Education as Most Important Factor in Developing Country

Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree? What is actual value of education today? Nowadays, when our world is constantly developing in the area of economics, and other fields there’s  a strong growing need in experienced and talented people  who will be able to make significant contribution in the economy of the country’s life. Thus, it is important to say that  education plays a significant role in the development process of countries.To answer on my question, firstly I would like to point the importance of education. In real life, people can live without education but education is the quickest and surest way to help people improve their knowledge and to gain experiences. Basic education provides people with a greater understanding of basic daily information about life as well as of their own potential. Higher education  is not obligatory for young people. Thus, it means that they have only their experience to learn from.But those people who are longing for obtaining high positions in the society are required to have good knowledge basis. How can education improve development of country? A country with a strong educational system can more definitely develop in the future. In developing countries, improving people's knowledge is very important because their attitude can be influenced by the development of the country. There's a famous saying â€Å"If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, if you teach the man to fish you feed him for a lifetime†.Education is long term investment. Maybe we will not be able to see the results imediately, but it is essential to ensure growth and prosperity. Also it is important to put quality before quantity – the goal must be for all education programmes to be of the highest quality, with the number of places tailored to the needs of the labour market. It is not the quantity of graduates that determines our competitiveness, but the qual ity of our programmes from an international perspective.With a good educational system, people can study easily, they can understand the newest technology, and then they can improve their lives. However, even with good educational system in one country, problem may arise. It is so called â€Å"brain drain†. It is defined as the loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic, or professional environments. Individuals that are educated in developing country may move to the developed countries such as USA, England, and countinue their lifes there.In this case, education cannot bring any good for country where young people are more concerned about their own prosperity than prosperity of their native country. Although there are a lot of other factors that are of huge importance for growth of one country, I agree that education is the single most important development in the country. Of course, every person possesses good qualities along with bad ones, but  higher education gives us an opportunity  to develop our better sides by providing our society with members, whose aim is to contribute to the country’s development.

Tardiness: High School and Copyright

A. Background of the Study Tardiness has already become a habit of the high school students of Manresa school. Most of them come to school, attend their classes and scheduled appointments not on time. They all have their own reasons; traffic, working slow, waking up late, etc. Most of the students in Manresa School, are even residents of BF Homes. Some are even residing in the Manresa Village, and still, they are arriving late. They are residents who have been probably living in the village, or subdivision all their lives, who should have already put into consideration the usual problems they would encounter when they go to school.Many teachers get disappointed, but up to now, the students are still unaware of what they are doing. Tardiness is one of the most common causes that affect the lives of the high school students. But, how can tardiness really affect our lives as a student? Will it bring down our academic grades? This study will provide information about tardiness, what caus es it, the probable consequences of being tardy, and possible solutions to overcome, or at least help the High School students of Manresa School regarding their problem of being late. B.Statement of the Problem Prevention of tardiness among the high school students of Manresa School. C. Objectives of the Study At the end of the study, the group is expected to. . . 1. To find out why the high school students of Manresa school are tardy. 2. To prove that it is possible for the students to come to school and/or attend classes early. 3. To give solutions and prevent tardiness. D. Significance of the Study The study is very important because many people would be able to benefit from this study; namely, teachers and the tardy students themselves.During the course of this study, the group will be able to find out what the causes and effects this might have on not only the students, but also the teachers and staff. The study can also help those who are experiencing tardiness over and over a gain without being consciously aware of the reason, and may also help those who wish to conduct this kind of study in the future. The group can use this information to help anyone looking for psychological, physiological and social aspects of tardiness. Anyone who wants to know more about preventing someone from being late can make use of the information retrieved from this study.The professionals, not only the students can also experience being late. They will also be able to make use of the study, and this study can virtually benefit anyone who has to be somewhere at sometime. E. Scope and Limitation The study focuses on preventing tardiness among the high school students of Manresa school. It is a specific topic but still covers a lot of factors. The study covers ways and changes that Manresa School should follow in order to lessen the number of tardy students In order to prevent tardiness, the students must know its causes and effects in many ways.The study covers the tardiness in coming to school, attending classes and other important appointments, activities, etc. these factors are all important because the students of Manresa School should know what tardiness could do to them if it becomes a habit. F. Definition of Terms 1. Attendance (n) – the act of attending; number of persons present. 2. Authority (n) – to have the power and right to control, judge or prohibit the actions of others; to be in charge. 3. Awareness (n) – realization of something; consciousness. 4. Behavior (n) – manner of behaving or acting the aggregate of responses to nternal or external stimuli. 5. Consequence (n) – outcome; unpleasant result of an action. 6. Counsel (n) – a professional guidance service for individuals, applying the techniques of psychological testing. 7. Discipline (n) – the training of the mind and character; a branch of learning; a mode of life in accordance with rules, self-control; control, order, obedience to r ules. 8. Disturbance (n) – the act of disturbing, the state of being disturbed; commotion; something that disturbs. 9. Excessive (adj) – more than is acceptable : beyond what is considered acceptable, proper, usual or unnecessary 10.Excuse (v) – to pardon or overlook (a fault, offense, etc. ); to offer a reason or apology for (an error, fault, etc. ); to serve as a reason for; justify. 11. Habit (n) – a tendency to repeat an act again and again; a behavior pattern that has a degree of automatism. 12. Late (adj) – occurring after usual or expected time. 13. Manner (n) – a method of doing something; behavior; type or kind; habit; social behavior. 14. Misconduct (n) – formal word for improper behavior, especially by a professional person; dishonest management; improper behavior. 5. Offense (n) – the act of offending; a fault, sin or crime; the act of injuring another’s feelings; the state of being offended; assault or attac k in sports, the team members. 16. Policy (n) – any system of management based on self-interest as opposed to equity finesse in general; artifice. 17. Prevention (n) – act of intervening in order to prevent something; preventing or being prevented. 18. Procrastinate (v) – a formal word meaning to delay or put off to a later time. 19. Prolong (v) – to make longer in time; extend. 20.Responsibility (n) – the state if being responsible; ability to meet obligation, or to act without superior authority or guidance. 21. Sanction (n) – permission, approval; a penalty for breaking a law, deterrent. 22. Suspend (v) – to attach to some elevated point without support from below; to hold floating on or in a fluid, or as it on or in a fluid; to debar, usually for a time, from the exercise of an office or function or the enjoyment of a privilege. 23. Tardiness (n) – late, dilatory, overdue, delayed; slow, sluggish, leisurely, torpid. 24. Tar dy (adj. – not coming, happening etc. at the schedule or proper time; moving, acting at a slow pace. 25. Time management (n) – the concept of continuous existence; the past, present and the future ; a distinct moment or period. 26. Violation (n) – the act of violating or the state of being violated. Reference list – Anonymous. (2001). Absences, Tardiness, Excuses and Work Make-up. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Madison city. Website: http://www. madisoncity. k12. al. us/Policies/Pages/J/JBD-Absences_Tardiness_Excuses_and_Work_Make-up. htm – Anonymous. (2009). Class tardiness.Retrieved August 8, 2009, from University Laboratory High school. Website: http://www. uni. uiuc. edu/policies/tardiness – Anonymous. (2009). Excessive tardiness in school. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Lots of Essays. com. Website: http://www. lotsofessays. com/viewpaper/168107. html – Anonymous. (2009) School Tardiness and Absences can make A Child Fall Behind. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from New York Schools. Website: http://www. newyorkschools. com/articles/school-tardiness-and-absences-can-make-a-child-fall-behind. html – Anonymous. (2008). School Tardiness.Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Martinsville Bulletin. Website: http://www. martinsvillebulletin. com/article. cfm? ID=16932 – Anonymous. (2009). Student Tardiness and Absenteeism – A Cause for Concern. Retrieved August 9, 2009 from MTCutandPaste. com Website: http://www. mtcutandpaste. com/page. cfm? thispage=060810a2 – Anonymous. (2007) Tardiness hinders student and school success. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from Cowan Crier. Website: http://www. lausd. net/Cowan_EL/cowan%20crier/Nov%2007. pdf – Anonymous. (2002). Tardy Policy. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from the Paly Voice.Wesbite: http://voice. paly. net/view_story. php? id=2189 – Anonymous. (2003). Research on School Attendance and Tardiness. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from Google Answers . Website: http://answers. google. com/answers/threadview/id/214323. html – Anonymous. (2009). Tardiness. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Agassi prep. Website: http://www. agassiprep. org/pdfs/tardy_policy. pdf – Anonymous. (1999). The New International Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus. Copyright: Trident Press International – Anonymous. (2007). Truancy and Tardiness. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Fulton.Website: http://www. fulton. cnyric. org/policies/5000/5161. 0%20Truancy%20and%20Tardiness. pdf – Austin, M. (2003). Late For School. Copyright: Peachtree Pub Ltd – Bishop, A. (2008) Tardiness. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from a teacher grows in Chicago. Website: http://ashleyltt. blogspot. com/2008/03/tardiness. html – Burningham, J. (2008). John Patrick Norman McHennessy – The Boy Who Was Always Late. Copyright: Alfred a Knopf Inc – Cayne, B. (1989). The New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language. Copyright: Lexicon Publications, Inc.USA – Cosby, B. (1999). My Big Lie. Copyright: Scholastic – Friedrich, O. (2002). The Easter Bunny That Overslept. Copyright: Harpercollins Children’s Books – Geddes, Grosset. (2002). Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus. Copyright: Poland – Gray, P. (2006). Psychology. Copyright 41 Madison Ave. , New York: Worth Publishers – Gross, R. (2005). Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior. Copyright: Hachette Livre, UK: Hodder Arnold Publishers – Guthridge, B. Clark, M. (1999). Lucky Last Luke. Copyright: Sundance – Hargreaves, R. (2008). Little Miss Late.Copyright: Publisher: Price Stern Sloan – King, J. L. (2007). CP Time: Why Some People are Always Late. Copyright: Strebor Books Intl – Kirschner, R. Brinkman, R. (2001). Life by Design. Copyright: MC Grawltill Book Co. – Lachtman, O. (2008). Icy Watermelon / Sandia Fria. Copyright: Pinata Books – Landau, S. (2006) . Webster’s Dictionary Thesaurus and Atlas. Copyright: Typhoon International Corp. – Lindenfield, G. (2000). Self Motivation: Revised Edition. Copyright: Caledonian International Book Manufacturing ltd, Glasgow – Newman, L. Ferguson, P. (2007).The Boy Who Cried Fabulous. Copyright: Tricycle Pr – Nichols, W. Stebbens, S. Bunning, C. (2001). Random House Wesbter’s Unabridged Dictionary. Copyright: USA – Nissman, B. (2008). Teacher-Tested Classroom Management Strategies. Copyright: Merril – Mayer, J. (1999). Time Management for Dummies: 2nd Edition. Copyright: Hungry Minds, Inc. – McDonald, C. (2009). Getting Students â€Å"In School, ON TIME, everyday. † Retrieved August 8, 2009, from National Association of Elementary Principals. Website: http://www. naesp. org/resources/2/Leadership_Compass/2008/LC2009v6n3a3. pdf

