Effects On Prisons On Inmates Essay

In the premodern times, societies used to mutilate bodies and cut off the heads of their culprits as a way of punishing the wrongdoers. However through a series of imperceptible measures of reform and development, punishment became less physical and less directed to the body of the offenders as people became more civilized and the prisons replaced the gallows. They stopped locking up the insane in asylums and began forms of treatment in institutions which had features of both hospitals and prisons, (Alan &Gary 4). In most parts of the world, it is taken that a person convicted of serious crime should be sent to prison. Countries like the U.S, where capital punishment has not yet been abolished, a small but significant number of people are sentenced to death for what is especially considered as grave crimes, (Angela 3). The condition of prisons in the past was a nightmare to both the country as well as the society as they were damp, dark, and noisy. Prison wardens were brutal, poor diet and miserable portions of food were given to prisoners who were usually dressed in rags and suffered from many diseases which were not treated in time resulting to poor heath of the inmates. All these inhuman acts were however viewed by the wardens as a way of punishment to prisoners and therefore the prisons lacked a sense of reformation and charity as brutal acts were directed to inmates. According to (Thomas 602), Inmates who entered prison capable of moral improvement went back in to the society as impure, hardened and irreclaimable persons as there was no separation of sexes, classification of age and character therefore the convicted felon corrupted the untried and innocent prisoners. The unfortunate According to (Douglas & Eric 2004), military officers in Iraq used dogs to intimidate prisoners. This was one of the several tactics they adopted even without approval from their seniors. They set strict limits on Red Cross access to prisoners and delayed them and accused them of, unannounced visit to the cellblock where the worst abuses occurred. There were also unreported incidents in which Iraq prisoners died after being questioned by American interrogators. Initially, imprisonment was based on punishing wrongdoers by inflicting suffering of the body. However, today’s imprisonment is not only an acute form of corporal punishment, but as a way of working on a person’s mind and body through three areas which include: punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation. Prisons are intended to allow the society remove criminals from them place them into an institution for reformation, persuade them to avoid activities which are not beneficial, and in time become productive and law abiding citizens. However this well thought plan is not put in place due to the bad experiences in prisons hence the initial meaning of prisons is not realized by the society.   The main objectives and responsibilities of prisons are to safeguard inmates and maintain and improve welfare of everyone in it. Safe guarding involves keeping inmates locked away and controlled while having moments of recreation, education and counseling. However, it should be realized that psychological freedom depends on relations with others and that it is what the prisoners experience in this world, attain satisfaction and avoid its detrimental effects and not the education or counseling that decide how, if ever, they will emerge hence life imprisonment of an inmate does not add to his becoming upright. It should therefore be remembered that offenders are drawn from societies where possessions are related to personal worth unlike in prison where they are reduced to a level of bare possessions. Lockups, isolation, condemnation and rejection dehumanize prisoners resulting to psychological discomforts to prisoners. A Prisons aim is to cure and straighten the bad behaviors of criminals, however their record has not been encouraging and instead they are found to do more harm than good as the pains of jail confinement affect all prisoners in different negative ways most of which destroy a person instead of reforming his or her past bad behavior. The need to quickly adapt to prison life and withstand prison shock, exposure to a new culture and maintain outside links like keeping in contact with family and friends becomes frustrating to prisoners. The prisoners must therefore determine their way of passing time which affects the great deal and this end up affecting them psychologically. (Tosh 43). All these question the practice of life imprisonment of people since instead of reforming them they end up becoming worse both in their behaviors and their psychological status. Prisons therefore should be opposed to the idea of locking up people for the rest of their lives to avoid more harm than good to them. (Alison 14-19), came up with several negative effects on prisoners as a result of imprisonment which therefore opposes the idea of life imprisonment. First is that imprisonment can be detrimental both to physical and mental health of prisoners particularly with regard to long term and aged prisoners. Though many prisoners receive medical treatment in prison that would be unavailable to them outside, the health risk of imprisonment are high, uneven and specific to the condition of confinement. For instance, Scottish prisons have reported increased risk of HIV and hepatitis B and C transmission due to random sharing of injection equipment, tattooing and unprotected sexual intercourse. One study estimates showed that 36% prisoners had injected themselves intravenously and 12% had anal intercourse at least once while in prison. Post- traumatic stress is second where its psychological effects apply to certain group of prisoners who have shown symptoms of PTSD in medico-legal assessments. Such symptoms can have debilitating effect and are associated with difficulties in restoring and maintaining relationships. High level of anxiety, disturbed sleep, chronic depression, withdrawal and persistent feeling of being different from others and from previous self are described by clinicians working with former prisoners. There may also be physical symptoms like increased arousal, outbursts of anger, difficulties in concentration and hyper vigilance which are associated with increased alcohol and drug abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Davis 322) in the third effect argued that inmates’ family and dependants suffer most. Despite considerable progress in understanding immediate and long term effects of separation trauma upon children, the impact of imprisonment upon the children of prisoners includes increased behavior disturbance and later delinquency, depression and feeling of low self esteem, behavioral disturbance and deterioration in school performance. Imprisonment and distance from crime is another effect which results to informal social control which suggests that social bonds like employment and marriage may inhibit offending. The imprisonment reduces opportunities to achieve relational and economic stability and therefore increase re-offending. Imprisonment also weakens the bonds and makes them difficult to re-establish hence suffering a significant source of legitimate or law abiding behavior and therefore imprisonment becomes part of the cycle of delinquency and crime. Another effect is on imprisonment and prison staff. Power especially overuse has dehumanizing effect as the culture of masculinity characteristic of prison staff bring a range of emotions and new emotion management techniques. Some of these techniques can lead to hardening, distancing and distrust. The process of adaptation could lead to enduring changes in their character and family life to preparedness to respond to danger. Imprisonments also result to some prisoners using sexual assaults and rape to make them feel powerful. Many of them use this assault to make them feel powerful than others and also express their manhood. The victims as a result are affected psychologically by being stressed, having nightmares and resulting to criminal activities and some forms of self destructive behaviour. The main solution to all these problems is to avoid inmate staying for a very long time in prisons since they tend to be harder than before and that certainly does not cure inmates rather it makes them more aggressive. Others is by ensuring good living and health conditions for the inmates, counsel them on how to handle people and relationships within and outside the prisons especially their families, provide good counseling facilities on the negative effects of using sex as a tool to feel good and demoralize other inmates. In conclusion prisons and punishments that are given to the prisoners do not necessarily bring a positive change of behaviour.In most cases they end up destroying the person as he or she becomes immune to the situations, therefore putting a person in prison for the rest of his/her life does not ensure behavior change and should therefore opposed. WORK CITED Angela Yvonne Davis Are prisoners obsolete? Seven stories press ISBN 1583225811, 2003 Alan Hunt and Gary Wickman Sociological jurisprudence Pluto press ISBN 0745308422, 1994   Douglas Jehl and Eric Schmitt New York times 21st May 2004 Joanne Mariner and Michael Bochenek punishment before trial Human rights watch org ISBN 1564322017, 1997 Tosh John The pains of imprisonment sage publications California 1982

The first being 8,000 pounds disappearing from the East Jersey Treasury

William Franklin, illegitimate son of Dr. Benjamin Franklin grew up almost entirely in England. It was there that he earned his Master’s degree from Oxford, got accepted to the bar and even married. He returned to America and 1763 and became Governor of New Jersey. Although William was well educated and a powerful administrator, the office of the Governor was losing power and although his first two years were mainly uneventful, several scandals paved the way for his demise.The first being 8,000 pounds disappearing from the East Jersey Treasury and the second being his refusal to dismiss the Treasurer. Both these acts began to lead for very ill feelings towards him. Still, Franklin stayed loyal to the British crown, which not only cost him in the eyes of the residents but also stopped him for receiving much needed military support. In 1774 people began to reject the royal government and when the revolution began he was nearly powerless in every way, to act against it.It was his loyalty to England that strained his relationship with his father, Dr. Benjamin Franklin. As William’s unpopularity grew, so his relationship failed. After the American Revolution began, he made his siding with the Loyalists well known and fought bitterly with his father about his decision to remain a loyal patriot. As the War progressed, this internal strife grew. In 1775 William and Benjamin parted ways, never to meet as friends again.With America’s opposition to Britain tightening, and now young Franklin’s motives being openly challenged, New Jersey took action. In 1776 the New Jersey Congress ordered Williams arrest and he was imprisoned until 1778 when he was exchanged. While imprisoned, William suffered both physically and emotionally. While on her deathbed George Washington wrote a letter to Congress asking that she be allowed to see William, but Benjamin did not weigh in, and the request was denied.After his release he stayed in New York for a brief per iod and served as president of the Board of Associated Loyalists, a pro-British party that conducted guerilla war against the colonies. Four years later Williams returned to England, never to come back to America again. It is said that he did reconcile with his father in 1784, but upon Benjamin Franklin’s death he left William virtually none of his wealth and only mentioned him in his autobiography is very indirectly and only to say they are on good standing.Dr. Franklin also makes the point that if had England had won the war, he would have no wealth to leave his son anyway. Some theorize that when William died in 1813, that he had reconciled with his father. Others say Benjamin did meet in England with William to â€Å"forgive and forget. † While history does prove this meeting, it does not prove any reconciliation and does state that Dr. Franklin slipped away on his last day, never saying goodbye to his son.

