Global Business Cultural Analysis: Singapore Essay

Abstract This research paper will conduct a comprehensive Global Business Cultural Analysis of the nation of Singapore. The paper will point out the complexities of the relationship the US should consider before deciding to conduct business in Singapore. The analysis will explore the major elements and dimensions of Singapore’s culture, how these elements and dimensions are integrated by locals conducting business in the nation of Singapore, how these factors compare with US culture and business, and address implications for US businesses that wish to conduct business in Singapore. History and Geography Singapore, or the Republic of Singapore, was founded in 1819 as a British trading colony. It is located on the major sea route between India and China. Singapore is known today as one of the most prosperous countries and boasts the world’s busiest port. It is clean and orderly, and since becoming an independent country, Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Because of such positive characteristics, multinational countries seek to do business in Singapore. Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Singapore is a parliamentary democracy and gained its independence in 1965. It is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi-religious society consisting of four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Under the leadership of Lee Kwan Yew as prime minister, Singapore has developed into one of the cleanest, safest, and most economically prosperous cities in Asia. Si ngapore is the world’s fourth leading financial center, and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world (De Prato, 2013). In order to understand the development of Singapore, we must first take a look into Singapore’s history. During the 16th and 19th century, the Malay Archipelago was taken over by the European colonial powers. The Dutch  controlled most of the ports in the region and established a monopoly over trade within the Archipelago region. At this time, Sir Stamford Raffles was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the British colony. During his reign, the trade route between China and British India passed through Archipelago. Raffles hoped to challenge the Dutch restrictions on trade by opening a new port. Once he received the funding, Raffles found an island that possessed a natural deep harbor, fresh water supplies and timber for upcoming ships. The island was named â€Å"the Lion City.† According to legend, when the Prince of Palembang, Sang Nila Tama, landed on the island, he saw an animal that was probably a tiger, but he mistook it for a lion, and so he named the island, Singa Pura, or â€Å"Lion City† (Singapore Country Report, 2003). Raffles rallied together with Temenggong Abdur Rahman, who headed a small Malay settlement, signed a treaty giving them rights to establish a tradi ng port. After the treaty was signed, modern day Singapore was established. The people of Singapore made up around 1000 in population and, due to migration from Malaya and other parts of Asia, population grew to 100,000. Raffles was prohibited from collecting port duties during the beginning operations of the port because the port was a free port. This news spread quickly and by 1825, trade volume increased. A second treaty was signed by John Crawford in 1823, giving the British access to much of the land and subjecting the island to British law. Under this law, Singapore had to take into account Malay customs, traditions, and religion. In 1826, the British settlements of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore were combined to form the Colony of the Straights Settlement (Business Source Complete, 2012). In the years between the 19th and the 20th centuries, the British established protectorates over the Malay sultanates on the peninsula. Large scale rubber and tin production as well as a system of public administration were developed during the British rule. The British had much control until World War II. After the war, territories of peninsular Malaysia joined together to form the Federation of Malaya in 1948. In 1963, the British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah joined the federation, which was renamed Malaysia (Business Source Complete, 2012). After becoming independent, Singapore faced many dangers: the threat of an attack by the Indonesian military and forcible re-integration into the Malaysia Federation on unfavorable terms. Singapore’s survival was in question. Unemployment,  housing, education and the lack of resources and land were also pressing problems. Singapore then joined the United Nations and the Commonwealth. Sinnathamby Rajaratnam was prime minister and he helped with developing diplomatic relations with other countries. The service and manufacturing sector grew. Singapore also attracted big oil companies like Shell and Esso. Education became a major focal point and English was adopted as the language of instruction. The government also emphasized training to develop a more suitable workforce. What are the major elements and dimensions of culture in Singapore? Communication Culture represents the historical experience of a people, is embedded in their institutions, and shapes their attitudes and expectations about the world (Zakaria, 2012). First, let’s begin with communication. Singapore has four major spoken languages: Malay, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil, and English. English is the most common language spoken which is very important in terms of conducting international business. Most of the schools in Singapore teach English as the first language. These two factors create a favorable advantage to doing business in Singapore. With Singapore’s port being one of the busiest in the world, English teaching and English speaking has proven to be a positive factor in conducting business. A business partner, with good English speaking background has very little difficulty in communicating with locals. Another positive factor besides Singapore’s multilingual background is its multi-ethnic blend. Ethnic Chinese people speak both Mandarin and Eng lish. This enables them to have access to the Chinese market. And it’s easier for importers, exporters and investors to do business with ease. Ethnic Indonesian speaking people provides better access to the market in India. Singapore may be a small country but its diverse culture help to create a country that is able to thrive in a very competitive market. When considering doing business with them, note a few characteristics that are important aspects of completing business successfully. Non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal. Singaporeans rely on facial expressions, tones of voice, and posture when interacting with a business partner. And they really trust these non-verbal messages. Singaporeans rather say â€Å"I will try† or â€Å"I will see what I can  do† rather than say â€Å"no.† This is what they call saving face and maintaining harmony. They believe in silence. One should pause before responding to show actual thought has taken into consideration before answering. Greetings are based on age and ethnic origin also. Younger Singaporeans shake hands with everyone while older Singaporeans are more reserve. In Ethnic Chinese, men and women shake hands but it i s custom for the woman to extend her hand first. In Ethnic Malay, men shake hands with men but not with women. Muslim men do not touch women in public. It is more appropriate to use the â€Å"salaam† bowing of the head greeting Religion Most modern states have policies for the management of religion (Lin, 2012). For those with diverse religious communities, such as Singapore, the question of how to ensure the peaceful coexistence of various religions becomes an important challenge for the governments concerned. (Lin, 2012). In an effort to maintain social stability and political power, the government introduced various measures, such as the White Paper on Maintenance of Religious Harmony (January 1989) and the White Paper on Shared Values (Ping, 2012). The major religious denominations in Singapore are Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. The origin of Christianity trace back to 1965 after Singapore gained its independence. English was the official language of Singapore, churches could easily communicate the gospel. Local laypeople and ministers became involved in establishing churches, Christian ministries and missionary schools. Missionary schools were established to produce the next generation of leaders. The National Council of churches was the first organization established to represent Christians. The Singapore Industrial Mission was established in 1966 to help promote the vision and the building of a viable human and mature community; to help the community to become a participant and creative community organized for the interest of all; and, to foster new social values that would help in cultivating inter-racial community understanding and solidarity (Goh, 2010). Today, Christianity still exists in Singapore with majority of the members being of Protestant denomination and the rest Catholic. Christianity is viewed as one of affluence, progressive value and an international flair. Buddhism originated in India when SiddhÄ rtha Gautama or Buddha went into meditation for 49 days and upon awakening, he had  complete insight into the cause of suffering and he knew the steps necessary to eliminate it. The Four Noble Truths became his teaching. They are: 1) there is suffering (dukkha), 2)there is a cause or origin of suffering (samudaya), 3) there is an end of suffering (nirodha), and 4) there is a path out of suffering (magga) which is the Noble Eightfold Path, (Ong and Chang, 2012). Buddha’s teaching are not just ethical guidelines but offer a grand insight into nature of reality. Buddhism, which was regarded as a newfound â€Å"religion†, became prevalent in the writings of travelers as well as philosophers and it was soon established as an academic discipline within various universities and colleges towards the close of the century, (Aljunied, (2005). Islam is a religion of peace, love, harmony, and tranquility for all human race (Tahir, 2012). The Almighty Allah revealed in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book, guidance of humankind. The main focus of all the teachings of prophets is on the creation of a virtuous being, (p. 120). In order to become a muslin, faith in all the prophets or a revealed book is nec essary. The first prophet was Hazrat Adams and Hazrat Muhammad is the last prophet revealed by the Almighty Allah. After World War II and Singapore gaining its independence, Muslims became a minority due to the separation. Muslims were deprived of many social advantages and prestige they were once accustomed to. Racist feelings began to form among the people. Muslims formed the Dar Al-Arqam society in an effort to confront the effects of the Christian missionaries who were trying to convert individual faiths. The Dar Al-Arqam was formed with the objective of having a place where the new Muslim converts could get together and develop the fraternal, religious and social relationships among themselves. Official Hinduism is dominated by Agamic, Shaivite precepts and practiced by the elite in Singapore, (Sebastian, 2008). Sinha has argued that a large number of Hindu reformist organizations have established a presence in Singapore since the 1970s and that many of the adherents of these organizations refer to themselves as Hindus but â€Å"redefine the category in doing so by assigning new meaning to it†, (Sebastian, 2008, p.75) They are considered a minority but make their presence known by holding public festivals, establishing temples, and locals have established what they call, Little I ndia. Today, there are many temples dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses. The Hindu Endowments Board and The Hindu Advisory Board are set up by the government  in order to monitor Hindu affairs. Values and Attitude, Ethics Singapore’s culture is based on Shared Values and Confucian Ethics. Asian cultures are distinguished by a set of values that include obedience to authority, intense allegiance to groups, and a submergence of individual identity. It is the state’s attempt to unite its people through the vision of a â€Å"shared fate.† The ideal of a shared fate is expressed by the state developing institutional and conceptual contexts in which different communities can foster ties and shared practices while preserving religious and cultural differences (Tan, 2012). Because of multiracialism in Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong created a vision of â€Å"Our Shared Values,† which are intended to be shared by all Singaporeans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, and other differences. The Shared Values consist of the following five broad principles: * nation before community and society before self * family as the basic unit of society * community support and respect for the individual * consensus, not conflict * racial and religious harmony Confucian is based on the same theory. Confucianism upholds the cardinal belief that every individual possesses the right to human dignity and equality (Tan, 2012). Education In 1997, National Education (NE) was added to the curriculum to strengthen the messages of moral and citizenship education, particularly those to do with young Singaporeans’ attitudes to the country. National Education takes the form of school activities distributed throughout the school year. Its messages are also incorporated in school subjects wherever appropriate, and comprise the following: Singapore is our homeland; this is where we belong; we must preserve racial and religious harmony; we must uphold meritocracy and incorruptibility; no one owes Singapore a living; we must ourselves defend Singapore; and we have confidence in our future, (Han, 2007; MOE, 2004a) How are these elements and dimensions integrated by locals conducting business in Singapore? Combating Corruption Understanding corruption is imperative for legal scholarship, both as an intellectual subject and because corruption impedes the operation of law in much of the world and inflicts damage on well-being, governance, and quality of life (Nichols, 2012, p.145). Corruption inflicts substantial damage to a nation. It weakens the government and causes poor decision making. It also affects the composition of the decision maker. Corruption causes economic fragility, it degrades the connection between the government and the people, and it degrades the quality of life. The Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index was developed by Johann Lambsdorff, and is used by specialist in order to find out how much corruption there is within a country. According to the index, Singapore scored 9.3 which means Singapore effectively is among those countries with the least amount of perceived corruption in the world (Nichols, 2012, p.151). Gender discrimination and job related outcomes When considering doing business in Singapore, expect to encounter female business partners. Female Singaporean business owners have at least 10 years schooling, while 35 percent held first or postgraduate degrees, 15 percent had professional or polytechnic qualifications and 50 percent had completed second;–level education (Ramon, Valerie, 1999). The five major factors which best motivate Singaporean female business owners in particular are: (1) the perceived presence of a business opportunity; (2) the desire to put their knowledge and skills into use; (3) the need for freedom and flexibility; (4) the desire to achieve personal growth and recognition; and (5) the need to make more money for financial independence (Ramon, Valerie, 1999; see also Teo, 1996). Although the Singaporean women choose to become members of the working population, society still expects the role of traditional women in the household to be played, particularly as wife and mother. The working women still f ace the conflict of work and family and despite the number of rising educational level and attainments, Singapore’s female managers are still fewer in number when compared to males. From a Confucian Perspective Singapore’s state vision, Shared Values, resemble Confucian values. How do they differ? Confucian does not recognize civil and political rights. Confucian upholds the idea that every individual possesses the right to human dignity and equality. For Confucians, social relationships are characterized by social positions, or roles, and social