum el Nor, Skunk, Jejuneness Ant i Drogue DAD), Jejuneness Centre la Drogue COD), Bonjour du Ceil, Cancel De la Lumpier, and Horizons.To report accurate numbers would be impossible, as no serious official study of the matter has ever been conducted. Some incomprehension studies conducted by unofficial bodies, namely rehabilitation enters, and mainly in the region of Beirut alone show the following statistics: There are 10,000 to 15,000 estimated drug addicts in Lebanon, of which 2000 are female. This number could rise significantly if studies on other regions are conducted. 24% of prison inmates are drug users. Around 700 addicts receive treatment per year.A soaring 49% of all addicts fall in Beirut, with the other 51% divided amongst 6 other regions. Drug-related deaths are very underreported, and that for several reasons, mainly pertaining to the taboo nature of the issue, where families prefer to disguise he reason of death, when disclosing it might help other users. Average age for first time use has dropped dr amatically from 28 years in 1996 to 17 in 2000, to 15 in 2009, with 60% between 14 and 19, to 22% between 20 and 24, to 9% between 25 and 29, to small portions after that.As for educational level, the highest rate falls within people who have reached complementary school with 31%, but this does not indicate that education prevents addiction, as lower levels like primary school and illiteracy together represent only 18% whereas higher levels like some or full university education represents 27%. Socio-economical status seems to be more defining, as medium class contains 57% of addicts, versus 38% for low class, and only 6% for high class. But it is also important to note that the classes themselves are not equally divided.What is most interesting is that 80% of all addicts are single, divorced, or separated, with only 20% married, which clearly states that people with less responsibility and sense of purpose tend to fall deeper into that abyss. As for drug- related diseases, 43% of a ddicts show psychopathology diseases, whether before he addiction and leading to it, or after it, as effects of it, 25% have other chronic diseases, 20% Cardiovascular, 17% Hepatitis C, 7% Pulmonary, 2% allergies, 2% Diabetes, and 0. 5% AIDS. Needle sharing is not uncommon, and if it happens with AIDS or HIVE patients, these diseases will soon become an epidemic in Lebanon.Cannabis has the highest abuse rate at 66% but is considered a soft drug, less harmful than Heroin, which has a high rate of 65%, versus Cocaine 56%, Alcohol 47%, Ecstasy 20%, Amphetamines 13%, LSI 8%, and inhalants 2%. It is clear that poly substance use is very common. Cocaine and LSI are rising fast. It is very important to note that all the above numbers represents addicts, not occasional users. It is not uncommon to see people at parties having smoked cannabis, snorted cocaine, or popped ecstasy. So what makes an addict? Addiction is a disease, but it in not contagious.In order to develop, it needs the right accommodation AT assistance, personality, Ana solo-cultural Doctors. I en assistance needs to have addictive properties and has to meet the specific needs of the user. For example, Cocaine will satisfy a person with underlying low self-esteem, while Heroin would be the drug of choice for an overly sensitive person. The person needs to have genetic predispositions, psychological fragility, problematic relationships, and some sort of frail social skills, and of course certain expectations of what the drug would do for them.An antisocial or aggressive personality or morbid traits would also be determining factors. The socio-cultural factors should reflect some chaos and uncertainty, like a chaotic home or ineffective parenting, low communication, war, unemployment, or poverty in a consumer society, failures, loss of values, and the availability of the drug, affiliations with drug abusing peers, or peer pressure. Put together, these three factors are a fertile ground where addiction wil l grow and thrive until the person realizes that instead of solving his problems, it is making things much worse.What starts as an attempt to self-medicate ultimately backfires. Instead of treating the problem, drugs simply mask the symptoms. The problem is still there, but now, there are more issues at hand. Relationships are worse, poverty is accentuated, performance is hindered, and added to all the previous drawbacks is he acquired dependency to a substance that is potentially fatal. By then, it is too late, but only to an extent. An addict typically tends to be in denial as a strong defense mechanism for the substance that has now become his life.It matters more than anything else, more than friends, than family, than loved ones, than life itself. More than him. He has forgotten how to function without it, and even if he does realize that he is not really functioning, and that he is in a fast cycle of self- destruction, he cannot do much about it on his own. The drugs have alte red his rain, literally altered the way it looks and functions. Overcoming the addiction is not simply a matter of willpower. It is a disease and should be treated by professionals. In Utopia For a society to be free of drug addiction, the grounds have to be made infertile.Of course, the substance has to be made unavailable, the dealers caught and punished, the laws applied, the pharmacists infused with conscience, or at least punished so hard that they fear doing wrong. But even if the substance were hard to control, the other factors could be dealt with. The government would concentrate on the people it as elected to serve in the first place. It would strive to provide political and economic stability, health care, Job opportunities, and a secure future, giving the people a sense of pride, values, patriotism, and the feeling of belonging.If it weren't perfect in the first place, and suddenly acquires a conscience, it could contain addicts and treat them by opening rehabilitation c enters or helping existing ones grow, setting solid reintegration processes, and providing free psychological support and treatment to both addicts and their families (and other citizens). After all, it did argyle have a hand in their misfortunes in the first place. Finally, parents would know better than to become parents if they are unstable. They would treat their own issues before having children and passing on to them the troubles acquired from their own parents and past experiences.They would seek treatment to rid themselves of the frustration, the intolerance, and the shattered values caused by years of strife and instability. They would understand the importance of a stable none, loving support, detective responsibility, g values, Ana realistic expectations. Sadly, Lebanon is no Utopia. The Government continues to arrogantly refuse to assume its role as rightful servant and protector, and parents continue to ignore their responsibility of providing love before money, and sec urity before comfort.So it falls on our shoulders, yours and mine, to act with continuous awareness and assume the responsibility of grace. A closer look Most common international narcotics can be found in Lebanon. Taking a closer look at their nature and their effects will help a better understanding of why they are used. A drug, or psychoactive substance is any natural or synthetic chemical that has he ability to affect thinking, feeling, senses, and/or behavior, by acting in the brain on mechanisms that normally exist to regulate the functions of mood, thoughts, and motivations.

