Chiaroscuro: The Beauty in a World of Gloomy Grey

Defined as a technique of contrasting dark and light to highlight elements within a piece of art or a story, chiaroscuro is displayed throughout The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Also prevalent in many masterpieces created by Rembrandt during the 17 century, Rembrandt uses chiaroscuro to create a focal point in his paintings and evoke personal thought. Hawthorne uses chiaroscuro to focus on the element of overall sin and to illustrate conflicts between characters.A comparison of chiaroscuro in Rembrandts paintings and Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, provides a deeper understand of how light and dark play a key role in the development of characters and theme. Sin is one of the most important themes in The Scarlet Letter. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne presents nature as being evil. For example, the forest displays a moral wilderness that is encompassed within a dark and gloomy atmosphere. However in Chapter 18, Hawthorne uses chiaroscuro as a device to show a change i n the forest as Hester succumbs to the evil of nature and of her sin.â€Å"†¦she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it†¦All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  During this scene, Hester releases herself from the burden that the scarlet letter brings. As Hester gives into her natural instincts, the forest around her slowly begins to brighten and become overcome by light. This new found light in the forest that grows hand in hand with Hester’s happiness is shown to be good and/or normal based on Hawthorne’s tone.He focuses on the beauty of the light and how it highlights every living thing in the forest, almost in an angelic way. The tone and use of chiaroscuro in this passage allows the reader to believe that giving into your natural instincts and wants is not necessarily wrong or sinful, but nothing more than a part of life. Rembrandt uses a similar approach in using chiaroscuro in his painting Nightwatch (1642). Rembrandt does not use the light to focus on a certain character or object in the painting; rather he exemplifies the different patterns of the painting by creating a battle between light and shadows.The effect of using light and dark in this painting is not meant to provoke meaningful thought, but rather to display an almost chimerical union between the light and dark, similar to the effect displayed by Hawthorne in the forest scene. Hawthorne also uses chiaroscuro to show conflicts between characters and the difference in their personality or spiritual well-being. â€Å"Old Roger Chillingworth, throughout life, had been calm and temperament, kindly, though not of warm affections†¦.Sometimes, a light glimmered out of the physician’s eyes, burning blue and ominous, like the reflection of a furnace†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is presented to the readers as a respectable man that was very upright and devoted to his job and those around him; however, he lacked any sense of passion or love. Once Chillingworth found out that Hester had committed adultery and would not name the father of her bastard child, it became Chillingworth’s mission to uncover the man that had lain with his wife in sin.He must search deep within Dimmesdale, minister for the town and who Chillingworth believes is responsible, using both human and supernatural remedies to extract the secret with no intention of forgiving Dimmesdale. Whereas Dimmesdale is seen as a trustworthy man for the Puritan citizens to bestow their own sins upon, ones of which Dimmesdale helps them to repent. Dimmesdale committed a sin in the eyes of the Puritan society, one born from his need to follow his natural instinct in which Hawthorne states to be good and later admitted to the masses that he was indeed the father and the second perpetrator in this earthly crime.â₠¬Å"And, as he drew towards the close, a spirit as of prophecy had come upon him†¦it was as if an angel, in his passage to the skies, had shaken his bright wings over the people for an instant- at once a shadow and a splendor- and had shed down a shower of golden truths upon them. † This quote displays the way that the Puritan people saw their pastor, a man that was both physically decaying before their eyes, but yet lit up by the word of the gospel. Dimmesdale would then follow his sermon with the confession of his sin, the last act of his mortal life.Hawthorne uses chiaroscuro to depict the difference in the type of evil within the characters of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Chillingworth is a man that did not sin in the terms that Dimmesdale did, however, he searches for it without the intent to forgive. Hawthorne expresses this as true evil and sin compared to Dimmesdale’s act of following his natural instinct, which is not a sin. Rembrandt uses chiaroscuro to d epict the character or personality within his paintings. In Self Portrait as St.Paul (1661), the man in the panting is lit while the background and his facial features are considerably darkened. The dark eyes and background represent a type of detachment, whether the detachment is due to an outward or inner struggle. The light of the picture gives one the sense that the man is important or respected. However, the dark causes the audience to believe that the man is in a great deal of struggle or woe, possibly causing him to be dark and cold in the sense of personality, like the depiction of Chillingworth depicted by Hawthorne.Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a device known as chiaroscuro, contrasting light and dark elements, to help develop the characters and theme within The Scarlet Letter. The way Hawthorne displays this development can also be viewed in pieces by Rembrandt. Sin is portrayed in many ways throughout the novel. The forest is used as a symbol of moral bareness of which Hester succumbs to when she takes off the scarlet letter and releases herself from her sin. At this moment, the dark dreary forest is flooded with heavenly beauty of light and life.This play with shadowing and light elements can be viewed in Nightwatch by Rembrandt. This paitning expresses a link between the light and the dark and how they can exist at the same time, however one will always triumph. In the case of the forest scene, the light and the happiness of Hester triumphed over the evil that surrounds her. Hawthorne draws his characters out by having one behold elements, Roger Chillingworth, and the other character behold elements of light, Minister Dimmesdale.Hawthorne then goes deeper to express that the darkness of one might not be of evil intention, but rather dulled by everyday sin of which the light could be redeemed. Rembrandt displays this in the paint Self Portrait as St. Paul, showing how shadows can make one look disconnected and spiritually or emotionally barren. Chiaros curo is a tool used in both the literary and arts world that can help to evoke more emotion and audience thought. Without it, the characters and imagery would all be caught between shades of gloomy greys.