positions are defined in terms of obligations, (Nuyen, (2008). Confucian core teaching is the ethical idea of a noble person, the virtue of humanity, and the process of self-cultivation. Confucian values are group identity, duty consciousness, personal discipline, consensus formation, the priority of collective interests, and emphasis on education and pragmatism (Tan, 2012, p. 462). These values recognize cultural differences. From a Confucian perspective, shared values should not be regarded as a religion in the sense of being a faith system. Shared values should remain nonreligious. Many of Singaporeans religious teaching are compatible to Confucian. How do both of the above items compare with US culture and business? Communication Communication is one of the most important factors when considering doing business with Singapore. Due to the fact that English is the most common language spoken in Singapore, this has made conducting business with the United States easier. Understanding other factors will aid communicating with business partners. Communication differences can be found between the two countries. Singapore is a high-context country while the United States is considered a low-context country. In high-text, both the sender and the speaker are involved in the context and each are expected to interpret the conversation with ease. In low-text, what must be said, will be said. As I mentioned earlier, in Singapore, non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal. Singaporeans rely on facial expressions, tones of voice, and posture to understand someone who is conducting a business transaction. And they really trust these non-verbal messages. Americans prefer comparatively little touching and relatively large personal space. Singapore is a collective society and the United States is a highly individualistic society. Therefore, Singaporeans belong to in groups and rely on loyalty to between one another. In the United States, Americans look after themselves and their families. Communication between Singapore may be different but with interpretation and knowledge, a prosperous business relationship can be formed. Religion The major religion in the United States is Christianity. Singapore is very diverse. There are four major religions in Singapore, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Americans are becoming more tolerable of one another beliefs. Religion should not be a problem when doing business in Singapore because the United States is more tolerable of different religious beliefs. And with Singapore and the United States both identifying the freedom of religion, mutual respect should be given to any religious background. It is good practice to become familiar with religious backgrounds in order to conduct business more effectively. Ethics Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose; everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family. Collectivism pertains to societies in which people are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups from birth that continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (Hofstede 1980). Based on these theories, we assume that compared with individualist cultures, managers in collectivist cultures are relatively less likely to follow social norms such as honesty, integrity, and law obedience. When there is a conflict of interest between corporate insiders (the in-group) and outside investors (the out-group), managers may prefer corporate insider interests, resulting in higher agency costs in collectivist cultures (Zhang, X., Liang, X., & Sun, H., 2013). Values and Attitudes, Ethics When it comes to values and attitudes of Singaporeans and Americans, we must remember Singaporeans are group oriented and Americans are concerned with making a living for themselves. Singaporeans respect higher authority where Americans live by the saying, â€Å"liberty and justice for all.† Singapore’s first Shared Value principle is, â€Å"nation before community and society before self.† This is opposite of the American value system. American shared values consist of Americans working, talking about their achievements, and  earning monetary rewards. Education It is mandatory to attend school in the United States. It is mandatory for primary age students to attend school in Singapore. If the child does not attend school, it is a criminal offense. Both the United States and Singapore have primary, secondary, high school and education beyond graduation. Today, the United States government provides sponsorship for Singaporeans to attend schools in the United States. These students attend the most prestigious schools such as, Harvard, Cornell, and Stanford. Singaporeans are noticed for their high achievement in math and science. The United States government offer scholarships to outstanding Singapore students. The number of Singaporeans studying in the United States reflects that Singapore and the United States relationship could not be any better. Hofstede’s Analysis Using Hofstede’s cross cultural analysis model is one way to understand the difference in culture between Singapore and the United States. From 1967 to 1973 Geert Hofstede applied the subset of cultural dimensions to the field of business management, segregating them into independent areas to be further divided in order to get a more precise understanding, Satterlee, 2009, p. 56). He analyzed a data base of employee values from IBM which covered more than 70 countries. Hofstede included Power Distance Index, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, and Long-Term Orientation. Singapore scored higher in Power Distance Index. This means that members of organizations rely on their higher ups for authority rather than making decisions for themselves. Relationships are unequal between people. The United States scored higher in Individualism. Singapore is a collective society. The Americans are more concerned about individuals or themselves. Singapore scored in the mi ddle in the Masculinity Index but tends to lean more to the feminine side. This shows a modest, humble, and softer aspect of culture. The Uncertainty Avoidance Index is the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society. Singapore scored low. Singaporeans abide by the rules due to high PDI. Singapore has many fines. The Americans operate on the idea of freedom of expression and do not require a lot of rules and strict laws. The last dimension is  Long-Term Orientation. Long-term orientation refers to long-term versus short-term orientation toward the future, (Boonghee, Donthu, and Lenartowicz, 2013, p. 194). Singapore scored in the middle of this Index also. Singapore is showing an immense economic success. Singaporeans are showing a way to do things. The United States has seen signs of economic growth in Singapore and, by using Geert Hofstede’s five dimensions to further understand the country, business relations are sure to continue in the future. What are the implications for US businesses that wish to conduct business in that region? Singapore and the United States are close strategic partners. Singapore is the United States’ 15th largest trading partner and 11th largest export market. United States investment in Singapore is over $116 billion and Singapore has $22 billion of foreign direct investment in th United States. Job creation and economic development in Singapore due to American companies using Singapore as a regional base for doing business. U.S. Trade with Singapore and ASEAN Singapore sees in the United States an economic partner and security ally that offers the most present value, hence motivating it to forge a free trade agreement as well as foster a military strategic partnership (Page, 2007). Economic conditions, an urgent demand for security, and fear of diplomatic isolation, are factors that lead to the United States and Singapore to put into effect the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA). There were other extenuating circumstances that also drove the United States and Singapore to sign the FTA, most notably their common frustration with the stalled multilateral trade liberalization during the WTO’s first decade; the sluggish progress in the regional economic integration within the respective free trade region of ASEAN and the Free Trade Area for the Americas; the inability of the 21 APEC members to come to binding terms as to the way the ambitious Bogor agenda can forge Pacific Basin economic integration; Singaporeâ€℠¢s desire to spur ASEAN cohorts to move faster with market opening; the US desire to bind the right of preferential access to the world’s largest market to Washington’s global security agenda;  and finally, ASEAN’s inability to keep political risk low to discourage capital flight (Page, 2007). The agreement was signed by the President of the United States, George Bush and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, May 2003 in Washington, DC. Both the United States and Singapore benefit from the signing of the FTA. With a population of 287.7 million and a per capita income of US$36,273, the United States can provide a strong economic stimulus which is badly needed during these times of sluggish regional growth and uncertainties (Tongzon, 2003). U.S. littoral combat ships (LCS) in Singapore In early 2012, US flexible basing in the region inched forward when the United States requested concurrence from Singapore to deploy up to four littoral combat ships (LCS) to Singapore by 2016 (Dalpino, 2012). The primary missions of the (LCS) are antisubmarine warfare, mine countermeasures and surface warfare against small boats. The Singapore military agreed to allow the naval ships to deploy in Singapore. The United States and Singapore navy will work together to finalize the process. Previously, Singapore had agreed to deploy two ships. Agreeing to deploy a total of four ships will strengthen U.S. engagement in the region. This is another strong in implication that the U.S. wants to conduct business in Singapore. U.S. Foreign Domestic Investment (FDI) Analysis Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) refers to an investment made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises operating outside of the economy of the investor. The investor’s purpose is to gain an effective voice in the management of the enterprise (Journal of US-China Public Administration). While no standard percentage of ownership exists, most nations consider the threshold to be within the range of 10 to 25 percent. The US Department of Commerce’s FDI ownership is 10% (Satterlee, 119). Most companies seek out foreign investments as a way to gain a better return for their money. So, the company is looking to expand in global markets but what about the local economy? Do local firms benefit from FDI? Spillover effects and linkages play a key role in this determination. Spillover effects relate to increased productivity benefits of local firms and technology diffusion from multinational enterprise (MNEs) to the domestic economy. Up until the 70’s, attitudes toward MNEs were hostile. Governments have since changed their policies pertaining to investors entering the local markets due to the potentially positive impact of FDI. Governments attempt to attract FDI expecting to increase the productivity of local firms. Intangible assets, such as knowledge and technology are â€Å"spilled over† to local firms. It is believed that local firms benefit from superior knowledge of product or process technologies or markets without occurring a cost that exhausts the whole gain from the improvement (Asian Social Science, p.68). In addition, the Asian Social Science journal explains how MNEs set up direct linkages to suppliers when entering through FDI (Stephan, (2013). Linkages are non-equity relationships with suppliers or customers and are a crucial channel for knowledge diffusion. When MNEs enter the host country, local firms do not have knowledge about technical innovation or it may be too costly for them. This leads to locals feeling a sense of uncertainty, which is an example of knowledge confusion. Another example refers to the movement of labor. MNEs may provide more training for their employees and invest in staff development than local firms. This builds more human capital. The spillover occurs when these MNE employees move to other local firms and transfer their gained knowledge to loc al firms, increasing the local’s productivity. Another example of the spillover effect on locals refers to increased competition. When MNEs enter the market, local firms are forced to become more efficient. Local firms have to update their technology or use it more efficiently in order to become more competitive. This could yield productivity gains and also increase the speed of adoption of new technology. Increased competition can also lead to productivity losses for local firms. This article gives an example of how a study of 4000 Venezuelan companies that the productivity of wholly domestically owned firms decreases when FDI increases. The presence of MNEs lead to a loss of market share and referred to this loss as the â€Å"market stealing effect† of MNEs. The presence of MNEs may lead to crowding out of local firms. SWOT Analysis Strengths ? Singapore is the fifth least corrupt country in the world. ? Strikes and labor protests will remain rare, if not absent, for the foreseeable future. Weaknesses ? The government censors the media and limits the distribution of foreign publications. Opportunities ? Owing to the lack of progress at the WTO, the government has committed the country to sign 18 bilateral free trade agreements with 24 trading partners. ? Singapore has one of the best business operating environments in Asia. Threats ? The city-state has previously been identified as a target by Islamist militants from neighboring Indonesia and elsewhere, (Singapore Defence & Security Report, 2013). Conclusion As stated earlier, Singapore is known today as one of the most prosperous countries and boasts the world’s busiest port. It is clean and orderly, and since becoming an independent country, Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. It is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi-religious society consisting of four major languages and four major religions. These factors aid in having successful business relation. By identifying cultural similarities and differences, Americans can benefit from the structure of the Singaporean family values. Americans are known for making money instead of building relationships and establishing strong social bonds. There is opportunity for economic growth within the Singaporean region. The United States has already recognized the prosperity within the region and has built on that knowledge. The United States and Singapore will continue to develop a better relationship in the future and form a solid base for amicable relations b etween the two countries. References Aljunied, S. (2005). Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles’ Discourse on the Malay World: A Revisionist Perspective. SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 20(1), 1-22. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=bth&AN=17381757&site=ehost-live&scope=site Dalpino, C. (2012). US-southeast Asia relations: Conflict in the east; Opportunity in the west. Comparative Connections, 14(1), 57-67,152-153. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1030087243?accountid=12085 De Prato, Giuditta; Simon, Jean-Paul. (2013) Singapore, an Industrial Cluster and a Global IT Hub. 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Educational Theory, 62(4), 449-463. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5446.2012.00456.x http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=77873291&site=ehost-live&scope=site Teo, S.K. (1996). Work-Home Role Conflict in Female Owners of Small Business: An Exploratory Study,† Journal of Small Business Management 28, 30-39. Tongzon, J. L. (2003). U.S.-Singapore free trade agreement: Implications for ASEAN. ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 20(2), 174-178. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219628565?accountid=12085 Zakaria, F. (2002). Asian Values. Foreign Policy, (133), 38-39. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/822409129?accountid=12085 Zhang, X., Liang, X., & Sun, H. (2013). Individualism-collectivism, private benefits of control, and earnings management: A cross-culture comparison. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(4), 655-664. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1711-5

Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment

Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) is the term used to describe the capability to present bills to customers and to facilitate their payment by electronic means. EBPP offers the opportunity to eliminate the costs associated with printing paper bills, reduce delivery delays and provide a channel for two way communication between suppliers and their customers on a one-to-one basis. From the customers’ perspective, EBPP can provide a simple way to manage and automate the payment of bills. EBPP Models There are five main types of EBPP service provided: 1.The Biller Direct Model in which billers provide their bills on their respective personalized web sites. 2.The Consolidator Model in which service providers allow customers to access and process bills from multiple billers. Within the consolidator model there are several sub-models these include: a)The Consolidator – Thin Client Model provides a site to which billers send their invoices for the customer to view at their leisure. Information at this site is summarized and the customer must visit the billers personal site to examine their bills in detail. b)The Consolidator – Thick Client Model provides billers with a site that host all the billers information. In this model paper bill scanning is not supported. c)The Customer Consolidator Model follows the same blueprint as the thick consolidator model but accepts both electronic and paper scanned bills offering the capability of viewing any bill online. The theory behind this model is that it will attract as many customers as possible in the short term and then streamline to purely electronic methods in the long term. d)The Consolidator Portal Model is a thin client consolidator model but hosted through a popular portal site, such as Yahoo. e)The Financial Institution Model like the portal model acts as a hosting site for consolidated bills. As the bills are placed on the customers bank site payment processing is speeded up while customer affinity with bill payment and banks strengthens consumer acquiescence. 3.The Consumer Centric Aggregator Model. Similar to the consolidator models yet different enough to be considered a separate EBPP approach. The CCA model shares many affinities with the banking consolidator model where billers send their invoices to the CCA site, rather than the consumer, and are paid directly from the site. The approach is equivalent in principle to Direct Debit payments in the UK. 4.The Email Based Model. In this model detailed invoices containing rich text graphics are sent to the customer then linked back to sites for online payment or detailed bill viewing. The medium may include intrusive direct marketing messages. 5.The Service Bureau Model. This model type is a new development in the world of EBPP and facilitates connection to large-scale consolidators for SME companies. In essence the Service Bureau manages its customers needs and offers an ASP model of EBPP.