Effects of Computer Society Essay

Traditionally, courses that deal with computers and society issues focus primarily on enumerating the various ways in which computers impact society. This is done by listing categories of topics such as privacy, computers in medicine, military uses of computers, etc. Classic cases of computer abuse or errant systems are typically described in detail, as a way of simply making students more aware of how computers affect society. These examples are meant to serve as warnings to future professionals, in the hopes that they will practice their profession with greater care. What is missing from these discussions, however, is  why  computers have the impact they do on society. What are the characteristics that are the root of this impact? Are there fundamental differences between this technology and others that have transformed our world in the past? The intent of developing a list of these characteristics is that it could lead to a better understanding of the nature of the social impact of computers. In this way, it might be possible to examine a new computer project at the time of its  design  (not, as is the usual case, a long time after the project has been implemented and disseminated) to determine its potential impacts as a social change agent. The characteristics given below are not necessarily unique to computer technology. However, in many instances computers have created situations that were previously impossible to accomplish (such as space flight), were essentially inconceivable until the technology was applied, or at least were very difficult to achieve without the aid of computer technology. Furthermore, even though other technologies may have had impacts similar to computers in many ways, computer technology has greatly amplified their effects to the point of entirely overshadowing any previous technology’s impact. Finally, the term  computer technology  is meant to be inclusive of any device that is essentially controlled by a basic computer (CPU, program, etc. ). This would include, therefore, modern telephones, VCRs, microwave ovens, CAT scanners, supermarket scanners, and the like. The following are in no particular order. Also, some devices or examples are likely to fit into more than one of the categories below: (1) Ubiquity – It is perhaps stating the obvious that computers appear to be everywhere today. Even when we don’t encounter them directly in their various forms of modern convenience devices, such as digital watches, microwave ovens, VCRs, and the like, we generate transactions that are processed via computers without actively doing anything: the utility companies are recording our usage, the phone company records incoming calls, our answering machine might be recording a message while we are doing something else, someone is performing a credit check on us, etc. (2) Magnification – Computers tend toward magnification in several different ways. First, the explosion of the availability of information is due in large part to the computer’s ability to generate, collect, and store an ever increasing amount of raw data. Since the ability to create and collect data is growing exponentially, so too is the generation of information that can be synthesized from this data. Second, the types of negative impacts a single error can have has grown enormously with computer technology. Finally, the number of people directly affected by a system error has also grown enormously, to where a single software system literally can affect millions directly. 3) Accessibility – Access to information continues to increase at hard to believe speeds. Many information resources are available only in digital form, via, for instance, the Internet. As more information is converted to digital form (e. g. voice and video), the ability to duplicate and distribute such information increases enormously. Indeed, there are some forms of publishing that can exist only within the context of a computer system. The concept of hypertext and hypermedia (including audio and video), the ability to create non-linear accessibility to information, was conceived out of the ability to randomly access information via computers. Its increasing success easily shows how important information in a digital form has become already. (Oz, 1994). (5) Lack of Accountability – It has become a popular complaint that it is getting more and more difficult to locate a human being who is willing to accept responsibility for an error made by a computerized system. While it is tempting to blame such problems on incompetent employees, in truth the problem may be a poor user interface, lack of training, or an error in the software, none of which can be solved by those providing the front-line service. Another difficulty is finding someone who will, indeed, fix an error in an account. It is often the case that service representatives are reluctant to accept the responsibility for making a necessary change. In addition, it can often be difficult to even find a human being to deal with a problem. Getting lost in a voice-mail system has become a modern urban legend. (Nissenbaum, 1994). (6) Temporality – Computers have several effects on time and the timeliness of information. It seems that computer technology is to blame in large part for the â€Å"speed p† of modern society – everything has to get done faster, be there sooner, be available immediately. Another form of temporality in computer systems is that information can be retained over long periods of time, even when they appear to have been destroyed (consider the classic case of Col. Oliver North). There is little reason that information should be entirely lost any more, even due to accident. And it is reas onable to suspect that every scrap of information generated today will be available virtually forever. Another temporal shift for which computers have been responsible is that people who work together do not necessarily have to do so at the same time. Finally, services and information are more frequently available on a 24-hour basis. This allows people to request a service or seek information when it fits their schedule, rather than when it fits the service provider’s schedule. (7) Spatiality – Computers have done more to shorten distances than any previous technology, even the supersonic jet. It is possible to send large amounts of data, messages, video, etc. virtually anywhere in the world via networks such as Internet. Long distance learning, using information databases or video feeds of courses via satellite, is a reality for a growing portion of our modern society. We can now even be on the move when we talk with someone on the phone, or receive a fax. (8) Surveillability – Is there any doubt that computers have made surveillance easier than at any time in history? In addition to the usual surveillance equipment such as cameras and microphones, transactional data is increasingly being collected for virtually all types of transactions, even cash purchases and the acquisition of services. There has even been discussion by the government of using a universal health card, which is seen by many as the first step toward finalizing the move (begun with the co-opting of the social security number) in the US toward a national identification card. (9) Shifting of Relationships/Changes in Intercommunication Protocols – One of the more difficult characteristics to track is how computer technology has changed communication between people and groups of people. In particular, the use of email has been shown to eliminate a lot of the usual visual and verbal cues we often use in communicating with one another (whch can be viewed as both an advantage and as a disadvantage). In addition to removing such cues, computer-mediated communications mask attributes such as race, gender, age, or physical disability, in addition, perhaps, to the person’s social or management status within an organization. (Grudin, 1994; Perrole, 1987). (10) Illusion of Precision – It is not difficult to make many (perhaps even most) people who are not in the computer field believe that any numeric result generated by a computer is correct. Those not well versed in the hardware of computers have little understanding of the fact that numbers must be converted back and forth between decimal and binary forms, or that there is a limitation on the accuracy of numbers due to memory constraints. As a result, they willingly accept values generated by a computer as infinitely accurate. (Liffick, 1985). Conclusion The characteristics described above are factors in the social impact of computer technology. For most there is at least anecdotal evidence of their existence (with seemingly countless examples). For some, there is also experimental evidence. It has finally become widely accepted that technology is not value neutral, as originally thought. By examining this list and using it as a set of landmarks for evaluating new systems, it may be possible to better anticipate the social impact of new systems, prior to their dissemination.

Challenges: Struggle and Arnold Spirit Jr

Challenges Challenges, struggles are always a part of human life. Challenges are to test of one's abilities. Struggle what makes people stronger physically and emotionally it’s a difficulty, conflicts that people face to be success. It is not easy to accept challenges and struggle and achieve what you have been challenged for. In a novel called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character name Arnold Spirit Jr. was born in a poor Indian family and lived in a Indian reservation.Junior is a boy who wanted to do something different, different then people in his rez have ever done. His life always brings new challenges and struggled a lot. Life always brings challenges and struggles but the most important thing is how you accept challenges and struggle in order to succeed. Arnold spirit Jr. Life is began with a challenge He was born with cerebral spinal fluid and forty two teeth. Doctors said he is not going to survive or just a living objec t â€Å"even if I somehow survived the mini Hoover.I was supposed to suffer serious brain damage during the procedure and live the rest of his live as a vegetable† (page # 2). Due to his brain damage he had eyesight problem. But he survived he was fine a lived his live normally. He was born in a poor Indian family were they live in Indian reservation. They sometimes have to sleep empty stomach, â€Å"My family misses a meal, and sleep is the only thing we have for dinner† (page #8). One of his best friend name Oscar his pet. He lost him because he and his family didn’t have money to cure him.In spite of being poor and losing his pet Oscar he understood that his family is poor. He controlled his anger he had towards his family and him being poor. He learned and understood that it wasn’t his or his parent’s fault that they are poor. His anger level increased and he got out of control when he saw her mother’s name on his book. He had to study s o old book. His teacher realizes and tells him that he is strong and he has hope in his life that he can fulfill it. He doesn’t want to live his life like others. He then decided that his life is not going to be like others in rez he then decided to study in other school to fulfill his dream and goal. One of the most important challenge in his life was when he decided to think beyond what he have thought before, No one in his family or in his rez have ever thought of doing he decided to leave his rez school and join another school where white people studies in Readan. He had to face many problems and struggled a lot in order to go and study and be what he wants to be in life.His best and his only friend in rez Rowdy was no longer his friend. He was alone as he was the only Indian in that school. He was being bullied being called by different names in his new school as he was Indian. In spite of all his problem struggled he accepted it as a challenge. He fought with roger a st udent who bullied him all the time he punched him. Students started knowing him he was no longer being bullied or an unknown in school. He gained confident on himself. He started making friends. Even Roger became his friend.As he was physically weak than others he still joined basketball team were students in his team were big and tuff. It was hard for him to join the team but he did it he proved himself that he can do it. He worked hard one his selection were he had to face roger one on one in order to be selected he lost several time but he didn’t give up. His coach inspired him a lot it was him who made him strong, his advice, â€Å"The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regard less of his chosen field of endeavor† (page #148).He then started playing game so good that he became star of Readan. He lost his loves one people who he inspires and loves. He lost his grandmother his father’s friend Eugene and his sister. Their death made him upset and depressed his but he still managed to control himself and fulfill his biggest challenge. Life is not easy I believe struggle and challenges are parts of live. No matter who you are what you are life always brings challenges and struggles.Life always brings challenges and struggles but the most important thing is how you accept your challenges and struggle in order to succeed Arnold Sprit Jr. faced challenges and struggles from the day one of his life. In spite of all his problems in his life he managed and survived from all his struggle and challenges. I always knew that no matter what I have to face challenges in life as Arnold did. Many famous people in this world like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther king and Christopher Columbus accepted challenges in life and succeeded.

The Naturalist and Christian answers to Foundation Worldview Questions Assignment

The Naturalist and Christian answers to Foundation Worldview Questions - Assignment Example When first studying a worldview, it is often helpful to review a variety of definitions for that belief system. Each author brings a different emphasis, providing a fuller understanding of that worldview. Naturalism is the belief that nature is all there is. There is nothing outside of nature, or if there is, it is unknowable. All phenomena, whether physical, biological, psychological, or even spiritual, can be completely explained by laws of nature. God, in this metaphysical system, is inherently a product of human imagination, and therefore a relic from prescientific times, when humans knew no better than to attribute to a supernatural being their own existence and that of everything else they encountered (Johnson, n.d.). In contrast, the question is answered with a resounding "Yes" by someone with a Biblical worldview. Unlike the naturalist who says that matter is eternal, the Christian says that only God is eternal and all matter was created by God. The idea that there is no God has significant impact on the naturalists ethics. If there is no God, then there is no objective, external standard for ethics. There is no way to objectively define right and wrong outside of mankind. Since there is no standard for ethics outside of mankind, ethics are defined by ones culture and society.