Factors of Suspense in the Most Dangerous Game Essay

Suspense is what makes a story popular because it is interesting to read. Suspense is used in most stories to make the plot interesting. There are several factors that generate suspense in the story The Most Dangerous Game produced by Richard Connell. The use of pauses by punctuations, recurring vivid imagery, and the dialogue itself helped create mystery and suspense. These are just a few of the many ways that Richard Connell used to make the reader lust for emotionally satisfying events. The use of pauses by punctuations is a writing style used by Richard Connell to help generate suspense. In the story, wanted information is sometimes delayed by action. For example, in the conversation by Rainsford and General Zaroff, the information is often delayed by the author. â€Å"The General took from his pocket a gold cigarette case†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (Richard Connell, 7) This action happened when the general stated that hunting tigers ceased to interest him. The author delayed the wanted information when Rainsford was obviously curious to know what animal the General hunts. Furthermore, Richard Connell also frequently used a dash ( — ) during a conversation. The dash showed that the talking character may be interrupted by an action or to the least that the author wanted to accentuate the words after the dash. The conversing characters may have been opening a door or even using hand gestures during the conversation to help emphasize their point. Whatever it may be, the author used this technique to slightly delay the information which causes the reader to try and visualize the character during the conversation which also produces mystery and suspense. An example is the conversation of Rainsford to his friends in the beginning of the story. As one of his friends suggested â€Å"The Place has a reputation—a bad one.†(Whitney, 1) Though writing style alone does not generate enough tension to make the reader crave for the wanted information. Richard Connell also used vivid imagery in order to make the story more interesting. While reading the story, the reader may notice that the author used similarly colored objects for the imagery. Throughout the story, a red colored imagery is used constantly. The first use of the red image was when Rainsford was wandering around the ship trap island. â€Å"†¦; one patch of weeds was stained crimson,† (Richard Connell, 4) This quote alone provided enough mystery and suspense to make the reader wonder. Reddish images were also used all throughout the story. From the blood-warm waters, to the part where they drank borsch; a red Russian soup, they drank port; a type of red liquor and the General gave Rainsford a red lipped-smile, the constant use of the red imagery portents and highlights a murderous and bloodlust filled atmosphere which in turn, generates anxiety of the reader for Rainsford. The reader may have even begun to suspect that something supernatural is to happen such as the General to be Count Dracula. Furthermore, the author also used dark images throughout the story. While Rainsford was still boarding the yacht, Rainsford described the fog with the words â€Å"Ugh! It’s like moist black velvet.†(Rainsford, 1) Especially that Rainsford’s companions described that they could feel evil surrounding Ship Trap Island as if it was tangible. Also, when Rainsford found Zaroff’s villa or castle, the author gave this scene a very dark imagery. The bleak darkness, the shadows, the gargoyle, and even Ivan’s astrakhan clothing echoed an evil and mystery filled atmosphere to the story. A reader with no clue about the story’s plot may think that the story’s protagonist accidentally stumbled upon Transylvania. Although imagery delivers a lot of suspense, it is still not enough to satisfy the author’s desire to fill the story with thrill. The dialogue itself is one of the main contributors for suspense in the story. Even when the protagonist was still onboard the yacht, the author tried to build up as much suspense as possible. â€Å"The place has a reputation—a bad one.†(Whitney, 1); said by one of Rainsford’s friends. This alone persuades the reader to ask themselves to what is so special about Ship Trap Island. Also, during Rainsford’s conversation with Zaroff, Zaroff explained to Rainsford that he has recreated hunting. â€Å"Here in my preserve on this island †¦ I hunt more dangerous game.†(Zaroff, 7) Again, just as Rainsford, the author made the readers desire and lust for the answer to the mystery. This quote helped the cause of building suspense. Moreover, during the hunt, whenever Rainsford managed to make the General retreat, Zaroff stated that â€Å"†¦ I shall be back.†(Zaroff, 17) To make things worse, after his second retreat, â€Å"†¦ Ill see what you can do against my whole pack†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Zaroff, 17) What’s gonna happen to Rainsford? How is he going to escape Zaroff? These are just the types of questions that the reader might have asked themselves. To hunt or to be hunted, and only the strongest will survive, this is the logic behind the madness of this monstrous persona. Ironic as it is that Rainsford is also a hunter, now he is the mouse and Zaroff is the cat. Also, as the story is about over, Rainsford managed to ambush Zaroff in his room. â€Å"I’m still a beast at bay† (Rainsford, 20), Rainsford stated to Zaroff, as soon as the reader discovers this; their lust for the emotionally satisfying ending kicks in. Who would win the final fight? Even in the end, Richard Connell still gave us something to think about when Zaroff, who used to be the hunter, switches roles with Rainsford to be the hunted. Suspense is the whole reason to why people claim that they stay past their bedtime reading books. A reader does not stop reading until their desire for the answer to their questions about the plot is answered. People who have read The Most Dangerous Game may say that this story created by Richard Connell is one of the most suspense filled story ever produced. Richard Connell used many techniques to create suspense, the usage of pauses in his writing style, recurring vivid imagery, and dialogue. What and when was the last time that you read a story just as mystery and suspense filled as The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell?

Interprofessional working 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Interprofessional working 3 - Essay Example It moves on to say that poor teamwork skills in health care are contributory factors that causes negative occurrences in patient care, whereas effective teamwork produces more positive patient results. In relation to the above, the situation and cases of Florence and Janine were especially motivating and intriguing; especially on the part where Florence said that she was confused and did not know whom to trust. Likewise with Janine’s circumstances wherein she described a typical doctor-patient scenario that could have been avoided once the typical barriers of communication are overcome by both parties. While its true that there may be cases when going to the General Practitioner or GP requires a number of visits in order to get â€Å"satisfactory treatment†, practicing the proper decorum in every patient-doctor encounter is required and necessary to produce effective results. The working collaboration between health care professional to attain effective and patient-focused kind of care (Ross et al, 2005) requires crossing of boundaries and giving one hundred percent support to every team member. Even though the current changes and issues that surround professional identity and relationships between health care professional could create cases where the traditional professional identities and roles are no longer recommended. However, those involved in health care giving must work out their differences and negotiate, to be able to provide the needed care for a client or patient. In some instances, medical health practitioners need to adjust their roles and re-classify their actual profession as a health care giver. This could lead to difficulties between some practitioners regarding conflict of roles and professional boundaries. Any issues regarding misunderstanding could be due to how medical practitioners serve

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 41

Assignment Example The correct sentence is: â€Å"Are Dan’s children’s teachers’ using this book to its full potential?† 12. Page 431 of our handbook says that pronouns referring to indefinite pronouns should be accurate in number. In the sentence, everyone and no one are singular indefinite pronouns, so the pronouns referring to them should be singular. The correct sentence is: â€Å"Everyone should leave his or her books on my desk, but no one should leave his or her pencils on my desk.† 13. Page 475 of our handbook says that commas are before coordinating conjunctions. The commas are not used correctly in the sentence, and the correct sentence is, â€Å"We went to the game and had a good time, but my brother, a student at MSU, fell out of the stands.† 16. Page 481 of our handbook says that semi-colons are used to separate items in a series that might be confusing if commas alone were used. The correct sentence is, â€Å"I plan to visit Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Toledo, Ohio and Springfield, Missouri. 17. Page 511 of our handbook says that appropriate common abbreviations should be used, but some terms should be spelled out. The correct sentence is, â€Å"Mr. Smith is from Michigan. He lives on Maple Boulevard. He is not in his office any Tuesday in

Whole foods SWAT analysis organization design class Essay

Whole foods SWAT analysis organization design class - Essay Example The explicit set of core values underscore the commitment of Whole Foods personnel in delivering foods that abide by the highest quality standards and adhere to compliance with the following: organic farming, seafood sustainability, animal welfare standards, caring for communities, and whole trade guarantee (Whole Foods Market: Mission & Values); The financial success of Whole Foods over the last five years, as measured by its net income figure had been on the uptrend, from $49.68 million in December 31, 2009 up to $146.00 million in the same period in 2012; which is indicative of a 194% growth rate of the three-year period (Whole Foods Market Net Income Quarterly); The management team and leaders of Whole Foods have continued to stir the company towards success through a proactive stance in leadership, strategies design and implementation, as well as in applying the most effective management styles. Likewise, it was evident that the management team has consistently provided appropriate motivation, rewards, and incentives for all its personnel to accord them professional growth and continuous development; Has always and consistently been recognized by Fortune among the 100 Best Companies to Work For (Whole Foods Market) for 16 consecutive years; attesting to the high job satisfaction and exemplary motivation accorded by the management to all of its personnel. Although the organization has manifested steady and continuous growth in strategic store locations, it could be deduced that the locations are confined to three main areas: the USA, Canada and the UK; as such, there is a lack of market expansion and exposure to other international markets; Since the ingredients are all natural and organic, the prices of their products are relatively more expensive than other traditional food items and therefore, the target market is limited to the middle-to-higher income groups. Whole Foods is continually looking for strategic store locations, and it

A case study of social movement or collective action event by ethnic Essay

A case study of social movement or collective action event by ethnic group(s) - Essay Example Discussions of discrimination can raise the blood pressure of even the most neutral person. On the one hand, there are those who steadfastly claim there is no such thing as discrimination in the mortgage industry: everyone is an â€Å"equal opportunity housing lender,† after all; it says so right on the application. On the other hand, there are those who have examined the issue with as much neutrality as possible and have arrived universally at one conclusion: all things being equal (such as similar credit reports, income, and down payments) African Americans are the victims of predatory, abusive, and discriminatory mortgages at a sickening rate. Just a quick glance at a few numbers: In 1993, approximately 100,000 subprime loans were originated. In 2001, more than a million subprime loans were originated. In 2008, more than 65 percent of subprime loans were refinances, not direct purchase (ACORN.org). Racial discrimination is often hidden and it certainly can be inadvertent. This does not excuse banks and mortgage brokers accused of discrimination. Three major organizations address this as a part of their foundation missions, and steps have been taken to remedy the problem, such as neutral research, education, and collective action. Before we can understand what organizations and the collective actions of individuals do to expose the problem of discriminatory lending, we must define what we mean by predatory and abusive mortgage loans. Once we have created a broad definition of discriminatory lending, we must seek to understand how the African American community can fall victim to such practices on a broad level through a culture of overt and inadvertent discrimination. The major leaders and organizations involved in exposing the problem have a multi-pronged approach to the problem, and institutional recognition of the problem lends strength to individual collective action. Final ly, there are several effective