Parenting and Psychology of children Essay

1. Discuss how a person’s beliefs (i.e.: nature vs. nurture; medical vs. behavioral) have a profound impact on our understanding and interactions with children. A belief can be defined as something, which a person is accepting as true whatever may be the situation. All the reactions of a person will be based on these core beliefs (Where Core Beliefs come from, 2008). People fail to see reality in front of them if they are blind in such beliefs. Each and every person in this world will be a bundle of beliefs and superstitions that he or she has gathered from the childhood days onwards. These beliefs may be about oneself and about the environment or surroundings. Negative beliefs about oneself would result in channeling the entire energy, money and everything he has towards moving away from these beliefs and in this effort they will move away from love. Such people will not be able to understand or interact properly with their children.   When people become educated they discard most of these beliefs and view whatever that is happening in their life with an open mind. But less educated people strictly follow these beliefs and would not be able to understand their children properly and interact with them properly. Some people will become strong followers of these superstitions, when they face serious problems in their life. There are beliefs about the time of birth of children and some people in India believe that the star in which he was born will govern the character of a child. This creates a lot of misunderstandings of the behavior of the child. The way of interaction will not be normal when these beliefs are in the mind of the parent. Girls and boys are brought up in different ways in many societies because of these beliefs (People, 2008). 2. Many things contaminate the waters of the earth, including the amniotic waters. What do you see as the greatest threats? The greatest threat of the today’s world is the non-availability of quality drinking water as a result of the unscrupulous contamination of all the water resources by humans. One billion people do not have good quality water to drink. Children die in every second due to diseases caused by waterborne contamination. Most of the aquifers including well are contaminated. Tap water, which is supplied as free purified drinking water in most of the countries, are also contaminated. People are turning towards bottled water and its business is the quickly increasing and developing business of the century. But now even the bottled water cannot be trusted upon. The factors that lead to the water contamination are many. The most important ones are the elimination of toxic wastes including heavy metals into water by industries and sewage pollution, which introduce harmful disease causing organisms into water. The world population is increasing day by day and the availability of water is decreasing day by day. If it continues like this the next generation will have only less water to drink and finally there will be no water at all, not only for drinking but to carry out all the other activities, which require water. We are having a ‘right’ to have good water, but future generations will be deprived of this right. This is one of the greatest crimes that can be done to our children (Wetzel, 2008). 3. Now that we have discussed the issue of consciousness, how would you explain the concept of intelligence and morality? The ability of an organism to process information is called as intelligence. It is actually a biological trait and using this trait one can decide the effectiveness of his actions in achieving his goals. The manner in which information is processed is the measure of one’s intelligence. This trait is there not only in humans, but also in all the living creatures that are having a central nervous system. Although this concept was a matter of study for many researchers for many years a clear-cut definition has not been made. Although people talk about this aspect quite frequently it is very difficult to explain what it is actually. This is because the word is having many technical senses associated with it and so its ordinary sense is indescribable. The concept of intelligence is different from that of competence. For example a person may be competent in math and another may not be. This doesn’t mean that the former is more intelligent. The latter will be competent in other subjects in which the former is less competent. Competence can be acquired quite easily, but intelligence cannot be acquired very easily. So both intelligence and competence have a role to play in a person’s performance. Intelligence is a quality of mind that is present in different degrees in different people. It is actually not known whether this is having a biological or environmental origin. Both nature and nurture can affect the intelligence of a person. There are some features closely associated with intelligence (Nickerson et al., 1985). It can be called as the ability of a person to classify patterns. It is also the ability to adapt one’s behavior through the process of learning, it is the ability of reasoning and it is the ability to understand and use skills that are present. Finally it is the ability to understand everything around. These abilities will enable a person to process information passed on to him in the correct way. Three central aspects of intelligence are adaptation, induction and deduction. Through adaptation one can easily cope with the environment. So adaptation leads to change in behavioral patterns. Deduction is the ability to draw conclusions from whatever that is happening around. Induction is the ability to understand a general law from whatever that is happening around. It is very difficult to acquire these aspects from schools or colleges. It has to come from within, from mind. The concept of morality is also not explained accurately by anyone. Some consider it as a set of rules which one should follow, where are for some others it is their principles in life. For some people whatever parents and society taught them is regarded as morality. Some believe that morality is what they think right and are of the idea that different people have different morality and people should not interfere in each other’s morality. Religion as well as political environment in which one lives also influences the concept of morality by a person. Morality affects the conduct and behavior of a person in the society. It also affects interaction between people. It is morality that actually governing our contacts within the family among friends, in church or any such religious place and also in the work place. A person’s attitude towards everything around him including his parents and children will be determined by his sense of morality. It will also determine his attitude towards life and death, war and peace etc. Thus it plays an important role in every aspect of a person’s life. 4. How can we, as parents, as educational and spiritual models, produce the â€Å"Christ† child (or one who is strong, accepting, capable of unconditional love, humane, and peaceful)? In order to bring up a child who is strong, accepting, capable of unconditional love, humane and peaceful as Jesus Christ, it is necessary that parents should follow Christian parenting. There are many books that provide information on Christian parenting, but the best book is of course The Bible. The parents should represent themselves as spiritual models to their children and educate them on the principles of Christianity. If the parents could make Jesus as a real model for their children, definitely, they will imitate all the characters of Jesus Christ. Such parents should understand that to bring up such a child, the first thing they can do is to pray for the child. This itself brings a lot of difference to the kids (A Christian Parenting Resource†¦..The Word, 2008) During the young age itself children should be attracted towards bible and prayer. Apart from these, the story of Jesus may be told to instill the personality of Jesus. When they enter into teens, intensive teachings on the principles of Christianity should start. The parents should spend quality time with them playing and laughing with them and answering all their embarrassing questions. In this way they can become the trustworthiest person in the child’s life and then it will be easy to guide them according to the principles of Christianity.

Conflicts and challenges in Philadelphia Coursework

Conflicts and challenges in Philadelphia - Coursework Example This supports by proper data and scientific evidences that is relevant nowadays. The method which uses is particularized examination of a literature together with the critical summarizing and personal inferences on the topic. â€Å"Of course I actually know no more about Philadelphia in 2009 than does anyone else† – write Bacon in his famous essay (Knowles, 2009), still he makes a try to elaborate a new urban form and planning trajectories for his lovely city. Edmund Bacon has occupied post of the director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission for more than twenty years and tries to use all his knowledge and resources to restore the city plan and contribute a new vision of modern urban area. Bacon argues under the Philadelphia rising from â€Å"post-Depression, post-war inertia – from the old industrial city† (Knowles, 2009). This man has intentions to reconstruct his place of birth and make this city pleasant and renovated. Edmund Bacon has his own special and sometimes contradictory preferences in city construction. His main idea regards in transformation the city into â€Å"a model of humane urbanism† (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2014). After the World War II, Philadelphia has appeared as a place of outworn infrastructure and household deficiency. Deindustrialization course has remained notable and achieved popularity in that period (Knowles, 2009). Bacon suggests the ideas for growth of urbanization and city development as a perspective area. He elaborates a new mega-structure idea due to the perspectives of Philadelphia city peculiarities, but federal government’s Bicentennial planning commission refuses this project due to the high cost of implementation (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2014). Hence, the most prominent reason for incomplete realization of Bacon’s plans is a lack of financial resources. Still, the changes accomplish in some perspective, and

My Nursing ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Nursing ethic - Essay Example In my world view and philosophy of nursing, I attribute spirituality with the practices of meditation, association with nature, identifying with a higher spiritual power and expressing concerns such as forgiveness, gratitude, meaning of life, hope and responsibility. These spiritual elements help one to recognize that his or her responsibilities to clients are beyond the physical aspect. The spirituality aspect enhances the manner in which nursing work is done. It is not only to fulfill the responsibility one has to a patient but to the creator too. Personal attributes include fairness, accountability and dignity. The personal attributes in my view are meant to enhance care to the patients. Dignity dictates that I advocate for self-respect of individuals while accountability demands that I be fully liable for what I do. Fairness is a trait requires me to promote equity as God would like. My cultural values overview impacts me to identify the need to conduct nursing by showing sensiti vity to different cultures and their cultural beliefs, sexual orientation, gender and race. This is a very important detail as the diversity in patients is a common thing. In the context of my obligation to the nursing practice, I consider values as those personal beliefs regarding the worth of any custom, attitude or idea. This implies that they are part of me in my practice and I should uphold what I strongly regard as essential. Ethics focus on the philosophical ideals of what is considered wrong or right way of behaving in my nursing profession. There are basic principles that define the constituents of the wrong or right behavior (Moyet, 2010). Morals are the ideals that I have put forward with respect to wrong or right conduct in my practice. Unlike ethics, morals come from the individual. Quite a number of times, ethical dilemmas may arise as what the society deems right or wrong may conflict with personal convictions regarding the same. Ethics in nursing