Religious Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious Freedom - Essay Example Therefore, he firmly establishes the freedoms- freedom of speech, freedom of action, freedom of though and freedom of religion. Personally I believe that there shall be freedom of religion as long as there is peace and social order. Every individual is responsible for their own actions and they shall be held responsible or penalized only if their action has caused disturbance or harm to another being. As long as a person is living a righteous life without causing any trouble to his or her fellow beings, then there seems no valid reason to punish him or her on the basis of their religious belief. It is not true that only individuals from the minority sector commit crimes in a certain country. Even individuals from their own religious sect commit crime. In the Holy Quran there is a quote, it says, â€Å"There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the m ost trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.† (Surat Al-Baqarah, 2:256) According to this verse of the Holy Quran, it clearly says that there shall be freedom of religion. ... Similarly, in the Locke’s quote, he clearly explains that no man is superior to other man to force his opinions on others and compel him to accept his opinion and religion. There exists a relationship between an individual’s mind and reality; and no one can interfere with that relationship. Again in the same chapter of the Holy Quran it is mentioned, â€Å"Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."† (2:136) This verse clearly states that Muslims believe in all the previous prophets that were blessed to various nations in the history. To be a true Muslim, belief in the messages of the earlier Prophets is equally important. Muslims do believe in Prophet Moses who wa s sent to the Jewish tribe, Prophet Esa (Jesus) and various other Prophets. However, they submit themselves to God and follow the guidance of the Prophet. Therefore the Muslims believe in all books that were revealed to all the Prophets and in all the angels. As it is mentioned in the Holy Quran at another instance, where it says, â€Å"The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.†Ã¢â‚¬  (2:285)

Cultural Economy of the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Cultural Economy of the Media - Essay Example A study of 540 students at the Carnegie Mellon University reveals that 89% of students at this institution gave their real names, and 61% of students managed to upload their real photos in the social networking site of Facebook (May, 2013). These users did not alter their privacy settings, and therefore it was possible to access their information publicly. On this note, therefore, Facebook has come under criticisms for failure of providing adequate privacy options for its various users. These criticisms arise on the background that the information that users provide can cause serious security problems to the individual concerned and to the country as a whole. The social network sites also process enormous information on a daily basis. Features in these social network sites, such as open platform applications, invitations, messages, and photos are avenues in which the private information of a user is made public. To protect users from inappropriate use of their information/data, it is important to enact measures that will regulate the nature of information that the public can view (Austin, 2003). The criterion of choosing this kind of information should be on the background of the effect the data can cause to the individual if it is exposed to the public. This paper analyzes the roles of privacy in the social networking sites. In analyzing these roles, this paper uses Helen Nissenbaum’s theory of privacy, known as the contextual integrity theory. It also identifies the specific European Union and UK privacy laws that seek to regulate the privacy of an individual, and it demonstrates the business interests of these social networks in relation to the information they control. This paper has a conclusion, which is a summary of the main points addressed in it. Privacy in a social networking site protects the information of an individual from being used by people who are not authorised to use the information (Ritzer and Jurgenson, 2010). The current trends in regard to gathering data and disseminating the same by data collecting companies involve the perusals of information from social networking sites. The intention of these companies is to sell the information to marketing companies. On most occasions, they collect and use this information without the knowledge of its owners. According to the contextual integrity theory, this amounts to a breach of an individual’s privacy. According to this theory, it is impossible for an individual to have complete privacy. On this basis, therefore, people will share their personal information, as long as there are certain principles that govern the nature in which they share their personal information (Pollach, 2005). However, if these principles are contravened, without the permission of the parties involved, then a breach of privacy has occurred. Take, for example, these data collecting companies, accessing the information of an individual through their social networking account, and using t he information they gain to produce a marketing campaign without their knowledge. According to the contextual integrity theory, this is a breach of an individual’s privacy. This theory further goes on to identify two types of behaviors that determine whether there is a breach of an individual’s privacy or not (Mowlabocus, 2004). These norms are the norms of distribution and that of appropriateness.

European Society and Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Society and Thought - Essay Example The economy of Europe was transformed Production expanded greatly, and new methods of marketing and transport arose. Finally, governments gradually adopted new methods and policies, often spurred by pressures from below as new groups gained political consciousness. The result was an increasingly active government that sought change in many areas--in agricultural methods, in the organization of cities, in industry and technology, and in more conventional matters such as police and military structure. Population growth, the industrialization of the economy, and the modernization of the state--here were the most obvious motors for change. The result was a transformation that touched every aspect of life; and in many ways the less familiar changes were more important. People became sexier. They had intercourse more often, both in and out of marriage. Their bodies changed. Modern European man is taller, is heavier, and has bigger feet than his premodern counterpart. Women are taller as we ll, but ultimately their physical image, and with a bit of a lag their physical reality, stressed greater slenderness, along with an increase in bust size. Premodern society had a different notion of work from modern society. It had little specific sense of leisure; the notion of vacations and regular, off-the-job recreation was born in the nineteenth century. Any change as great as industrialization and modernization creates a great deal of stress (Hughes p12). At every stage of the modernization process large groups of people were fearful of change. Ironically, the same transformation that spread an idea of progress also enhanced a more traditional notion that somehow the past was better. An example: polls in France as late as the 1950s revealed that the majority of the population believed that people lived longer in the past than in modern society, apparently assuming that the stress of modern life, in contrast to the peaceful existence of the countryside, must have reduced longevity. Belief in political reform spread too many sectors of the bourgeoisie in France during the second half of the eighteenth century via Enlightenment tracts. Lawyers and other professional people were particularly receptive. By the 1790s a more radical reform interest, also Enlightenment-derived, reached artisans, whose leaders began talking in terms of social contracts and popular sovereignty. But even here the Enlightenment channelled political interests more than it caused them (Gottschalk p14). The state, particularly on the Continent, played a more direct role in modernization, though without intending to contribute to any fundamental transformation of society. From the late seventeenth century most European governments had been extending the scope of their operations. They tried to increase their contact with distant sections of their country, curtailing the regional power of aristocrats. Bureaucracies were expanded, and bourgeois elements were brought into some of them. Most important, the government began to deal with activities that had previously been left to the control of local and private groups. Many

Weekly Assignment No. 12 & Weekly Assignment No. 13 Essay

Weekly Assignment No. 12 & Weekly Assignment No. 13 - Essay Example We are reviewing the performance of big contractor companies on the recent projects to select the one we would like to contract with. A business proposal is a kind of business plan when the business is in the conceptual stage. The scope of work, the resources and other business essentials have not yet been finalized. On the other hand, a business plan is the actual plan of a business once everything has been finalized. It has scenario details and is usually made for a period of five years. The business plan includes but is not limited to the products, the cost and benefit analysis, objectives and the marketing plan. Entrepreneurs need a business plan in order to concoct the management and leadership strategies. The business plan suggests the resources that the entrepreneur should arrange as well as the milestones that the entrepreneur has to achieve. The business plan provides the entrepreneur with a firm basis for his/her future decisions and an objective understanding of the business as a

Advancements in Communications The Use of Cloud Computing Research Paper

Advancements in Communications The Use of Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example This paper will discuss various concepts of communication and its emerging factors in cloud environment. This paper will also outline the implications of cloud computing in communications. Cloud Computing  and Communications Cloud computing is one of the emerging concepts in telecom sector. In addition, cloud computing has successfully changed the dimensions of communication (Weiss; Koehler, Kraemer and Anandasivam). In today’s global world where new standards and technologies are offered and changed everyday each and every organization is trying its level best to make use of cloud computing. Additionally, the idea of cloud computing is already adopted in various fields. According to a research, cloud environment will be adopted in a large number of corporations and enterprises in upcoming years. In fact, cloud computing is already been adopted in various sectors such as communication and information technology which resulted in significant growth and profit generation (Phuk an). In this way the telecom sector is much energized about the scenario of cloud environment. In addition, the telecom sector will acquire numerous competitive advantages from networking operations along with modern technological aspects. Hence it will become easy for them to play an imperative role in the rapid growing world of cloud computing environment (Phukan). Cloud computing generally  offers a lot of convincing benefits for common users and organizations that used it, such as it is useful in many ways. It facilitates organizations with the cost of operations performed reduced capital and scalability according to our demands. So we are in right opinion towards business concerning matters to take full fledging advantage of the on-going computing resources and services according to our demands, collectively known as â€Å"the cloud†. Without a doubt, Cisco is a leading network oriented company is working with other industry leaders on joint venture to develop and expa nd protocols and standards that are useful in transformation of the long-term vision the Inter-Cloud form, today into reality. If the Cisco joint venture happens then it will make considerable changes in the cloud environment, further than the technology directions must change in this regard. The IT-related organizations, and how IT (information technology) mechanism with various business units, have to acclimatize as well, or organizations would not achieve what they desire from the cloud computing (Nations; Ingthorsson). If we research the Cloud Computing like both a service delivery model and technology concept, particularly according to its networking point of view, and also its various implications indeed. We already have studied the existing and promising technologies related to networks usually used in the Cloud computing, either in internal level or in external, it may include various aspects that correspond to WAN (wide area network) technologies as well as Data hub/centre interconnections. If we analyze the both Long-distance interconnections (MAN and WAN), the overall spectrum between information centers are visibly based on IP (internet protocol) standards that are used over the ATM (auto transit machine), Ethernet, SDH/ SONET and further recently, on MPLS with QoS as well as interconnection that have local capabilities.  