Art History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Art History - Assignment Example There are 5 characteristics of modern. First is capitalism, which created the modern through creating a new economic system of labor and fixed wages, wherein these wages are used to buy more and cheaper consumer items. The second is urban culture, wherein agriculture was replaced by industrialization. The third is technological advances, which created dramatic changes in the lifestyles of people. The fourth is secularism, wherein the traditional religious authority is not as strong as before. The fifth is the optimism of the people, wherein all changes are deemed positive. These changes definitely affected the art audience, therefore affecting the artists themselves. The artists, having a change in their audience, embraced the innovations of the era, and tried to participate in the changing times by merging the new ideas in their art works. The modern artists thus began to acquire new audience from among the modern people who made their money out of these modern changes such as indus trialization, etc. Slowly, modern art is in, and the traditional art is obsolete. It is possible that artists, more and more, began embracing the modern ideas because it is through that that they will have audience for their art pieces. The connection between the avant-garde and the modern is actually quite interesting. Firstly, during the first half of the modern era, there were still some artists who cannot be considered truly modern because their styles still resemble the traditional and conservative ones. Still, modern artists are called â€Å"avant-garde,† which is a term originally used in the military to describe the front liners or point men, similar to any individual who takes the most risk. A Burial at Ornans Gustave Courbet's â€Å"A Burial at Ornans† is a realist art, and it is antithetical to romantic art. First, the painting shows the realistic life, painted with no sugar-coating --- life as it is. Second, it does not aim to evoke ideal feelings or emotio ns, rather, it just shows things from an objective point of view. Third, it can be seen that the full disclosure of even the smallest details are depicted in the painting, and there is no information denied to or hidden from the audience. Fourth, there is the depiction of the everyday, regular individuals that one encounters on a daily basis. Fifth, the setting of the scene is

Gandhi Teachings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gandhi Teachings - Essay Example This law is the basis of many arguments proposed by supporters of this separation and opponents alike. The heated debate arose out of differing interpretation of the law. Some people have argued that religion is an inherent part of the constitution. As a result, eliminating it completely from the state would be a direct contradiction. Therefore modern societies can still integrate Satyagraha without necessarily possessing a world view. For instance, there are large parts of the state's proceedings that still go on after acknowledging the presence of God and these practices indicate Satyagraha. Most legislative meetings proceed after prayer and the state currency refers to the word 'God'. Additionally, states can still practice Satyagraha by letting members of the population practice their religious beliefs in public but they need not make this a rule for all members of the public. By doing this, the State will still be respecting its citizens' religions without necessarily restricting it. It is also possible to practice Satyagraha today by allowing specific members of the population a chance to recite the oath of allegiance despite the fact that it mentions the word God. However, the State may not necessarily have to make this recital a mandatory requirement in schools. The government of today needs to allow its people the right to practi... As long as no single person is required to engage in a particular religion while condemning another, than religious practices should be allowed in public. In fact, some people argue that when modern governments completely eliminate any form of religious symbol or expression in the public, then what they are really saying is that the beliefs held by atheists are more important than those held by other religions. Consequently, the government should allow fair representation of these issues given the fact that all people within the state have the right to practice their religion. (Lovett, 2007) Benefits, limitations and problems of applying Gandhi's Satyagraha in secular society today Gandhi was an outstanding leader during his time because of the fact that he had an ability to apply foundational religious teachings in the political and social context of his time. He had understood the underlying truths behind most religions and believed that they were instrumental to prevailing social and political environments. Gandhi believed that there was no way one could separate the state and the religion because the law was founded upon religion. In relation to this, the Indian leader asserted that religion assisted man to understand his place in the world. Additionally, he believed that religion is the foundation for understanding reality in the world today. Some of the issues that Gandhi submitted can be applied in the secular environment. Christianity can make its contribution to political life by providing a basis for understanding the relationship between man and his environment. Additionally, the same can be said about Hinduism and Islam with regard to the latter mentioned issue. Modern society can apply the same aspects into political life and reap their

Policy of North Korea Essay Example for Free

Policy of North Korea Essay Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) is considered to be one of world’s most closed and isolated countries in the world. After the breaking up of the two Koreas in 1945, they emerged on the world map as Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea. Families divided and one culture and value system sustained on both sides of the border, yet hostilities between the two countries marred their relations and international peace. US dumped its nuclear arsenal in South Korea which eventually led to a deterioration in situation. Russia opted to support North Korea in the ensuing years which led to international deadlocks. Being surrounded by great powers, the escalating tension and ensuing events took shape of global events that affected the whole world and changed the policies of super powers. The subsequent ambitious nuclear goals of Pyongyong had to be curtailed and this is what has kept the region in lime light ever since. Clinton’s Policy towards North Korea The policies of Bill Clinton regarding North Korea were recently criticized by Republican presidential candidate Senator McCain. He said while referring to the then in the race democratic candidate for presidency Hillary Clinton â€Å"the framework agreement her husbands administration negotiated was a failure†. Senator McCain was quoted as saying this and a lot more while defending the policy of Bush administration regarding North Korea. He said that the aid North Korea received under Clinton’s policy was subsequently diverted to the up gradation of their military and nuclear program. Reversely there are many who support Clinton’s policies and criticize Bush administration for not adequately following up on negotiation with North Korea and ignoring the issue while focusing more on Iraq, Afghanistan and war on terror in general. Observers however, noted that the Agreed Frame work has been a success as North Korea abided by the freeze. Clinton’s strategy was supported by many others as well who contended that the agreement had resulted in progress. Reviewing Clinton’s Policy towards Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea and the dynamics that played a major role in this regard it will be noted that initially President Clinton’s policy towards North Korea was a bit aggressive but it gave way to a general consensus of cooperation and negotiation. Few extracts from the paper â€Å"The Mouse that Roared? Clinton’s Foreign Policy towards North Korea† are given below. â€Å"During the Clinton presidency, US foreign policy towards North Korea started with conflict with the nuclear crisis and ended with cooperation by beginning diplomatic normalization. North Korea did not change its foreign policy; it remained aggressive in its anti-American rhetoric and actions. Therefore, why was there a foreign policy change from conflict to cooperation towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during the Clinton administration? Some scholars will argue that there was no or little change in foreign policy. However, there are some differences that are puzzling and do not fit the standard mold of foreign policy formation. High politics involving security and power should not mix with low politics like peace and economic prosperity, but they do in the case of the DPRK. The DPRK is a closed state that few completely understand, and this would usually lead to more cautious and protectionist policies. Instead, the US became more cooperative, and this needs explanation. The factors that led towards foreign policy change are divided into two themes. The first theme is that Clinton became a supporter of the Democratic Peace Thesis (DPT) and incorporated these ideas into his foreign policy. † â€Å"†¦, the second theme is that Congress reasserted itself as a major actor in foreign policy matters and became more supportive of cooperation. The checks and balances of the American political system did not apply to the â€Å"1994 Agreed Framework Between the United States of America and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea† (Agreed Framework). It was a document that Congress had to support even though Senate did not have to ratify it. † (Jane Kim, 1, 2). American government has always had issues and concerns regarding North Korea’s military ambition, especially its nuclear program and the American government thought the long impending predicament was resolved when during the Clinton Regime United States and North Korea signed the â€Å"Agreed Framework† on 12 August, 1994. The framework proposed a three step process according to which North Korea agreed to freeze its plutonium weapon program and in return American government promised to progress towards stabilized economic and diplomatic relations and will provide North Korea two proliferation-resistant nuclear reactor. Afterwards the Clinton regime also initiated talks with North Korean government in Berlin and later in New York as well to confine its ballistic missile program but no concluding agreement could be reached in the end. United States also imposed sanctions on North Korea for missile proliferation activities and for the transfer of missile technology and its components. Quite a large number of Congressmen did not approve of Clinton’s foreign policy towards North Korea and also the fact that the Agreed Framework was the root of the US’s North Korean policy. It is evident from the congressional documents that Congress was reluctant to accept the Clinton government’s diplomatic and peace-centered negotiations with North Korean regime and tolerant approach towards North Korea. Similarly many Congressmen were also not in accord with applying Democratic Peace Theory for defining US policy governing relationship with North Korea. Members of Congress were in favor of placing economic sanctions on North Korea. Although after both the governments concurred on the Agreed Framework, Clinton’s Policy was accepted reluctantly, but this did not stop Congress from trying to wield influence on American foreign policy. In 1998, President Clinton also assigned former Secretary of Defense William Perry the task to carry out an enhancement of America’s policy towards the North Korea. William Perry immediately undertook an interagency review of U. S. policy toward North Korea and began discussions with South Korea and Japan focusing on creating a combined approach to deal with the issues at hand. The following Perry Report led to the pave the final phase of Clinton’s North Korean policy. With the lukewarm support of Congress, Clinton continued to peacefully engage North Korea in talks and negotiations, and the United States of America reduced its economic sanctions against North Korea. During this time, Clinton government successfully involved North Korea as well as South Korea and Japan in the peace talks while exchanges of officials between the two countries continued to decrease tensions. US inspectors visited North Korean nuclear plants and United States also promised to cooperate with North Korea in economic affairs as well as for the peaceful uses of nuclear technology but after the 2000 election and the consequent change in the White House Clinton’s North Korean policy ended abruptly. Post-2001 American Policy for North Korea American policy for DPRK underwent a complete change after President George W. Bush took oath of the office in January 2001. Shortly before President George W. Bush declared his intent to completely review the state’s policy towards DPRK, Secretary of State Colin Powell had stated that the current administration plans to â€Å"pick up where President Clinton left off†(Manyin, Chanlett-Avery and Marchart 2005, 13) . In his joint statement a day later, after his first summit meeting with the President Kim of ROK, he declared his views against those of the ROK President about alteration of America’s DPRK policy. The Bush administration consequently changed its stance completely declaring that the previous administration was rewarding North Korea for its bad behavior. Prior to any further dialogues, North Korea is asked to â€Å"1) start to take serious, verifiable steps to reduce the conventional weapons threat to the South, 2) â€Å"improved implementation† of the 1994 Agreed Framework, and 3) verifiable â€Å"constraints† on North Korea’s missile exports. † (Ibid, 14) In response to these statements, North Korea also asked a return of the US to the stance of the last administration. This, however, was not achieved as President Bush in his statement in the state of the Union address combined North Korea with Iran and Iraq, and declaring that they â€Å"constitute an axis of evil† which further instigated hostilities between the two countries. The Bush Administration further demanded that multilateral talks be conducted with North Korea so as appropriate pressure could be built for seeing the future agreements carried through. On the other hand North Korea was insisting for bilateral talks. The intervention of China in this regard, at the behest of President Bush, helped in the smooth flow of matters. The Chinese diplomats succeeded in building up a negotiating party that consisted of representatives of six countries, whose stakes were involved in the negotiations; this included South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and US. The first three rounds of bilateral talks took place in August 2003, February 2004 and June 2004, but these were without any substantial results. This delay in reaching any diplomatic settlement has been blamed on US because of its inability to come up with a negotiating proposal so that the talks could move forward substantially and in a direction. A group of officials within the top notch Bush administration wanted the Korean regime to collapse and therefore advocated the sternest measures, such as unilateral promises from the North Korean regime for demilitarization as well as for the US to keep the sanctions in place. After the fourth round of talks, the six parties agreed on a joint declaration of intentions that was released on September 19, 2005. The declaration comprised of numerous linguistic minefields and was a reflection of the mutual mistrust between the major negotiating parties. It was as a result of these many misunderstandings that overshadowed the talks and resulted in the US officials backing out of their promise of help in peaceful use of nuclear energy. Dr. Quinones was also cited as saying that the track record of the current administration is not one of diplomacy, but rather one of vacillation, inconsistency, and ultimately the undercutting of the position and the efforts of its own diplomats. South Korea’s Policy through different regimes Since 1991, South Korea has adopted a policy of flexibility and reconciliation towards North Korea giving rise to bilateral relations that are getting better over the years. In 1991, President Roh Tae Woo of South Korea declared a unilateral Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, under which he promised not to produce, possess, store, deploy, or use nuclear weapons. Following it, a high level meeting took place between the two countries in which they both declared a complete denuclearization and inspections for verification. In 1998, President Kin Dae Jung came up with his Sunshine Policy that declared that South Korea will build its relations with North Korea upon peace and harmony. While the policy foresaw no unification in the near future, it nonetheless envisioned a peaceful co-existence and unification when the hurdles of rivalry were removed. The South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun also rejected US suggestions of curtailing the Sunshine Policy and warned the US against any â€Å"accidental war† showing solidarity for North Korea. Mike Billington has argued in his article that the two Koreas are bound to unite and the nuclear issue will not entangle their matters very far. It is now up to the US regime to understand the flow of events. The high points of these bilateral relations were Summit meetings such as the one that took place in 2000-01. Here the two leaders South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il declared their intent for â€Å"eventual reunification† (Manyin, 4). Summit meetings such as these eventually lead analysts to believe that in the case of these two countries, eventual reunification is a great possibility. North Korea’s Military Capabilities and its Impact North Korea initiated its nuclear program around 1962, as it planned to intensify its defence. The atomic energy research complex near Yongbyon was established during mid 1960s. North Korea and United Soviet States of Russia (USSR) had signed agreements and according to these agreements an IRT-2M research reactor was established during 1965. The fuel elements were also supplied to North Korea from 1965-1973. In 1974, North Korean scientists upgraded and modernized the IRT-2M reactor just as other countries with nuclear capabilities were doing. This upgrading brought North Korea’s nuclear capacity up to 8 megawatts and its fuel enrichment to 80%. Before 1977, North Korea had started construction of its second nuclear reactor. North Korea signed a â€Å"Type 66† agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1977. In lieu of this agreement the IAEA inspectors were allowed to visit and inspect the 2MW IRT-research reactor and 0. 1MW critical assembly located at Yongbyon built with the assistance of USSR. From the early 1980s North Korea focused on the practical uses of the nuclear energy and attempted to complete the nuclear weapon development system. It began to operate facilities for uranium fabrication and conversion. Besides the 200 MW (e) nuclear reactor in Yongbyong and Taechon, North Korea built nuclear reprocessing facilities. North Korea also conducted high-explosive detonation tests. It was in 1985 that the United States officially announced that it had reports of the nuclear reactor near Yongbyong. Under international pressure at that time, DPRK became a signatory to the Non-proliferation Treaty. Under the treaty, North Korea was required to sign a document regarding the safeguards of the facilities which it refused to do. North Korea and South Korea signed a Joint declaration on 31st December, 1991. The declaration effectively curtailed any chance for either side from plutonium reprocessing and uranium enrichment. There were, however no progresses on the inter-Korean agreement. For two years, no real progress was made between the two sides on the agreement. In the year 1993, the joint U. S.  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬- South Korea military exercises were held and North Korea declared its intent to withdraw from the NPT. It also refused to allow the IAEA team to visit two nuclear waste sites. The tensions escalated after these events. A series of talks between North Korea and United States over the next two years resulted in the signing of the â€Å"Agreed Framework† in Geneve on 21st October 1994. According to the agreement North Korea agreed to freeze it nuclear program and have enhanced security from the IAEA personnel. It was agreed that North Korea’s graphite-moderated reactors will be replaced with Light-water power plants. Full normalization of economic and political relations was aimed at. That the Korean peninsula would be made a nuclear free zone was also agreed upon. It was decided that both sides would work to strengthen the nuclear proliferation-free regime. In August 2002, the U. S. government renewed the pressure on North Korea to allow the IAEA inspectors to visit the nuclear reactors and to let them inspect how much plutonium North Korea had produced. With ups and downs in the relationship between the two countries, it was in 2002, that American President George Bush decided to halt the shipment of heavy fuel oil to North Korea. Eight days after this announcement by the President North Korea declared that the 1994 agreement with the United States had collapsed. The Six-party talks started in August 2003 as the United States was not interested in bilateral talks after the failure of the Agreed Framework. The talks included North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and United States. Thus the diplomatic initiatives to prevent North Korea from carrying out nuclear explosions continued. Second and third round of six-party talks were held in early 2004; but in February 2005 DPRK after declaring possession of nuclear weapons, boycotted the six-party talks. On 5th July, 2006 North Korea fires seven missiles into the sea of Japan and consequently UN security councils imposes sanctions on North Korea. After refusing to engage in nuclear talks and claiming to have tested a nuclear weapon in October 2006, North Korea finally agrees to give up on its nuclear program. During May 2008 North Korea briefed America regarding the its reactor at Yongbyon, and provided critical information. Due to these and other positive steps taken by the North Korean Government President Bush of USA announced on 26th June 2008: First, Im issuing a proclamation that lifts the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Act with respect to North Korea. â€Å"And secondly, I am notifying Congress of my intent to rescind North Koreas designation as a state sponsor of terror in 45 days. † Policy Options of America for North Korea Bush administration has recently declared that it no longer counts North Korea amongst the nations and countries spreading terrorism. It should be noted that earlier hard and inflexible stances led to the situation where North Korea felt compelled to demonstrate its nuclear capabilities and missile technology. Comparing between the two administrations of US that dealt with the North Korean nuclear issue, the conclusion can be easily reached that although all great powers tried their utmost to stop the country from going nuclear, they could not bring it about. Although being flexible might be what was termed as rewarding bad behavior but that is the diplomatic way. Keeping a tough stance might result in unfortunate events such as war, which if it takes place now, will not effect only the Korean peninsula but the whole region, affecting global crisis.