Modernization of Gambling Games in Philippines

any interactive game operated by computer circuitry. The machines, or â€Å"platforms,† on which electronic games are played include general-purpose shared and personal computers, arcade consoles, video consoles connected to home television sets, and handheld game machines. The term video game can be used to represent the totality of these formats, or it can refer more specifically only to games played on devices with video displays: television and arcade consoles Forms of online gambling The Internet has made way for new types of gambling to form online.The recent improvements in technology have once again changed betting habits just as Video Lottery Terminal, keno and Scratchcards changed the gambling industry in the early 20th century. Internet gambling has become one of the most popular and lucrative business present on the Internet. In 2007 the gambling commission stated that the gambling industry achieved a turnover of over  £84 billion according to the UK Gambling Com mission. This is partly due to the wide range of gambling options that are available to facilitate many different types of people. [3] [edit]Poker Main article: Online pokerOnline poker tables commonly offer Texas hold 'em, Omaha, Seven-card stud, razz, HORSE and other game types in both tournament and ring game structures. Players play against each other rather than the â€Å"house†, with the card room making its money through â€Å"rake† and through tournament fees. [edit]Casinos Main article: Online casino There are a large number of online casinos in which people can play casino games such as roulette, blackjack, pachinko, baccarat and many others.These games are played against the â€Å"house† which makes money due to the fact that the odds are in its favor. edit]Sports betting Main article: Sports betting Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. [edit]Bingo Main article: Online bingo Online bingo is th e game of bingo (US|non-US) played on the Internet. [edit]Lotteries Main article: Online lottery Most lotteries are run by governments and are heavily protected from competition due to their ability to generate large taxable cash flows. The first online lotteries were run by private individuals or companies and licensed to operate by small countries.Most private online lotteries have stopped trading as governments have passed new laws giving themselves and their own lotteries greater protection. Government controlled lotteries now offer their games online. [edit]UK National Lottery The UK National Lottery started in 1994 and is operated by the Camelot Group. Around 70% of UK adults play the National Lottery regularly, making the average annual sales over  £5 billion apart from the year 2000-01 where sales dropped just below that. In its first 17 years it has created over 2,800 millionaires. [4] In 2002 Camelot decided to rebrand the National Lottery main draw after falling ticket sales.The name National Lottery was kept as the general name for the organisation and the main draw was renamed Lotto. The advertising campaign for the new Lotto cost  £72 Million which included 10 television advertisements featuring Scottish comedian Billy Connolly and one of the largest ever poster campaigns. The new brand and name had the slogan: â€Å"Don't live a little, live a Lotto†[5] [edit]Horse racing betting Horse racing betting comprises a significant percentage of online gambling wagers and all major Internet bookmakers, betting exchanges, and sports books offer a wide variety of horse racing betting markets [edit]Mobile gamblingMain article: Mobile gambling Mobile gambling refers to playing games of chance or skill for money by using a remote device such as a tablet computer, smartphone or a mobile phone with a wireless internet connection. [edit]In-Play gambling In-Play gambling is a feature on many online sports betting websites that allows the user to bet w hile the event is in progress. A benefit of live in-play gambling is that there are much more markets. For example, in Association football a user could bet on which player will receive the next Yellow card, or which team will be awarded the next corner kick. [6] [edit]Provably fair gamblingWith the dawn of Bitcoin, provably fair gambling[7] also became available for a global audience. These gambling sites allow the public to see how outcomes are based on the gambler's input and a secret number that is disclosed and changed for the next rounds every hour for example. This allows online gamblers to verify if the website â€Å"played† fair. [edit]Funds transfers Gambling money online can come from credit card, electronic check, certified check, money order, or even wire transfer. [8] Normally, gamblers upload funds to the online gambling company, make bets or play the games that it offers, and then cash out any winnings.Gamblers can often fund gambling accounts by credit card o r debit card, and cash out winnings directly back to the card; most U. S. banks, however, prohibit the use of their cards for the purpose of Internet gambling, and attempts by Americans to use credit cards at Internet gambling sites are usually rejected. [9] A number of electronic money services offer accounts with which online gambling can be funded; however, many top fund-transfer sites such as FirePay, Neteller & Moneybookers have discontinued service for U. S. esidents. Payment by check and wire transfer is also common and some gambling providers accept Bitcoin, a digital currency.Online poker From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a huge increase in the number of poker players worldwide. Christiansen Capital Advisors stated online poker revenues grew from $82. 7 million in 2001 to $2. billion in 2005,[1] while a survey carried out by DrKW and Global Betting and Gaming Consultants asser ted online poker revenues in 2004 were at $1. 4 billion. [2] In a testimony before the United States Senate regarding Internet Gaming, Grant Eve, a Certified Public Accountant representing the US Accounting Firm Joseph Eve, Certified Public Accountants, estimated that one in every four dollars is gambled online. [3] Traditional (or â€Å"brick and mortar†, B&M, live, land-based) venues for playing poker, such as casinos and poker rooms, may be intimidating for novice players and are often located in geographically disparate locations.Also, brick and mortar casinos are reluctant to promote poker because it is difficult for them to profit from it. Though the rake, or time charge, of traditional casinos is often high, the opportunity costs of running a poker room are even higher. Brick and mortar casinos often make much more money by removing poker rooms and adding more slot machines – for example, figures from the Gaming Accounting Firm Joseph Eve estimate that poker acc ounts for 1% of brick and mortar casino revenues. [3] Screenshot of open-source PokerTH tableOnline venues, by contrast, are dramatically cheaper because they have much smaller overhead costs. For example, adding another table does not take up valuable space like it would for a brick and mortar casino. Online poker rooms also allow the players to play for low stakes (as low as 1 ¢/2 ¢)[4] and often offer poker freeroll tournaments (where there is no entry fee), attracting beginners and/or less wealthy clientele. Online venues may be more vulnerable to certain types of fraud, especially collusion between players. However, they have collusion detection abilities that do not exist in brick and mortar casinos.For example, online poker room security employees can look at the hand history of the cards previously played by any player on the site, making patterns of behavior easier to detect than in a casino where colluding players can simply fold their hands without anyone ever knowing the strength of their holding. Online poker rooms also check players' IP addresses in order to prevent players at the same household or at known open proxy servers from playing on the same tables. Free poker online was played as early as the late 1990s in the form of IRC poker.Planet Poker was the first online cardroom to offer real money games. The first real money poker game was dealt on January 1, 1998. Author Mike Caro became the â€Å"face† of Planet Poker in October 1999. The major online poker sites offer varying features to entice new players. One common feature is to offer tournaments called satellites by which the winners gain entry to real-life poker tournaments. It was through one such tournament on PokerStars that Chris Moneymaker won his entry to the 2003 World Series of Poker. He went on to win the main event, causing shock in the poker world, and beginning the poker boom.The 2004 World Series featured three times as many players as in 2003. At least four play ers in the WSOP final table won their entry through an online cardroom. Like Moneymaker, 2004 winner Greg Raymer also won his entry at the PokerStars online cardroom. In October 2004, Sportingbet, at the time the world's largest publicly traded online gaming company (SBT. L), announced the acquisition of ParadisePoker. com, one of the online poker industry's first and largest cardrooms. The $340 million dollar acquisition marked the first time an online cardroom was owned by a public company.Since then, several other cardroom parent companies have gone public. In June 2005, PartyGaming, the parent company of the then largest online cardroom, PartyPoker, went public on the London Stock Exchange, achieving an initial public offering market value in excess of $8 billion dollars. At the time of the IPO, ninety-two percent of Party Gaming's income came from poker operations. In early 2006, PartyGaming moved to acquire EmpirePoker. com from Empire Online. Later in the year, bwin, an Austr ian based online gambling company, acquired PokerRoom. com.Other poker rooms such as PokerStars that were rumored to be exploring initial public offerings have postponed them. [5] As of March 2008, there are fewer than forty stand-alone cardrooms and poker networks with detectable levels of traffic. There are however more than 600 independent doorways or ‘skins' into the group of network sites. [6] As of January 2009, the majority of online poker traffic occurs on just a few major networks, among them PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the iPoker Network. As of February 2010, there are approximately 545 online poker websites. 7]Within the 545 active sites, about two dozen are stand-alone sites (down from 40 in March 2008), while the remaining sites are called â€Å"skins† and operate on 21 different shared networks, the largest network being iPoker which has dozens of skins operating on its network. [8] Of all the online poker rooms PokerStars. com is deemed the world†™s largest poker site by number of players on site at any one time. [9] By May 2012 PokerStars. com had increased their market share to more than 56%. [10] How online poker rooms profit Typically, online poker rooms generate the bulk of their revenue via four methods. First, there is the rake.Rake is collected from most real money ring game pots. The rake is normally calculated as a percentage of the pot based on a sliding scale and capped at some maximum fee. Each online poker room determines its own rake structure. Since the expenses for running an online poker table are smaller than those for running a live poker table, rake in most online poker rooms is much smaller than its brick and mortar counterpart. Second, hands played in pre-scheduled multi-table and impromptu sit-and-go tournaments are not raked, but rather an entry fee around five to ten percent of the tournament buy-in is added to the entry cost of the tournament.These two are usually specified in the tournament deta ils as, e. g. , $20+$2 ($20 represents the buy-in that goes into the prize pool and $2 represents the entry fee, de facto rake). Unlike real casino tournaments, online tournaments do not deduct dealer tips and other expenses from the prize pool. Third, some online poker sites also offer games like blackjack or side bets on poker hands where the player plays against â€Å"the house† for real money. The odds are in the house's favor in these games, thus producing a profit for the house.Some sites go as far as getting affiliated with online casinos, or even integrating them into the poker room software. Fourth, like almost all institutions that hold money, online poker sites invest the money that players deposit. Regulations in most jurisdictions exist in an effort to limit the sort of risks sites can take with their clients' money. However, since the sites do not have to pay interest on players' bankrolls even low-risk investments can be a significant source of revenue. Differe nces compared with conventional poker There are substantial differences between online poker gaming and conventional, in-person gaming.One obvious difference is that players do not sit right across from each other, removing any ability to observe others' reactions and body language. Instead, online poker players learn to focus more keenly on opponents' betting patterns, reaction time, speed of play, use of check boxes/auto plays, opponents' fold/flop percentages, chat box, waiting for the big blind, beginners' tells, and other behavior tells that are not physical in nature. Since poker is a game that requires adaptability, successful online players learn to master the new frontiers of their surroundings.Another less obvious difference is the rate of play. In brick and mortar casinos the dealer has to collect the cards, shuffle, and deal them after every hand. Due to this and other delays common in offline casinos, the average rate of play is around thirty hands per hour. However, on line casinos do not have these delays. The dealing and shuffling are instantaneous, there are no delays relating to counting chips (for a split pot), and on average the play is faster due to â€Å"auto-action† buttons (where the player selects his action before his turn).It is not uncommon for an online poker table to average ninety to one hundred hands per hour. There are many ways in which online poker is considerably cheaper to play than conventional poker. While the rake structures of online poker sites might not differ fundamentally from those in brick and mortar operations, most of the other incidental expenses that are entailed by playing poker in a live room do not exist in online poker. An online poker player can play at home and thus incur no transportation costs to get to and from the poker room.Provided the player already has a somewhat modern computer and an Internet connection, there are no further up-front equipment costs to get started. There are also consider able incidental expenses once on a live poker table. In addition to the rake, tipping the dealers, chip runners, servers and other casino employees is almost universally expected, putting a further drain on a player's profits. Also, whereas an online player can enter and leave tables almost as he pleases, once seated at a live table a player must remain there until he wishes to stop playing, or else go back to the bottom f the waiting list.Food and beverages at casinos are generally expensive even compared to other hospitality establishments in the same city, let alone compared to at home, and casino managers feel little incentive to provide any complementary food or drink for poker players. [citation needed] In the brick and mortar casinos, the only real way a player can increase his earnings is to increase his limit, likely encountering better opponents in the process. In the online world, players have another option: play more tables.Unlike a traditional casino where it is physic ally impossible to play at more than one table at a time, most online poker rooms permit this. Depending on the site and the player's ability to make speedy decisions, a player might play several tables at the same time, viewing them each in a separate window on the computer display. For example, an average profit around $10 per 100 hands at a low-limit game is generally considered to be good play. In a casino, this would earn a player under $4 an hour.After dealer tips, the â€Å"winning† player would probably barely break even before any other incidental expenses. In an online poker room, a player with the same win rate playing a relatively easy pace of four tables at once at a relatively sluggish 60 hands per hour each earns about $24/hour on average. The main restriction limiting the number of tables a player can play is the need to make consistently good decisions within the allotted time at every table, but some online players can effectively play up to eight or more ta bles at once.This can not only increase winnings but can also help to keep a player's income reasonably stable, since instead of staking his entire bankroll on one higher limit table he is splitting his bankroll, wins and losses amongst many lower limit tables, probably also encountering somewhat less skilled opponents in the process. Another important difference results from the fact that some online poker rooms offer online poker schools that teach the basics and significantly speed up the learning curve for novices.Many online poker rooms also provide free money play so that players may practice these skills in various poker games and limits without the risk of losing real money, and generally offer the hand history of played hands for analysis and discussion using a poker hand converter. People who previously had no way to learn and improve because they had no one to play with now have the ability to learn the game much quicker and gain experience from free-money play. The limit s associated with online poker range down to far lower levels than the table limits at a traditional casino.The marginal cost of opening each online table is so minuscule that on some gambling sites players can find limits as low as $. 01–$. 02. By comparison, at most brick and mortar establishments the lowest limits are often $1–$2. Few (if any) online poker sites allow action to be taken â€Å"in the dark†, while this is usually allowed and applied by players in real gaming houses. It is also not uncommon for online poker sites to not allow a player the option of showing their hand before folding if they are the giving up the pot to the last remaining bettor. This practice is also typically allowed in casinos. edit]Online casino From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2013) On line casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional (â€Å"brick and mortar†) casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet. Online casinos generally offer odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos.Some online casinos claim higher payback percentages for slot machine games, and some publish payout percentage audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an appropriately programmed random number generator, table games like blackjack have an established house edge. The payout percentage for these games are established by the rules of the game. Many online casinos lease or purchase their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, International Game Technology and CryptoLogic Inc. Online casino typesOnline casinos can be divided into two groups based on their interface: web-based and download-only casinos. Som e casinos offer both interfaces. [edit]Web-based online casinos Web-based online casinos are websites where users may play casino games without downloading software to the local computer. Games are mainly represented in the browser plugins Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, or Java and require browser support for these plugins. Also, bandwidth is needed since all graphics, sounds and animations are loaded through the web via the plugin. Some online casinos also allow gameplay through a plain HTML interface.Apple devices such as iPod, iPad and iPhone cannot play Flash games as the technology is not supported. [edit]Download-based online casinos Download-based online casinos require the download of the software client in order to play and wager on the casino games offered. The online casino software connects to the casino service provider and handles contact without browser support. Download-based online casinos generally run faster than web-based online casinos since the graphic s and sound programs are located within the software client, rather than having to be loaded from the Internet.On the other hand, the initial download and installation of a download-based online casino client does take time. As with any download from the Internet, the risk of the program containing malware does exist. Still the graphics and sounds at download-based online casinos are most of the time much better than those at web-based online casinos. [edit]Online casino game variants The game types through the online casino interface can also be divided into two categories: live casinos, which offer live interactive casino gaming via video link, and virtual casinos, which provide computer simulations of popular casino games. citation needed]However, there is a great deal of crossover between the two, as most of the major virtual casinos now offer live gaming, and websites that are predominantly marketed as live casinos usually tend to offer virtual gaming in addition to live dealer games. [citation needed] [edit]Virtual casino games In a virtual casino game, the outcome of each game is dependent on the data produced by a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG). This determines the order of the cards in card games, the outcome of a dice throw, or the results produced by the spinning of a slot machine or roulette wheel.PRNGs use a set of mathematical instructions known as an algorithm to generate a long stream of numbers that give the impression of true randomness. While this is not the same as true random number generation (computers are incapable of this without an external input source), it provides results that satisfy all but the most stringent requirements for true randomness. [1] When implemented correctly, a PRNG algorithm such as the Mersenne Twister will ensure that the games are both fair and unpredictable.However, the player has to take it on trust that the software has not been rigged to increase the house edge, as its inner workings are invisible to the user. Properly regulated online casinos are audited externally by independent regulators such as eCOGRA to ensure that their win percentages are in line with the stated odds, and this provides a degree of assurance to the player that the games are fair. [citation needed] [edit]Live dealer casino games In a live casino game, a human dealer runs the game in real time from a casino gaming table, which can be seen via a live streaming video link.Players can make betting decisions via a console on their computer screen, and can communicate with the dealer using a text chat function. The results of the physical transactions by the dealer, such as the outcome of the roulette wheel spin or the dealing of cards, are translated into data that can be utilized by the software by means of optical character recognition (OCR) technology. This enables the player to interact with the game in much the same way as they would with a virtual casino game, except for the fact that the results are dete rmined by real-life actions rather than automated processes.These games are a lot more expensive for websites to host than virtual games, as they involve a heavier investment in technology and staffing. A live casino studio typically employs one or more cameramen, several croupiers running the various games, an IT manager to ensure that any technical hitches are dealt with swiftly, and a pit boss that acts as an adjudicator in case of disputes between players and croupiers. In most cases, this requires at least a three room setup, comprising a live studio, a server/software room, and an analyst’s room.The configuration of these rooms varies from casino to casino, with some having several gaming tables in one room, and some having a single table in each room. [2] The high running costs involved with operating live dealer games is the reason why online casinos only tend to offer a handful of the most popular games in this format, such as roulette, blackjack, sic bo, baccarat, a nd poker. In comparison, the running costs associated with virtual games are very low, and it is not uncommon for online casinos to offer hundreds of different virtual casino games to players on their site.Online casinos vary in their approach to the hosting of live games, with some providing live games via their own television channel, and others offering the games exclusively via their website. In the case of televised games, players can often use their mobile phone or television remote controls to place bets instead of doing so via a computer connected to the internet. [edit]Games offered A typical selection of gambling games offered at an online casino might include: Baccarat Blackjack Craps Roulette Sic bo Online slot games Online poker Keno Bingo 31 Online bingoFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010) Online bingo is the game of bingo (US|UK) played on the Internet. It is estimated that the global gross gaming yield of bingo (excluding the United States) was US$500 million in 2006, and it is forecasted to grow to $1 billion by 2010. [1] Unlike balls used in regular bingo halls, online bingo sites use a random number generator.Most bingo halls also offer links to online poker and casino offerings as the patrons are often in the target market. One notable feature of online bingo is the chat functionality. Bingo sites strive to foster a sense of community and interaction between players as this helps customer retention. [edit]Main types of bingo games There are four main types of bingo played around the world. In live North American bingo halls, they typically play the 75-ball version of bingo on a 5Ãâ€"5 card with the center square usually marked ‘free'.The letters B-I-N-G-O typically sit atop the 75 ball bingo card and they correspond with each of the five colu mns found on the bingo card. The desired pattern which players aim to achieve in 75 ball can vary dramatically, from a simple single line to more complicated themed patterns. The aim of the game, however, is always the same: to mark off the numbers to achieve the desired pattern. Speed Bingo is a variation played exactly the same, but numbers are simply called much quicker. In the UK, parts of Europe, Australia and parts of South America they play a 90-ball game, marked on a 9Ãâ€"3 card.Both types of bingo are prominent online. In 90-ball bingo, each card has three horizontal lines and nine columns. Each line contains five numbers, meaning each card has 15 numbers. The first column contains numbers from 1-9, the second column contains numbers from 10-19, the third column contains numbers from 20-29, all the way through to the final column which contains numbers from 80-90. A game of 90 ball bingo will normally be played in three stages: one line, two lines and full house. In a â₠¬Å"one line† game players need to mark a complete horizontal line across one card (i. e. , 5 numbers marked).The aim of a ‘two lines' game is to complete any two marked lines horizontally across one card (i. e. , 10 numbers marked). Finally a â€Å"full house† means all the numbers marked off on one card (all 15 numbers), as in a regular coverall game. The prize split differs for each stage of the game. The prize will be shared equally among the winners if there is more than one. The full house is always the largest prize in any one game. A third type of bingo game is a rather quick game of bingo. It is played with 30 balls, numbered one through thirty and appropriately known as 30 ball bingo or speed bingo.The 30 ball bingo game utilizes a 3 Ãâ€" 3 card and the object of the game is to be the first bingo player to â€Å"fill† his or her card, which requires all nine numbers on your card to match the numbers that have been called out. The fourth main type of bingo game is 80 ball bingo, which is a hybrid between the 75 ball bingo rules and 90 ball bingo rules. The bingo cards are 4Ãâ€"4, thus they contain 16 numbers. Prizes are awarded in 80 ball bingo vary, depending on the game played. Some of the ways to win 80 ball bingo include being the first player to complete an entire line on their bingo card.The â€Å"line† can be horizontal, diagonal, or vertical. Getting â€Å"four corners† also constitutes a win in some 80 ball bingo games, whilst other games require multiple lines (1 or two lines), and still others require a full house. [edit]History One of the earliest known online bingo games, launched in 1996, was a free bingo game called â€Å"Bingo Zone†. [2] To play, members had to provide demographic information; in turn, members would receive targeted ads based on the demographics provided. [3] Another early pioneer for free online bingo was Uproar, which launched Bingo Blitz in 1998. 