A Case Study Of Friendship

Case Study: Westover Electrical, Inc. Westover Electrical, Inc., is a medium-size Houston manufacturer of wire windings used in making electric motors. Joe Wilson, VP operations, has experienced an increasing problem with rejected product found during the manufacturing operation. "I’m not sure where to begin," admitted Joe at the weekly meeting with his boss. "Rejects in the Winding Department have been killing us the past two months. Nobody in operations has any idea why. I have just brought in†¦ 16-2 to evaluate the extent to which Lynn Tilton displayed the characteristics associated with being a good leader and good manager. Lynn applies several of the leadership characteristics listed on Table 16-2. The first one demonstrated in the case study is understanding and using power and influence. When Lynn was asked by Tony Brown is she was going to strip and flip the company, she came back with a witty answer that she only stripped and flipped men, and that the companies she deals with is†¦ Answers to Case Study 12.1 Questions 1. | Short Term | Long Term | Piet Andaro | * Piet will be demotivated impacting the performance of his team and himself. * He might receive negative comments from his management who does not have a full understanding of the role played by Piet which will lead to further dissatisfaction. | * Piet might look forward for a career break which will give him an opportunity to consider other options available to him. * Another competitive Airline might†¦ Case Study: Specific Learning Disabilities Criteria Name: Jennifer Birthdate: 12/17/92 Jennifer is a 2nd grader being referred for possible learning disabilities in reading. Jennifer has always attended Sand Hill Elementary and has not repeated a grade. She is eight years old. She has been screened for vision and hearing problems and was found to have normal vision and hearing. Her teachers have described her as cooperative and likable. She does not exhibit behavioral problems. Jennifer†¦ Case Study with Debbie Karishma Ahmed University of St. Thomas Debbie, a 60 year old Caucasian oncology nurse, has presented herself for treatment due to the recommendation of her brother as she was having trouble managing her life. Debbie is one of six children whose father passed away 15 years ago and mother lives in a nursing home. Debbie’s primary care taker was her older sister since her father was in the Navy and gone for months at a time. Her mother, suffering from bipolar disorder†¦ VOLKSWAGEN: THE SCANDAL EXPLAINED CASE STUDY My five most important personal core values include honesty, self-acceptance, fairness, helping and forgiveness; Honesty is like a security blanket with a relationship, it’s the foundation of whether you choose to have a happy, long lasting relationship or whether you want it to be a lie and be an unresolved case of the truth. Self-acceptance is wanting to love yourself despite what everyone else thinks, to be self-accepting you have to have happiness†¦ The case study method often describes an extensive investigation of one person (or a particular group of people), with the â€Å"hope of revealing universal principles† (Myers, D. (2010). Psychology (9th Edition), United States of America: Worth Publishers). They often adopt an idiographic approach, which is defined as â€Å"relating to the study or discovery of particular scientific facts and processes† (Oxford Dictionary). These clinical and developmental studies are undertaken over a fixed period of time†¦ MasTech Inc. Case Study Crucial Factors: †¢ The steel contracts account for about 60% of the total cost. †¢ In the production phase, suppliers are expected to provide defect-free products with JIT delivery. †¢ MasTech won a bid to produce a cross-member part for the new frame of a new Ford truck model, & will be using Uxbridge as their steel supplier. †¢ MasTech requires 130,000 tons of steel annually (260,000,000lbs) to complete the cross-member deal. †¢ Steel is paid for in hundredweight (100lbs =†¦ Case Study on the Denim Case Name Course Tutor Date of Submission Assessment of the Industry Attractiveness of The Premium Jeans The Industry Attractiveness of The Premium Jeans can be analyzed by the Porters five forces. The porter’s five forces framework seeks to analyze the level of competition within an industry and business strategy development. The porter five forces are: Threat of New Entry, Buyer Power, Threat of Substitution, Supplier Power and Competitive Rivalry. These forces†¦ ------------------------------------------------- Racing past the Barriers The Success of the Apache Motorcycle in India Submitted to: Mr. Ahsan Durrani Submitted By: Badar Salam Kayani 1848 17th March 2013 Summary - This case study is about TVS Motor Company, the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India. TVS is among the top ten in the world, with annual turnover of more than USD 1 billion in 2008-2009, and is the flagship company of the USD 4 billion TVS Group.†¦

Humanitarian intervention only occurs when it supports the interests Essay

Humanitarian intervention only occurs when it supports the interests of the powerful. Discuss - Essay Example tarian intervention aims at protecting lives, it poses a challenge for the international community, whose foundation builds on principles of sovereignty and non-military intervention. Following world events that occurred in the 1990s especially in Rwanda, Kosovo, Chechnya, Serbia, and Haiti, the world came together to establish laws that prohibited genocide, forbidding oppression of civilians and principles for upholding the fundamental human rights. These are the humanitarian principles from which intervention could be justifiable in the event of abuse. The sovereign states are supposed to protect their citizens, but in the event of oppressive regimes, the international community will be obliged to provide humanitarian intervention. Humanitarian intervention especially in terms of military saw a rise in the 1990s, more so among the liberal states, which championed for new humanitarian regulations among the international community. According to the United Nations, there was a need to protect forcibly harmless civilians from risks such as oppressive, tyrannical regimes and genocides. Although the United Nations agrees to this norm, there is no day that the United Nations Security Council has ever authorised military intervention, leaving the role solely to the powerful nations such as the United States, Britain, and France. These powerful nations call for humanitarian intervention if and only if, they have vested interests in the states that need help. For example, in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the world looked the other way when the country needed humanitarian assistance most because strategically, the powerful nations had no interest in Rwanda. It is evident that the powerful nations will provide humanitarian i ntervention either to safeguard their interests or any future interests in the state they are aiding. They just do not provide humanitarian assistance if they do not stand to gain either through political cooperation or economic reasons. Therefore,

A fine line between sanctity and sinfulness Essay

A fine line between sanctity and sinfulness - Essay Example Christ himself is the difference between sanctity and sinfulness. St. John, when addressing the masses, said that one should not sin, however, if a man sins he has an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ (Taylor, 1849, p. 418). Christ not only preached sanctity, he lived the life on his own principles. At the same time, he showed the world how to stay away from the sins. The Bible says â€Å"put to death what is earthly in you† (Colossians 3:5). It does not mean to rid the humanness. Earthly here refers to the sins and embracing the opposite, the sanctity. Earthly can be considered evil desires. These evil desires draw the line between good and evil. Say the desire to avoid people or to hurt them based on their ethnicity or the color of their skin, is an evil or earthly desire. Christ preached and embraced all of humanity. Just like the sun does not shine on a single neighborhood, Jesus was not the prophet for a certain race or nation. He did not sin by staying away from the people who were considered of low caste. He embraced sanctity and preached to all equally. It was this act that made him the favorite of the masses. They saw him as their leader, someone with mythical powers that healed their sick. A rebel who was fighting for the rights of poor. Pharisees considered Jesus’s actions as sinful because he condemned Pharisees and the teachers of Moses’s Law (â€Å"Bible Gateway†, n.d.). Jesus never criticized the Law of Moses but he showed his concerns about the character of its preachers. He said to the mass that they should listen to the Law of Moses but there is no need to take action upon it as its preachers are hypocrites. They keep piling restrictions and laws on people but they never abide by them. Their good deeds are just an act to impress people and not the God. Pharisees thrive on appearances and showing off their piousness. For instance, swearing by the altar did not hold any importance to the

Societal Implications of the USA Patriot Act and How It Limits Daily Essay

Societal Implications of the USA Patriot Act and How It Limits Daily Life - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that one of the main ways the patriotic act limited people’s daily lives is by making them accept the unreasonable casual violation of their basic rights. For instance, the act made Americans accept without question that security agencies can subject them to unreasonable searches and seizures when they are traveling. The patriotic act limits the rights of Americans by increasing the capabilities of government to carry out surveillance in four areas. The act gives the government the power to conduct record searches. It does this by expanding the ability of the government to examine records indicating a person’s activity that are in third-party possession. The Patriotic act also authorizes secret searches that enable the government to search private property without issuing a notice. The Patriotic act also authorizes the government to conduct intelligence searches by extending an exception to the fourth amendment that was made to enable the government to gather foreign intelligence. The act also allows the government to engage in trap and trace searches by enabling the government to track the source and targets of communications and the content. The provisions of the patriotic act limit daily life by violating individual privacy. The act gives the government unchecked power to examine a person’s internet usage, medical history, library usage, and any other activity that leaves a record of some kind. This not only violates individual right to privacy protected in the fourth amend but may make people refrain from certain activities for fear of being watched by the government.