Disney Movie Vs History Film Studies Essay

Disney Movie Vs History Film Studies Essay Are all Disney movies, which have the characters from History, have the same story as the actual History. If you ask this question to any historian, they will say, No. to find this out I decided to watch a Disney movie, which is based on history. The name of the movie is Pocahontas. I watched this movie and I realize that this movie has just the name of the characters right, but the story was very different from the actual history, which was interesting, and kept me interested until the end. I bet if the Disney had made this movie with the actual story; it would not be interesting as it was after making changes in the story. I decided to watch this movie, because it was Disneys first animated movie that was based on History among all the animated movies. It had a big success in movie theaters, even though; the story was different from the actual History. I am going to write what was happening in the movie and what actually happened in the history. Pocahontas was Native American. She was a daughter of Powhatan, who was the chief of the Algonquian Indians in 1607 (American Promise, 49). Her real name was Matoaka, which was the nickname of her childhood. As the Native American custom, when she was born, she was sent with her mother to live in her mothers village. When she grew up to be around 5-6 years she lived with her father, and her older brothers and sisters. Among the all children, Pocahontas was her fathers favorite child. She was famous for saving life of Captain John Smith (Pocahontas.org). Pocahontas was the first animated movie of the Disney, which was based on History. Although it had name of the characters from the history, but the story was not the same as it was in actual history. It came out in 1995. Disney movies are famous for fantasy and fairy tales. Disney movies have made many movies based on the history. Most of them movies have the real names from the history but their story is different from the actual his tory in many ways. In Disney movie it starts like this, in 1607, a group of settlers arrived in new world to start new life. Their captains name was John Smith. The journey was tough. They had to go through storm, and person whose name was Thomas and he was drowning and saved by Smith. They were all lucky enough to make to new world. For the meantime, there is a Native American tribe nearby which was led by Powhatan. There is a rumor that his daughter Pocahontas is going to get married with Kocoum, who is a warrior. However, Pocahontas was not interested in Kocoum. Pocahontas does not have many friends but there are some, which from animal world like Hummingbird and Raccoon. They all go to her grandmother and she was a tree that gave Pocahontas advice when she needed. She also tells them a story about the Englishmen. Smith was roaming in the countryside of that area, unlike other settlers, who were afraid to go out. Smith runs into Pocahontas. They both spend some time after that and fell in love. Howe ver, other natives were still fighting the settlers. Therefore, Powhatan orders natives to stay away from the settlers. Pocahontas disobeys her father, she continues to spend the time with smith, and she introduces him to her grandmother (Pocahontas, 1995). This was the story from the movie. In actual history, Captain John Smith arrived in their area. It was 1607 and there were more than hundred people. They build the fort in that area in order to survive from the attacks of the Native Americans. However, in the same year in December when Smith is out for hunting in order to get food to survive, Powhatans warrior captures him and takes him in their area. Powhatan and Smith had a long talk and after that when Powhatan was about to kill Smith, Pocahontas came there and saved Smith by laying herself on Smith while natives were beating smith (American promise, 49). When asked by Powhatan for a reason to save Smiths life, Pocahontas said she did not want any excuse to provoke settlers. Because she knew that settlers are capable of defending themselves, which can be dangerous for the natives in that area. Powhatan arranged for Smith to take him back to the settlement. Powhatan then realized that his daughter did not just saved Smiths life, but she saved lots of peoples life (f ilmprincesses.com). As we all know that Disney movies are incomplete without bad character. In this movie bad character is Kocoum; he started to spy on Smith and Pocahontas. Kocoum also tries to attack them but he failed because Thomas was around that area, when he saw that Kocoum is going to attack on them he kills him. When Powhatan came to know about them he declares war with the settlers. He plans to kill Smith at sunrise. When Thomas came to know about was he goes to the settlers and warns them. Another Captain whose name was Ratcliffe think that natives are hiding the gold, and they are trying to protect it from us, therefore, they declared the war. Ratcliffe and some of the settlers decided to go in natives place and get all the gold. Once again Pocahontas manages to save Smith from her father. At the same time, Ratcliffe shows up and he intended to shoot chief but the bullet hit Smith. Smith was not dead on the spot but it was not clear whether he would be able to live with the love of his life or not (Pocahontas, 1995). In actual history, after saving Smith, Pocahontas would regularly go to settlement and play with English boys. Colonist did not have enough food and they all were starving in the first winter. They cloud not even grow their food because it was so cold that growing own food was just not possible. Pocahontas regularly went to visit and taking the food along for some of her friends. She saved many lives in that first winter which known as, Starving Time (Pocahontas.org). When more ships arrived at Jamestown, Smith went to Powhatan to negotiate to sell him the land of Powhatan. Some Whiteman misbehaved and Natives thought they were dangerous. Smith tried to make a peace but he failed. He got badly injured in a explosion of gunpowder. Nobody knew if he would be able to live or not. There was rumors about Smith, which said he was dead, some said, he sailed away in one of the ship returning to Europe. Pocahontas knew that he was not there, and there was emptiness in her life. She was hoping that Smith would return( Pocahontas and Her World 60-61). In the movie, Disney has changed all the characteristics of Pocahontas and Smith, they made her look very cute, and Smith was handsome person, which was very different in actual history. In movie, audience can see a little affection between Pocahontas and Smith despite of having age difference, Smith was twice as her age. Pocahontas was about 13 years old and Smith was around 29 years (American Promise, 49). All Disney movies have this element in them. One more element that is common in all Disney movies is a man who can do anything for the love of his life, in this movie; man was Smith who could do anything for Pocahontas, love of his life. This movie had many elements, which were remarkable, for example, the animation, and the expression of the characters. Pocahontas was shown in movie talking with the mice and kissing the dogs. At one point where Powhatan is about to kill Smith, Pocahontas runs to save his life, and says, I love him, Father, and lays herself on Smith. But, we all know that is not the real story. She did not say that in real life, but she did saved Smiths life in order to avoid problems with the settlers. In the movie, we show Captain Ratcliffe as a villain, but in real life, Ratcliffe had nothing to do with Pocahontas. Finally, in conclusion, we can all say that this movie had the characterization right but they changed the story, which made the movie from fictional from the Historical characters. This movie mostly attracts the children who like animated movie and this movie has all the elements that children like to watch. However, this can have a big impact on their mind, because if they do not know what happened in actual history, than they may think that what they saw in the movie was true. Sometimes this kind of movies can be humiliating to the culture. After watching this movie, children may think that the colonial life was very easy and happy, even though we all know how the conditions were like during the colonial life. I personally think that Disney should make the movie, which is based on history with the real story, so children can also learn the truth about our history.