Liturgiam Authenticam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Liturgiam Authenticam - Essay Example This means that the Sacred Council identified inculturation to be the two-sided process requiring mutual actions and flexibility both from the Church and the Roman liturgy and from the recipient cultures. Whereas diverse autonomous cultures are expected to embrace Christian traditions and be integrated into a global community based on faith and universal dogmas; the Church is to incarnate Christian liturgy traditions in certain sociocultural backgrounds and soften all rough edges in order to make Christian tradition more comprehensible and close to the cultures. The Gospel is believed to enhance and strengthen peculiar cultural values and traditions and â€Å"restore them in Christ† (IRL,  § 4), when penetrating into a culture. Moreover, Christian traditions are expected to integrate and enrich other cultures, being also enriched by their wisdom. Inculturation as a process has preserved its aim since development of Christian tradition: its aim is to encourage and deepen peoples’ understanding on the message of Christ and find a better expression of it in local liturgical traditions and other areas of spiritual life of the Church. For this, the Holy Scriptures and liturgical texts have to be transformed into a form comprehensible for other cultures, especially those in the mission territories, i.e. they have to be translated wisely into local languages. The process of inculturation has its roots in ancient times when the story of salvation had just begun. The earliest forms of inculturation were practiced by the Israelites, the people believing that they were chosen by God and witnessed his love and actions (IRL,  § 9). The people of Israel borrowed some traditions and forms of worship from other peoples, yet â€Å"digesting† and modifying them in accordance to their fundamental faith in God. In other words, these borrowings were absorbed by Israeli religious traditions and practices in order to enhance celebration of the God’s deeds and memory. The next

Duffley and Snow Case Comparison Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Duffley and Snow Case Comparison - Assignment Example The case initiation was to determine judicially whether the United States of America elected Zerubbabel Snow, the territory attorney general, to prosecute offenders of territorial offence (de J. Pemberton & ONeil, 1971). A change in the employee status of an individual is enough to support an agreement entered after starting employment. The plaintiffs team held that the athletic association had no right to deny the student eligibility from participating in athletics in the second semester. The act was unlawful and the New Hampshire had no facts to deny the student from participating in athletics. The association had n valid reason to deny Duffley the opportunity to participate in athletics in the second semester. The court made a ruling that the Utah Organic Act provides the territorial Supreme Court in conjunction with district courts power to act as circuits. The role of the each court was distinct and every individual serving under the court should abide by the rule. The territorial courts should serve people when they sit in the territorial courts. The district attorney of the United States of America has the power to prosecute individuals for not respecting the law. The Organic Act of September 9, 1850 established that the legislative powers should within the Constitution of the United States of America. Mr. Snow has undertaken to prosecute individuals in one of the district courts. It was against the law of the Utah as a territory of its own. Joint assembly elects the attorney general where the term of office is to be one year. The attorney general is entitled to attend all the legal business of the territory he or she is representing. Mr. Snow took the opportunity to prosecute law offenders in territories against the law of the territory. The United States issued a quo warranto in relation to the case of Mr. Hempstead (de J. Pemberton & ONeil, 1971). On the

International society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International society - Essay Example The group of people triumphed with the help of human forces of the world, and they returned back to reunite with their families. In the end, human resistance around the world destroyed the craft of the aliens. This shows the relevance of the myth that there is an international society. International society refers to values and norms that are shared by states and how they guide international relations (Weber p57). Some of the norms that states of the world share include: diplomacy, international law, and order. It is mainly concerned with humanitarian intervention. Independence Day shows a good example of humanitarian intervention as human forces across the world came together to destroy the aliens who had invaded the world. In the movie, the moral good shared by human populations around the world defeated irredeemable evil forces. Comically, the Independence Day movie demonstrates that even without formal order like in anarchy, it is possible for the world to set aside their differences and unite for the good of all humankind. The invasion of the world by aliens in the movie united humanity against the invaders. In the movie, humans are defined as being morally good. This can be seen in the movie when everyone starts to focus on helping one another as the aliens begin to destroy cities worldwide. In a world full of divisions and individuality, there could be looting of goods and extortion of services. Instead, people helped one another (Weber p47). A good example of this situation of humanity is seen when Jasmine rescues everyone she comes across as she roams the streets of Los Angeles, without considering their backgrounds or asking for anything in return. The Independence Day was therefore considered in the movie to be a time when people are morally good and are ready to help other people who share in that moral goodness. Morse code was used in the movie as a form of international communication to bring together militaries across the world. It was

Male Role Models in Childcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Male Role Models in Childcare - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that it is expected by the modern society that men will start having a larger role to play in the upbringing of child care and child care.   It is very common nowadays to see the father playing an active role in the upbringing of the child, and in some cases, the father names the major role in child care and upbringing.   Thus it is evident that the reversal of roles is now a reality in a number of households. However, in the scenario of child care centers and professional childcare management, it has been seen that the role of female professionals is much more dominant than their male counterparts. The United Kingdom’s green paper named ‘Meeting the Childcare Challenge’ was published in 1998 and it emphasized the need for more and more major workers in child care management and the prevailing status of child care workers in the child care industry of the UK.   It is often assumed that child care management is a fe male profession predominantly, and there is a strong mindset among a number of people in the UK as well as Europe which prefers a female childcare workforce rather than a male child care workforce.   One of the primary reasons why male child care professionals should be encouraged to work and contribute to this industry is that the male professionals can automatically serve as role models for young boys, especially the boys belonging to those families where the father is not present.

Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free

Mahatma Gandhi Essay The book is a well structured chronological assessment of Mohandas Gandhis life from his childhood as an aspiring lawyer up to his untimely death that symbolizes nonviolent movements and peaceful deeds. The book summarizes Mahatmas life as follows. Gandhi founded several movements and groups in which he came up with a nonviolent resistance in one major movement, which he initiated to fight against a requirement to finger-print and register all Indian immigrants. The movement attracted a huge number of followers and Gandhis message started spreading rapidly. During his first nonviolent movement, Gandhi was imprisoned for two months by the then South African general Christian Smuts. As an act of love, he made sandals for the general during his imprisonment. His movements received a remarkable attention all over the world particularly Europe. Gandhi returned back to India after 21 years of life in South Africa. He continued with his work in India where he made a concern to abolish the traditional Hindu cast system which regarded low class individuals as social outcasts. He also made attempts to restore peace among the Muslim and Hindu Indians. He led his famous Salt March as a declaration of defiance against Englands declaration of monopolizing salt production. In the book, Deats quotes Louis Fischer, another famous biographer of Gandhi regarding this move. Fischer writes, â€Å"When the Indians allowed themselves to be beaten with batons and rifle butts and did not cringe they showed that England was powerless and India invincible. The rest was merely a matter of time. † (65). Gandhi was succeeding in his war for independence using his purely nonviolent ways. His methods for opposition more than once included fasting. The method worked severally to provoke negotiations with the opposing parties. On the 30th day of January 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by an extremist Hindu militant shortly after fasting in protest against the violent Muslim-Hindu conflict. The Hindus were infuriated by Gandhis actions and many of them considered him a traitor for sympathizing with their rivals, the Muslims. The legacy left by Gandhi, his message of compassion and his methods of nonviolent movements to fight for peace and reedom have a large impact on several related movements since his demise. Deats informative and concise biography of Gandhi has several concrete points. He touches on many of the important events on the life of Gandhi from his early years, which were imperative in converting him into the legend that he finally became. Deats also does an excellent work in emphasizing the important principles that Gandhi founded, and the philosophies that he deducted and preached from Gandhis life. Deats summarizes the teachings of Gandhi concerning life excellently. However, his book lacks a detailed explanation of how, from an organizational point of view, Gandhi manages to gather such a great multitude of followers. The last few pages of his book are just a collection of various inspirational quotes from Gandhis great works. Throughout the text, Deats is effective at the use of quotes to portray Gandhis unlimited love for human race especially those who are in need for help and those who are suffering. The Life of Mahatma Gandhi-Louis Fischer The first biography of Mahatma Gandhi by Louis Fischers was published in the early 1950s but still reads brilliantly. The book is organized in short, simple to read chapters. It starts from the first day of Gandhis life and then the author describes how the aspiring lawyer in Mahatma first became a civil rights activist for his fellow immigrants in South Africa. Next, the author takes us back to India, and discusses the beginning of the civil resistance movements led by Gandhi in which he uses peaceful means to mobilize hundreds of thousands of Indians against oppression by the British Government. Gandhi has powers I have never read of before. He links divisions between political, national, and religious affiliations and many, including politicians sought out advice from him. It is hard to include the many interesting aspects that the author covers in the book in this review. I have however covered most of them in my previous review above. The events in Gandhis life are so extra ordinary, but also real and this makes his great works greatly readable. Fischer analyses the history of Indian immigrants and the occupation and oppression of the British, the conflicting prominent religions in India, that is, the Muslims and Hindus, nd how internal disputes among the Indians delayed their quest for independence of their country as a whole. However, in their midst was a man who strongly believed in his peoples welfare and had unending faith in them. He had faith in his fellow countrymen to realize the mistakes and the horror of internal violence and oppression by foreigners. This is a biography of a truly great man whose beliefs are as relevant today as in the past. Louis Fischer bases his writing on Gandhis own autobiography and on interrogations with people who knew him. Fischer goes beyond the boundaries of a biographer in reading the aspirations and the mindset of Gandhi. He is so into Gandhis philosophy that his writing is clearly authentic. The text may not be always easy to read, but usually rewards the reader. Fischer provides a comprehensive background scenario of Mahatma and his immediate environment. Richard Deats provides a timely account of Gandhis life message. The text is concise and compelling. He analyses Gandhis believe in God, and his understanding and life of a nonviolent lifestyle. The book displays a higher way of thinking and a better way of living.