Emergence of Modern Political Ideologies Research Paper

Emergence of Modern Political Ideologies - Research Paper Example Karl Marx argues for the uprising of a group he calls the proletariat, which is essentially the working class, and which is against the factory owners, a group he calls the bourgeoisie. This group also consists of the industrialists and the landlords who, through regulations of both the prices of commodities and rent, continually oppressed the laborers. According to Marx, this problem was not one that was compatible with capitalism and that the only way it could be solved was through communism (Marx 14). Marx postulates that the bourgeoisie has exploited the proletariats in search of cheap labor that denies the country self-sufficiency. The bourgeoisie will then look for labor from other poorer countries so that they can lower production cost. The increased demand for raw materials in the foreign countries brings about industrialization in that country which in turn nurtures a breed of both the bourgeoisie and proletariat as the rich want to exploit the poor for profits (Marx 13). Li beralization This is a very common ideology that sprouted after the industrial revolution. It was supposedly about the enjoyment of individual freedom of every individual in the society and the fact that the minority were free to air their ideas without being coerced (Mill 6). They would be allowed to speak out of their thoughts, speech, and even take or participate in the action, as long as they brought no harm to other people. After industrialization, people engaged in numerous economic activities.

Discuss How Service Operations are Different from Manufacturing Essay

Discuss How Service Operations are Different from Manufacturing Operations - Essay Example Waste in the process or fail points are not obvious in service operations that efforts to reduce cost and control quality before they reach the customer can be very difficult (Wienclaw 2008). This makes the operations of many service oriented companies costly with many customers dissatisfied with the service they received. The need to align service delivery in accordance to customer expectations and the market imperative to reduce cost to remain competitive in the market, however, compels the operations of service oriented industry to adopt and implement manufacturing approaches and systems. By implementing manufacturing approaches and systems, the cost of operations in service oriented companies are being reduced such as the case of McDonalds as stated in this paper. The implementation of quality control system such as Six Sigma also enabled Bank of America not only to increase the level of its customer’s satisfaction but also saved the company $2 billion in expenditures rela ted to areas where Six Sigma was implemented. II. How service operations are different from manufacturing operations.   The most obvious difference between a service operations and manufacturing operations are the products they produce. Service operations sell service that has no physical presence while manufacturing operations produces concrete products that has a physical existence. Unlike manufacturing operations that produces concrete products whose quality can easily determined by its specifications, service operations differs from manufacturing operations because its output is often evaluated in terms of customer experience. Activities of a service operation are often based on the quality, speed, competence and courtesy of its delivery that is not easily quantifiable that could be subjected to the relativity of customer’s experience (Wienclaw 2008). The factors that determine a good service cannot be easily quantified because of the difficulty of operationally definin g what makes a good service delivery. Unlike in manufacturing where fail points in its process can be easily determined and substandard products can be readily rejected before reaching the customer, service operations outputs are subjected to perceptions and expectations of the customer which are relative (Wienclaw 2008). For example, walking through a novice customer in a step by step computer troubleshooting procedure may be very helpful that would constitute a good customer service but the same could also be annoying to a technically proficient customer that could affect the overall customer satisfaction. The differences of service operations from manufacturing operations can be categorized in the factors of intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability that make services difficult to control and improve. Intangibility – plainly, service cannot be recognized by any of the five senses. Unlike in manufacturing operations whose outputs are concrete, services rendered by a service oriented company cannot be seen, touched, smelled, heard, or tasted (Kotler et al. 2004). It can only be

Racial Disparity in Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Racial Disparity in Criminal Justice - Essay Example Death penalty or execution is the most severe sentence that the United States and other countries use particularly for rape and murder cases. Military laws and federal states have also bestowed capital punishment for other crimes like espionage, treason, kidnapping, desertion from military service and robbery. The fact that state prisons are full of a disparate number of inmates who are people of color and who are on death row is a clear indication of racial disparity in sentencing. In other words, today’s capital punishment is a system that vents the anger of society over crime crisis on a select group. As far as death penalty is concerned, the contagious existence of racism has not slackened with time and this crisis is not confined in one area. One of the possible causes for this abiding problem is that the juries who make the critical decisions on death penalty in the United States are almost exclusively white. An empirical study at Law School in St. Mary's University indi cates that in the U.S, there is only one percent African-American District Attorneys in counties that use the death penalty while the other chief District Attorneys are white with a percentage of almost ninety-eight.