Meditation In Zen Buddhism Philosophy Essay

Meditation In Zen Buddhism Philosophy Essay Meditation is the foundation of Zen Buddhism. Zen literally means to meditate. Meditation, in Zen, is the path and the goal. The goal is to meditate. Like all religions, Zen Buddhism has split into sections. Zen has two schools of thought, the gradual and the sudden approach to enlightenment. In the gradual school, there is only one way to practice Zen meditation, which is seated meditation, called zazen. Zazen can be performed in several different ways, but the positions have no spiritual significance. The positions are mainly to create comfort, stability, and ability to breathe through the diaphragm properly. The sudden school believes enlightenment could potentially occur instantly. They use koans, mondos, and turning phrases to help the practitioner gain more insight, and hopefully be enlightened. Koans, mondos, and turning phrases are irrational dialogues or statements that practitioners contemplate upon. The main topics to point out when discussing meditation in Zen Buddhism ar e the goals of their meditation, the gradual school of thought, and the sudden school of thought. In Zen, the path of meditation is the goal. It is similar to riding your bicycle just to ride your bicycle. Through mediation, Zen Buddhists do not attempt to do anything, but to be in the moment. The Vietnamese Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, says, We practice so that each moment of our life becomes real life. There is no goal in Zen, but to focus on ones being, moment by moment. While practicing meditation, one may also find other benefits, like better health and a more relaxed state of my mind. Unlike many sects of Buddhism, as well as many other religions, Zen Buddhists do not have scriptures to which they should study, but they may do so if they choose. Zen Buddhists focus primarily on one simple act, which is meditation. They believe that achievement of the Buddhahood comes from silence. Zen has two popular sections, gradual and sudden. They both are means to enlightenment, but have two different points of view. In the gradual school of Zen, there is only one technique of meditation, which is called zazen. Zazen literally means sitting meditation. Zazens motto is: To be a Buddha is to sit like a Buddha. That is, while sitting, sit completely. Be aware of the stillness of everything while enjoying not having to do anything but be in the moment. Although there are no doctrines or disciplines in Zen, there are many instructions for meditation postures. In Zen culture, there was less of a difference between body, breath, and mind than in the west. Zen practitioners believe if one aligns their spine correctly, fold their legs properly, sit properly, and keep still; they can achieve stillness of the mind. Much of the stillness of the mind in Zen is believed to be achieved through the correct posture of the body. Many of the Zen postures come from ancient Indian yogic positions developed to increase alignment and awareness. Although they come from yogic postures, they have no divine meaning them; they are only intended to increase comfort, stability, and the ability to breathe well. In Zen, it is believed that awakening must penetrate every cell of the body, so they must engage the body as well as the mind when meditating. Zazen is typically done in one way with several variations. The most effective way of seated meditation is done is with ones legs crossed and spine aligned straight up and curved, giving a pyramid shape to ones posture. It is usually done on the floor, with a soft mat and pillow to sit on to raise the body a little so that ones knees can touch the ground. With ones knees touching the ground, it creates three points of contact with the ground to give the practitioner a sturdy base. The easiest form of zazen is the Burmese position. In the Burmese position, one has their legs crossed, and their feet flat on the floor. In this position it is very easy to keep ones back straight because putting ones feet on the floor forces the practitioner to keep his back curved, which is an essential part of zazen. Two other positions are the half lotus and the full lotus. Both positions are very similar, but the half lotus requires less flexibility, and is easier for most people. To perform the half lotus, one foot placed over the opposite thigh, and the other foot is placed under the opposite leg. The full lotus position is when both legs are put on both thighs. This position is more recommended because it gives the practitioner much more balance. There are also two other zazen positions which are commonly used. The first position is the sieza position. The sieza position is kneeling, with your buttocks on both feet. You can sit on either a pillow, or your bare legs. You can also use a sieza bench to kneel on. The second position is the chair position. The bench keeps ones back straight, and takes the weight off of ones feet. The other position is to simply sit on a chair with ones feet on the floor, arching the back. It is important to keep ones back straight while meditating so that one can breathe with the diaphragm properly. A good sitting posture as well as good hand position allows the body to give uninhibited deep breaths. While doing Zen meditation, one should use the Dhyani mudra hand position. The Dhyani mudra is a way to position ones hands so that they can take deep breaths from their diaphragm. To do so, the practitioner will place both hands on top of one another, with their palms facing up. Their knuckles should be on top of one another as well, with their thumbs touching gently together. Breathing through the diaphragm creates deep, slow breaths, which is quite useful when practicing zazen. Breathing is not only useful while meditating, but it is useful in all aspects of our health. Andrew Weil M.D., an author and physician said, Improper breathing is a common cause of ill health. If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly. Theres no single more powerful or simpler daily practice to further your health and well-being than breath-work. ~ Andrew Weil, M.D. The sudden school of Zen, which believes in sudden enlightenment, has koans as a focal point of meditation. In The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddhism, Gary Gach says that koans are seemingly illogical riddles, like Two hands come together in a clap. What is the sound of one hand? A koan is not a riddle. It doesnt call for a solution (its not a math puzzle with an equation waiting in an answer book); rather, it is a personal breakthrough with a flash of enlightenment. In other words, it is a statement or conversation that cannot be understood by rational thinking; it can only be understood by intuition. Zen Buddhists believe that scriptures will lead scholars to misinterpretations of the original meanings, which is why Zen masters made Koans. Koans go beyond words. They attempt to go beyond the boundaries of intellect and language, and find awakening or enlightenment. Zen master Hakuin, author of the koan, What is the sound of one hand? has said, Whats true meditation? Its to make it all coughing, swallowing, gestures, motion, stillness, words, action, good and evil, success and shame, win and lose, right and wrong into one single koan. Although Zen Buddhists are not against words, they try to limit the amount of description to leave the interpreting to the practitioner who is attempting to gain insight. The primary beginning of using koans in Zen Buddhism originated from Hui Neng, a poor man who gathered and sold firewood for a living. He achieved enlightenment suddenly while he overheard a man reciting the Diamond Sutra, a scripture on emptiness and wisdom which requires great insight to understand. When he overheard the man say, Awaken your mind without fixing it anywhere, he was enlightened on the spot. Koans are meant to be contemplated until they are realized. While one meditates is the optimal time to think about them, but they can also be taken home to contemplate. According to The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddhism, there are about 400 indexed koans and about 1700 in all. There are so many koans because they deal with particular parts of the Way of enlightenment. Many of the koans, such as Hakuins koan, What is the sound of one hand? are designed to take the practitioner past the normal self into Buddha mind. There are also koan related Zen dialogues called mondos. Mondos are question-and-answer banter between people. They are similar to koans because they have the same non-sense questions and statements. An example of a mondo is in the Milindapanha, which reads, King Milinda said to learned monk Nagasena, Im going to ask you a question. Can you answer it? Nagasena replied, Please, ask your question. The King: Ive already asked. Nagasena: Ive already answered. The King: What did you answer? Nagasena: What did you ask? The King: I asked nothing. Nagasena: I answered nothing Also similar to koans and mondos, the sudden school of Zen also used turning phrases to help promote enlightenment and understanding. Examples of a turning phrases are, Not one, not two, Chop wood: carry water, and Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. These are all mottos that are used to help the practitioner gain more insight, and hopefully find sudden enlightenment. Being the foundation of Zen Buddhism, meditation is the main aspect of the religion. Zen essentially is meditation. In Zen, the path is the goal. It is like riding your bicycle simply to ride your bicycle. Zen Buddhism has split into two schools of thought, the gradual and the sudden approach to enlightenment. In the gradual school, there is only one way to practice Zen meditation, which is seated meditation, called zazen. Zazen can be performed in several different ways, but the positions have no significance other than comfort and stability. Breathing is an important part of meditation as well. The sudden school believes enlightenment could potentially occur instantly. They use koans, mondos, and turning phrases to help the practitioner gain more insight, and hopefully be enlightened. Koans, mondos, and turning phrases are irrational dialogues or statements that practitioners contemplate upon. The main topics to point out when discussing meditation in Zen Buddhism are the goals of their meditation, the gradual school of thought, and the sudden school of thought. Gach, Gary. The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddhism. 3rd. New York City, New York: Alpha Books, 2009. 183-200. Print. Saint-Hilaire, J.Barthelemy. The Buddha and His Religion. 1st edition. London: New York E.P. Dutton and Company, 1914. 267-87. Print. Zazen. DharmaRain.org. Dharma Rain Zen Center, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Zazen Posture. DharmaRain.org. Dharma Rain Zen Center, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Zazen breathing techniques. DharmaRain.org. Dharma Rain Zen Center, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Zen Meditation Instructions. mro.org. Mountains and Rivers Order, 2010. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Phelan, Josho Pat. Zazen Posture. intrex.net. Josho Pat Phelan, 1997. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . About Zen Meditation. Zazen.rutgers.edu. N.P., 04/21/2010. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Phillips, Fred. A Primer on Zazen. omcl.ogi.edu. Fred Phillips, 1998. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Breathing and Medicine. oxygengenesis.org. Oxygen Genesis Institute, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. .