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reading Response - Essay Example only nighttime visit was permitted, but brief that it could not fill the parental bond effective for raising a child plagued by the torments of slavery. One day he sees the whipping of Aunt Hester by master Antony; a scene that eventually prompts him to move to Baltimore (Douglass 18). The move is a turning moment because it frees Douglass from becoming a slave forever. He starts participating in antislavery campaigns that champion the rights of those still held in the South. Three episodes are central to Douglass in his quest to gain freedom and help other fellow slaves escape the bondage. For instance, the first episode involves the acknowledgement of being slave. Douglass’s decision to take a decisive action emanated from his slavery predicament that exposed him to beatings by his masters such as Mr. Covey. Similarly, the humiliation and fatigue of being overworked in the field plantations features prominently in his life and this prompts his to seek ways of escaping the suffering. This is because Douglass wishes to have a life better than slavery that is only possible in the North. Alternatively, slave identity convinces the narrator on the need to address the matter amicably through freeing other slaves first before taking any action. The second episode is the urge to seek education for emancipation and empowerment in fighting for the thriving slave trade in the South. This transformation occurs after Douglass has moved to Baltimore, Maryland under the ownership of his new mistress called Mrs. Sophia Auld. Unfortunately, this noble venture comes with numerous challenges such as the strong disapproval by Mr. Auld. He rightly knows that an educated slave would become sad and worse, wild. This act, however, affirms Douglass’s zeal to learn how to read and write because it is sanctioned by his master. In other words, he learns that education is tied to liberation especially after comprehending the word ‘abolition.’ Going North and beginning the

Crunch Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crunch - Assignment Example Crunch’s demographic market was that of young adults. Their core demographic market rested in American sub-urbans. These were people who would be in their twenty somethings. Thus the demographic market of Crunch is young and peppy. Crunch stood out as a brand for its innovative offerings. They always tried to project a big image of their company. The Crunch logo symbolized fitness apparel manufacturers and they had that logo licensed. A point came during its tenure, when aerobics was no longer central to the company’s programs. Crunch continued to gain popularity and attention by coming up with group exercise concepts that were not available. Levine’s motivation and strengths: Levine drew his motivation from the positive results that he was getting for the work that he was doing. His investments into new and innovative products were being welcomed in the market. His biggest strength was his urge to take risk and try new things. This had helped him project an ecle ctic image of his company as it helped ensure that the company was always on the road to development and innovation, the key traits needed for a successful stint in entrepreneurship. What are their main operational concerns? How have they financed their growth? Crunch as a brand was larger than life. They had gone for above the line promotion and had ensured that no stones were left turned in promoting it properly. They had a TV show running in its name and they had people licensing the product and selling as if it would not be available. However there was no corporate organization and everything rested at the club level. Crunch’s staff was at the club level only and most of its employees stayed in Manhattan club. There was heavy dependence on external accounting firms, PR agencies, consultants and advertising agencies. However now that crunch was considering to expand foray into bigger ventures, Levine was considering preparing a systematic mode of corporate organization. Is the Sports Life acquisition a good fit for Crunch? Yes, it’s a good fit for Crunch because it is in sync with the overall branding of Crunch. It will not just add another big name to their pool but will also be monumental in promoting the image of Crunch as a brand. It will attract more customers and is also likely to take Crunch to newer and bigger heights. SportsLife will mean Crunch will have a whole new market base added to his customer base. Those gyms are Olympic sizes, they are huge and widely revered by the people of Atlanta. There were membership installment plans that were being offered to the customers of Sports Life. While acquiring SportsLife would mean drifting away a bit from the Crunch’s typical business model what could be done could be to acquire it and then customize it according to Crunch’s branding itself and the needs and perception of people of Atlanta. Q. How should Crunch prioritize their growth opportunities? I believe that Crunch shou ld go for a carefully thought out growth expansion program. They should go for an online portal, first. It is important for faster and acquiring access of their customers to them. It will also give them a access and make them able to capitalize on the market on web. Secondly, it should opt for acquiring Sports Life and once it has big large enough at home then it should look out for international expansion and spreading into

Microscopy and the Metric System Essay Example for Free

Microscopy and the Metric System Essay 1. List the components of the compound microscope and their function. 2. determine the total magnification given that you are using a compound microscope with the following objectives: 4x, 10x, 40x, and 100x 3. what is meant by the depth of field? 4. what is meant by the field of view? 5. describe the process of making a wet mount. ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. -Focal adjustment; used to adjust height of stand to adjust closer too or farther from slide. -eyepiece; used to look into to see what is on the slide closer -arm; hold when carrying, also used to -objective lenses; must use smallest objective lens, they have different levels of magnification -stand; used to hold up the microscope. -light source; needs to be turned on to be able to see. -base; hold when carrying, also used for standing up microscope. 2. 4x=40x , 10x=100x , 40x=400x , 100x=1000x 3. Depth of field is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that give an image its focus in a camera. 4. Field of view is the area that is visible. 5. Mix sample to make sure it is properly suspended. Take dropper to pick up sample material. Put a small amount on the glass slide. Take a cover glass by the corners with tweezers to not get any finger prints. Put cover from corner down to avoid air bubbles. If too much water use a tissue or filter paper to suck up remaining water. Part B: 1. Linear measurements: measure the width of your textbook in cm and then convert to mm. 2. Conversions: convert 100 grams to mg and then ug 3. Weight measurements: using your scale, record the mass of an object in grams and include the name of the object you have measured. Once you have recorded your measurements in grams, please convert the measurement to mg and then ug. 4. Volume measurements: define meniscus and describe how you would read the volume of a liquid in a gradulated cylinder. 5. Temperature measurements: Record the temperature of your skin and of the room in celsius. ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. 22.4 cm is equal to 224 mm 2. 100g is equal to 100,000mg which is equal to 100ÃŽ ¼g 3. A pencil weighs 9g which is equal to 9,000mg which is equal to 9ÃŽ ¼g 4. A meniscus is the curved upper surface of a liquid in a tube or a lens that is convex on one side and concave on the other. To read the volume of a liquid in a gradulated cylinder compare the bottom of the meniscus to the nearest graduation or the ring, at eye level. 5. 37 degrees celsius on my skin and the room is 21 degrees celsius