Comparative Between Confucius and Daoism Essay Example for Free

Comparative Between Confucius and Daoism Essay Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)111 Please cite as Low K. C. P. (2011) ‘Confucianism Versus Taoism’, Conflict Resolution Negotiation Journal, Volume 2011, Issue 4, p. 111 127 Confucianism Versus Taoism Prof. Dr. Patrick Low Kim Cheng Ph. D. Chartered Marketer, Certified MBTI Administrator, Certified Behavioral Consultant/ Universiti Brunei Darussalam; Associate, University of South Australia About the Author Prof. Dr. Patrick Low Kim Cheng, Ph. D. (South Australia), Chartered Marketer, Certified MBTI Administrator, Certified Behavioral Consultant (IML, USA), brings with him more than 20 years of combined experience from sectors as diverse as the electronics, civil service, academia, banking, human resource development and consulting. His MNC and local corporate clients from ASEAN, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan are in manufacturing, electronics, IT, retail, engineering services, hospitals, hotels, banks financial institutions as well as the public sector. The once Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Business, Universiti of Malaya (Jan to Feb 2007), Prof. Dr. Low was the Deputy Dean, Postgraduate Studies Research, teaching in Universiti Brunei Darussalam (2009). He teaches the graduate students/ MBA in Organisational Behavior, Managing Negotiations, Leadership and Change Management, and the undergraduates in Leadership Basics, Challenging Leadership, Business and Society, Issues in Organizational Leadership, Organization Analysis Design; and Organization Development Change. The former Associate Dean, Director of Career Services and Chair of the Management and Marketing Department of a University in Kazakhstan (2004 to 2006) focuses on human resource management and behavioral skills training covering areas like negotiation/ influencing, leadership and behavioral modification. An academician-practitioner, a prolific author (author of twelve books including bestsellers (Strategic Customer Management, 2006, 2002, 2000 – one of Borders’ top ten in 2001/2, Sales Success, 2006, 2003; Team Success, 2003 and The Power of Relationships, 2001). His most recent books include Successfully Negotiating In Asia (Springer, 2010) and Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1982271 Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)112 Corporate Culture and Values – Perceptions of Corporate Leaders of Cooperatives in Singapore (VDM-Verlag, 2009). A business coach, Prof. Dr. Low is the founder of BusinesscrAFTâ„ ¢ Consultancy and he previously served as an Examiner for University of South Australia’s DBA and Ph. D. candidates (2003 to October 2006); presently, he has been appointed as the supervisor for its DBA candidates. Besides his experience in academia, training and consulting, Prof. Dr. Patrick Low has held positions in regional human resource development (HRD). He has been the Senior Training Manager (Asia Pacific Region) in Standard Chartered Bank where he was responsible for regional management training and development, marketing of HRD services and management succession. He can be contacted at [emailprotected] com Confucianism Versus Taoism Abstract: In this paper, the practitioner-academician makes comparisons and contrasts between the two great philosophical bodies (or oldest religious traditions) of China, that is, Confucianism and Taoism. Among other things, the key commonalities of Confucianism and Taoism include being in pursuit of the Tao, close to nature and harmony, and taking the right actions are critical than just the belief(s). The key differences are also examined here, and these, among other things, include human living and spirituality, and filial piety and nature as well as rites and beyond rites. 1 Introduction Confucianism and Taoism do not have a specific founder or date of founding, even though one of them (Confucianism) appears to be named after an individual, K’ung Fu Tzu or Confucius in English. Confucius was born in 551 BC in China in what is presently Shantung Province. He lived during the Zhou dynasty, known for its ethical laxity. For Taoism, its texts include the Tao de ching (The Way of Power) which is believed to have been written by Lao Tzu. The text describes the nature of life, the way to peace and how a ruler should lead his life. The Chuang Tzu contains additional teachings of Taoism. Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1982271 Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)113 1. 1 Paper’s Aim And Objectives The aim and objectives of the paper are to make comparisons and examine the contrasts between the two great philosophical bodies (or oldest religious traditions) in China, that is, Confucianism and Taoism, and with that, it is hoped to logically get a better understanding of the two philosophical bodies. 2 2. 1 Commonalities Of Confucianism And Taoism In Pursuit of the Tao Both show that the non-religious state of existence is unsatisfying and non-harmonious. Instead, both Confucianism and Taoism stress on the pursuit of the Tao, and that the Tao is the ultimate. Similar to Shakespeare’s â€Å"have more than thou showest, speak less than thou knowest†, in Taoism, it is said that those who know do not speak and those who speak do not know. Tao, the first cause, can be roughly translated into English as â€Å"path†, or â€Å"the way†, referring to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. Tao is the Oneness of everything; â€Å"Tao is always without a name and that it is the origin of heaven and earth. Tao can also be said to be the â€Å"Absolute† that it can be said to be the movement and a stillness without a beginning, Yin and Yang (also known as Tai Chi) are things that can be said to be without a beginning† (Cleary 2003, cited in Low and Ang, 2010: 85; Wu, 1990: 1). 2. 2 Close to Nature And Harmony Both Confucianism and Taoism are close to nature, very much reflected in Chinese culture. Most Chinese gates or traditional Chinese gardens display a pair of lions, one male and one female. The female mother lion, usually with its young, represents Mother Nature. From Confucius – The Analects, Chapter VII verse 17, we learn that â€Å"The Master used a fishing line but not a cable; attached to a net, he used a corded arrow but not to shoot at roosting birds. † Both Taoism and Confucianism believe that the two opposing and complementary forces Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)114 (chi) of yin and yang should be maintained in a harmonious condition no matter what level they are operating on, such as universe, nature, society, or an individual (Li, 1996). â€Å"Everything will be accomplished smoothly in a harmonious family,† Confucius encouraged that internal harmony should also be treasured as the highest value within a family, just as it is essential to the smooth functioning of a system at any other level. Both schools preach that humans live in harmony with nature, and such a way is compatible with humankind’s taking care of nature and the surrounding environment of the communities they live and work (Low and Ang, forthcoming; Low, forthcoming). In Lao Tzu’s mind, the people should be encouraged to embrace simplicity, diminishing self interest and curbing one’s desires (Tao Te Ching, Verse 49); in this way, one can then create a peaceful and harmonious environmental attitude towards people and nature, and there is overall happiness between and among all. Detaching ourselves and not getting caught with the great number of things in our mind, we also slow down, pay attention to our breathing, move slowly and deeply, and we reach new understandings about ourselves and the world around us. In Taoism, peace is  treasured (â€Å"The best way of conquering an enemy is to win him over by not antagonizing him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Tao Te Ching, verse 68; Wu, 1990: 101). War is no good and only results in sufferings of the people; rulers need to find and seek peace for his or her people. With harmony, trade, business and profits can be made, and the countries make progress – as the Chinese saying goes, â€Å"Harmony grows profits† (Hanyu Pinyin: he chi sen chai). It can thus be said that the Chinese prize harmony above all things. A large part of Chinese literature is based on the idea of harmony (Tao Te Ching – McDonald, 2009; Mitchell, 1995; Towler, 2002). For both Confucianism and Taoism, a sage is a person who is in total harmony with their world – the world around them as well as the world within them. 2. 3 Wanting to Be Happy And Being Positive Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)115 One of the basic facts of life is that all of us want to be happy. Each of us does not wish to suffer; and yet, suffering is a part of life, just as happiness is. It can be taken that both Confucianism and Taoism, being positive, appear to urge people to pursue happiness. If we are negative, then we spend too much time searching for ways to avoid suffering; indeed so, we will also miss out much of the happiness that is possible in our lives. In Confucianism, with the Rectification of Names and roles fulfilled, a father does the father’s role, a mother the mother’s role, the son the son’s role and so on; then there will be harmonious relationships and happiness. If there were peace, harmony and happiness in the family and since a nation is essentially made of families, then the nation would also enjoy peace, harmony and happiness. Confucius also highlighted that having an independent, truly calm, steady, down-to-earth mind and heart that one can avoid being swayed by the rises and falls, gains and loses of life. Free from worries and fears (Confucius – The Analects, Chapter XII, verse 4), a person of high integrity and morality (a gentleperson, junzi) would be happy; (s)he would sleep well. In these ways, one can thus be more or less, contented or happy. In Taoism, as in Yin-Yang, it is taken that the seed of suffering is inherent in each moment of happiness. In this way we should remain centered during moments of great happiness. In life, if we build our happiness on simple things like love, friendship, good health, and spirit, we can build a sense of happiness that will endure the challenges and changes that life gives us (Towler, 2002a; http://ancienthistory. mrdonn. org/Taoism. html). Thus, in both Confucianism and Taoism call for people to live happily. 2. 4 Right Actions Are Critical Both generally see religious beliefs as having less importance than religious practices. In fact, both Confucianism and Taoism stress on orthopraxy (right actions) over orthodoxy (right beliefs). Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)116 In The Analects, Book II verse 13, it is said that Tzu-kung asked about the gentleman. The Master said, ‘He puts his words into action before allowing his words to follow his action. ’† Low (2008: 33) speaks of the â€Å"message Confucius impresses on us is that: As leaders, we need to act and behave as gentlemen. † And what more, he has added that â€Å"when virtue is practised, one enjoys a clear conscience† (Low, 2008: 33). Confucianism also stresses on humanism, and more importantly on the value of love and compassion (Low, 2010). In a person’s personal conduct, (s)he is respectful. In his or her dealings with his or her staff, (s)he is considerate; in caring for the common people’s welfare, (s)he is generously kind; and in dealing with all, (s)he is just (Low, 2008). Like Confucianism, Taoism also stresses on compassion (a typical right action), underscoring the fact that â€Å"weapons of war augur evil. Even things seem to hate them†; besides, â€Å"to achieve more for others, enlarge your heart† (Low, 2009: 33). 2. 5 Open And Continuing Canons Each does not have a closed canon, each continues to be interpreted, written and included in their respective canons. However, unlike Taoism, familiarity with the Confucian canon was one of the main requirements of the civil service examinations in traditional China. 2. 6 No Fixed Religious Services But Anywhere At Anytime, It Can Be Practiced Interestingly too or in fact, very convenient, both have no fixed religious services and can be practiced anywhere, from shrines and temples to private studies and mountain peaks. Seen from this angle, there is much freedom and it is life and in living, praying and living in oneness (life itself is a prayer! ). The good thing is that they are without rituals or strict conformity of attending masses or prayer sessions in fixed days as evident in some of the other major religions. Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)117 2. 7 Benevolence And Compassion Interestingly, Low (2008a: 67) has highlighted that one of the classic leadership sins or mistakes is that of â€Å"being callous to the needs of the others† or lacking in empathy or worse, compassion. For both Confucius and Lao Tzu, leaders need to be benevolent. Low (2008b) has highlighted that the Confucian business owner/leadership, with its high task and high relationship, is seen as caring and the leader builds the bond with the employees. In the Confucian sense, being benevolent or kind, a characteristic element of humanity, is an part of an individual’s talents. Like Confucianism, Taoism also considers a worthy person as a benevolent person, and in the former, a benevolent person enjoys longevity (ren cher shou). Leaders need to be compassionate and empathetic. Both Confucianism and Taoism preach and stress on compassion. Compassion is, in fact, one of Lao Tzu’s three treasures (Low, 2009; Wu, 1990). Such a belief and action is particularly vital. And it is, in fact, excellent when it comes to leading people since the compassionate leaders practice servant leadership, desiring overall little or nothing for themselves, but empathetically showing and acting with care and concern more for the people and their needs (Low, 2010, 2009; 2008). Figure 1: A List of Commonalities Of Confucianism And Taoism In Pursuit of the Tao Close to Nature And Harmony Wanting to Be Happy And Being Positive Right Actions Are Critical Open And Continuing Canons No Fixed Religious Services But Anywhere At Anytime, It Can Be Practiced Benevolence And Compassion Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)118 3 3. 