The Book of the City of Ladies Essays -- English Literature

The Book of the City of Ladies During the renaissance many different views of leadership surfaced. Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies, Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, and William Shakespeare’s Richard III each present distinct views of what would make a good leader during the renaissance period. Shakespeare and Christine de Pizan’s views align most closely with Plato’s. Christine de Pizan’s view also aligns with Augustine’s medieval view of leadership. Machiavelli’s view, however, strays the farthest from Plato and Augustine. In The Book of the City of Ladies, Christine presents an allegorical city made up of great ladies from history. Allegorical characters Reason, Rectitude, and Justice guide Christine to the proper view of women by dispelling slanderous lies spread by men throughout history. As the leaders in Christine’s journey, Reason, Rectitude, and Justice represent characteristics that leaders should hold. Christine establishes Reason as the foundation of great leadership by saying through Reason, â€Å"I was commissioned, in the course of our common deliberation, to supply you with durable and pure mortar to lay the sturdy foundations and to raise the large walls† (12). Rectitude represents the benevolence leadership requires as she says, â€Å"I often visit the just and exhort them to do what is right, to give to each person what is his according to his capacity, to say and uphold the truth, to defend the rights of the poor and the innocent, not to hurt anyone through usurpation, to uphold the reputation of those unjustly accused† (12). Finally, Justice presents in the terminating qualities of truth and pure honor as she says, â€Å"I teach men and women of sound mind who want to belie... ...his work is completely opposite the ideal Augustine leader. Christine de Pizan, Niccollo Machiavelli, and William Shakespeare show several different forms of Renaissance leadership. Each writer expresses their version of leadership by giving examples of what a leader should and should not be. Shakespeare and Christine de Pizan’s leaders most closely fit the Platonic ideal of leadership by ruling through wisdom, being reluctant to lead, and promoting the idea of true virtues over shadows of virtue. The Augustine leadership ideal, characterized by a love for God and people, most closely resembles Christine de Pizan’s view as many of her leaders strive to please God in their leadership. Machiavelli’s radical idea of leadership resembles neither Plato nor Augustine as it promotes seeking power through less than virtuous methods for less than noble reasons.

Base Details :: essays research papers

BASE DETAILS - ESSAY In the poem, "Base Details", SiegFried Sassoon expresses his great disgust towards the majors in the military. He is horrified and appalled at the way the majors act while men are dying out in the battle field. Mr. Sassoon is so furious towards the majors that it takes more than just one word to describe how indignified Sassoon is. These great feelings of anger are derived from the fact that the majors are living a life of luxury while sending young men "up the line" out into the battle field. This is all suggested in the title of the poem with the word "base" suggesting a military base, and/or a base person. And the word "details" suggesting a command, an assignment, and something or someone lowly. "Base Details" is a poem which expresses the feelings of the author towards military majors using differentiable types of imagery. The poem begins by Sassoon describing the majors as demanding, mean, and belligerent men. Bald, out-of-shape and full of gluttony. Sassoon categorizes the majors under the word scarlet signifying childless, bright redness from excessive drinking and yelling of anger. Sassoon presents to us the fact of the majors sending up the young men as soon as they are drafted "up the line to death." This attitude taken from the majors is what angers Sassoon to the point of hatred. To convince the reader of such horrific truth, Sassoon describes how disrespectful the majors are with their "puffy petulant faces" from eating and drinking excessively. Sassoon states how the majors are stuffing their faces and "Reading the Roll of Honor" in safe luxurious hotels while men are dying out on the field. For this, Sassoon feels so contemptuous towards the majors for they are demanding but hypocritical. They give out strict orders and boss soldiers around while they sit down and be tyrannical. They are just so barbaric and arrogant and show so much disrespect for those who have died in battle that it is not only ridicules to Sassoon but probably for the reader as well. It is just so unbelievable how these majors can sit scarlet and short of breath belittling and not recognizing the heroic actions of the men in the battle field by referring to them as "poor young chaps." When in comfort smoking their cigars, they use words which are definitely not suitable for the conditions.