Definition Of Resistance To Change Management Essay

Definition Of Resistance To Change Management Essay This chapter will cover the definition of change and resistance to change, then each variable which may potentially influence middle managers attitude towards change are discussed separately which include: middle managers perceived benefits of change, and middle managers involvement in change. Secondly, the chapter will also discuss the influential factors which may influence attitude towards change, based on extensive literature of researches carried out which include: organization benefits, organization barriers, employees age, employees education, and demographic characteristics. Finally, the chapter will end with a conclusion. As cited by Jia, Li, Song, Tsui, Zhang (2008) middle managers are taking an important position in organizations. They are accountable for achieving organizational goals by translating and implementing organizational strategies, managing change, creating optimal working environments, ensuring smooth running of operations, building teams and motivating subordinates, and so on Delmestri Walgenbach (2005), Floyd Wooldridge (1997), Huy, (2002),Barsoux, Kieser, Ganter, Stewart Walgenbach(1994). In order to survive, organizations rely on the creativity and innovation of middle-level managers Dutton, Ashford, Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸Neill, Hayes, Wierba(1997). Resistance to change introduces costs and delays into the change process Ansoff (1990) that are difficult to anticipate Lorenzo (2000) but must be taken into consideration. Resistance has also been considered as a source of information, being useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process Beer and Eisenstat (1996), Gol dstein, 1988; Lawrence(1954), Piderit ( 2000), Waddell and Sohal (1998). In previous research, middle managers were identified as the key group in organizations that covers a wide range of responsibilities. Mintzberg (1980) identified as one of the responsibilities of middle managers were translating strategy into operations. Miller Shamsie (1996), stated that knowledge has become one of the most important assets in economic life. Unlike physical assets, which have traditionally been considered the basis of competitive advantage, knowledge assets are the source of todays organizations ability to outperform their competitors In addition, Carney (2004) also stated that middle managers are the ones who developed strategy. Beckwith, Glenzer Fowler (2002), defined middle managers as the ones capable of leading change from the middle. Other definition of responsibilities of middle managers are championing, synthesizing, facilitating and implementing FloydLane (2000); Anderson-Ashcraft (2007) 2.2 Definition of Change Change can be defined as the process of transitioning from one state to another (Newton, 2007). According to Newton the word transformationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ is often used as a synonym for change. According to Herold Fedor, (2008), organizational change defined as alterations of existing work routines and strategies that affect a whole organization has become a central focus in the strategic and change management literatures Beck, Bruderl, Woywode, (2008); Huy,(1999) Pettigrew, Woodman, Cameron, (2001). A common distinction made in the management of organizational change is between incremental and radical change (Lee, 2011). Arris (1999) referred to incremental change as continuous improvement. Radical change is according to Lee (2011) often referred to as transformation. According to Miller and Friesen (1984) and Greenwood and Hinings (1996) radical change is a qualitative alteration of an organizations rules of organizing the fundamental rules that members use to interact cognitive ly and behaviorally with the world around them. Kotter, Schlesinger Sathe (1986), underscore this by commenting that most managers approach change with a simple set of beliefs and end up exacerbating the problems that arise because they fail to understand them in any systematic manner. However, in many cases, sometimes estimated to be as many as 50 percent of all changes, organizational change has failed to deliver expected results and or meet intended objectives Marks,(2006); Paper Chang, (2005); Quinn, (2004). Similarly, a recent survey of global companies reported that only one-third of organizational change initiatives were considered successful by their organizational executives Meaney Pung, (2008).Former empirical researches concluded that attitudinal and behavioral implications of employees had An important participation in the success of organizational change. For instance, researchers have found that individual employees change related attitudes and behaviors are related to post change organizational performance Kim Mauborgne, (2003), Robertson, Roberts, Porras, (1993) and their work performance following change Neubert Cady, (2001). Paton and Mc Calman, (2000) stated that change management approaches and theories generally stress the need to multi-task and to view change holistically. They also stated by means of research done that women middle managers are likely to be far better suited to multi-tasking than their male colleagues. Dempster, (1998) confirmed that it is not surprisingly, that they tend to manage change differently. 2.3 Definition of resistance to change Lewin (1951) was one of the first researchers to consider the notion of employee resistance to organizational change in the management field. His conception of the term was drawn from the physical sciences and considers resistance to be a restraining force attempting to maintain the status quo Piderit, (2000). Bouckenooghe (2011) stated that the majority of the literature about attitudes toward change, including resistance toward change, focuses on planned, top-down driven organizational change and the individual level of analysis. The term resistance always implies a sense of opposition Hollander Einwohner, (2004). Bouckenooghe (2010) and Piderit (2000), stated that in recognition of the varying definitions of resistance to change and similar concepts that have emerged, such as cynicism about organizational change, some authors have tried to create a more integrative view of attitudes toward change. They also stated that, This notion of attitudes toward change is used to bring toge ther the varying ways of conceptualizing peoples reactions toward change by incorporating cognitive, affective or emotional, and intentional, behavioral components The specific problem in this research is to determine how two main potential determinants, perceived benefits of change and involvement in change impacts middle managers attitude. This research verified how these factors acts as possible mediator to influence the attitudes of middle managers in a positive or negative way towards change, in organizations. Giangreco (1999) argues that the distinction between overt and covert forms of resistance to change is particularly important in relation to middle management roles. He stated that middle Managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ dissent usually takes the form of passive resistance than of open rejection. Van Zandt (2004) argues that manager resistance comes from a slightly different perspective than the other employees. According to him, the leading reason for managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ resistance to change is fear of loss of power and control. The two factors directly related to this are the perceived benefits of change and the involvement in the chan ge process. Attitude of a person is determinant how he will perceive whatever change has to be applied. This is in line with Ajzen and Fishbeins (1980) theory of reasoned action suggesting a direct link between peoples specific attitudes towards a given phenomenon and their behavioral reaction to it Bandura,(1977); Fishbein and Ajzen,(1975). Change often eliminates something over which the manager had control or introduces something over which the manager does not have control. As cited by Van Zandt, some managers perceive a change as a personal attack by other managers and react to the change initiative as a battle for turf. Prosci,(2003). They feel an overload of their current tasks, the pressures of their daily activities, and limited resources to assist them with the new responsibilities given to them during the change process Durant, (1999). Giangreco and Peccei (2005) suggest that the most common factors that affect employee level of resistance to change in organizations are perceptions of the cost and benefits associated with change and the extent of their involvement in the actual process of change. They noted that the perception of the cost and benefits associated with change relates to the content of change. Braaf, P (2011) said that it specifically refers to individualsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ perceptions of the possib le impact that the change could have on them, of the personal advantages and disadvantages associated with the actual change itself. Dempster, (1998) also stated that, gender issues in the workplace have also faced a great deal of scrutiny, however there has been little or no research linking gender differences to the management of change. These factors that go along with change can cause substantial fear and anxiety amongst individuals involved in the change process and; hence, can become an important source of resistance to change Caruth, Middlebrook, Rachel(1985), Mc Crimmon(1997), Hegarty(1993), Nadler (1993), Hultman, (1995), Folger and Skarlicki (1999); Pardo del Val and Martines Fuentes (2003). According to Giangrecco and Peccei (2005) individuals will exhibit higher levels of resistance when they perceive more costs from change than benefits. Regarding the process as the other major influence on resistance, Giangrecco and Peccei (2005) argue that it relates to the way the change itself is managed. It refers to the way in which individuals affected by the change Figure 1-Model Source: Giangreco and Peccei (2005): Middle managers resistance to changehttp://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/imageqv/archive/3cc/20051001/1481384.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNXb4kSepq84v%2bvlOLCmr0qepq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS are involved in the process of change, and the extent to which they participate in various aspects of the development and implementation of the change within the organization. Following the explanatory model of resistance to change Giangreco and Peccei (2005) gives the relational factors that affects attitude towards change. This conceptual model, (Figure 1-1),showed the interrelationship of the dependable Resistance To Change and Attitudes towards change, with the two independent variables Perceived benefits of change and the Involvement in change. This study, however was to investigate the involvement in the change process and the perception of the cost of change on managers attitudes towards the change itself, and how this, influence their reactions towards change Kotter and Schlesinger, (1979), Lawrence, (1954), Pugh, (1993). As mentioned in limitations the direct and indirect influences on resistance to change were excluded. The two independent variables involvement in the change processes and perceived benefits of change are the factors that directly, influence attitudes towards change, which could acts as mediator to positively or negatively influence middle managers reactions toward change. Hence, the factors perceived benefits of change and involvement in change both can have a direct or indirect effect on change, through the indirect influence of factors that impact managers attitudes towards change. 2.4 Perceived Benefits of Change The variable Perceived benefits of change represents how the middle managers filter their preferences and appreciation of the changes to happen. Isabella, (1990), Lau and Woodman, (1995), Smollan,( 2006) stated that success of a change process is not determined or dictated by how change is described, explained, or understood by scholars, but by how it is experienced and what it means to those directly affected. The cognitive aspect of Change is a determinant on the attitude of middle managers. Mintzberg (1990), Floyd and Wooldridge(2000) stated that middle managers can both be thinkers and doers of strategy .The social conception and personal values or self interest are some critical triggers to the attitude of middle managers to accept change. Change can be viewed and understand by managers in different ways. According to Bartunek, Lacey and Wood, (1992); Stubbard, Meindl and Porac, (1994); Weber and Manning, (2001), participants view change, it is filtered through their preferences and appreciated and accepted or resisted accordingly. Such preferences are a function of social cognition or sense-making Weick, (1999). Atkinson (1984), Brett, Stro, Reilly, (1993) stated that job changes within the company are usually seen as a positive phenomenon, contributing to organizational flexibility and employee development. The perception is the key factor for a manager to decide if he engaged to change to be applied in an organization if considered desirable or undesirable. DiBella (1996) stated that Perceptions of the change varied at different levels of analysis and across the organizations department-based subcultures. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) state that there are four common reasons for employees resistance: a desire not to lose something of value, a misunderstanding of the change and its implications, a belief that the change does not make sense for the organization and a low tolerance for change. Diener, Smith, Fujita, 1995; Shaver, Schwartz, Kirson, OConn or 1987 defines that, like moods, emotions can easily be classified into positive and negative categories, however, research has shown that there are many more than two distinct emotions. Kotter (1995) also observed more than 100 companies in a decade and reported that when organizations attempt a major change, the employees often understand the new vision and want to make it happen, but there are obstacles that prevent execution. Taylor, and Weaver (1977), Penley and Hawkins (1980), Quinn, Smes and McCullough (1973) stated that yet womens attitudes toward their jobs are often more favorable than mens. All mentioned, are based on how a manager can perceive the benefits or the loss regarding its position in a new process of change which affects its attitude towards change. 2.5 Attitudes towards change Attitudes of middle managers are considered as the mediating tool for success or for failure. Alreck Settle (2004) defined attitudes towards organizational change as the beliefs of a manager about organizational change and their likelihood to take action based on these beliefs. If the influence on the attitude of the middle manager is negative, his total attitude towards delegation of change strategies will be negative. In addition, Blau, Ferber, and Winkler,(1998),Jacobs (1992) observed that although women have made progress at moving into management positions in recent years, gender segregation of organizational hierarchies persists, with women often concentrated in lower and middle level management positions rather than the more salient upper-level positions Beer, Eisenstat, and Spector (1990) found that in the fundamental flaw as the fallacy of programmatic change that the place to begin an organizational change is with the knowledge and attitudes of individuals. Middle managers are the ones who interpret actions, experience and observation in both directions to the top management and to the work floor. Burgelman (1994), Currie (1999) Currie and Procter (2001), all stated that middle managers play a central role in developing new ideas with the reshaping of firm capabilities and affecting strategic renewal. Strategy implementation and strategy formulation are closed interrelated, half of the strategic decisions in organizations fail for reasons relating to strategy implementation rather than formulation Jarzabkowski, (2008); Mintz- berg Waters, (1985) Hickson, Miller, Wilson, (2003); Nutt, (1999). Mcshane and Von Glinow (2008), gave another dimension of attitude toward change indicated that, it generally consists of a persons cognitions about change, affective reactions to change, and behavioral tendency toward change. Allen and Meyer(1993;1997), Mowday, Porter, and Steers,(1982) found out that, older and more tenured workers have more access to positive work experiences, explaining their higher levels of commitment. Explaining the different satisfaction levels that men and women have experienced. Hakim (1991) and Fagan and Rubery (1996) have also suggested that women in full-time and part-time employment have qualitatively different working attitudes than men, explaining the different satisfaction levels that men and women have experienced. Chreim (2006) also stated that attitudes function as predictors of subsequent behavior with regard to participation in the process of change. Therefore, whenever change occur attitudes towards such change should be taken into consideration because it predicts success and failure of the programs. Meyer and Allen (1991), stated that organizational commitment is expressed by attitudes and behavior that reveal an employees identification and involvement with the organization and it has been linked to increased productivity and reduced absenteeism and turnover. Keck (1997,) argued that, demographic studies showed that young, less tenured and heterogeneous middle managers have the composition most likely to produce strategic and structural changes in turbulent contexts. According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1993,1994),the gender balance in the workplace is changing, this is one of the most significant demographic phenomenon ever to face organizations. As stated by Kanter (1991), Mintzberg (19 94), Pascale (1997), Boddy and Paton(1998), Paton and Mc Cal-man (2000), given the emphasis placed upon developing a transformational style, or culture, when managing change, or when formulating and implementing strategic initiatives, one could speculate that women may be better equipped to manage such situations than men. 2.6 Involvement in change The second variable involvement in change is the experience of the middle managers participation in the development of the strategies that will affect its attitude towards the change itself. Floyd (1992),Wooldridge (1997) and Balogun (2003), stated that the middle manager role in strategy, is implementing top managements intended strategies. Westley (1990) stated that the first condition for championing middle managers is the inclusion in the process of planning. Hardy(1996); Balogun (2005), Gioia and Chittipeddi (1991)   stated , that by mobilizing process and resource power, several middle managers were able to influence meaning making and position themselves as major sense givers, with great influence on others sense making. Kanter,(1977), Burt (1992; 2001); Lane and Bachman,(1998) have underlined the importance of trust during organizational change, but their main focus has been on trust as a factor that facilitates change or that positively moderates the relationships between facets of the change process and successful implementation of change. The involvement of middle managers in strategy planning affects their attitude positively toward the change. Floyd and Wooldridge, (1997); Huy, (2001) claimed that top management can gain advantages from involving middle managers more closely in strategy development. Akerlind (2005) and Padilla (2008) stated, while the development of staff has received attention in terms of teaching, and to a lesser extent, research there is a gap in the literature regarding female academics development in their administrative or management roles, particularly at the middle levels. Huy (2002) concludes that middle managers are at least as important as senior executives in facilitating radical change. Balogun (2003) also found that middle managers are not per se a blockage to change, but can make an important strategic contribution. De Marco (2002) speaks of the `critical role of middle management. Research has increasingly shown t hat middle managers play a pivotal role in developing new ideas, reshaping firm capabilities, and affecting strategic renewal Burgelman, (1994); Currie, (1999); Currie and Procter, (2001). Popper and Lipchitz (1992), Redshaw (2000) also stated that coaching has been defined in several ways; as a process of giving guidance, encouragement and support to the learner, or as a day to day, hands on process of helping employees recognize opportunities to improve their performance and capabilities. Allen, Eby, Poteet, Lentz and Lima (2004) explains that mentoring consists of three parts; vocational support, psycho social support and role modeling. Mintzberg (1990); Floyd and Wooldridge (2000), stated that middle managers can both be thinkers and doers of strategy. Mintzberg, (1994), Wooldridge and Floyd, (1990), Kogut and Zander, (1996), all stated that, involvement of middle managers in strategic planning is said to be beneficial for organizations as they provide valuable soft information on key stakeholders, improve the quality of strategic decisions and generate a sense of ownership and identification with organizational goals By participating middle managers in the whole process of change brings only advantage for the organization. This enhance the trust on both sides and brings a more clear understanding to the managers mind the why and how changes has to be applied, making for him more easy to convince employees toward the change that affects also the manager attitude in a positive manner. 2.7 Conclusion In conclusion; This research, focused on two factors perceived benefits of change and the involvement of change. The perceived benefits of change and the involvement of change were investigated as influential drivers of the attitudes towards change. In this study, the approach to attitudes towards change was based on the behavior of middle managers towards change as a form of passive oppositions to manifest their dissent towards organizational change to be implemented. Middle managers, conscious of their position do not express in such violent ways and choose a milder form of resistance to express their dissatisfaction. Gianfranco (1999) stated that this distinction between more overt and covert forms of dissent, linked to notions of opposition and resistance to change, respectively, is particularly important in relation to middle management roles. According to the literature, middle managers reactions to change and their role in processes of organizational change more generally have, nevertheless, attracted considerable interest and attention in literature Balogun ( 2003), Dopson and Neumann (1998), Floyd and Lane (2000). As already mentioned the two main factors which potentially affect employees attitudes towards change are: perceived benefits of change and involvement in change. Furthermore, factors as employees age, highest completed education, tenure and gender profile were also studied. The outcome of this study, will provide important information to organizations of Curacao, for effectively assess organizational change. It will also give new dimensions of thinking, how to implicate middle managers in organizational change and valuate more deeply middle managers functions in organizations on the island of Curacao. The literature review used in this chapter was used to validate the questionnaire used in this survey. The literature review verified also the results obtained from data collection, with the results mentioned in the literature theory. The following chapter will elaborate more on the methodology used for this study.