Comparison of Panhellenic Structures and Greek Sanctuaries

Comparison of Panhellenic Structures and Greek Sanctuaries In What Ways Were Panhellenic Sanctuaries Distinctive in Comparison with Other Kinds of Greek Sanctuaries? This work is going to centre on the Panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi and what made them distinctive, but also the reasons why these distinctions occurred. To achieve this I am going to focus the discussion on the origins of the sanctuaries in comparison to others that did not have Panhellenic status and also the types of activity that were established at these sanctuaries that were able to appeal to such a vast selection of people. According to tradition the Olympic games were first held in 776 BC, but cult activity at Olympia had its origins some time before this as evidenced by the presence of terracotta and bronze votive figurines, which suggest a date of at least the late 10th century BC (Morgan 1990: 57). During this period however the sanctuary was by no means Panhellenic and was mainly used by local groups. The site of the sanctuary of Zeus Olympios at Olympia was located in a fertile plain on the banks of the River Alpheios in the northwest Peloponnese, and was not controlled by any one state, which, as we shall see, was a key requirement for it becoming Panhellenic. Metal evidence of bronze and occasionally iron tripods points to settlements from the regions of Messenia and Arkadia as the main groups participating in the sanctuary in this earlier period and the reasons for this may have been to do with the remoteness of the site. It may have been, as Morgan suggests, a neutral meeting place at which in ter-regional relations were developed (Morgan 1990: 30, 85, Hall 2007: 272). It can be seen therefore that even during its earlier history, Olympia took on a role that fostered relations between different groups, in this case of the western Peloponnese rather than the larger Greek world. In the 8th century the number of communities using the sanctuary hugely increased as shown by a massive rise in the number of tripods being dedicated there. Tripods were seen as high status items and were an indictor of wealth, and were among the prizes given by Achilles at the funeral games of Patroclus in the Iliad: For swift charioteers first he set forth goodly prizes, a woman to lead away, one skilled in goodly handiwork, and an eared tripod of two and twenty measuresfor him that should be first.'(Homer Iliad 23.264-265) It can be seen from this that in around 700BC, the approximate date of the composition of the Iliad, tripods were given as prizes, but as Osborne notes, it is difficult to determine whether this association existed earlier in the 8th century. Despite this he suggests that the rise in tripod dedication coincides with the traditional creation of the Olympic games in 776 and argues that the reason for there being many more tripods than the number of possible victors is that the range of type and manufacture points to people bringing their own tripods to dedicate whether victorious or not (Osborne 1996: 96). It is the view of Hall however that this date of 776 was exaggerated through the calculations of Hippias of Elis to increase the standing of the games. He asserts that as the other great Panhellenic games were not established until the 6th century the Olympic games may also have their origins in this century (Hall 2007: 32, 272). Morgan on the other hand, believes there may be an ele ment of truth in Pausanias account that the games were re-established in 776, and puts forward the idea that there may have been a small scale local festival tradition in place prior to the 8th century. She argues that although a precedent may have been in place, wider participation in the games did not commence until c.725BC (Morgan 1990: 48). It does seem odd however that the other Panhellenic games at Delphi, Nemea and Isthmia were not established until over a hundred years after those at Olympia, and yet these were apparently founded within quick succession (between c.582 and c.573). I am therefore in support of Halls position that perhaps the antiquity of the games was exaggerated, and it seems more likely that their origins lie in the late 7th or possibly even early 6th century. If it were not games then, what drew people to the Olympic sanctuary to cause the sudden increase in the number of tripods dedicated? There is another explanation which shows a changing attitude in the ideas of individual identity and the display of wealth. The dedications could reflect a new desire to display wealth for the viewing of a much wider audience. This would therefore have been a way of displaying social status but may also have provided opportunities for increasing your position within a social hierarchy. The sheer numbers of tripods may also reflect the need to compete with others outside of your own community. Olympia was therefore the ideal place for these activities, situated on two major rivers and so providing ample status boosting attention and also on neutral territory in a remote location, the distance, and thus the added danger, increasing the prestige of the dedicator (De Polignac 1994: 11, Osborne 1996: 98). This seems to be a valid suggestion in explaining th e influx of votive offerings. A fundamental change in attitude appears likely as an explanation for these new practices, as an increase in cultic practice was taking place throughout Greece. For example in the sanctuary of Pherai only two fibulae have so far been found dating to the 9th and early 8th centuries compared to 1783 from the late 8th and early 7th. This can also be seen in a range of other objects at various different sanctuaries, and is not restricted to the future Panhellenic sites (Osborne 1996: 93). Snodgrass suggests this represented a redirection of wealth to the dedication of the gods, and so it may be no coincidence that in this same period there was also a change in custom in that the dead were no longer buried with the range or wealth of grave-goods that they once were (Snodgrass 1980: 53-4, Osborne 1996: 82). This would imply a change in belief from the display of power, of an individual or possibly even just a family group, in death through the inclusion of wo rldly possessions, to an active display of wealth and social status in life. This may of course have been a factor prior to the 8th century but it is not as archaeologically visible as it becomes through tripod dedications. This is not to say that the games could not have been taking place at the same time, as neither activity is mutually exclusive; however it highlights the practical impossibility of identifying the origins of the games through available archaeology. The sanctuary of Apollo Pythios at Delphi had quite different origins to Olympia and there is no evidence that it had any cult associations until around the start of the 8th century, when bronze tripods and figurines appear. It is Morgans view that the sanctuary began life as a local shrine for the village of Delphi, which was subsequently adopted by neighbouring states (Morgan 1990: 106). During most of the 8th century dedications were relatively limited especially when compared to other sanctuaries such as Perakhora. These increased considerably in the last quarter of the 8th century, but unlike Olympia where this apparently trailed off in the 7th, these dedications steadily continued coming from locations as diverse as the Peloponnese, Attica and Crete (Osborne 1996: 202-203). Similarly to Olympia, Delphi was situated in quite a remote location on the slopes of Mount Parnassos, north of the Gulf of Corinth, in central Greece. This remoteness likewise allowed for its appeal to a wider audience, but it did evolve as part of a community, unlike the much more isolated Olympia and there was also a strong Corinthian involvement. The key issue however is that it did not fall directly within the territory of a developing powerful political centre. The aforementioned sanctuary of Hera at Perakhora for example became part of the territory of the city of Corinth and despite its similar origins and superior wealth in the 8th century at least to Delphi, it never achieved Panhellenic status. It would come under what Marinatos calls an extra-urban sanctuary, in that it fell under the direct administration of Corinth but was not within the urban space of the city. Urban sanctuaries, such as the Acropolis at Athens, were prominent features within the boundaries of a city and were used as an obvious display of the wealth and power of the respective city. Extra-urban sanctuaries on the other hand had a different political function; to define the territory of the city administering it, such as Corinth in the case of Perakhora. They also acted as small scale pan-Hellenic sanctuaries in as much as they united followers of a particular cult within a region and were not just for members of a specific polis. The Panhellenic sites of Delphi and Olympia fall under the title of inter-urban sanctuaries (Marinatos 1993: 229). This status largely depended on where the sanctuary was when cities became politicised, and the creation of, or claim for possession of a sanctuary probably indicated the beginnings of regional awareness (Morgan 1990: 7). The position of a sanctuary therefore defined its function, thus also changing the types of votive objects dedicated. Morgan believes Perakhora came to reflect the personal concerns of the people in the region of Corinth, while the elite utilized Delphi for the display of their wealth; this change in focus can be seen at Perakhora through dedications of items such as clay model koulouria and other feminine items linked to Hera (Morgan 1990: 144). The major investment in sanctuaries within polis territories however came in the form of monumental architecture which was constructed in these locations at least a century before that of any of the temples of the major Panhellenic sanctuaries (Hall 2007: 271, De Polignac 1994: 12). Prior to the construction of these temples the main focus of cult activity at all sanctuaries had been just an open air altar. The small temple of Hera at Perakhora built c.800 BC was one of the first to be constructed and was probably a one roomed building around 8 metres long and 5 metres wide. The