4]Getting started Some operators require players to download free software to play their games. Other operators use JavaScript or Adobe Flash based games that allow you to play immediately online after registering a player account. Most sites accept a standard range of e-wallet funding options. Sites often provide a number of incentives to deposit, including matching bonuses where the site will reward depositing players by matching a percentage of their deposit. Recently, the US government has passed laws that limit banks ability to process credit cards for US citizens.The laws prevent US based payment providers from taking payments for online gaming. [edit]Playing Playing bingo online, players can make use of optional features which make playing the game easier, such as auto-daub. Auto-daub automatically marks off the numbers on cards as they are called, so players don't have to. Most software providers support other gaming features as â€Å"Best Card Sorting† and â€Å"Best Card Highlightingâ⠂¬  where players cards are sorted and highlighted by closest to bingo. There is variety among the different kinds of bingo games that can be played.For example, some inexpensive game rooms appeal to the player who may want to play for just a 10 cents or 10 pence; some bingo games only allow players to purchase the same amount of cards so they are not competing against the â€Å"high rollers† out there who buy many cards for the same game. [edit]Chat Whereas in land-based bingo where talking is strictly forbidden during a game, it is actively encouraged in online bingo. Chat functions as an effective retention tool, aimed especially at the predominantly female audience. It is customary for players to congratulate winning players with comments like â€Å"WTG,† or â€Å"Way To Go†.Much like instant messaging, online bingo chat communities have their own acronyms which are often used in replace of often repeated sentences. CM stands for â€Å"chat monitor†. (This can also stand for chat moderator; in some other sites you may have â€Å"CH† which stands for chat host. ) The CM works for the bingo site as the host of a chat room and plays a role in welcoming players and creating a friendly and communal atmosphere in the room. This includes, but is not limited to, congratulating players when they win a game as well as playing chat games in-between bingo.Most sites have a chat protocol known as chat etiquette or chatiquette. [edit]Bingo networks There are a number of sites that will have the same promotions, similar graphics, the same bingo rooms and the same CMs. This occurs because they are part of a bingo â€Å"network†. In simple terms, this means a number of different sites (or â€Å"front ends†) are playing with the same numbers for the same jackpot (i. e. , the same back end). Multiple sites act as doorways to a single game, leading to larger pools of players in chat rooms and more sizable pots to win, in an ar rangement known as White Label Gaming. 5]While the bingo software is the same, the brand owners are responsible for the look and feel of the site, together with any promotions they wish to offer. This is an important feature of online bingo in that it is critical that any site have enough players to have a decent sized game. Hence, the bingo network â€Å"shares† players. Some operators choose not to pool their players together and because they segregate their players, they operate on a stand-alone network, which again can be via â€Å"white label† (Brigend Limited is the most commonly used stand-alone white label software) or can be done through the use of proprietary software. edit] Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. [edit]Types of bets See also: Glossary of bets offered by UK bookmakers [edit]United States of America Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will w in its division or buying a football â€Å"square† for the Super Bowl, sports betting is commonly performed through a bookmaker or through various online Internet outlets. The many types of bets include: Straight Bets are wagers that are made against the spread.The spread, or line, is a number assigned by the bookmakers which handicaps one team and favors another. For example, in the NBA, when two teams play each other, one is perceived as being more likely to win. To attempt to make wagering on the underdog desirable, the bookmaker will give them points. Before game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat were expected to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. The line read: Miami -3, Oklahoma City +3. To determine who wins against the spread, the line is either added or subtracted from a teams final score.In the above example, if the bettor chose Miami, he would subtract 3 points from Miami's final score and compare that to Oklahoma's final score. For him to win his bet, Miami wo uld have to win the game by 4 points or more. This is the most common type of bet in sports. Proposition bets are wagers made on a very specific outcome of a match. Examples include guessing the number of goals each team scores in a handball match, betting whether a player will score in a football game, or wagering that a baseball player on one team will accumulate more hits than another player on the opposing team.Parlays involve multiple bets (usually up to 12) and will reward a successful bettor with a large payout. For example, a bettor could include four different wagers in a four-team parlay, whereby he is wagering that all four bets will win. If any of the four bets fails to cover, the bettor loses the parlay, but if all four bets win, the bettor receives a substantially higher payout (usually 10-1 in the case of a four-teamer) than if he made the four wagers separately. Progressive parlays. A progressive parlay involves multiple bets (usually up to 12) and rewards successful bettors with a large payout, though not as large as normal parlays.However in a progressive parlay, unlike a regular parlay, a reduced payout will still be made even should some of the bets lose. Teasers. A teaser allows the bettor to combine his bets on two or more different games. The bettor can adjust the point spreads for the two games, but must get all the games correct to win and recognizes a lower return in comparison to parlays. If bets. An if bet consists of at least two straight bets joined together by an if clause which determines the wager process.If the player’s first selection complies with the condition (clause), then the second selection will have action; if the second selection complies with the condition, then the third selection will have action and so on. Run line, puck line or goal line bets. These are wagers offered as alternatives to straight-up/moneyline prices in baseball, hockey or soccer, respectively. These bets feature a fixed point spread that ( usually) offers a higher payout for the favorite and a lower payout for the underdog (both in comparison to the moneyline). Future wagers.While all sports wagers are by definition on future events, bets listed as â€Å"futures† generally have a long-term horizon measured in weeks or months; for example, a bet that a certain NFL team will win the Super Bowl for the upcoming season. Such a bet must be made before the season starts in September, and winning bets will not pay off until the conclusion of the Super Bowl in January or February (although many of the losing bets will be clear well before then and can be closed out by the book). Odds for such a bet generally are expressed in a ratio of units paid to unit wagered.The team wagered upon might be 50-1 to win the Super Bowl, which means that the bet will pay 50 times the amount wagered if the team does so. Head-to-Head. In these bets, bettor predicts competitors results against each other and not on the overall result of th e event. One example are Formula One races, where you bet on two or three drivers and their placement among the others. Sometimes you can also bet a â€Å"tie†, in which one or both drivers either have the same time, drop out, or get disqualified. Totalizators.In totalizators (sometimes called flexible-rate bets) the odds are changing in real-time according to the share of total exchange each of the possible outcomes have received taking into account the return rate of the bookmaker offering the bet. For example: If the bookmakers return percentage is 90%, 90% of the amount placed on the winning result will be given back to bettors and 10% goes to the bookmaker. Naturally the more money bet on a certain result, the smaller the odds on that outcome become. This is similar to parimutuel wagering in horse racing and dog racing. 2nd half bets.A 2nd half(Second half) bet is also sometimes called a halftime bet. This bet is placed only at halftime of a particular sporting event. Th is bet can be placed on the spread(Line) or over/under. The resulting bet that is placed is won or lost only on the points scored by both teams in the second half only. In-play betting. In-play betting is a feature offered by some online sports books that enables bettors to place new bets while a sporting event is in progress. [edit]Bookmaking The general role of the bookmaker is to act as a market maker for sports wagers, most of which have a binary outcome: a team either wins or loses.The bookmaker accepts both wagers, and maintains a spread (the vigorish) which will ensure a profit regardless of the outcome of the wager. The Federal Wire Act of 1961 was an attempt by the US government to prevent illegal bookmaking. [1] However, this Act does not apply to other types of online gambling. [2] The Supreme Court has not ruled on the meaning of the Federal Wire Act as it pertains to online gambling. Bookmakers usually hold a 11-10 advantage over their customers—for small wagers it is closer to a 6-5 advantage—so the bookmaker will most likely survive over the long term.Successful bookmakers must be able to withstand a large short term loss. (Boyd, 1981) Many of the leading gambling bookmakers from the 1930s to the 1960s got their start during the prohibition era of the 1920s. They were oftentimes descendants of the influx of immigrants coming into the USA at this time. Although the common stereotype is that these bookies were of Italian descent, it has been proven that many of the leading bookies were of eastern European Jewish Ancestry. (Davies, 2001) Mobile gambling From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaMobile gambling refers to playing games of chance or skill for money by using a remote device such as a tablet computer, smartphone or a mobile phone with a wireless internet connection. Over a dozen mobile casinos are operating as of March 2011. [edit]Market In 2005, Jupiter Research forecast that global mobile gambling services would generate reve nues of more than $19. 3 billion US dollars by 2009. [1] In 2010, Gartner analysts showed the 2009 global mobile gambling revenues at $4. 7 billion and forecast $5. 6 billion for 2010. 2] Such a large discrepancy between the 2005 forecast and the 2009 reality is attributed to the unexpected 2006 US prohibition of all internet based gambling. The mobile gambling market, as of 2011 is still in flux. The European Union still does not have a unified mobile gambling legislative framework in place. Each European country has their own set of widely different laws which regulate mobile gambling ranging from Finland where a government monopoly operates internet casinos to Norway which is in favor of complete prohibition of online gambling. [edit]Market projectionsAccording to a Juniper Research report[3] released in September 2010 the total sum wagered on mobile casino games is expected to surpass $48 billion US dollars by 2015. The report bases this prediction on (1) the high growth rates o f mobile casinos, lotteries and sports betting providers in major emerging markets and China; (2) liberalization of mobile gambling legislation in Europe; (3) United States repealing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, permitting people in the US to legally gamble online again. [3] A 2010 Gartner forecast sees 2014 global mobile gambling revenues reach $11. billion dollars. [2] [edit]Mobile casino games According to a February 2010 comScore MobiLens study[4] of the U. S. mobile gaming market, smartphone subscribers are much more likely to play mobile casino games than subscribers of generic phones. The study revealed that 7. 6% of smartphone subscribers and 1. 2% of generic mobile subscribers played mobile casino games within a three month time frame. [4] As of March 2011, there is a total of approximately 100 casino style mobile games which permit the use of real money:[citation needed] BaccaratBaccarat[1] is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. There are three popular variants of the game: punto banco (or â€Å"North American baccarat†), baccarat chemin de fer, and baccarat banque (or â€Å"à   deux tableaux†). Punto banco is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy involved; each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt. In baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast, both players can make choices, which allows skill to play a part. Despite this, the winning odds are in favour of the bank, with a house edge no lower than around 1 per cent.Baccarat is a comparing card game played between two hands, the â€Å"player† and the â€Å"banker. † Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes: â€Å"player† (player has the higher score), â€Å"banker,† and â€Å"tie. † Blackjack From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the gambling game. For other uses, see Black Jack (disambiguation). Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. [1] Blackjack is a comparing card game between a player and dealer, meaning that players compete against the dealer but not against any other players.Blackjack is played with one or more decks of 52 cards. The object of the game is to reach 21 points or to reach a score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21. The player or players are dealt an initial two card hand and add the total of their cards. Face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) are counted as ten points. The player and dealer can count his own ace as 1-point or 11 points. All other cards are counted as the numeric value shown on the card. After receiving their initial two cards, players have the option of getting a â€Å"hit,† which means taking an additional card.In a given round, the player or the dealer wins by having a score of 21 or by having the highest score that is less than 21. Scoring higher than 21 (called â€Å"busting† or â€Å"going bu st†) results in a loss. A player may win by having any final score less than 21 if the dealer busts. If a player holds an ace valued as 11, the hand is called â€Å"soft†, meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card; otherwise, the hand is â€Å"hard†. The dealer has to take hits until his cards total 17 or more points. (In some casinos, the dealer also hits on a â€Å"soft† 17, e. g. nitial ace and six. ) Players who do not bust and have a total higher than the dealer, win. The dealer will lose if he or she busts, or has a lesser hand than the player who has not busted. If the player and dealer have the same point total, this is called a â€Å"push† and the player typically does not win or lose money on that hand. Many rule variations of blackjack exist. Since the 1960s, blackjack has been a high profile target of advantage players, particularly card counters, who track the profile of cards that have been dealt and adapt the ir wager and playing strategies accordingly.Other casino games inspired by blackjack include Spanish 21 and pontoon. The recreational British card game of black jack is a shedding-type game and unrelated to the subject of this article. Craps is a dice game in which the players make wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other (street craps, also known as shooting dice or rolling dice) or a bank (casino craps, also known as table craps).Because it requires little equipment, street craps can be played in informal settings Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even. To determine the winning number and color, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track ru nning around the circumference of the wheel.The ball eventually loses momentum and falls on to the wheel and into one of 37 (in French/European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. Sic bo (), also known as tai sai (), dai siu (), big and small or hi-lo, is an unequal game of chance played with three dice, and of ancient Chinese origin. Grand hazard and chuck-a-luck are variants, and of English origin. The literal meaning of sic bo is â€Å"precious dice†, while dai siu and dai sai mean â€Å"big [or] small†. Sic bo is a casino game, popular in Asia and widely played (as dai siu) in casinos in Macau.It is played in the Philippines as hi-lo[citation needed]. It was introduced into the USA by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, and can now be found in most American casinos. Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed casinos in the United Kingdom, under The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulat ions 2002 (Statutory Instrument 2002/1130). Gameplay involves betting that a certain condition (e. g. that all three dice will roll the same) will be satisfied by a roll of the dice. [1] [edit]VariantsGrand Hazard is a gambling game of English origin, also played with three dice. (It is distinct from Hazard, another gambling game of Old English origin, played with two dice. ) The dice are rolled down a chute containing a series of inclined planes that tumble the dice as they fall[citation needed]. Chuck-a-luck, also known as birdcage, is a variant in the United States, which has its origins in grand hazard. The three dice are kept in a device that resembles a wire-frame bird cage and that pivots about its centre. The dealer rotates the cage end over end, with the dice landing on the bottom.Chuck-a-luck usually features only the single-number wagers, sometimes with an additional wager for any â€Å"triple† (all three dice showing the same number) with odds of 30 to 1 (or there abouts). Chuck-a-luck was once common in Nevada casinos but is now rare, frequently having been replaced by sic bo tables A slot machine (American English), informally fruit machine (British English), the slots (Canadian English), poker machine or â€Å"pokies† (slang) (Australian English and New Zealand English) or simply slot (American English), is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed.Slot machines are also known as one-armed bandits because they were originally operated by a lever on the side of the machine (the arm) instead of a button on the front panel, and because of their ability to leave the gamer penniless (bandit). Many modern machines still have a legacy lever in addition to the button. Slot machines include a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play. The machine pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops. Modern computer technology has resulted in many variations on the slot machine concept.Slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and constitute about 70 percent of the average US casino's income. Keno (pron. : /ki?no?/) is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a â€Å"bubble† containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted with a number 1 through 80. During the ball draw, a blower pushes air into the bubble and mixes the balls.A â€Å"caller† presses a lever opening a tube, where the balls lift one at a time into a â€Å"V† shaped tube called the â€Å"rabbit ears†. The caller and a â€Å"verifier† record each of 20 balls drawn, and the computerized keno system calculates all wagers based on the numbers drawn. Players wager by marking an â€Å"S† over the â€Å"spot† choices on a blank keno ticket form with 80 numbered selection boxes (1 to 80). After all players successfully place their wagers, the casino draws 20 balls (numbers) at random. Some casinos automatically call the ball draw at preset timed intervals regardless of whether or not players are waiting to place a wager.Each casino sets its own series of pay scale choices called â€Å"paytables†. The player is paid based on how many numbers drawn match the numbers selected on the ticket and according to the paytable selected with regard to the wager amount. Players will find a wide variation of keno paytables from casino to casino and a large deviation in the house edge set for each of those paytables. Additionally, each casino typically offers many different paytables and specialty keno bets for customers to choose from, each with its own unique house edge.No two casinos' keno paytables are identical. There are several Reno and Las Vegas casinos offering as many as 20 or 30 diffe rent paytables from which the player can choose. [citation needed] The house edge ranges from less than 4%[1] to well over 35%. [2] The typical house edge for non-slot casino games is between 0% and 5%. [3] With 227 outlets nationwide, e-Games is an Internet outlet dedicated to casino games. With technology provided by PhilWeb, patrons can choose from over 300 casino games, including baccarat, blackjack, various slot machine games, video poker and others.Most e-Games cafes operate 24/7. You can easily switch from one game to another with just a click. Experience the comfort and privacy at e-Games nearest you. pinas online games Individuals registered with DTI or companies registered with SEC may apply to become authorized e-Games outlet Operators. The e-Games operator handles the day-to-day operations of the e-Games and gets a monthly commission based on winnings. A typical e-Games outlet would have at least ten (10) ordinary PCs connected in a Local Area Network setup and a cashier 's terminal.At any given time, there are at least only three (3) staff in the outlet. Thus, overhead is minimal. Most e-Games outlets are open 24/7 and every transaction is in cash. Globally, sports betting accounts for a huge chunk of all gambling revenue. In the Philippines, legal sports betting is still in its infancy, however, the sports psyche of the Filipino has become broader and more open to games other than basketball. Realizing the potential inherent in Filipinos’ expanding sports interest, PhilWeb partnered with MegaSportsWorld (MSW) to offer sports betting via our network of e-Games cafes.MSW is a fully licensed sports book registered in the Philippines. It operates within strict guidelines of licenses issued by PAGCOR, the main regulatory body for the gaming industry in the Philippines. Betting is simple. A punter chooses from a list of sports events, game formats, and their corresponding odds. Once the punter is ready to make a bet, he hands his money to the cas hier. The cashier then enters the bet into the system and prints out a ticket, which also serves as the claim stub for any winning bets.PhilWeb Corporation is the leading gaming technology provider in the Asia Pacific Region. We are listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:WEB). PhilWeb excels in the gaming industry by providing superior and innovative products with the highest standards of customer service. We establish strategic partnerships to ensure a fair, secure and legal gaming experience for our customers. We create a rewarding and dynamic work environment where we attract, retain and motivate highly competent, passionate and innovative people, and deliver above-market value for our shareholders.PhilWeb today serves over 40,000 customers a day at our nationwide network of online cafà ©s, sports betting kiosks and mobile games in the Philippines. In the Asia Pacific region, we have just begun serving customers in Guam, Timor Leste and Cambodia, markets which will exponen tially increase our customer base. We are also negotiating similar contracts in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Laos and Palau, as we go to press. We are a lean organization, with just 300 employees at the end of September 2012, but a highly productive one. In the last five years, we have generated