Impacts on Private Savings in Pakistans Economy

Impacts on Private Savings in Pakistans Economy 1. Introduction The term savings describe the unconsumed disposable income which is kept with intention of stabilizing consumption in some future time. Private savings contribute in overall growth of any country and economists consider it as a gauge to economic health. When people start to rely on debts either than their saved cash much more pressure is found on the financial institutions which reduce the strength of any nation. People save in good times so that they have enough funds in their account for the rainy days which are more likely to come in a very frequent pace in countries developing countries like Pakistan. This issue of insufficient funds lead any country towards poverty which is a big threat for all emerging markets which are trying to become prosperous and want to be counted as developed nation of this impulsive world. Pakistani economy is in its developing stage, and this is the reason that is facing a very low saving rate. There are various factors behind this phenomenon. Saving is the key factor which increases future consumption (Kim, 2010), this fact made researcher inclined towards the importance of this topic to be researched and discussed comprehensively. Even though this issue was in consideration by many researchers before but it still need to be considered more as no much conclusive results were found for it in the past. Private savings is expected to contribute overall growth of a country by making it more stable and organized. Several economic and demographic variables are expected to have their valuable influence on Private Savings (Hondroyiannis, 2004); variables in this study are selected by keeping this fact in view. 1.1 Background Private savings are facing a very consistent decline in Pakistan from so many past decades which are not a common trend as other Southeast Asian countries are having a gradual increase in their Private savings. Private savings which become part of national saving after being summed up with public savings; this gives it a vital role in the overall performance of any country. Savings can create intensions of investment specifically on capital stocks which will cause an increase in nation’s productivity, this chain will leads towards raise in wages and consumption and Increased capital stocks also increase employment. Researcher is considering few variables as determinants of private savings which are previously found to have the impactful determinants in past studies. Incomes of individuals is considered as one of the most influential factors in many past studies but evidence is also available that in 1970s and 1980s private savings of Pakistan was having average of less than 17% of disposable income which was very low in comparison with other Asian economies (Husain, 1996). Another evidence which prove strong relation between income and private savings is as stated that pension plan enhance its importance. Income and employment have significant relation with personal savings (Kim, 2010). FDI is also considered to be desirable and recommended to be increased by researchers (Shahbaz et al, 2010). It is stated that whenever remittances increase a very visible increment in National savings is visible, a positive and significant relation was found in the research (Chaudhry et al, 2010). 1.2 Problem Statement In past several studies are done on the topic of private savings (Husain, 1996, Kim, 2010; Lean and Song, 2009; Masson, 1998; Chaudhry et al, 2010). Those studies have identified several variables which are influential on private savings in different countries. This study is being conducted by using recent data and this is the reason that this will add latest knowledge. Thus there is a need of such work to be done in Pakistan by making use of latest data. Dynamic of private savings play a vital role for Pakistans economy where there is lots of instability in economic conditions. Instability of this economy has made it really essential for all the members of this economy to maintain some funds for crucial times. This study will allow all the readers to understand that what factors are affecting this important element in the selected economy. 1.3 Research Question Background of this research gives birth to following research question; Q. What is the determinant of Private savings in economy of Pakistan? 1.4 Research Objective The core objective of this research is to highlight the importance of private savings in Pakistan and addressing key factors which are controlling the behaviour of private savings in positive or negative manner. In order to achieve this broad objective following specific objectives are pursued in this study; To identify the impact of FDI on private savings of Pakistani economy To identify the impact of ADR on private savings of Pakistani economy To identify the impact of REM on private savings of Pakistani economy To identify the impact of INF on private savings of Pakistani economy 1.5 Scope of the Study This study will reveal fundamental issues regarding private savings which will be helpful for the economy of Pakistan. Thematic focus of this study is to determine the factors that are affecting private saving. Geographical focus of this study is the economy of Pakistan. 1.6 Limitation of the Study Researcher is putting all possible efforts in this study, but in spite of that there are always some limitations of research. Limitation of this study is accessibility; due to availability of limited resources data collected for this research is from online sources. 2. Methodology 2.1. Type of Research This is a quantitative research in which numeric data is being analysed through application of statistical model. Deductive approach is being applied in this research where, we are dealing with an existing theory and testing it parametric form of data. Furthermore, this is a descriptive cum explanatory research is being done in this study for understanding the relation between dependent and different independent variables. 2.2.Data Source Electronic copies of required data were acquired from official website of state bank of Pakistan, economic survey of Pakistan and hand book of economics. Secondary data is being used in the research which was available on different websites. 2.3.Sample Size As per the focus of this study, data collected for this research is of Pakistani economy. Researcher is collecting annual data of past 30 years which is from 1984 to 2013. 2.4.Statistical Technique By using SPSS 19.0 data is imported and descriptive and regression analysis is performed on metric data. Application of descriptive analysis has allowed the researcher to explain the data rigorously. Regression analysis is applied to check out existence of relationship between selected dependent and independent variables. 3. Conclusion and Recommendation This research which was conducted in order to reveal important and impactful factors influencing private saving is found to be useful and contribute well. Out of the four hypotheses that were established in this research, three are accepted and one is rejected. Results which were found in the end indicated that, three factors which were foreign direct investment, age dependency ratio and remittance have significant impact on private savings. There is only one variable that has insignificant relation which is Inflation. FDI should also be increased and this could only be done if political situation of our country will become stable as it will make our country more lucrative for the foreign investors. Previously there was a very good and appreciatable trend as many Multinational companies were coming and investing in Pakistan but this trend is now facing a down trend due to bad political and social conditions of the nation. Decrease in age dependency is although causing an increase in private saving but there is a need of making sure that this decrease is not because of bad health condition or child labour. Government must make policies for taking a better care of all these dependent effectively. Remittance is normally considered to be a factor that strengthens economy, but in case of Pakistan, negative relationship is due to ineffective usage of remittance. At this point there is a need of prioritising the needs and wants. Receivers of remittance must ensure that they are using it effectively rather than wasting it. Government can also intervene in this by increasing the taxes on remittance inflow and also assuring that false channels for sending remittance are not being adopted. Inflation in Pakistani economy is a major problem and insignificant relation between inflation and private savings shows that two extreme situations 1) poverty and 2) extreme richness are on their hype in this economy. There is a need of making policies through which equal distribution of wealth can become possible in the economy. This research can be continued further by considering other economic factors which were not covered here. Other dependent variables can also be considered which also contribute in overall growth of any country and thought to be judgemental factor of economic health by economist.