1 The Key Differences Human Living and Spirituality Confucianism, on one hand, stresses on attaining Tao in human living. The writings of Confucius deal primarily with individual morality and ethics. (also see Low, 2008c – Confucian ethics and business responsibility to the various stakeholders), and the proper exercise of political power by the rulers. Confucianism is not, properly speaking, a religion but it is more of a way of behaving so that one does the right things (http://ancienthistory. mrdonn. org/Confucius. html). Confucianism stresses on the Rectification of Names, and each needs to fulfill each person’s respective roles and responsibilities. For Confucius, â€Å"therefore, the superior man examines his heart that there may be nothing wrong there, and that he may have no cause for dissatisfaction with himself. † (Doctrine of the Mean, Chapter XXXIII. , Verse 2, cited in Confucius, 1915). A Confucian thus believes that an ordered society is what people should strive for. In that sense, it is more this-worldly, and is a way of life rather than a religion. Nonetheless, the wisdom of the Old Master can (still) help us to obtain spiritual happiness in the modern world, to get used to the daily routine of our lives, and to find the personal bearings that tell us where we are (Yu Dan, 2009: 11). Taoism, on the other hand, focuses on achieving the Tao, basically on the spiritual aspects of life; and it is other-worldly and can be considered as a religion. [Some have, however, argued that Taoism is not a religion. Taoism is a philosophy, a way of looking at life and a way of thinking about things. Taoists believe if one looks at life and think about things in the right way, one will be much happier -http://ancienthistory. mrdonn. org/Taoism. html. ] This author however feels that Taoism stresses on the spiritual aspects of life and it is mystical too – â€Å"Tao can be talked about, but not the Eternal Tao, Names can be named, but not the Eternal Name. As the origin of heaven-and-earth, it is nameless. As ‘the Mother’ of all things, it is nameable. † (Tao te ching, verse 1, Wu, 1990: 1). It is also said that one of the head-twisty things about the Tao de ching is that it never specifically defines The Way. The book itself is a series of verses, poems, Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)119 and riddles, stressing on control but not dominance, fluidity but not ambivalence, and mystery but not confusion. Nonetheless, it is full of wise, helpful nuggets to assist human beings in living and attaining spiritual contentment; examples include â€Å"embrace simplicity, put others first. Desire little†, and â€Å"weapons are the bearers of bad news; all people should detest them† (Lao Tzu, Verses 19 and 31, Tao de ching; McDonald; 2009). To elaborate, one should live simply while being healthily aware and refusing greed and lust. After all, as in the Chinese proverb, one should not â€Å"add legs to the snake after one has finished drawing it†. And not to complicate things, simplicity indeed makes one’s life easier, more convenient and pleasant. And next, all of us should value or treasure peace and harmony. Confucius’ The Analects, depending heavily on analogy and metaphor, is, on the other hand, very clear and concrete on attaining the way in terms of human living, and for the overall good of humankind. For Confucius, there is to be good family living; and peace and harmony as well as the attainment of good community living. For Lao Tzu, there is to be oneness with nature and the Universe or Heaven. 3. 2 Practicality And Esotericism. Confucianism is very practical, suited for pragmatic human living. In The Analects, Book XI, verse 12: â€Å"Chi-lu asked how the spirits of the dead and the gods should be served. The Master said, ‘You are not able even to serve man. How can you serve the spirits? ’ ‘May I ask about death? ’ ‘You do not understand even life. How can you understand death? ’ For Confucianism, in business, corporate social responsibility (CSR) should always be there: what is taken from the community is returned through donations, charity and other assistances rendered to the poor and needy. In his study, Low (2008c) has indicated that the Confucian Golden Rule and Confucian ethics in the context of the stakeholder theory, showing how businesses can be ethical while being caring and compassionate for its stakeholders. Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)120 In Taoism, the goal of each believer is to become one with the Tao, a force that flows through all life. The concept of a personified deity is foreign to them; perhaps there is the concept of an impersonal god. The practitioners do not pray because there is no god to hear the prayers or to act upon them; believers seek answers to life’s problems through inner meditation and outer observation. [In that sense, Taoism can be seen as esoteric, abstract or not easy to be understood. ] Taoists believe in the duality of the universe, symbolized by yin-yang, but oneness is to be attained through inner meditation, balance and harmony. Taoist practitioners believe in nourishing life and the spirit by energizing or getting chi (energy), meditating and being in oneness with the Tao. 3. 3. Groupings, Categorization and Non-Categorization/ Dualities And Oneness Because of Confucius’ Rectifications of Names (Fung, 1948), the role each person needs to play appears to have a lot of categorization (groupings); and love starts from loving one’s parents and family members first; and then extend out to love one’s neighbors and further extend to one’s community and society. In Taoism, there is this seeking or search for Oneness and no dualities or differentiation between animals and humans or humans and nature. Let me explain. First of all, humans need to widen their mind and horizons. Humans often live and experience reality conceptually. We do not see things afresh and anew every time we look at them; instead, we create categories and let things fall into them, which is an easy and more convenient way of dealing with the world. Apart from the smaller things, such as defining a flower as a rose, a vase as a Chinese Ming vase, an antique, or a person as a teacher, there are wider categories (groupings or types) under which everyone lives, including religions, beliefs, ideologies, and systems of government. Each category or type supplies us a level of psychological certainty and saves us  from the effort of constantly challenging our own beliefs. Take for example, humans often divide animals into ‘favorites’ or ‘pets’ and ‘domestic/ farm animals’ so that we can feel alright loving one and eating or consuming the other. Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)121 Mindlessness, on one hand, is when there is no focus and occurs when humans are conditioned or at least not know that the categories to which they subscribe are categories and have accepted them as their own without really thinking, understanding and/or experiencing it. Breaking away from, reassessing old groupings and being able to see outside one’s (individual/ in-box) subjective context (seeing the wider, collective/ out-of-the-box/ objective context) is mindfulness. We should indeed be perceiving things in un-habitual ways, and thus we’ll grow. On the other hand, when we are mindful, we will not be stereotyping and boxing things up, we’ll be in line with nature as things are transient and they also change. When we are mindful, we are breaking away from our egos and categories and in fact get closer to nature or Tao, the Universe. Then again, one can also argue that both Confucianism and Taoism are, in a way, common in terms of the pursuits of the Tao (as said under the Commonalities of Confucianism and Taoism section), and the differences lies in their starting points, from subjectivity to universality for Confucianism and from mindlessness to mindfulness for Taoism. 3. 4 Filial Piety And Nature Confucianism urges the people to respect their parents and the old. They are to take care of their parents, maintaining good links with them while upholding the value of filial piety (xiao). In the Confucian language, filial piety (xiao) means serving one’s living parents, and thus, resulting in the five (5) vital relationships in the Confucian Teaching, that is, the relationships between: i. ii. iii. iv. v. the royalty/prince and subject. father and son. older and younger brother. husband and wife. friend and friend. Filial piety embraces those attitudes of respect for one’s seniors and a reciprocal attitude of love and affection on the seniors part to the junior. After the death of one’s parents, it involves religious obligations in ceremonial worship. Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)122 Taoism, on the other hand, emphasizes ‘going with the flow’, maintaining good links and in oneness with the Nature, Heaven or the Universe. In Taoism, we learn from nature – a flower falls even though we love it, and weed grows even though we do not love it. We love the animals and creatures around us. And we do not interfere yet we are contented; after all, there is a season and reason for everything; and everything has its place; just let it be. By accepting things as they are, we become impartial or unaffected. It is good to follow the natural order (Low, 2010b). In following nature, we are in harmony with nature. There is no or little stress. We sit quietly†¦ do nothing. Spring comes and grass grows by itself. Besides, a known yet significant point to note is that nature does not hurry yet everything is achieved. 3. 5 Rites And Beyond Rites Or Rigidity Versus Flexibility Confucius introduced rites/terms of reference to ensure people comply with the system. This is somewhat rigid; however, on many occasions, he would allow people to modify, change and improve the rites accordingly. For example, on one occasion, Confucius highlighted that according to the traditional rites, ceremonial hats were made out of hemp; these days people make them out of silk, he approved of the common practice since this, after all, is more economical † (Confucius – The Analects, Chapter IX, verse 3). Lao Tzu was flexible in his teachings, and he did not introduce or follow any system such as the rites proposed by Confucius. He instead encouraged people to lead a simple life, following the natural ways of living and remain detached to the world like a newly born infant who has not yet learnt to smile. (Tao Te Ching, Verse 20). To analyze further, we can say that people in the world consists of different personalities, and some people are so used to or prefer a structure, a sort of checklist or a religious (structured) approach to doing things (In Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: MBTI terms: Thinking; Judging Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)123 Types) while others may prefer a less structured approach to doing things (In Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: MBTI terms: Feeling; Intuitive/ Perceiving Types). They like to move, adjusting along the way, rather than an immediate structured, ordered way, all the way through till the end or completion. In Confucianism, rites give structure, stability and continuity. Rites are necessary since they provide the basis of practices as well as more importantly, standards. Confucius also stressed the need for rituals and music. For Confucius, ‘sacrifice as if present’ is taken to mean ‘sacrifice to the gods as if the gods were present. ’ The Master, however, said, ‘Unless I take part in a sacrifice, it is as if I did not sacrifice. ’ (Confucius –The Analects, Chapter III verse 12). Taoism goes beyond rites, ‘going with the flow’; and like the quality of water, flexibility is also applied. Chairman Mao Zedong once quoted Lao Tzu, â€Å"Fortune lies in misfortune and vice versa. † In other words, the Taoist practitioner is often mindful of the fact that in every misfortune lies the seed of fortune, and in every fortune lies the seed of misfortune; and given a situation, (s)he is to flexibly apply the ‘right’ approach. 3. 6 Learning And Unlearning. In Confucianism, learning and education is indeed critical (Low, 2010; 2010a). Confucius stressed very much on learning and he himself set an example of continuous learning throughout his life. â€Å"The Master said, ‘At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty I took my stand; at forty I came to be free from doubts; at fifty I understood the Decree of Heaven; at sixty my ear was attuned; at seventy I followed my heart’s desire without overstepping the line. ’† (Confucius – The Analects, Chapter II, verse 4). Confucius stressed on learning; learning prevents one from being narrow-minded. For Confucius, it is important for individuals to learn. He used learning to correct his mistakes and improve himself, and he in fact considered Junzi (a gentleman/lady) as a person eager to study. Confucius said, â€Å"The gentleman seeks neither a full belly nor a comfortable home. He is quick in Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)124 action but cautious in speech. He goes to men possessed of the Way to be put right. Such a man can be described as eager to learn. † Overall then, the Confucians see it as bad to eat one’s fill all day long, and do nothing to nourish the mind. † (Low, 2010, 2008). On the other hand, Taoism stresses on unlearning (perhaps even undoing bureaucracy or procedures), and here it can be seen as being simple is both wise and good. Lao Tzu encouraged people to unlearn their learning for then they would not have any anxiety (Tao Te Ching, Verse 20). Simplicity is indeed embraced and it is wise not to overemphasize or complicate things (Low, 2009). To the Taoists, the Confucian’s pursuit of knowledge has divided people and things (creating distinctions and differences between men and animals/ other creatures) as well as having complicated life; they also argue that it can also cause contention for profits and fame. Life is indeed simple, and it is good not to over do things; when eating just eat and when sleeping, just sleep; and in living, just live. More so, one cannot learn with an occupied mind, one cannot fill a full cup unless it’s emptied; one should not overanalyze too. Lao Tzu speaks of â€Å"stop thinking and end your problems† (Verse 20, Tao de ching). Figure 2: shows a summary of key differences between Confucianism and Taoism Human Living and Spirituality Practicality And Esotericism Groupings, Categorization and Non-Categorization/ Dualities And Oneness Filial Piety And Nature Rites And Beyond Rites Or Rigidity Versus Flexibility Learning And Unlearning 4 Conclusion Both Confucianism and Taoism, having been home-grown in China and developed in almost total isolation from the rest of the world, have played a major role in the country’s three thousand Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net. Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)125 years of history. And perhaps the world and the people can learn, apply and adapt the finer points and wisdom of Confucianism and Taoism into their lives. And to paraphrase Yu Dan (2009: 187), wherever we are, we can let the spiritual power of Confucianism and/or Taoism combine with our present laws and rules, fusing seamlessly together to become an essential part of our lives, to let each of us build for ourselves a truly worthwhile life. This is surely the ultimate significance of Confucius and/or Taoism in our lives today. References Confucius (1915) (Contributors: Dawson, Miles Menander) The ethics of Confucius: The sayings of the Master and his disciples upon the conduct of â€Å"The Superior Man†. G. P. Putnam’s Sons: New York. Fung, Y. L. (1948) A short history of Chinese philosophy, The Free Press: New York. Lau, D. C. (1979) Confucius The Analects (Lun Yu), The Penguin Books: England. Li, Y. Y. (1996) Chinese traditional values and characteristics of Chinese health behavior. (in Chinese) Chinese psychology and therapy, Laureate Book Co. : Taipei. Low, K. C. P. (forthcoming) ‘Confucian ethics’ in Idowu, S. O. (ed. ), (2011) Encyclopedia of corporate social responsibility, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Low, K. C. P. (2010) ‘Values make a leader, the Confucian perspective’, Insights to a changing world journal, Volume 2010 Issue 2, p. 13 – 28. Low, K. C. P. (2010a) ‘Teaching and Education: the ways of Confucius’, Educational research, December 2010 Special issues, p. 681- 686. Franklin Publishing Company www. franklinpublishing. net Conflict Resolution Negotiation (Volume 2011 Issue 4)126 Low, K. C. P. (2010b) â€Å"Zen and leadership – Growing one’s leadership excellence†, Insights to a changing world, Volume 2010 Issue 1, p. 1 10. Low, K. C. P. (2009) ‘Lao Tzu’s three treasures, leadership organizational growth’, Leadership organizational management journal, Volume 2009, Issue 3, p 27 – 36. Low, K. C. P. (2008) ‘Value-based leadership: Leading, the Confucian way’, Leadership organizational management journal, Volume 2008 Issue 3, p. 32 – 41. Low, K. C. P. (2008a) ‘Leadership thoughts to ponder – Some classic sins of leadership’, Leadership organizational management journal, Volume 2008 Issue 4, p. 65 75. Low, K. C. P. (2008b) ‘Father leadership and small businesses in Singapore – Case revisited’, Leadership and organization management journal (LOM), Vol. 2008 Issue 3, p. 68 82. Low, K. C. P. (2008c) ‘Confucian ethics social responsibility – The golden rule responsibility to the stakeholders’, Ethics critical thinking journal, Volume 2008 Issue 4, p. 46 54. Low, K. C. P. and Ang, S. L. (2010), ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)’, Chinese Medicine, Vol. 1 No. 3 (Dec 2010) p. 84 90, (Published Online http://www. SciRP. org/journal/cm). Low, K.