Female genital Mutilation in Sudan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Female genital Mutilation in Sudan - Essay Example Focus is also drawn on the different ways through which the government of Sudan, different international agencies, local non-governmental organizations, and civil groups are working to stop this oppressive practice. Communities that practice FGM perform it in varying ways. The World Health Organization has developed three major categories of FGM. There is Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Type 1 female circumcision is referred to as clitoridectomy. This mainly involves the removal of the tip of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or the entire clitoris. In Type 2, there is the removal of the clitoris together with part or all of the labia minora. Type 3 female circumcision is also called infibulation. This involves the removal of most or all of the female genitalia. In this type, there is also the stitching of the vaginal opening, where only a small opening is allowed for urine and menstrual flow (Islam & Uddin 2001, p. 72). Type 3 is considered the most severe form of FGM. In Su dan, there are different names that are used to refer to each of the three types of female circumcision. Type 1 is referred to as â€Å"Sunna.† This involves the removal of the tip of the prepuce. ... For instance, some of the Muslim Sudanese hold that female circumcision is supported by Islam. On the other hand, the Muslim theologians in Sudan believe that there is no provision for FGM in the Koran (Islam & Uddin 2001, p. 73). Nonetheless, Turshen (2000, p. 145) notes that FGM is linked to Islam, even though not all Muslim countries uphold it. With regard to the prevalence of female circumcision in Sudan, the findings of Sudan Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS) of 1989 -1990 show that 89% of the ever-married women have undergone some form of FGM. The Northern part of Sudan ranks high, with approximately 99% of the ever-married women having undergone circumcision (Landinfo 2008, p. 6). In 2001, Islam and Uddin conducted a study in Sudan to determine the prevalence of female circumcision in the region. Their study focused on Haj-Yousif and Shendi, which are in the North, as well as Juba, in the South. Nonetheless, in this paper, the focus is not on South Sudan. The study of Islam and Uddin (2001, p. 74) revealed that female circumcision is highly prevalent in Sudan. 100% of the respondents in Shendi, and 87% of respondents in Haj-Yousif had undergone circumcision. The most prevalent form of female circumcision was found to be the Pharaonic circumcision, which is the most severe form. In Sudan, the process of female circumcision is performed by lay practitioners. These have little or no knowledge on the female anatomy, or medicine. The conditions under which female circumcision takes place in Sudan are below the hygiene standards. Furthermore, no anaesthesia is performed on the females before circumcision, and there is no sterilizing of the instruments used to perform female circumcision (Landinfo 2008, p. 9). A major reason why