The Life of Benjamin Franklin Essay -- American America History

The Life of Benjamin Franklin "Of two things you can be certain; death and taxes," quoted Benjamin Franklin. Having a humorous outlook on life, Franklin tried to make others' lives better. Benjamin was a man who served others and tried to make the world its best until his death. Benjamin Franklin had many accomplishments. He had a busy and eventful life, he played a major role in defending his country, and he was known for his quotes. Franklin was always working to make something better. He accomplished many things, but he started at the bottom of the career chain. Benjamin had many different jobs before he settled. His first job was helping his father make candles. But at age twelve he became restless and ran away to Philadelphia to work. At first, he worked for his brother-in-law as a printer's apprentice, but family problems caused him to find work elsewhere. Because of the training he received, he started to work for the Pennsylvania Gazette and purchased the company in 1729. In 1748, he sold the paper and went to work for the government. During his life he was a printer, author, inventor, and diplomat. Franklin also played the harp, violin, and guitar which expresses his great love for music and his love for learning. Benjamin cared that young people got a good education; he thought that "education today is leadership and success of tomorrow." He thought that it was important to have a love of reading and founded the first public library in America in 1731: the Philadelphia Library. In 1732, Franklin published Poor Richard's Almanac with the pen name 'Richard Saunders.' In 1749, he wrote Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania. In 1751, he established Philadelphia Academy, later known as Univer... ...patients for one particular reason: he wasn't patient (Bingelow 179). This very accomplished man, who, during his eventful life, played a major role for this country and quoted different events will be in the hearts of man for eternity. Benjamin Franklin will live on forever through time, and his courage and faith will never die; as long as there is life on Earth and souls who live in this free country, America. Works Cited Bingelow, John. The Life of Benjamin Franklin. III ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott and Co., 1875. Bingelow, John. The Life of Benjamin Franklin. II ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott and Co., 1875. Davidson, James and Michael Stoff. American Nation. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1986. The Harvard Classics: Franklin, Woolman, Penn. New York: Collier and Sons Corp., 1909. VanDoven, Carl. Benjamin Franklin. New York: The Viking, 1938.

Feminist Perspectives in a Story of an Hour Essay -- essays papers

Feminist Perspectives in a Story of an Hour A Woman Far Ahead of Her Time, by Ann Bail Howard, discusses the nature of the female characters in Kate Chopin’s novel’s and short stories. Howard suggests that the women in Chopin’s stories are longing for independence and feel torn between the feminine duties of a married woman and the freedom associated with self-reliance. Howard’s view is correct to a point, but Chopin’s female characters can be viewed as more radically feminist than Howard realizes. Rather than simply being torn between independent and dependant versions of her personality, â€Å"The Story of an Hour’s† Mrs. Mallard actually rejoices in her newfound freedom, and, in the culmination of the story, the position of the woman has actually been elevated above that of the man, suggesting a much more radically feminist reading than Howard cares to persue. Much of what Howard has to say about Chopin’s protagonists is appropriate. Her criticism operates from the standpoint that â€Å"marriage, said Chopin’s world, was the goal of every woman’s life; service to her husband and her children her duties, passionlessness and submission her assumed virtues, selflessness her daily practice, and self sacrifice her pleasure† (1). Mrs. Mallard definitely lives in a world where these gender values abound. Chopin, for example, describes Mrs. Mallard’s face as one â€Å" whose lines bespoke repression† (439). This is obviously a direct reference to the submission Mrs. Mallard has had to yield up to the patriarchy thus far. She has always had a â€Å"powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature† (440). Her husband’s will is describ... ... as the martyr who dies for feminism, ultimately choosing death over marriage. This ending inevitably elevates the woman’s position to the highest status, while the men are made to look silly and unaware. When Howard asserts that â€Å"it is the woman who demands her own direction and chooses her own freedom that interests Chopin most† (1) she is right on target. Howard only fails when she chooses not to expand that vision to include the truly feminist perspectives that differentiate Chopin as a woman far ahead of her time. Works Cited Howard, Ann Bail. â€Å"A Woman Far Ahead of Her Time†. 1997. Online. Virginia Commonwealth University English Department. http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/chopinhoward.htm. Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour†.The Norton Introduction to Literature 7th Ed. Ed. Jerome Beaty, and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1998. 438-440.