initial temple of the Heraion at Samos was also constructed in this period; though it was far more monumental in structure at just over 30 metres long, although still only 6 metres wide. The temple to first be built entirely of stone however was not erected until the 6th century, though perhaps it is not surprising that this was also at a polis sanctuary; the temple of Artemis at Kerkyra (Coldstream 1977: 322, Coldstream 1985: 70-3). It is interesting then that these smaller, localised polis sanctuaries received this type of investment from communities long before the Panhellenic sanctuaries in the 7th and 6th centuries. Did this mean that urban and extra-urban sanctuaries were more important? Hall asserts that local sanctuaries must have been of a higher priority and Morgan takes this further in saying that the reason for this is that the state had to be defined politically, spatially and socially before formal investment could take place outside of its borders (Hall 2007: 271, Morgan 1993: 19-20). Coldstream also agrees with this view, and it is his opinion that the construction of temples, among other signs, marked the arrival of the polis (Coldstream 1985: 68). This would therefore seem to show that local temples such as that at Perakhora, were a key component of polis identity, and so it would seem only natural that city sanctuaries were invested in before competing against other poleis on the wider stage at the sanctuaries of Delphi and Olympia. As a result, it would seem less an argument of which was the more important and therefore most deserving of communal investment, and more about which was the most fundamental to the establishment of a collective civic identity. This change in the notion of identity, away from the promotion of self interest of the individual and towards the collective identity of the polis, is also noticeable in the building of treasuries, particularly at Delphi. At first these were constructed by elites in order to promote their own status, such as the treasury of Cypselus mentioned by Herodotos: These bowlsstand in the Corinthian treasury though to speak strictly it should not be called the public treasury of the Corinthians, but the treasury of Cypselus, son of Eà «tion.'(Herodotos Histories 1.14) As Hall notes however, by the 6th century these, despite still probably being financed by the most affluent, were constructed in the name of the polis, the treasury of Knidos being built in c.560-550 and the treasury of Siphnos in 525 for example (Hall 2007: 272-3, Snodgrass 1980: 141). Their function would have been the same, but the focus had shifted to the glorification of the polis rather than individuals. Only once a city state, and thus the communal identity that went with it, had fully formed could this be possible and allow for competition between states. Treasuries also existed in state sanctuaries, but all would have been financed by local inhabitants of the controlling city again differentiating from the Panhellenic appeal of Olympia and Delphi. The Heraion at Samos for instance has several possible treasuries, which were likely funded by local elites (Kyrieleis 1993: 129, 133). As previously mentioned, the majority, if not all of the Panhellenic sanctuaries introduced games in the early 6th century and this is the period when they can truly be called Panhellenic, involving competition between many poleis, rather than just elite individuals from neighbouring states. Individuals were still fà ªted as heroes for victory, both by their polis and on a wider scale; through winning they had increased their own status, but also the prestige of their home city. All athletic competitions were linked to religious festivals, and by 500BC there were around 50 sets of games in place throughout Greece (Sweet 1987: 3). This wider recognition of ability of course, could not happen at these local games, such as those of the Panathenaia, and so added to the appeal of the Panhellenic games and must have been one of the main reasons for the assured interest of so many states. Again the reason that so many city-states could come together in one place to compete was because none of the Panhellenic sanctuaries were dominated by a powerful state. This meant that there was no reason to feel threatened as perhaps could happen at more urban sanctuaries, located within or close to a dominant polis. This was one of the reasons why the Panathenaia, despite efforts from the Athenians to make it an inter-state festival to rival the Panhellenic games, was ultimately unsuccessful in attracting other poleis to compete (Finley 1985: xviii-xix). The Pythian games at Delphi and the Olympic games consisted of similar events, except that Delphi also offered musical competitions: contests for harpingfor flute-playing and for singing to the fluteThe competitions being the same as at Olympia, except the four horse chariot, and the Delphians themselves added to the contest running races for boys, the long course and the double course.'(Pausanias Description of Greece 10.7.4-5) These contests clearly fixed the Panhellenic status of these sanctuaries, but could they have been classed as Panhellenic prior to the introduction of athletic competition? This is harder to determine with Olympia, as the games were the main attraction of the sanctuary but also because the origins of the games are so hard to determine. Delphi however was just as famous, if not more so, for its oracle. The Delphic oracle is believed to have been established in the late 8th century, although like the Olympic games this is disputed. Again the only material evidence is the rise in votive offerings at the end of the century, which as discussed above is present in many places and could be indicative of a number of practices. There is a mention of the oracle in the Odyssey however: in sacred Pytho, when he passed over the threshold of stone to enquire of the oracle.'(Homer Odyssey 8.79-82) If its provenance is to be believed, and if it was not a later addendum to the story, then this would seem to support an 8th century origin for the oracle. Whatever the actual date, it is Morgans belief that the introduction of the oracle may reflect early state domination of the sanctuary, in a similar fashion to the way treasuries began to reflect the polis rather than the individual (Morgan 1990: 184-5). Osborne advocates that the oracle was part of the wider appeal of Delphi, but Delphi was not the only sanctuary with an oracle, and this again brings us back to the question of when it first became Panhellenic and what determined this status; the oracle or the Pythian games (Osborne 1996: 204). No matter what the actual cause of panhellenism was, the activities in place at both Olympia and Delphi were available elsewhere at many other sanctuaries that never achieved the status Panhellenic. The apparent reason for this, as has been reiterated many times through this work, was the geographical location of the sanctuaries. The Delphic oracle would have been perceived as far less likely to give biased advice to protect its political allegiances, as its neutrality meant that it was not dependent on the ambitions of a controlling polis. Similarly, the Olympic and Pythian games would have provided impartial ground on which to compete for greater glory than was possible within the confines of a state or intra-regional festival. It can be seen therefore that the origins of both Panhellenic and civic sanctuaries were quite comparable, and it was only following the emergence of a fully defined state, with territorial awareness, that the varying roles of sanctuaries became distinct. Co nsequently, it is my belief that it was a combination of geographical location and the rise of the polis that provided the environment for Panhellenic sanctuaries to be set apart, but that they had to have something to offer in order to appeal to a wider audience, whether it was an oracle or athletic competition. It is mainly through these factors that inter-urban sanctuaries differentiated from those directly under the control of a city-state. Bibliography Herodotos. Histories, translated by A. De Sà ©lincourt (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin Books. 2003. Homer. Iliad, translated by A. T. Murray. London: Heinemann / Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1924. Homer. Odyssey, translated by A. T. Murray. London: Heinemann / Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1919. Pausanias. Description of Greece, translated by W. H. S. Jones and H. A. Ormerod. London: Heinemann /Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1918. Coldstream, J. N. 1977. Geometric Greece. London: Ernest Benn. Coldstream, J. N. 1985. Greek Temples: Why and Where? In P. Easterling and J. Muir (eds), Greek Religion and Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. De Polignac, F. 1994. Mediation, Competition, and Sovereignty: The Evolution of Rural Sanctuaries in Geometric Greece. In S. Alcock and R. Osborne (eds), Placing the gods: Sanctuaries and Sacred Space in Ancient Greece. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Finley, M. 1985. Foreword. In P. Easterling and J. Muir (eds), Greek Religion and Society. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press. Hall, J. M. 2007. A History of the Archaic Greek World ca. 1200-479 BC. Oxford: Blackwell. Kyrieleis, H. 1993. The Heraion at Samos. In N. Marinatos and R. Hà ¤gg (eds), Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches. London and New York: Routledge. Marinatos, N. 1993. What were Greek Sanctuaries? A Synthesis. In N. Marinatos and R. Hà ¤gg (eds),Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches. London and New York: Routledge. Morgan, C. 1990. Athletes and Oracles: The Transformation of Olympia and Delphi in the Eight Century BC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Morgan, C. 1993. The Origins of Pan-Hellenism. In N. Marinatos and R. Hà ¤gg (eds), Greek Sanctuaries:New Approaches. London and New York: Routledge. Osborne, R. 1996. Greece in the Making: 1200-479 BC. London and New York: Routledge. Snodgrass, A. M. 1980. Archaic Greece: The Age of Experiment. London: J M Dent. Sweet, W. E. 1987. Sport and Recreation in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook with Translations. Oxford:Oxford University Press.