Culture and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Culture and Morality - Essay Example While in the past, we were swayed to consider that â€Å"the ways of England are the ways of the world†, contemporary societies maintain that all cultures are virtuous and deserve respect. However, with the United States, the prime crusader of democracy, rising to power, the human rights and justice are emphasized to a higher degree, and instigated criticisms toward various cultures that violate their perception of morality. Unacceptable Cultures Many constitutions in this modern time propagate equality of people under the law. Although it is inevitable that an individual’s social status determines its reputation, equal opportunities are still provided amongst citizens in almost all aspects of life. Over time, practices deemed unacceptable are abolished; and acts that counter to peace and human rights are penalized. Apartheid, or the racial segregation enforced by the National Party of South Africa for almost 50 years was completely removed, granting independence to the marginalized black residents. Similarly, the American Civil War during the early 1860’s eradicated black slavery and started the struggle for egalitarianism between the two colors. These practices that many protested against and sacrificed their lives for obliteration of, were inherited from the cultures of our forefathers. These may have lessened considerably, but the state of mind is not entirely changed. Moreover, other cultures regarded as repugnant are still existent. The Indian Caste System The caste system that separates society in terms of profession is prevalent among the Hindus despite contentions that such is not compelled in the scriptures but merely directed by the religion. Birth alone decides a man’s status, and this cannot be altered by effort (Pruthi, 2004). They are not permitted to marry, associate and mingle with anyone outside their caste; and if excommunicated, live as an outcaste, utterly separate from the rest. In this modern time, however, mor e and more cities are diverting away from the system in view that such is a deterrent to unity amongst citizens (Welty 1962). As new opportunity that calls for cultural reformation presents itself to India, people will respond either out of rationality or necessity. In that sense, Indians of academic superiority are presumed more receptive to new influences compared to the rest. Terrorism and the Concept of Jihad On September 11, 2001, an American aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, another into the World Trade Center’s north and south tower, and killed approximately three hundred thousand people. The names Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were heard for the first time (Katz, 2004), and intensified the long-standing antagonism between Muslims and the West. This was argued as a practice of â€Å"jihad†, which meant holy war, directed against the enemies of Islam. Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed able to give them vic tory; those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah (Sura 22:39). Jihad finds its origin not only in the â€Å"militancy of Muhammad but in the culture of pre-Islamic Arabia† (Ankerberg and Caner, 2009, p. 15). In the past, Arabian tribes were consented to battle against any other tribe, and war was tolerable regardless of its nature. The soldiers of the new jihad assumed the tradition and embarked on violent assaults, â€Å"