The Resources And Capabilities Of Kodak Commerce Essay

The Resources And Capabilities Of Kodak Commerce Essay The Eastman Kodak company, otherwise known as Kodak, provides imaging products and services to the photographic markets. It was founded in 1881 by a man named George Eastman, who created the first dry plate formula which he then patented. Eastman believed that new products should be highly user friendly and should be targeted at reaching regular everyday people, making photography something everybody could do and enjoy. By 1884 Kodak had become a popular household name. George Eastmans early success was due to one of his first creations, the roll film, Eastman believed that this creation would be as convenient as the pencil. In 1888 George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of the world consumer with the slogan you press the button, we do the rest (Eastman, 1988). Eastman developed principles and values in order to make Kodak a success, these guiding principles and values are; low cost mass production, the importance of quality, international distribution and the belief that growth can only be achieved through continuous improvements in research and development. George Eastman also expressed Kodaks competitive philosophy as, Nothing is more important than the value of our name and the quality it stands for. We must make quality our fighting argument. (Eastman, 1988). By 1902, Eastman Kodak was producing 80 to 90 percent of the worlds Celluloid film. By the 1930s, the company operated dozens of huge, specially designed film-making machines at its Kodak Park plant. The Eastman Kodak company has continued to grow and change with technology, creating new products and processes to make photography simpler and more attractive. Today Kodak is known not only for photography but their images are used in commercial marketing across the world and the entertainment sector, enabling the use of technology, imagery and information to change how people and businesses communicate with each other. Capabilities. Organisations are not identical as they have different capabilities. If an organisation is to gain a competitive advantage, it will do so on the basis of capabilities that its rivals do not have, or have difficulty in obtaining. Strategic capability is the resources and competences of an organisation needed for it to survive and prosper. Kodak is a market leader but to become a market leader Kodak had to adapt and change with the world as new technology became increasingly superior. The biggest problem with an increase in technology was the digital age. Kodak was the market leader in pre-digital age imagery and photography which included film, photo paper and chemical development. The digital age brought the development and increase of technology to which Kodak could not compete. The Kodak Value Chain Pre-digital Age The diagram below demonstrates Kodaks strength in almost all areas of the traditional photography process. film camera video camera Image capture Processing Storage Printing Projection Retailer processing at retail stores reprints (Gavetti, 2005) To overcome this important stage in the companys life cycle Kodak had to refer back to the initial guiding principles and values George Eastman developed for the company which were low cost mass production, the importance of quality, international distribution and the belief that growth can only be achieved through continuous improvements in research and development. By using these principles and values as a guide to improve the company and push themselves into the digital age, the diagram below shows the changes that needed to be made in order for Kodak to successfully enter the new age digital market. The Kodak Value Chain Post-digital Age. At home: printers inkjet consumables, paper Online (paper) At retail stores Online (email, Internet) -digital camera Video camera Film camera Retrieval Image capture Digitalisation Storage Transmission Printing Digital Cameras software Scanner at home Kiosks at retailers Digital mini-labs Online services Hard disk Floppy disk / CD Removable storage (e.g. Memory stick) Manipulation CPU manipulation Projection *coloured box shows Kodak was only partly involved at this stage. (Gavetti, 2005) To gain a competitive advantage, organisations must reposition themselves in order to take advantage of a changing market, or in some cases hold on to their normal resource base. There are two different views, the Resource Based View (RBV), otherwise known as the inside out perspective and the Market Based View (MBV), otherwise known as the outside-in perspective. The resource based view of strategy is the competitive advantage and superior performance of an organisation which is explained by the distinctiveness of its capabilities. In 1959 Dr Edith Penrose developed the idea that firms compete on resources and not their market positioning which supports the resource based view. Another supporter of the resource based view were Prahalad and Hamel who in 1990 suggested that, resources that are valuable, rare or are in some form difficult to imitate form the core-competencies that enable an organisation to compete successfully. In 1985 Michael Porters Competitive Strategy journal suggested that firms should persistently take their environment as the starting point in order to determine an appropriate strategy, thus supporting the market based view. In 2003 Kodak decided they needed to apply the market based view as a strategy to finally revolutionize into the digital age. Kodak made many alterations and changes in order to successfully gain a share in the new market. Dynamic capabilities are an organisations abilities to renew and recreate its strategic capabilities to meet the needs of a changing environment. Dynamic capabilities may take the form major strategic moves such as acquisitions or alliances by which new skills are learned. In 2004 Kodak completed the acquisition of Scitex Digital Printing, and sold its remote sensing systems to ITT Industries. A strategic partnership was formed with Verizon Wireless. The Eastman Kodaks company also acquired voting rights in Chinon Industries, through its Japanese subsidiary. Kodak acquired the image sensor business from National Semiconductor, and also closed its plant in Australia. At the end of 2004 Kodak, Fuji Photo Film and Konica Minolta Photo Imaging formed a picture archiving Kodak and sharing standard group (to enable the preservation of digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs and other types of media). To address the development of the information age in cellular technology Kodak achieved an agreement with Cingular Wireless and Nokia to develop services for mobile phones with cameras. Resources. A resource is a person, asset, material or capital which can be used to accomplish a goal. Tangible resources are the physical assets of an organisation such as plant, labour and finance. Intangible resources are non-physical assets such as information, innovation and knowledge. To sustain a competitive advantage a firm must have unique resources. Kodak has many resources. When the company was founded George Eastman patented the creation of the dry plate formula, this asset was the beginning of the success of Eastman Kodak as a market leader. George Eastman was himself one of the main resources of the company; it was his ideas, innovations and creations that created the company and made it the success it is. He not only created the start of photography but he created a guide for the company, a set of principles and values for the company to follow to be successful. Kodaks company logo is a resource as Kodak was the first to integrate its name and look into a symbol with their red and yellow trade dress colour. Employees such as managers with valuable knowledge are an important resource especially managers that have been hired since the managerial re-structure who have up to date knowledge in the digital age. Of course all the other workers and employees (labour) are just as important to keep the company going, workers with the necessary skills and experience that run the company and plants in a successful and efficient manner. Kodak has a lot of equipment, some of which Kodak has had to change and has had to be updated since the change and increase in technology in the digital age. Finance is also a main resource as without it there are a lot of other resources you cannot have; finance affects the entire running of the business. Innovation is a key resource, not only was it important for the creation of the company but it is vital for the future of it. To a greater or lesser degree, innovations either enhance or destroy competencies that a firms already possesses (Utterback, pg183). An example of innovation by Kodak is the razor blade strategy that George Eastman applied at the beginning of the company. Kodak sold cameras at low prices in order to generate profit from the sales of films for the cameras. The digital age shook the Eastman Kodak company. Kodak was stuck in the past not unable but unwilling to change with the rest of the world as technology increased and advanced. Kodak had the ability to take control when the digital market emerged but chose not to because they believed nothing could be as pioneering or as popular and as the film. The beginning of the change into the digital age was in 1981, Sony launched the introduction of the first filmless digital camera called the Mavica. Films were becoming outdated and this was what Kodak needed to realise. Had Kodak taken control and made the change at the right time, Kodak would be in a completely different situation, however Kodak was too late to recognise the need for change and when they finally realised they needed to change in order to survive they were slow to react which in the end cost them the market leadership. Competencies. Competencies are the skills and abilities by which resources are deployed effectively through an organisations activities and processes. Core competencies are competencies used to achieve competitive advantage in ways that others cannot imitate or obtain. Competences are created as organisations combine humans and technology. If correlated together perfectly these competences will change over time as both knowledge and technology develops. Chandler worked and developed this theory further in both The Visible Hand (1977) and Scale and Scope (1990). The link between humans and technology can be seen within the Kodak company, for example, recently Kodak have made changes to their managerial structure which has enabled them to gain new managers with knowledge and experience in digital photography and Kodaks continuous networking strategy facilitates business opportunities with like-minded business people. An example of networking for Kodak is when George Eastman marketed the first commercial transparent roll film in 1889, the impact ranged beyond consumer and professional photography. For one thing, it enabled inventor Thomas Edison to develop the first motion picture camera in 1891, and by 1896 Kodak was marketing film specially coated f or motion picture use. Prahalad and Hamel (1990) said, Resources that are valuable, rare or are in some form difficult to imitate form the core-competencies that enable an organisation to compete successfully. The knowledge-based view creates a new competence to the organization which is the ability to create and share knowledge which gives the organization a competitive advantage. Grant believes that competencies are created from the incorporation of knowledge. However an important point has to be made, it does not matter how much valuable knowledge you have or how expensive your equipment is worth if you do not know how to use your resources efficiently. As a common rule, competency-enhancing innovations are just as likely to develop from established firms as from outsiders. Competency-destroying innovations, however, almost always come from outsiders. The necessity to develop new competencies in anticipation of future developments is an important factor of long-term business success and George Eastman seems to have recognised this requirement which is one of the reasons why Eastman is also recognised as a successful innovator. Conclusion. The Eastman Kodak company was described as, an example of repeat strategic failure it was unable to grasp the future of digital quickly enough, and even when it did so, it was implemented too slowly under a continuous change strategy and ultimately it did not fit coherently as a core competency'(Mendez,2005). It is amazing to think how Eastman became a global market leader instead of the Germans, as the Germans were the leaders in the science of optics, chemicals and design of cameras. However German products were usually expensive and produced in small numbers whereas George Eastman struck a desirable balance between cost and quality. For example, Eastman quickly replaced his original Kodak camera with his No. 1 model because the former shutter system was inherently costly to make. Eastman focused on his financial and HR on an international mass market and large-scale production. There are some similarities with Eastman Kodak and Henry Ford who incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903. A firm is said to have a competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors. (Barney, 1992:102) When Thomas Edison asked Eastman to produce a special film for the newly invented motion picture camera, Eastman already had the competencies needed to develop it, he simply had to lengthen and strengthen his strips of film and add holes to connect the movie cameras sprocket. The importance in the development of new competencies in anticipation of future developments is a vital factor of long-term business success. All of George Eastmans early attempts at colour photography failed, and these failures encouraged him to establish RD in the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratory. The idea of competency is essential to the survival of all firms as they encounter change. During the time it took for the transformation of the Eastman Kodak company to transform into the market leader it is, many other successful companies disappeared in a time of technological change. The capabilities, competencies and resources of a company are the key factors that give a company the competitive advantages to enable them to be successful and gain market share. This has been apparent throughout the research taken on the Eastman Kodak company. However even with these capabilities, competencies and resources, no matter if you are a market leader or a small company barely breaking-even, if you do not use these competitive advantages efficiently and do not recognise the need for change your company is going to suffer just as the Eastman Kodak company did. Word count: 2,281