Lego Analysis Essay

Large losses in Vinalines, Vinashin, EVN, Vietnam Cement Corporation VICEM, Song Da Corporation, TKV †¦ somehow make it easier for the Vietnamese economy sinking into stagnation condition than ever before. Global economic slowdown led to foreign investment flows into Vietnam show signs of decline. Attract foreign investment from the beginning of 2012 to 04/20/2012 only 68. 5% compared to the same period last year, which is down 0. 3% compared to the same period last year. Trinh Thanh Hoan, Director of Insurance Management and Supervision Department of Finance, commented that: the financial crisis affecting the insurance industry in Vietnam, but not heavy. Vietnam’s insurance industry is one of the few lucky industries has overcome the crisis. Revenue growth rate of the insurance industry first 6 months of 2012 has reached a relative situation, though not as high as in 2011. Original insurance exploitation activities increased by 11% compared to the same period in 2011, of which 13. 5% non-life sector, life insurance increased by 8. %. In this context, the Prudential – with revenue of VND 2,182 billion, accounting for 39. 69% of the market array of life insurance market in Vietnam is facing great opportunities to promote their competitiveness The study of the financial situation in 2011 by Prudential in conjunction with specifying the challenges they are facing in 2012 through which creating a premise to promote the Vietnamese insurance m arket in general and the Prudential Vietnam in particular to develop at a stable and healthy way is the reason why this topic was chosen. Title: â€Å"How was the financial situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2011, its problems in 2011 and its challenges in 2012† Object of this project is to study the financial situation in 2011 of Prudential Viet Nam in which the writer focused on the analysis of sales along with the challenges that they are facing in 2012, which is the main factor determining the competitive position of the company The range of research topics: In term of spatial: The insurance company in Vietnam, especially Prudential In term of time: Empirical research in the period 2011-2012 Research objectives of the project are presented in three main aspects, namely: Develop practical scientific arguments about the challenges that Prudential are facing in 2012 as an important strategy in business development issues of Prudential Analysis of the financial situation of Prudential Vietnam in the 12-month period of 2011 The layout of the contents of the subject consists of three parts: Chapter 1: Historical development and organizational structure of Prudential Vietnam. Chapter 2: How Prudential Vietnam did their business in 2011. Chapter 3: Financial Situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2011 compared to 2010, its problems in 2011 and its challenges in 2012. In term of finishing this project, because of limitation in knowledge about finance and insurance field and the lack of information that we can find both on The Internet and directly from Prudential Vietnam, our report may be confined. We would like to show our gratitude to Dr. Gitte Top, who has specially enthusiasm in guiding our group during the process of doing and finalizing this project. We wish you be always happy in your life. METHODOLOGY A. The method used in general is the research â€Å"onion† * Definition : In order to answer how a research should be answered a clear methodology was sought which is referred as â€Å"research onion†. It presents a clear framework for the most suitable methods and strategies to address a research. It promotes the knowledge to answer a research question. After deciding a suitable philosophy other elements are selected from the layers which assist in answering a research. Each element in a different layer is discussed below in order to get an idea why elements were selected while conducting a research * The purpose of research onion The classification of research purpose most often used in the research method literature is threefold one of exploratory, descriptive and explanatory. However, in the same way as our research question can be both descriptive and explanatory, so our project may have more than one price. Indeed, as Robson (2002) point out: â€Å"The purpose of your enquiry may change over time† I. The research paradigms The first layer of the onion is research paradigms. It gives an idea that how we think about the research. Several views about research process dominate the literature, which include positivism, realism, interpretivism and others as well. The knowledge is always judged in different ways and these are different ways you can judge the knowledge. We chose realism because it is a mixture of both the philosophies positivism and interpretivism as it allows us to study for the social issues trying to understand the impact of wider social forces. Moreover, we would take advantage of the accuracy in evaluation of the figures provided in the financial report of Prudential in 2011 to see correctly its problems and challenges. These reasons are why the realism is selected II. The research approaches The second layer of research ‘onion’ refers to research approach. There are two approaches involved: 1. Deductive approach Deductive approach works from more general to specific. This is informally called as top-down approach. A deductive approach is consistent with developing a theory and testing it through research. Arguments based on laws, rules and accepted principles are generally used for Deductive Reasoning. 2. Inductive approach Inductive reasoning works the other way like deductive moving from specific to general to broader generalization and theories. And informally it is referred as bottom op approach. And its conclusion is likely based on premises and usually involves a degree of uncertainty. Because of the limitation about the information we can look up, we chose the deductive approach in order to have a clear orientation to carry out the project. B. The project I. Object of this project: To analyze financial situation of Prudential corporation in 2011, then reveal factors affecting the company included the cost and national economy situation and as well as the difficulties which corporation face in the this year II. The range of project * In term of space : Insurance market in Viet Nam and especially Prudential * In term of time: Practical research in the 12-month period of 2011 about the main activities of the Prudential corporation; challenges of Prudential in 2012 III. The research objective Offer the student the opportunity to train the skills falling into the categories of writing a report – to learn the logic and practice of investigating/analyzing actual problems, equivalent to current challenges in modern financial companies – and to being introduced to formulating a research question. IV. The research methodology To estimate specifically and exactly how was financial situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2010 our group thinks it is suitable to use dialectical materialist methodology (human relations results), along with the clever combination of theories in economics and management, based on the analysis of reliable material which our group collected, in which we focuses on information on the homepage of Prudential Vietnam. C. The structure of assignment The layout of the contents of the subject consists of five parts 1. The introductory part 2. Methodology 3. The main part a. Chapter 1: Historical Development and Organizational Structure of Prudential Vietnam b. Chapter 2: How Prudential Vietnam did their business in 2011 c. Chapter 3: Financial Situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2011, its problems in 2011 and challenges in 2012 4. Conclusion 5. Appendix CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUTURE OF PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM PART 1: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Established in London 1848, Prudential is one of the world’s leading retail financial services groups providing life insurance, financial services and asset management products and it has been writing life insurance in the United Kingdom for 163 years. In 1995, Prudential arrived in Vietnam ;amp; established the Prudential Representative Office in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Later on, in 1997, it established a 2nd Representative office in Ho Chi Minh City After 11 years , in 2006 , it was awarded the â€Å"No. 1 brand in Insurance – Finance – Banking Industryâ€Å". Up to now, it has keep dominating the market share in insurance market. PART 2: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Board of Directors Mr. Alexander John Hambly Chairman (Non-Executive Director) Mr. Hambly is the Regional Head of Private Equity of Eastspring Investments (Singapore) Limited (formerly known as Prudential Asset Management (Singapore) Limited) joined Prudential in 2003 and was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Eastspring Investments Fund Management Limited Liability Company (formerly known as Prudential Vietnam Fund Management Private Limited Company) from January 2006 to September 2007. Alex was also the Chief Executive Officer for Prudential Property Investment Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd from September 2007 to February 2010 and the Chief Executive Officer of PPEM Pte. Ltd. from March 2009 to October 2010. He has more than 20 years’ direct investment experience gained in both Asia and other major markets. Prior to joining Prudential, he worked for four years for Actis (formerly known as CDC Capital Partners) based in Singapore, four years with HSBC Private Equity based in India, and seven years with Barclays Bank plc based in London, India and Singapore, the last three years of which he was on secondment to a private equity fund (Baronsmead plc) in the United Kingdom. He holds a BA in Modern History from Durham University in the UK. Mr. Hambly is also a member of the VII Audit and Remuneration Committees. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Henry (Van Hung) Lam Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer) Mr. Lam, a resident of Vietnam, was born in Vietnam and came to Australia in 1977 and studied electrical engineering. He resides in Vietnam and is responsible for the group’s operations in Vietnam. He was awarded the â€Å"Red Star† at the end of 2000, the first overseas Vietnamese to receive this, for his contribution to the economy of Vietnam and in 2010 he was awarded the â€Å"Second Class Labour Medal†. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Lam is a director and shareholder of Corbyns International Limited, the Company’s ultimate holding company. Mr. Alan Alexander Young Managing Director (Chief Operating Officer) Mr. Young commenced his business career in the financial sector and was employed for several years in banking and finance. For the past twenty years, he has gained wide experience in the administration of public companies, particularly in the resource sector. Mr. Young is a Board member of all the operating subsidiaries in Vietnam. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Managers, Secretaries and Administrators and past President of the Western Australia-Vietnam Business Council Inc. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Roger (Sing-Leong) Kwok Independent Non-Executive Director Mr. Roger Kwok is the Managing Director of Arcadia Group in Perth which specialises in designing, developing and managing retirement resorts and premium properties. For the last twenty years, Mr. Kwok has managed a number of Australian businesses in the automotive and healthcare sectors. He is a past president of The Western Australian Chinese Chamber of Commerce and brings significant experience in business relations in international markets, particularly China, which sources raw materials to VII’s rolling mills. Mr. Kwok is the Chairman of the VII Audit and Remuneration Committees. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Andrew David Walker  (appointed 3 January 2012) Independent Non-Executive Director Mr. Walker has graduate and postgraduate qualifications in Medicine and Medical Science from Newcastle University and is a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons. He also has a MBA from The University of Melbourne. Before starting his business career, Andrew was as officer in the Australian Army and a Platoon Commander in Australia’s elite parachute regiment. Mr. Walker has a wide range of Board experiences, both Public and Private companies. He was the Past-Chairman of the Melbourne Chapter of the Young Presidents Organisation. He was named the 2006 Ernst & Young’s National â€Å"Entrepreneur of the Year† (Service Category). In the past three years,  Mr. Walker is the Executive Chairman of Vallenar Iron Company and Founder-Chairman of Aspen Medical Pty Ltd. Mr. Walker is a member of the VII Audit and Remuneration Committees. CHAPTER 2: HOW PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM DID THEIR BUSINESS IN 2011 PART 1: HOW DID PRUDENTIAL GET PROFIT? The renovation and modernization of the country and international economic integration requires every industry, every business have to try harder, continuing deeply comprehensive reform in all its activities. With the function of mobilizing small amount of money from countless individuals to create a central insurance fund to invest in various sectors of the economy, insurance companies, particularly life insurance Prudential company has become an institution, a key professional investors on the capital market of many countries. And if the world over a long period, the investment activities of the non-life insurance companies are considered a complementary activities in order to increase profits in addition to profit from insurance operations, since the type of life insurance on the market, investors have become a very important activity, can’t be separated and have to say it determines the survival of life insurance companies. To be more specific, the writer will present the way Prudential get profits. Firstly, by buying insurance contracts, Prudential’s employees try to persuade other people to buy their insurance policies. They will get amount of money when the contracts accomplish and unless the buyer have some problems with their body or life, the company will use the money to invest some particular activities to make more profits. Secondly, they generate profit by mortgage. Lending is an important role for life-insurance company. With the nature as an investment tool, Prudential company must also be subject to some limitations when it carry out loan such as restrictions on the maximum amount allowed for limited borrowing and lending of money. Currently the mortgage loans of life insurance companies primarily secured by real estate . Most of loans under life-insurance company tend to increase quickly. This is also the form of attracting more customers to the insurance company. In Vietnam today lending policy is very popular and used by insurance companies as a form of competition. The next one is that Prudential company invested in securities. This is the investment tool which is used by almost life-insurance company most widely, hence the profits from investment securities giving the insurance company is very huge. Moreover, investing in securities has a high liquidity because insurance companies can quickly sell the securities to the market if demand for payment is necessary. Stocks and bond are two kinds of securities which most life insurance companies prefer to invest. In a word, investing in securities has higher margins than other forms of investment. Life-insurance companies tend to invest large value on that list. Associating with the development of securities market in recent years, the investment of life insurance companies in this market is considerably increased. Currently Most of life-insurance companies move to invest in securities and loans which have guaranteed level less but have a higher expected rate of return. Next, Investing in real estate is important element without mention on the way to generate profit . The investment in real estate plays an essential role because it maintains the stability of the value of investing in real estate which is less affected by inflation. However, investing in real estate has high market risk and low liquidity. Therefore the real estate business of life-insurance Prudential is suffered from certain limitations. In addition to these forms of investment, life insurance companies also invest in other forms of joint ventures, deposits at credit institutions, pledge and mortgage. With life insurance company investment which is usually long term should be greater long-term portfolio than that of non-life insurance companies . In previous time, loans secured by the mortgage is the primary form of investment life insurance companies. These investments often bring a higher rate of return than investments in government bonds, although liquidity is not high. Those are the fourth best ways of Prudential company to gain profit. However, it does not mean that they are the only measures. To generate profit, Prudential also take part in forms of organization and operation of investment. And Prudential with a large scale of enterprise and the nature of insurance can invest in this activity with two forms: The first one is establishing investment company belonging to Prudential company. The establishment of an independent investment organization in the form of the investment company or investment fund owned by the insurance company all the shares or hold the shares in the form of applied fairly common in the insurance company in the world. This pattern is consistent with the large-scale insurance companies and developing companies, it helps insurance Prudential company concentrate on its resources to improve the quality and efficiency of investment activities. These funds may only focus on a geographical area or specific industry groups or a wide range of activities and general investment fields. In recent years insurance companies have large-scale switch to set up the fund to focus its resources and improve the quality and efficiency of investment activities. The next one, Prudential buy shares in the non-dominant of other investment company. PART 2: PRUDENTIAL MARKET SHARE AND THEIR COMPETITORS Market share * 2011 situation 2011 was a challenging year for the global economy and Vietnam was not an exception. The slow growth in the US and EU region also softened Vietnam’s export demand. Moreover, the tightening policy by the SBV to tackle inflation lowered domestic industrial activities. For the full year of 2011, GDP growth was 5. 