Photography Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Photography - Coursework Example According to Alain Briot (2005), Photography is "both an art and a science". He explains that "Photography allows us to express our feeling and emotions, but to do so we need to master the scientific part of the medium. Unlike a painter, who is in direct contact with his subject and his canvas, a photographer is separated from his subject by the camera and from his "canvas" by computers and printers today and by darkroom equipment previously." (Briot, 2005). But not all of Photography can be considered to be art as Briot (2005) states that "an artistic photograph is created when technique is used to express a vision and an emotion, not when technique is used for its own sake." As we will see there has been a long and heated debate over the issue whether Photography can be considered to be an art form or not. Even in the present many people don't think that Photography can be an expression of art. But the influence of Photography has been exerted in the art world since its invention by a French lithographer called Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1827 when he captured the view outside the window of his house on a metal plate coated with bitumen (Weiss, 2001). Its invention didn't stopped there and it was improved by Daguerre later on after Niepce's death. The French government gave away this invention as a gift to the world as Sanford L. Weiss clearly explained it in his article "A History of Photography": "In 1839 the French government purchased both the patent it had granted to Niepce and the one they had granted to Louis Jacque Mande Daguerre for a process by which he was able to capture images on silver coated copper plates. The French presented both inventions to the world as a gift and news of the discoveries spread rapidly." (Weiss, 2001). There was an evolutionary process in which Photography was highly improved, and many different inventions helped Photography be available to the masses. It was easy to capture any moment just by clicking a button, and the exposure time was greatly reduced. The popularization of Photography has enriched our lives in many ways, but the controversy around its artistic status has been very prolonged along the way. Richard Pitnick gives a detailed account of how Photography has earned a prestigious status as an art form in a long article entitled "The Emergence of Photography as Collectible Art. As we can see from this account, it has not been easy for photographers along the years to establish themselves as artists and to make their works known. It has been a long process that began in the second half of the 19th century when one photographer sued another in 1862 in France according to New York Times Photography critic Vicki Golberg, who was interviewed by Linda Grace-Kobas for a Cornel l Chronicle article. Grace-Kobas found out the following facts from this interview: "In its first decision, the French court ruled that only art could be copyrighted, and since Photography was not art, it was not subject to copyright