Blake Being a Man of His Time :: William Blake Poets Poems 18th Century Essays

Blake Being a Man of His Time William Blake was born in 1757, the third son of a London tradesman who sold knitwear (hosier). Blake lived in London which dominated much of his work. He was a British poet, painter, and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. He spent most of his life in relative poverty. He was very influenced by his brother’s death which he claimed he saw "ascend heavenward clapping its hands for joy" who died of consumption at the age of 20. He uses the illustrations and engravings in his work to express his visual, spiritual and psychic views about the society he lived in. Blake was tuned to the huge social and political forces of the late 18th century. This can be seen in Blake’s poem ‘The Tyger’ as he uses two symbols of revolution; French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution which both happened in the 18th century! The title ‘The Tyger’ is a symbol which was used in 18th century newspapers, similar to Blake’s symbolic description of the French Reign of Terror. The ‘Times’ newspaper talked about the Reign of Terror as a Tyger: â€Å"a tiger stalking the streets of Paris†. This ‘Tyger’ was used to symbolize the power, machinery, evil, violence and energy of the revolutions going on at this time. The description ‘Tyger Tyger burning bright’ is a pun because ‘burning’ could be seen to represent destructiveness whilst ‘bright’ is a deep, powerful word for revolution. In the third line ‘What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?’ which has a questioning tone, means that Blake is awestruck on what kind of God would want or allow the French Revolution. In the second verse which talks about Satan’s energy, it starts with a questioning tone about heaven or hell ’deeps or skies’. The question ‘Burnt the fire of thine eyes’ is addressed towards Lucifer (the Devil). Verse two and three shows the imagery of the industrial revolution ‘In what furnace was thy brain’. Blake says God is a blacksmith who wrestles with power and energy which is beneficial and at the same time destructive. In the fifth verse: ‘When the stars threw down their spears And water’d heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?’ This is saying that if there were only good and no evil, there would be no good because there would be no comparison to what is good and what’s not. He basically says man needs a bit of ‘lamb’ (goodness, kindness, peace) and a bit of ‘Tyger’ (power, strength). Blake’s poems don’t just speak about his current times but can apply

Abortion is Wrong Essays -- The Right to Life, Pro-Life Essays

I have always been convinced that abortion should be illegal. I have always been taught to consider that when a fetus (a baby developing inside the stomach) is growing it has feelings, emotions, and physical processes that make him or her alive just like people who have been born. To have an abortion is to kill someone; it is murder. Often, the aftermath of abortion is devastating with guilt, shame, and even death. Since every action has a consequence, I think we should act in righteousness. Abortion is wrong because it endangers a person’s health, creates negative psychological effects, contradicts my convictions, and goes against the Bible. The first major reason why I am against abortion is that it has too many heath risks involved. According to www.abortionfacts.com, women who through with in an abortion can get infected, which can cause permanent damage of organ and body tissue (Willke). For example, any kind of medical procedure, such as surgery, can cause infection. When infection spreads to the fallopian tubes it causes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This disease can ca...

Religion at the time of the Communist Manifesto Essay -- Karl Marx Rel

Religion at the time of the Communist Manifesto Following the Industrial Revolution in 19th century Europe, change was in full swing and religion began to have different meanings for different people. The upper-class citizens used Religion, namely Christianity, and the power that it possessed in an attempt to keep their high status in society, while the lower class turned to faith so that their lives could possibly improve. Instead of religion being the cornerstone of faith and worship amongst all people, it was being used for power and money by the upper class. Even worse, religious leaders were using the upper class people as well, gaining money and authority from their endorsement. A man by the name of Karl Marx saw what was happening and thus spoke out about it, declaring religion as â€Å"the opium of the people.†[1] He had a vision for equality, and wrote it down in the form of the Communist Manifesto; however nowhere in this document were aspirations of religious harmony. Religion was becoming the c atalyst for class separation and social mayhem in 19th century Europe, and according to Karl Marx, equality was only possible with the abolition of it as a whole. In a time where industry was at a peak, and the wealthy citizens, or bourgeois, were getting richer and richer, religion was being used as a way to make money and ensure the power of the upper class, while the lower class proletariats could but watch their lives fade away into the horrific conditions of the working class, with little hope due to the lack of lower class education.[2] As religions spread out freely, the authoritarian peoples frequently used their power to embrace religion as a moneymaker, and prevent liberty from turning ... ...eger, 1961.) 33 [4] Armstrong, 178 [5] Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, trans. Samuel Moore (Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company, 1989) [6] Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844 (London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1892) 45, 48-51. [7]) McClellan, 63 [8] Sherman, Dennis , and Joyce Salisbury. The West in the World. (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001.) 617 [9] Lichtheim, 42. [10] Butterfield, Herbert. Christianity in European History. (London: Collins, 1951) 5. [11] Sherman, Salisbury, 617 Links: Professor Santamarina's webpage http://www.marxist.com/Theory/marxism_and_religion.html http://www.faithnet.freeserve.co.uk/marxism.htm http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bookchin/comman.html http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/index.htm

Intel Corei7 vs. Intel Duo 2 Core

Explanation: (Difference between Intel Core i7 and Core 2 Duo) – The Core i7 is a completely new architecture which is much faster and more efficient than the Core 2 Duo. Currently only the Core i7 920, 945 and 965 XE versions are available. Of that the Core i7 920 is available at just $284 which makes it a great buy. It offers better performance than almost all Core 2 Duo processors. Native Quad Core, More Cache and Hyper Threading: All the Core i7 processors are Native Quad cores (4 cores), which means that they actually have 4 cores on a single die, while the older Core 2 Duo processors like the Q6600 (2? = 4 cores) had two cores on a single die, and two such dies merged together. This increases the processing speed greatly. They also have 256 KB L2 cache per core and a shared 8 MB L3 cache which has proven to be much better than any cache configuration in Core 2 Duo. It also has HyperThreading support which means that each of the 4 cores can process 2 threads simultaneousl y, so you get 8 virtual cores. This helps in running many applications parallely and also in gaming. Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) and On Die Memory Controller:The Core i7 processors sport the new Quick Path Interconnect technology which replaces the FSB (Front Side Bus) to connect the various components in a computer. QPI is much faster than FSB and hence improves the overall performance. It is even faster than AMD’s similar HyperTransport 3. 0 standard. The Core i7 have an On Die Memory Controller which means that it can access memory much faster than the Core 2 Duo processors which had an external memory controller. Intel has borrowed this feature from AMD. All the four cores, memory controller, cache are on the same die which improves the speed and performance greatly.