Philosophy Essay on Self Essay

I certify that this literature review is my own work and contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any degree or diploma in any institute, college or university. Moreover, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the dissertation. Name Signed _________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________________________ The most fundamental of the questions man asks himself in his lifetime are, â€Å"what/who am I ? â€Å"and â€Å"what is my purpose? † The curiosity over this issue of ‘the self’ has spanned human thought for millennia rooting from societal notion that â€Å"life cannot be just bricks and cement†. Due to the inherent nature of these fundamental curiosities mankind has struggled from ancient times to uncover these mysteries. In the western-context, this brief essay will try to explore the dimensions of the â€Å"essence of self† ranging from medieval to the modern conception of self. It will review the theories of self starting with Aristotelian science and Christian doctrines and their eventual marriage by St. Thomas Acquinas’ moral theory. In effect, it then explores critical viewpoints and traces the development of Scientific Rationalization. Progressively, it debates Rene Descartes’ rationalist views shaping his dualistic conception of the self. Furthermore, it poses the contrasting empiricist views of John Locke where he places self-consciousness and memory as the variables to comprehend self. In addition, it contests David Hume’s proclamation of the self as fiction (Robinson, H. , 2012). The theories of self and identity gradually developed over a historical timeline resulting in modern thought on the subject. In this regard, it is important to understand its development initiation from religious conception in the west. Curiosity on these issues can be traced back to accounts of Aristotle, where he is of the view that everything in nature has a purpose and everything can be rationalized based on its intent and the purpose it served (Greetham, B. 2006, p. 213). This is referred to as the ‘teleological’ view, which contributed to the formation of medieval world view formed by Christian dogma and the Catholic church (Cavalier, G. ,1989). This Christian conception viewed the world as being God’s creation and expression of his will which was cosmologically meaningful and structured. The purpose of things under this theology is God given and is a part of the ‘grand plan’ (Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy). This categorises the medieval belief of self, where humans have a certain place and purpose and the self is understood in terms of the role it plays in the grand plan of things. The medieval Christian conception of self was greatly inspired by the work of 13th century theologian St. Thomas Acquinas. In his opus he bridged the gap between faith and reason by linking Christian dogma and Aristotelian thought (O’Callaghan, R. , 2010). In essence, he lived in a crucial juncture of western culture when the Latin translation of Aristotelian corpus was made available which in effect reignited the debate on relating faith and reason. His theories borrowed from Aristotle and Christian dogma and ethics which were consistently reaffirmed by the church over the centuries (auquinas from stanford). The aforementioned medieval religious conception of self forms the basis Acquinas’ ethical premise on how we ought to act (Greetham, B., 2006). Right and wrong actions based on their compliance with human nature and its place â€Å"God-given natural order†, categorized as natural or unnatural. Hence, the self bounded and confined to serving a purpose. However, this religious world-view came under intense criticism with the advent of scientific advancement and rationality in the 16th and 17th centuries. Scientific thinking developed under the likes of Descartes and Locke and was reasoned based on the accomplishments of Galileo and Newton(Zalta, E. , 2011). They disregarded the place of divine-will in their conception of self, basing it on mere experience, empirical evidence and mathematical formulations. This shift of conception is termed ‘demythologization’, where everything works without a purpose and results from mechanical interaction of particles regulated by universal laws which can be mathematically formulated (Greetham, B. , 2006). Consequently, began the search of the self by looking within for purpose and meaning. The modern view of self is articulated in the works of 17th century philosopher Rene Descartes. He pioneered the dualistic understanding of the human being, which is made up of the â€Å"mental substance (mind) and the physical substance (body)† (Warburton, N. , 1992). Here, the body has physical properties like having weight and using space, whereas the mind is a non-material substance, responsible for thought and experience and hence is the abode of consciousness. In his view, the self is a spiritual â€Å"subject of experience† which is fundamentally different from the body and nature, where the body inessential and the mind can exist independently. His radical scepticism led to the formation of the â€Å"Illusion argument†, where the bodily senses are deemed unreliable and thus the existence of the external world and body is uncertain. The only thing one can be certain of is that ‘I exist’. This is categorized under his famous proclamation -â€Å"Cogito ergo sum†, meaning â€Å"I think, therefore I am† (Cavalier, G. , 1989). In essence, â€Å"the self is essentially mental† and the search for purpose and meaning should be searched within ourselves instead of classifying it under totality of nature. In his endeavours, Descartes used the â€Å"rationalist approach† to knowledge, which solely relies on logic and scepticism . In contrast, his contemporary, English philosopher John Locke relies on the â€Å"empiricist approach†, where knowledge is acquired by the means of watchfulness and experience. His theology of self underlines the role of reason, consciousness and self-consciousness. As for Locke, he sees self-consciousness as a inseparable element in the conduct of any conscious action, like thinking and observing. The perception of the world by the senses, awareness of personal identity, actions performed and its retention (memory) over time is what constitutes self-consciousness (Robinson, H. , 2012). Personal identity here is quintessentially the self, in which memory is decisive variable as the consciousness of past actions is critical to being the same person; and selfhood is reliant on the consciousness and not the body. For instance, if a person has memories from a past life as Salvador Dali, then he is the same person in the current life with a different body. These arguments however appear ambiguous upon correlation with Descartes’ accounts. However, Locke’s accounts differ where cites that it is not necessary that thinking, observation etc. to be the products of a non-material substance and leaves a prospect open that they could be of material origin. The self, Locke argues, is resultant from â€Å"continuity of consciousness† and not a ‘substance’ as proposed by Descartes (Greetham, B. , 2006). Then again, there is a fallacy in these arguments; if the self is continuity of consciousness and memory retention then without the memory of past actions accountability for the actions is cannot be held (Cavalier, g., 1989). For instance, it could be hypothesized in Locke’s view, that a person who committed murder as a child, who grew up to become a doctor and then as an old man he cannot remember his crime as a child, hence in effect, he cannot be held responsible for the murder. Eighteenth century philosopher David Hume continued in the empirical approach, maintaining that authentic knowledge is solely acquired on the basis of direct experience (Robinson H. , 2012). He borrows from Locke, however, he reaches drastic conception where he conceives the self as fiction. Thereafter, he entirely disregards the â€Å"substance view of the mind†. He bases his conception strictly on experience or ‘perception’ and maintains that the existential claim for the inner substance should be discoverable by experience (Greetham, B. , 2006). Through his experience, Hume, found no such substance but instead only a variety of perceptions where there is no identity or self binding them. Academics refer to this view as the â€Å"bundle theory of substance†, where different perceptions are in eternal flux (Robinson H. , 2012). However, Hume fails to identify a unifying  factor and puts forth a vague understanding of the mind just being a bundle of perceptions. Consequently, the Cartesian theory of self gained an upper hand as it offers the unifying substance of mind in the conception of the self (Greetham, B. , 2006). The aforementioned theories of self significantly influence the post-modern conception of the self, as the subject has a tendency to develop over time (Cahoone, L. , 2003). These western theories have borrowed from Eastern conceptions of self, which indicates ancient interaction between the west and the east. (Cavalier, G. , 1989). In the contemporary world, the twentieth century has been the fore-bringer of brisk industrialization in the western world, begetting fast-paced consumer societies, where the people have little or no time for personal fulfilment (Cahoone, L. 2003). This along with advent of cultural pluralism, scientific rationalization and secularization of notions of religion has led to burgeoning interest in the conception of self (Olsen and Timothy, 2006, p. 139). On a personal basis, the theories of self explored here provided a clearer picture on the gradual development of understanding of self with a historical context and an insight into how these theories have shaped post-modern notions on the same (Collinson, P. et al, 2000). Descartes’ accounts and his emphasis on the soul substance worked as a bride between my eastern thought origin and modern western conception on the subject. However, Locke’s and Hume’s empirical approach and their emphasis on discovering self through experience is also profound to my conception of self. Their conclusions however appeared radical and absurd especially in the case of Hume where proclaims the self as being fictional. References: Cahoone, L. (2003). From Modernism to Postmodernism: An Anthology. Carlton: Blackwell. Cavalier, G. &. (1989). Ethics in the History of Western Philosophy. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Collinson, P. &. (2000). Fifty Eastern Tihnkers. London: Routledge. Greetham, B. (2006). Philosophy. Norwich: Palgrave Macmillan. Jamal, T. a. (2009). The Sage Handbook of Tourism Studies. London: Sage. O’Callaghan, R. et al. (2010, December 21). Saint Thomas Aquinas. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from http://plato. stanford. edu/: Olsen, D. H. and Timothy, D. J. (2006). Tourism, Religion and Spiritual Journeys. Oxford: Routledge. Robinson, H. (2012, Demember 21). Dualism. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from http://plato. stanford. edu/: Warburton, N. (1992). Philosophy. Abingdon: Routledge. Zalta, E. (2011, September 21). Aquinas’ Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from www. http://plato. stanford. edu/: .

Bullying and the Holocaust

Bullying and the Holocaust: Competition versus Cooperation When an animal is faced with starvation it often turns to cannibalism and may attack and kill a weaker animal of the same species. The German Nazis followed this system of competition versus cooperation. The Nazis felt they had no other choice to survive than to kill millions of Jews, Gypsies, and disabled people. After the Holocaust, researchers uncovered many Journals kept by those who were persecuted.Here is a short exert from a fourteen year old girl: â€Å"October 27, 1937: The other girls and I were moved for the sixth time today. This time they moved us to a factory closer to Auschwitz. I'm beginning to fear that I'm at the end and I might die soon. At some points I wish they would go ahead and kill me so I wouldn't have to endure this pain. Through all of this I still don't understand why the Nazis hate us. We never did anything to them. I often wish someone would speak up on our behalf and save us from this terrible life. Looking back on the Holocaust people wonder xactly why no one spoke up and fought for the persecuted for so long during the war. It was like they were all students in school who pretended not to notice when someone was getting bullied so they didn't have to get involved in it. Half of the mass slaughter of the Holocaust was due to bullying by peer pressure. People felt pressured by others to turn in Jews to Nazi officials. They wanted to save themselves and let the Jews be persecuted.As this happened more often no one even thought twice about it and had little regret that they probably Just sent omeone to their death. 2 As a part of the â€Å"Final Solution†, the Nazis did everything possible to exterminate the Jews. Through all of the hateful words, excruciating torture methods, and unreasonable forced labor, the Nazis believed that they threatened their way of life and the world would be better without them. World War II and the Holocaust officially ended on May 8, 1 945, but only about two-thirds of the Jewish population remained.