Fashion Industry Shaping Up With Inputs From Social Media Dissertation

Fashion Industry Shaping Up With Inputs From Social Media - Dissertation Example Undoubtedly, the most active trend of the present times, social media continues to evolve with each passing minute as the number of human beings adapting it increases manifolds. Not only does the number of human beings getting connected via social media increase but there are also extremely rapid advancements in the technologies upon which all the advancements are pioneered. After the advent of Internet a few decades ago it is now that all the activity is majorly focused on Social web and via it on the Social Media. This research is attempted to evaluate what social media is, what are the core concepts of fashion and how the internet has promoted and affected the fashion scenario. The integral position of social media and is its importance in terms of its structure, functioning and the challenges associated with it. The components of the web 2.0 are discussed along with the social media tools emphasizing particularly upon their influence with respect to the fashion industry. The grow ing and changing world of Social Media also immensely affects the marketing arena and proportionately the fashion scenario. Specifically the concept of e-business with respect to its integration with the social web and the fashion industry is discussed. Marketing and advertising are also developing new meanings in line with the development of social media across the globe. Social media is the most trending wonder of the present and the future. It has highly widespread boundaries and should be adopted in order to pace up in line with the developments of the modernized human society. Introduction: Thesis Statement: Fashion Industry shaping up with inputs from Social Media. The human society has turned upside down from what it was just a few decades ago. The advancements in information technology leading to the advent of the internet have completely transformed the way human beings live and what their priorities and preferences are. Terminologies like Web. 2.0, Virtual Socialization, S ocial Networking and Social Media are such common terms now that the thought of life without them cannot be imagined anymore. None of the forefathers of present day human beings could have ever anticipated that the world would transform so rapidly and to such a vast extent in the times to come. The inclusion and embedding of the social web platform has made the modern life of human beings devoid of in-person personalization. Much of the physical efforts done by man have been taken over by the machines and the internet has made life very flexible, up-to-date and highly technologized. Computing devices even as small as those the size of a human palm are an integral companion of each and every human being via which he stays connected to the rest of his friends without any hassle and restriction. The social networking arena posed by the internet is the most major attraction of the present day individuals. The real time connectivity that they offer and the ease of their use and maintaina bility have become the basis for the flourishing of Social Media world over. The tools of social media or the platforms that support it are quite

Reading and Writing Without Authority Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading and Writing Without Authority - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the reporter suffers the same predicament just like Janet’s. When he does a research, or even a simple paper, he just throws in information and data that the author thinks is relevant in the paper without really appreciating what the texts are trying to say.   This goes with class discussion where he blurts some information about a subject matter.   He guesses ever student has been through this awkward stage and eventually overcame it with efforts.  The reporter knows that this kind of learning is not effective because his claims are sometimes conflicting not to mention that it can be logically unsound.   It is also susceptible to mistake and error.This paper outlines that instead of merely getting information and throwing it in the paper, it would be better to understand and appreciate what the texts are really trying to say and enjoy it in the process.   After the initial write, it would also be effective to check whether hiscl aims are consistent after giving it a sleep and reading it anew with a fresher mind.   The reporter finds this approach very effective because he sees mistakes that he was not able to see before.   When the author fully understands it, he can then put it in the paper the way he understood it and it would appear in the writing.   Ideas will flow smoothly without awkward transitions not to mention that the final result of his composition reads great.   He will also practice so that he can write just like Roger’s in Reading and Writing Without Authority.

Management account-R12 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Management account-R12 - Coursework Example The theory aims at reflecting management accounting system as dependent on factors that crop up from time to time. This theory brings details of the factors which rise up and affect a management accounting system. According to this contingency theory, the contingent factors affecting a management accounting system are unique to each organisation. Organisations vary from one another in terms of operations thus the difference in the form of adoption, functioning and sophistication of a system. This means that each company will have a management accounting system which is specific to its form. This explains why we do not have a globally adopted accounting system. Contingency theory has made bold steps in helping us understand how accounting and budgets  can and should be used to deal with the issue of management control. The theory basically supports the handling of accounting and budgets in a way which recognizes related changes which might occur in the company (Sharma, 2009). The co ntingency theory is usually very important in ensuring that the management accounting system in a company is in sync with the prevailing factors at a given time. The efforts by this theory have been successful through the manipulation of the factors that affect a management accounting system among other factors. ... With this, the organisation does not need to have management control based on a sophisticated management accounting system. Under such a situation, the  management will control the organisation on the basis of the set out budgets. The contingency theory also shows how accounting and budgets can be used to handle matters of management control through the consideration of strategies and mission as situational factors. Basically, the type of  strategies and mission applied by a company determines the kind of system for management accounting to be put in use. For example a firm may decide to apply a strategy of low cost and defense. Under such a strategy, a company will work towards standard products, few lines of products, low cost operations as well as policies promoting economies of scale. with   this, there will be need to have plans capable of making employees uphold low cost mentalities, incentives to workers depending on the results of evaluation of financial performance and adherence to budgets among others. This means that there is need for a management accounting system which is a bit sophisticated. Contingency theory shows that accounting can be utilized to handle the issue of management control through the determination of the accounting information need and use (Emmanuel et al,1990). According to this theory, the kind of accounting information needed by an organisation is very key in determining the management accounting system required. In a situation where the accounting information required is  complex, then a highly sophisticated management accounting system is required. If a firm requires just simple information, then a less sophisticated management accounting system is required by an organisation. There is also the intended use of the

Job analysis and competency models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job analysis and competency models - Essay Example Job analysis describes work, whereas competency modeling influences behavior. The major purpose of job analysis is to bring a better comprehension of the work assignments and to measure them as well, that is, it determines the trait relevance. On the other hand, competency modeling intends to influence the way in which this work assignments are executed so that they are in line with strategy of the organization in that it heightens situational strength (Wilson, 2012). In this regard, the two approaches are complementary. Job analysis describes a job as an abstract entity whereas competency modeling influences workers into enacting their role. It presents a job as a social construction that is separate from the employee that holds it with performance considered as a by-product of an individual’s interpretation of the job. This is evident in the job titles, which date back to the advent of division of labor following industrial revolution. Competency modeling, then again, views a job as function that is first to be interpreted by an employee before enacting it (Weiner, 2013). The latter method seems to be more practical then the former. Job analysis is about the past, whereas competency modeling is futuristic. The descriptive nature of job analysis means that it is past-oriented and depends on those workers, who have already done the work in the past, as the main source of information, that is, it depicts the job the exact execution in the present. On the contrary, competency modeling focuses on how the job ought to be interpreted and enacted as from the present into the future, regardless of what has been done in the past ( Weiner, 2013). In this context, the methods lie on two varying extremes. Job analysis is job focused rather than focusing on the organization, just as competency modeling does. Practically, job analysis focuses on the job even from the name itself. It fails to recognize the possibility of

National Health Service - United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