Marketing Department Essay

Carphone Warehouse relies on this functional area as it has a big affect on the business. This department involves advertising, designing and researching products in order to identify and meet the needs of the customers; with the use of marketing mix which consist of four Ps. The definition of the four Ps is Price, place, product and promotion. Price means setting the cost of the product to the standard of meeting the needs of the customers. Place means identifying the right/ideal location to promote and sell the product. Product is identifying the types of goods and services to sell. Promotion is how the company will advertise the product. This department also use primary and secondary research to help market Carphone warehouse, primary research known as field research involves getting data directly about the product and market either through questionnaires or interviews. Secondary research known as desk research involves acquiring the summary or collection of existing data from the internet or books. Distribution Department Carphone Warehouse delivers products all across Europe. This department ensures that all goods are delivered to the right place on time in the exact condition directly to the customer who has ordered the parcel; Carphone Warehouse have many ways in ordering products either from telephone, internet or at store. They check that the delivery van load are safe and secure and also plan the roots of the vehicle before sending the parcel. When a product is bought from Carphone Warehouse, this department makes sure that deliveries match orders precisely and is sent to the exact address on time. Oxfam International Oxfam International is known for their outstanding help for the less fortunate, their aim is to help feed the poor, shelter the homeless and find solution to poverty and injustice. Their main purpose is to provide goods and services to the public such as clothes, books, accessories etc at cost price because they are a `not for profit` organisation and sometimes receive their products for free, from members of the public. They also provide free services as in, helping the poor, feeding them, sheltering them and coating them with clothes. This is a charity organisation under the voluntary sector owned and run by trustees. They are a global organisation with over 13 organisations worldwide in almost every continent, their scale of organisation is large with over 3,000 partners (volunteers) in more than 100 countries to help them support the business and fight against poverty. Functional Departments In order for Oxfam to achieve an overall aim, Oxfam International has various types of functional areas that play a key role in the success of the organisation e. g. Research and development, customer services, administration and human resources. Without these departments Oxfam would struggle to achieve their goals. Research and development This department consist in researching and innovating new products. The R&D department helps Oxfam International to achieve their overall aim by researching and developing the goods or materials used to help the poor such as medicine, drugs foods etc to cure the ill/sick people as well as feeding them and finding them shelter. They also research Areas that need help in order to make an accurate visit and research things that could help find cure for cancer and all other diseases. Customer Service This department is important for Oxfam because this department helps them provide service to the public. They are all about bringing customers back and offering excellent service to the customers, helping Oxfam answer customers’ enquiries, solving their customers’ problems and dealing with customers’ complaints. This functional area helps Oxfam deal with customers in the most respectful and polite manner and provide the best of service. Administration The admin department is the most important functional area it is a support function required by the organisation. The Admin department helps Oxfam carry out a wide range of tasks; which includes sending and receiving messages by fax, email or telephone, dealing with paper work, monitoring budgets and interviewing new staff. This department is very helpful to Oxfam as it makes sure that all requirements are fulfilled accurately and correctly. Human Resources This functional department helps Oxfam by advertising job vacancies to recruiting new experienced employees; to help them provide the best services. They maintain staff records and arrange staff training; to make sure they have the best of staff and encourage continuous professional development. Human resources helps the Oxfam have the best of staff in order to help develop and provide the best service to the public.

Ignominy in the Puritan Community Essay

The title of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter refers to the literal symbol of ignominy that Hester Prynne’s community forces her to wear as a reminder of her sin. Though the word â€Å"ignominy† is used in sympathetic passages that describe Hester Prynne’s disgrace as an adulteress and out-of-wedlock mother, its use at the same time reveals an extremely critical description of Hester’s community; Hawthorne finds that what is truly disgraceful is the way the community relishes and exploits the opportunity to punish one of its members. Through powerful diction and imagery describing Hester’s sin and through saintly representations of Hester’s beauty and wholeness, Hawthorne reveals his sympathy toward Hester. The narrator commiserates with Hester when the reader first encounters her walking to her daily public shaming upon the marketplace’s scaffold. He writes, â€Å"her beauty shone out and made a halo of misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped† (50). The word â€Å"halo† suggests an angelic, even saintly quality, compared to the sin for which she is being publicly disgraced as punishment, making her circumstance more complex than simply one of punished sin. That she is â€Å"enveloped† by disgrace implies that her shame derives more from her surroundings than from her sin; Hawthorne’s use of â€Å"misfortune† also demonstrates the narrator’s sympathy toward Hester, again suggesting that her disgrace comes as much from the community’s display of her sin as from the sin itself. Hawthorne portrays Hester sympathetically yet again in her encounter with Chillingworth in the prison. The disguised physician declares Hester to be â€Å"a statue of ignominy, before the people† (68). Ironically, Chillingworth, in the role of a healer, here admonishes rather than helps Hes ter. His words, intended to threaten and punish Hester, in fact, spark sympathy for her in the reader. Similarly, later in the novel, while Hester and Dimmesdale talk in the forest, briefly away from the opprobrium of the Puritan community, Hawthorne describes how â€Å"Hester Prynne must take up again the burden of her ignominy† (170), on her return â€Å"to the settlement.† The use of the words â€Å"must† and â€Å"again† reveal Hester’s continual forced obligation to wear and be a symbol of shame in her community, and show again the narrator’s sympathy toward her. The fact that she is â€Å"burden[ed]† by disgrace illustrates the extreme weight of her painful, shunned experience, thus establishing the cause for the narrator’s sympathy for Hester. As Hawthorne shows empathy regarding Hester as she leaves the prison, he also condemns the harsh experience inflicted on her by the community, â€Å"The very law that condemned her†¦had held her up, through the terrible ordeal of her ignominy† (71). The words â€Å"terrible ordeal† not only reinforce the narrator’s sympathy toward the protagonist, but also suggest that the narrator is judging the community, not Hester. By revealing the community’s enjoyment and cruelty in punishing Hester, Hawthorne criticizes the Puritan’s ideas of justice and mercy through both assertive diction and direct communication with the reader. When â€Å"A crowd of eager and curious schoolboys† stare â€Å"at the ignominious letter on her breast† (52), the reader sees the â€Å"eager† pleasure and excitement witnesses experience from Hester’s circumstance. Here Hester’s disgrace has become both an entertainment and an educational device. The narrator continues with, â€Å"she perchance underwent an agony†¦as if her heart had been flung into the street for them all to spurn and trample upon† (52). With this description, Hester’s humanity is maintained, even when the comm unity, â€Å"all† of it, objectifies her as a teaching tool. The image of her heart â€Å"flung†, â€Å"spurn[ed] and trample[d] upon† demonstrates both the narrator’s sympathy toward Hester and animosity toward Puritan society, regardless of the age of the member. Shortly after his description of the schoolboy’s callous treatment of Hester, the narrator continues with a harsh account of the scaffold and pillory once employed upon it, â€Å"that instrument of discipline† that represented â€Å"the very ideal of ignominy† (52). The pillory reflects the nature of the community’s sense of justice, and the narrator finds it extremely harsh. The word â€Å"ideal,† often associated with perfection, suggests that the pillory signifies the ultimate desired effect of â€Å"ignominy:† public shame from which the sinner cannot turn away. Next, it would seem that Hawthorne speaks out directly and emotionally to the reader, declaring, â€Å"There can be no outrage, methinks, against our common nature, whatever be the delinquencies of the individual, – no outrage more flagrant than to forbid the culprit to hide his face for shame† (52). Hawthorn’s use of word â€Å"methinks† suggests his forceful personal address on this issue of cruelty; he weighs in powerfully against the malice of the Pilgrim community that punishes Hester, even if it has not subjected her to the pillory. The word â€Å"no† implies Hawthorne’s view that this punishment is an absolute violation of human decency on the part of any community that turns a criminal into a victim by inflicting the use of a pillory. The letter â€Å"A† Hester must wear shows that the Puritans have depersonalized Hester as part of her punishment for committing adultery. The Puritan community is again portrayed as disgraceful when â€Å"John Wilson, the eldest clergyman of Boston† (60), steps forward above the scaffold where Hester continues to stand. He â€Å"had carefully prepared himself for the occasion† (63). Clearly, the words â€Å"carefully prepared† show Wilson relishing the public opportunity to punish Hester. He delivers to the community â€Å"a discourse on sin, in all its branches, but with continual reference to the ignominious letter† (63). His repeated reference to the scarlet letter underscores his depersonalization of Hester in her disgrace, without any consideration of her human suffering. The word â€Å"ignominious† reflects as much about the opportunistic clergyman and the punishing Pilgrim audience as it does about Hester’s sin. The narrator continues, â€Å"So forcefully did [Wilson] dwell upon this symbol, for the hour or more during which his periods were rolling over the people’s heads, that it assumed new terrors in their imagination† (63). The length of this sermon, and the nature of Wilson’s â€Å"rolling† delivery show the clergyman’s intention to hammer his message into the crowd and fire up its punishing judgment. Hawthorne continues to criticize the community as he places Hester historically at the site where she was first disgraced. The narrator notes, â€Å"If the minister’s voice had not kept her there, there would nevertheless have been an inevitable magnetism in that spot, whence she dated the first hour of her life of ignominy† (211). Implied is the idea that the power of public shaming by the community causes her to remain. Specifically, by noting that the scaffold is where â€Å"the first hour of her life of ignominy† began the author criticizes the community by revealing that Hester did not experience â€Å"ignominy† until being publicly disgraced on the scaffold, even though her sin had been committed many months prior. With his use of the word â€Å"ignominy,† Hawthorne repeats throughout The Scarlet Letter the cruelty, judgmental attitude, and narrow-mindedness of Puritan society. He portrays Hester’s community as condemning sinners mercilessly, refusing to accept ideas that are foreign to their ways of living or thinking. In this way, the townspeople depersonalize Hester, suggesting that she and her disgrace are one. Hester is seen as her sin, not as a complex human being with complicated, still unknown, circumstances.