9% compared to 6. 8% in 2010. This is the second lowest year of GDP growth in the last decade, only higher than 2009 the year after the global financial crisis started. According to the annual report 2011, the revenue of Prudential Vietnam account for nearly 39% of the total revenue of the life insurance market, reduced 1% compared to 2010. However, Prudential Vietnam has reached new business premium of VND615 billion ($30 million), up 21. 2% year-on-year. The total premium income increased to VND2. 8 trillion ($137 million), up 12. % year-on-year. With the market share of 38%, the company reaffirmed its No. 1 position in Vietnam’s life insurance market. In additional, Prudential Vietnam has won the  Golden Dragon Award 2011  with the title â€Å"Best Financial Service† for all three business units in Vietnam: Prudential Vietnam Assurance, Eastspring Investments and Prudential Finance. This is the 10th consecutive time th at Prudential has won the Golden Dragon Award. * Prediction in 2012 2012 outlook is expected to improve due to consistent government policy, the more stable VND and improvement in the balance of payment. We become increasingly optimistic about Vietnam outlook in 2012 due to the consistency of SBV in implementing monetary policy, the more stable VND, and the improvement in the balance of payment. However, in the short term, lower GDP growth is expected in trade off for long term macro stability. During this period, the equity market might remain volatile and highly reactive to releasing news. We think that selective investment in sectors with stable consumption demand (i. e. non-cyclical consumer goods) or have a strong financial capacity will bring benefits for investors. In the long run, we increasingly become optimistic about the equity market as the VN Index valuation is currently at one of its lowest levels historically and compared to other markets in the region. Competitor In Vietnam, the insurance sector is regulated by the Insurance Supervisory Division within the Ministry of Finance. The insurance trade association is the Association of Vietnamese Insurers (AVI). The main life insurance companies are: Bao Viet (also a non-life insurance company); Prudential; Manulife; AIA; Dai-ichi Life; ACE Life; and Prevoir. Key non-life insurance companies include: Bao Viet (also a life insurance company); Bao Minh; Petrovietnam Insurance Company (PVIC); PJICO; PTI; Cong ty BH lienhiep; Bao Long; Vien Dong; and VIA. In the first quarter of 2012, the total sales of life insurance in the market are 3522 billion, up 8. 1% compared to the same period last year. The companies have large market shares of Prudential Vietnam, with 1,308 billion, accounting for 37. 14% market share, Bao Viet is 942 billion VND, accounting for 26. 73%, Manulife is 440 billion, accounting for 12. 5% . Leader in sales of new premium remains the Prudential Vietnam with 239 billion, followed by Bao Viet Life 226 billion and Manulife is 131 billion VND. The strongest opponents of the current Prudential Vietnam Bao Viet Life, with a market share of new operators are close to Prudential. Futhermore, Manulife, although total sales revenue and new operators have a big gap with the Prudential, but development strategy, with a solid foundation and changes quite flexible according to the market trend of this company many companies in the same industry appreciated. AIA is also one of considerable competitors with daring and efficient strategies which may have a spectacular breakthrough in the market share in a few years. Meanwhile, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam after a period of impressive growth, there seems to be a lull down and has not had any extensive development. In the recent economic condition, the issue is not about the number of new contracts or pushing the revenue growth. The vital tatic is maintaining the signed contracts. It dues to the fact that the level of contracts termination in Vietnamese market has always been a â€Å"nightmare† for life insurance ompanies, this ratio is always around 10 – 15% for every years, the rate cancelling contracts in the early years are often higher. Therefore, the development of effective strategies many insurance companies selected for this difficult period. Although the cancelling contracts are high, Datas from the Vietnam Insurance Association showed that the three months of this year, the number of contracts restoration of 27,797 contracts, an increase of 35% over the same period last year. The companies have the contract high recovery rate is Prudential, Bao Viet and Dai-ichi Life Vietnam. Thus, under the current intensive competition, whether Prudential can retain their leader position of the life insurance market or not, it’s still a question. CHAPTER 3: FINANCIAL SITUATION OF PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM IN 2011 COMPARED TO 2010, ITS PROBLEMS IN 2011 AND CHALLENGES IN 2012 PART 1: FINANCIAL SITUATION IN 2011 COMPARED TO 2011 AND ITS PROBLEMS IN 2011 Business activities results Unit: Million VND Content| 2010| 2011| I. Revenue| 7,601,313| 8,871,160| 1. Revenue from insurance activities| 5,365,668| 5,992,532| 2. Revenue for financial activities| 2. 235. 645| 2,871,628| II. Costs| 6,263,946| 7,878,625| 1. Insurance activities and sales cost| 5,298,593| 6,335,556| 2. Financial activities costs| 379,520| 819,496| 3. Manager costs and other costs| 585,833| 723,573| III. Profit without taxes| 1,337,367| 992,535| IV. Taxes| 329,815| 240,839| V. Net Profit| 1,007,552| 751,996| The table shows how Prudential did their business in 2011. According to the table, in 2011, Prudential’s revenue showed an upward trend in both insurance and financial fields. Specifically, its revenue increased by 626,864 million VND and 635983 million VND respectively. However, costs for business activities involved insurance, financial activities, management cost and other cost also grew in this 12-month period as a figure of 1,614,679 million VND. As a result, net profit was decline by a significant number, 255,556 million VND for particular, despite of reduction in taxes. In conclusion, this insurance and finance company still got profit in the previous year, however it was less than it had been in 2010. Important financial ratios: Content| 2010| 2011| I. Asset Structure| 1. Fixed Asset / Total Asset| 0. 3%| 0. 4%| 2. Moveable Asset / Total Asset| 28. 7%| 31. 4%| II. Capital Structure| 1. Debt / Debt and Equity| 87%| 88%| 2. Equity / Total Capital| 13%| 12%| III. Payment Capability| 1. Money and money equivalents and short-term investment / Short-term debt ( times )| 3. 77| 3. 58| 2. Total Asset / Total Debt ( times )| 1. 15| 1. 13| IV. Profit ratios| 1. Profit without taxes / Total Asset| 5%| 3%| 2. Net profit / Gross Revenue| 13%| 8%| 3. Net profit / Net Revenue| 20%| 12%| 4. Net profit / Equity| 30%| 22%| The table illustrated some relevant financial ratios included asset structure, capital structure, payment capability and profit ratios. In general, these numbers provide a negative business image of Prudential in 2011 compared to they did in 2010. For example, their payment capability was limited and profit ratios also reduced to. The figures were 0. 19 time deduction in money and money equivalents and short-term investment / short-term debt and 8% decline in net profit / net revenue. Clearly, business activities of Prudential in was not effective compared to 2010 and this fact was because of several reasons and also led to several issues of Prudential in 2011. Factors had devastating impacts on insurance market in general and Prudential for particular included The 2008 Financial Crisis, inflation rates, the increase of gold price and Resolution of the government Firstly, the 2008 Financial Crisis has been proving that it has global affects and there are no countries being exception. In 2008, White House admitted the conclusion of The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) which is â€Å"The United States has been being in recession since December of 2007† and tried to accelerate the economic recovery process by improve finance, credit and real estate market. According to official figures, GDP of the biggest economy in the world decreased by 0. 2% in the fourth quarter of 2007 but increased by 0. 8% in the first quarter of 2008 and 2. 8% in the following 4 months. Subsequently, it declined again in the third quarter of 2008 by 0. 5%. However NBER informed that recognizing the recession was not just based on GDP but on other economy factors such. For example, employment market and capital slowed down and showed a downward trend in a 12-month period. After that, this disease started spreading all over the over and several countries and regions were victims. Fifteen European Union countries were the first, then Russia, Japan, China, Singapore †¦ Later on, in 2009, Vietnam became a victims of the crisis, which brought the economy down without recovery up to now and every single industry was effected involved insurance field. As a consequence, business activities of Prudential fell down year after year. Secondly, the inflation rates of 18. 13% was rather high than ideal number and it also means that Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 18. 13% higher than the previous year, furthermore, some essential products increased by 50% or even 100%. Hence, it had impact on social quality and decreased the amount of saving money of residents, limited to capability of participating in insurance activities or maintaining the life insurance contract due to people who have low average income, and increased the compensation costs of non-life insurance. Therefore, the growth of about 10000 billion VND costs of insurance activities and sale costs of Prudential was an obvious consequence. Thirdly, the 24. 6% rise of gold prices also created psychological allocation of the insurers. The stock market and real estate was bleak which reduced investment opportunities and profitability of the insurance business and even generated difficulties for making provision for diminution in value of investment in a relatively large number. And finally, in 2011 The Resolution of the Government about the credit crunch, tightening expenditure and government investment has decreased demand for property insurance, construction and installation of new assets purchased. To conclude, because of several reasons involved The 2008 Financial Crisis, inflation rates, the increase of gold price and Resolution of the government led to a bleak business image of Prudential in 2011 compared to 2010. However, they did a great job in the insurance industry in this year and the evidences proved this is Prudential was the market leader of this field with insurance revenue increased by 12% with the biggest market share and being the number one company in this major. PART 2: CHALLENGES OF PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM IN 2012 Problems of Prudential in 2011 mostly referred to the costs of business activities and the degradation of the economy. However, in 2012, its main mission is to fix these problems and to take advantage of new opportunities in the market to improve its business. In 2012, the inherent difficulties in 2011 still continue, the risk of high inflation, the government undertook to restructure the economy, in which the focus of restructuring banking, securities and insurance will affect the insurance market. Property insurance market is predicted slowing down because of tightening credit, expenditure management and government investment spending forced the non-life insurance companies have turned to market development, non-property insurance products. Moreover, many businesses have to limit their production or stop working because of difficulties in accessing to bank credit which led to an increase in the number of unemployed workers and reducing income. Hence, these determinants generated bad effects on the demand of life insurance. Furthermore, the stock market and real estate do not have any signals of recovery which makes insurance companies being more cautious with investment in this area. And last but not least, The Finance Ministry urged the insurance businesses to thrift, cut costs by 5% – 10%, rearrange insurance companies, restructure the insurance market, improve the business insurance effectiveness, risk management, customer care and upgrade competitive capacity. Although 2012 is expected to continue to be a difficult year for the life insurance industry, based on the difficulties of the Vietnamese economy in general, but there are also positive signs bringing new development in insurance market and providing new opportunities for the life insurance industry, especially Prudential: * The impact of a imited credit growth in the banking system is a positive factor to promote extensive cooperation between the banking system and insurance, also a positive signal for the strong improvement of banking and insurance products * The cost of an employer to purchase insurance for employees is calculated on pre-tax costs will set the stage for the life insurance prod ucts take a forward step to businesses. Limitations of the health insurance system with lower benefits will be an opportunity to stimulate the development of life insurance products which have many benefits about high quality health care and health insurance product lines with high value. To sum up, taking good reactions to overcome these difficulties and take advantage of the opportunities above, Prudential will conduct a successful business in 2012. APPENDIX http://www. vii. net. au/Company/BoardofDirectors. spx http://www. investor. prudential. com/phoenix. zhtml? ID=1099317&c=129695&highlight=&p=irol-newsArticle http://thuvienluanvan. com http://timluanvan. com http://www. prudential. com. vn/ Principles of microeconomics (2003 ) – Mankiw Principles of microeconomics 2ed (2001) –Mankiw Economics book 7th John Sloman – Alison Wride GROUP MEMBERS Nguyen Hoang Tuan Anh Le Xuan Chanh Duong Le Hoang Gia Nguyen Kim Khanh Vo Thanh Tung Nguyen Minh Hai