About The Social Work Career

About The Social Work Career The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. COMMENTARY Social work in its various forms addresses the multiple, complex transactions between people and their environments. Its mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich their lives, and prevent dysfunction. Professional social work is focused on problem solving and change. As such, social workers are change agents in society and in the lives of the individuals, families and communities they serve. Social work is an interrelated system of values, theory and practice. Values Social work grew out of humanitarian and democratic ideals, and its values are based on respect for the equality, worth, and dignity of all people. Since its beginnings over a century ago, social work practice has focused on meeting human needs and developing human potential. Human rights and social justice serve as the motivation and justification for social work action. In solidarity with those who are dis-advantaged, the profession strives to alleviate poverty and to liberate vulnerable and oppressed people in order to promote social inclusion. Social work values are embodied in the professions national and international codes of ethics. Theory Social work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge derived from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its context. It recognises the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, and the capacity of people both to be affected by and to alter the multiple influences upon them including bio-psychosocial factors. The social work profession draws on theories of human development and behaviour and social systems to analyse complex situations and to facilitate individual, organisational, social and cultural changes. Practice Social work addresses the barriers, inequities and injustices that exist in society. It responds to crises and emergencies as well as to everyday personal and social problems. Social work utilises a variety of skills, techniques, and activities consistent with its holistic focus on persons and their environments. Social work interventions range from primarily person-focused psychosocial processes to involvement in social policy, planning and development. These include counselling, clinical social work, group work, social pedagogical work, and family treatment and therapy as well as efforts to help people obtain services and resources in the community. Interventions also include agency administration, community organisation and engaging in social and political action to impact social policy and economic development. The holistic focus of social work is universal, but the priorities of social work practice will vary from country to country and from time to time depending on cultural, h istorical, and socio-economic conditions. This international definition of the social work profession replaces the IFSW definition adopted in 1982. It is understood that social work in the 21st century is dynamic and evolving, and therefore no definition should be regarded as exhaustive. Adopted by the IFSW General Meeting in Montrà ©al, Canada, July 2000 http://www.ifsw.org/f38000138.html ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The Nature of Social Work: A Critical Overview as well as social work values, ethics, and skills of social work practice. In addition, the role of a social worker in society will also be examined, and an understanding of social work will be critically evaluated. Knowledge, skills and values are three different things and should be treated as so. You can learn all the knowledge you need from a book, but this does not mean that you will have the skills to put that knowledge into practice. Once you acquire the skill and knowledge, if you have no value of them and they mean nothing to you, are then in danger of misusing that skill and knowledge. Values of social work have to be put into two categories: social work values, and social workers values. Clark (2004) puts this into classification of â€Å"Institutional and Individual†.The British Association of Social Work (BASW) code of ethics states that social work is committed to five basic values: Human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity, integrity and competence. â€Å"Social work practice should both promote respect for human dignity and pursue social justice through integrity and competence† (BASW 2002). These values are requirements that social workers are expected to adhere to. They promote the rights to privacy, confidentiality, and protection, the right of choice, to help against discrimination and meet the diversity of service users. Social work has been descried as being â€Å"value based† (Clark 2004). conflicts of values cannot be ruled out. Putting the values of social work into practice can sometimes cause a conflict of values. As well as looking after people who are vulnerable, social workers also deal with people who are seen as a threat to society. When dealing with a service user with mental health problems the social worker will be working with the interest of the service user in mind, making sure that their human dignity and worth are respected, that social justice is seen to be up held, and to do their job with integrity and competence. All these values, and at the same time, apply to people living within the community. If the service user was deemed to be a danger to the public then the social worker must see that social justice is done to protect the community, the service user may disagree with this and feel that their value of social justice has been compromised, and as their freedom has been taken away, and they have lost their human dignity and worth. Clark (2004 p44) concludes that â€Å"It is tempting t o say that there is no such thing as social work values.† And that â€Å"The values of social work remain a powerful rallying cry†. Whereas Beckett (2007 p189) states â€Å"Almost all of the important decisions that are made by social workers have a value component.† Having knowledge of a subject does not mean that someone as the skills or values that may accompany that knowledge. You can read all the books and have the knowledge on how to fly a plane, and know all the components, but to make it fly you need the skill to make all the parts work together. In most occupations what separates the professional from non- professionals is a specialised knowledge beyond the commonplace knowledge of ordinary members of the public. In social work this is not always the case, since much of the knowledge of social workers is common place, an example would be that it is common knowledge that bringing up children can be demanding, but social workers interact with parents whose understanding of this knowledge is so poor, that they are in danger of harming their children. This is not to say that all knowledge of social work is common knowledge, sometimes professional specialised knowledge is called upon. If a service user has mental health issues, then they may need to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act. This would need the knowledge of a professional Approved Social Worker. This may include the intervention of a social worker to place a child into foster care, requiring specialised knowledge. Social work expertise is regulated by government and law, and therefore requires an understanding and a good knowledge of the relevant areas of law and of government policies and acts. A collection of different skills is required for social workers to do their job with competence. These include being able to develop trusting relationships with service users and carers, without becoming emotionally involved; communication skills, including listening, speaking and writing; to be resilient and able to handle pressure from service users who feel vulnerable and may not understand what is going on; being aware of peoples different needs and respect diversity; have patience and maturity, and be able to negotiate for their clients. There is also the need to develop office based skills, as well as skills needed for personal interaction. These will include, being able to work well in a team with colleagues and professionals from other agencies; the ability to manage a complex workload, sometimes working over caseweight; being computer literate with good keyboard, database and word processing skills; and have good management, time keeping and organisational skills. Most of th ese skills cannot be learnt from a text book and will take time and life experience to develop, mistakes can happen and inevitability will, but by being able to reflect, process and learn from our mistakes, then these skills can improve and get stronger. They are sometimes called upon to enforce sensitive aspects of the law, for example in obtaining court orders to remove children from their current families, or in detaining people under the Mental Health Act. All duties performed and carried out by social workers, are done so in the best interests of those involved. Social work also promotes social justice, giving fair access to public services and benefits, equal treatment and protection under the law and to help meet basic human needs. Social work helps people to meet their personal needs and to reach their potential and to contribute to the creation of a fairer society. ‘The difficult position of social work is not only due to the perhaps depressing character of the problems it deals with. Crucially, social work sits directly on top of the fault lines of controversy of social values (Clark 2000 p2). The communities that we live in and the world around us is in perpetual change, which makes social work even more challenging. The ethics, values, cultures, diversities, and minorities that contribute in making up societies differ greatly from one to the other, whether in the suburbs, rural areas, or the close proximity of life in the city, changes in all the above can be noticeable within different communities. Looking at generalised views of what society should be would differ vastly if we took a cross-cultural view of what society values are to that community in question. The values that our society holds are changing; many men now stay at home whilst the woman goes out to work. The Civil Partnership Act 2004(General Register office 2005) came into effect on 5 December 2005 allowing same sex marriages, and many people now live alone, without stigma, some by choice and some from necessity, this change within society covers such a large range of values that universal agreement is a near impossibility. This means that social work is not an exact science and never will be. There will always be an opinion th at differs, personal values and ethics that dont fit the norm, which is why when people access social services, they will not always be fully satisfied with the outcome, as there are always variables. Beckett (2006) suggests that the role of a social worker can be put into three groups: Advocacy, Direct Change Agent and Executive. The advocacy role can be either direct or indirect. Direct change agent being counsellor or therapist, mediator, educator and catalyst, with executive role as almoner, care manager, responsibility holder, co-ordinator and service developer (Beckett 2006 p8). The aims of social workers are to identify social pressures and needs in the community, to employ existing resources or to establish those that might be lacking. Communities may, for example, be in need of housing, improvement and development of the environment, day care for preschool children, after school clubs, facilities for disabled people, anti social problems and rehabilitation centres, amongst other needs. As with all professions, social workers are involved in research and administration. This is to help identify the problems and needs of the service user and to explore the most effective way of preventing and resolving whatever problems there may be, and to address that need. In addition to interviewing service users at the social workers place of work or their homes, and contacting other significant persons in their social environments, social workers are also responsible for a large amount of office work. This includes the preparation of reports involving the service user for internal or external agencies, which could include court reports. The nature of social work within this essay has been critically discussed in depth. The role of social work and of social workers in society is a demanding one, the pressure and stress of dealing with so many aspects of society and differentiating cultures means that the challenges social workers face, on a day to day basis, will be hard but also very rewarding. With the correct training and education, social work skills, values and knowledge can help to improve peoples lives. The role of the social worker is one that will always be ever changing, how these changes happen is a matter for debate. Some changes in social work are welcomed and some are not. Hilary Searing (2000-08) states that â€Å"social workers are now little more than care managers who simply mediate between the client and organisation†. Others would argue that this is not the case, and that social workers do more than just mediate. Whatever the future holds for social work and social workers, one thing is cer tain, with the huge diversity in social work and the ever changing roles social workers play in society, there will always be a place for social workers ensuring that social justice is delivered ethically and without prejudice.