National Health Service - United Kingdom - Essay Example The approach of the NHS is patient centric. The details of services carried out by the NHS are schematically given in a diagram provided on the web site of the organisation which at Figure 1. The NHS has a three tiered strategic structure. Thus at Tier 1 is the apex body of the Department of Health, UK which provides funding, directional support and other related functions. The Strategic Health Authorities are designed to manage and improve local services, while the Primary Care Trusts or PCTs assess local needs and organise care. The provision of health care has been divided into two phases. Phase 1 is providing primary care which comprises of services as that of GP Practices, Dentists, Opticians and pharmacists and so on. NHS Direct is also a part of Primay Care. Secondary Care caters for emergency and urgent care and is provided by various trusts such as the ambulance trust, NHS trust, mental care trust and care trusts. A detailed survey of the NHS is being carried out as per succeeding paragraphs to provide a better insight into its functioning and suitability for adoption of the suggested model of e governance. NHS is said to be a patient centric organization, thus patients are provided with dedicated care. However there is a general complaint that this is dependent on the area in which they live, as a result those in relatively far flung areas receive much less support than those located centrally near prominent places. Attempts are also being made for greater involvement of patients by encouraging them to make their own choices, reorganizing them as partners in the system to support health professionals and facilitate decision making through forums and foundation trusts. This has increased in greater outreach to patients.2 Ensuring Safety of Patients and Professionals There is a high need to ensure that patients are assured that the care they receive is safe and the best possible. The staff also has support of the system. This enables attaining high quality of health service, responsive to the needs of the people and provides the organisation and the people who are working within, freedom and support to work with confidence. A number of inititatives have been taken to achieve this to include the Star Rating system at the national level and encouraging staff to out report, "adverse incidents". This is done with a view to carry out analysis and share information through out the system. Reporting processes at the local level are evolved with clarity and for creating a system of, "clinical governance". Patient Choice The key to patient satisfaction in the NHS is Patient Choice. This provides them control over appointment dates and time to suit their work and family commitments. There is also a choice of place of treatment, of selecting a hospital where best possible treatment is available, with limited waiting list and appropriate availability of specialists. This also ensures that hospitals compete for patients by improving their services and in turn provide better service to patients.3 Information Information is the key to providing patients the choice for all aspects, which have been stated above, be it

President of the United States Essay Example for Free

President of the United States Essay The President of the United States, the chief executive officer of the federal government, the leader of the executive branch, and the commander in chief of the armed forces has certain constitutional powers. How much power does he really have? Does he have too much? Does he have too little, or not enough? In my opinion, I believe that the President of the United States of America has just enough power to run our country, deal with foreign and domestic policies, and fight the War on Terror In this essay, I will discuss my opinion, what the president’s powers are under the Constitution, and whether or not the president’s role has expanded beyond these powers in domestic and foreign policy. Under Article II, Section 2 and Section 3 of the Constitution, it outlines the powers and duties of the president. The President holds two main roles: he is the Head of State and is the Chief of Government. The powers and duties that fall under these roles are identified as two main sources of power; his expressed powers and his delegated powers. The expressed powers are specifically defined powers that cannot be revoked by Congress or any agencies without an amendment to the Constitution. The delegated powers are the powers given to the president by Congress. Examples of expressed powers are the authorization to make treaties, grant pardons, and nominate judges and other public officials. The president also has the power to receive ambassadors and command the military forces of the United States. The delegated powers under Article II of the Constitution state that the President â€Å"shall take Care that Laws be faithfully executed†. These powers delegate that the President will only have the authority to carry out decisions through identification and development. Out of every country in the world, our president is the only one with both roles as the Head of State and Chief of Government. A third power, that is not stated in the Constitution, but is claimed occasionally by the President are inherent powers. The inherent powers are said to stem from â€Å"the rights, duties and obligations of the presidency†. These powers are exercised by presidents in times of war or national emergency. One of the President’s biggest powers that are applied as part of his inherent powers is the power to declare war. The President’s express powers are divided into five categories. The five categories are: Military, Judicial, Diplomatic, Executive, and Legislative. Beneath the Military category, it affirms that under Article II, Section 2; the President is provided the power as â€Å"Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States. † Beneath the Judicial category, it affirms under Article II, Section 2; the President is provided the power to â€Å"grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.† Beneath the diplomatic category under Article II, Section 2; the President is provided the power â€Å"to make Treaties by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate. † Additionally, under Article II, Section 3; the President is provided the power to â€Å"receive Ambassadors and other Public Ministers. † Beneath the Executive category, it affirms under Article II, section 3; the President is authorized to see to it that all laws are faithfully executed. Additionally, Section 2 gives the chief executive power to appoint, remove, and supervise all executive officers and to appoint all federal judges. Under the Legislative branch, it affirms under Article 1, section 7 and Article II, Section 3 that the President has the power to participate authoritatively in the legislative process. The military authorities granted to the President are amongst the most important powers granted to someone leading the United States of America. As the President of the United States, you are granted the position as commander in chief. The position of commander and chief deems the President the highest military authority in the United States with control of the entire defense establishment. Additionally, the President is head of the nation’s intelligence network, which includes the CIA, NSC, NSA, and the FBI, which are among the most well regarded intelligence networks in the world. The constitution is the main principle in giving President’s the power to declare war; however, many Presidents’ decide to capture this power for themselves without consulting Congress. This is a resolution of Congress that the President can send troops into action abroad only by authorization of Congress, or if American troops are already under attack. For example, when President Bush responded to the attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York on September 11th, 2001 he ordered a major military campaign to overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Again in 2002, President Bush ordered a huge American campaign against Iraq to overthrow the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, whom he believed had links to the terrorist network that attacked the United States. President Bush publically made it a point to state that he did not need Congress’s authorization to declare war against organizations deemed an imminent threat against the United States of America. This is what is called the War Powers Resolution. The Judicial Powers granted to the President of the United States give him or her power to grant reprieves, pardons, and amnesties. Additionally, it involves power over all individuals who may be a threat to the security of the United States. Presidents may use this power to grant a reprieve on behalf of a particular individual. An example of reprieve for one particular individual would be when President Gerald Ford granted a pardon for former President, Richard Nixon, for â€Å"all offenses against the United States which he †¦ has committed or may have committed.† The Diplomatic Powers declare that our President is also our countries â€Å"Head of State†, or its chief representative when dealing with other countries. The title of Head of State grants the President the power to make treaties for the United States. The power of receiving Ambassadors and other Public Ministers was pushed through Congress under President Washington’s leadership in 1793. This power allows the President almost unrestricted authority to review the claims of any new ruling groups to determine whether they indeed control the territory and population they claim is theirs. The Executive Power, which is another one of the most important power’s as chief executive states that the President must ensure that all laws are faithfully executed. Additionally, this appoints the President to assign, remove, and supervise all executive officers and federal judges. These powers, under the Constitution, basically appoint the President as the true Chief Executive Officer of the United States. Another component the President is granted as chief executive is â€Å"executive privilege†. Executive privilege claims that confidential communications between the President and close executives are to be kept confidential and are not to be revealed without express permission for the President. The Legislative Power is broken down into two Constitutional provisions. The first of these provisions is under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution and it states that the President â€Å"shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.† The second provision states the President has the power to veto. The veto is the President’s constitutional power to turn down acts of Congress. Other powers that are granted to the President are his â€Å"Delegated Powers. † These powers are not found in the Constitution but are product of congressional statutes and resolutions given to the President over the last century. The delegation of powers has been an almost inescapable consequence of the expansion of government activity in the United States. In conclusion, my belief is that the president has just enough power to run our country, deal with foreign and domestic policies, and fight the War on Terror. Because of the President’s two main sources of power, which are his express powers and delegated powers, it enables him to fulfill his duties and obligations without having too much power over our government and legislation.

The International Business Culture Business Essay

The International Business Culture Business Essay What is meant by the culture of a society, and why it is important for international managers to understand it. Do you notice cultural differences among your classmates. How do those differences affect the class environment or your group projects? Society mean by culture is a set of shared values, assumptions and beliefs that are learnt through membership in a group, and that influence the attitudes and behaviours of group members.   Culture is not innate it can be learned, and it may varies tremendously from society to society. We begin learning our culture from the moment were born, as the people who raise us encourage certain behaviours and teach their version of right and wrong. It is important for the international managers to understand it, to know how to respect towards one countrys culture. Once culture may not work well for the other country and can be interpreted as an insult. Thats why, it is really important to raise the awareness of cultural issues to the international managers to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. Some cultures are difficult to observe and measure; basically managers should be keen and knowledgeable  about it. Managers must develop cultural sensitivity to anticipate and accommodate behavioural differences in various societies. As part of that sensitivity, they must avoid parochialism-an attitude that assumes ones own management techniques are best in any situation or location and that other people should follow ones patterns of behaviour. The managers should know how to adjust and able to cope up with in a diverse cultural differences. Managers can use research results and personal observations to develop a character sketch, or cultural profile, of a country. This profile can help managers anticipate how to motivate people and coordinate work processes in a particular international context. And some cultures may put more emphasis on universal commitments while others put more weight on loyalty to particular people or relationships. Dealing with national culture differences requires not only knowledge adequate behaviours but also more importantly, an understanding of deeper level assumptions and values that explain why certain behaviours are more appropriate than others.   Time effort, reputation and even contracts can be lost to an international manager because of cultural ignorance. Yes I notice cultural differences among my classmates. It can affect group projects and as well class environments. It can affect the group projects in a positive and negative way. Negative: In any group activities we were not being able to express and communicate well. Theres a language barrier that hinders once idea or we cannot easily express what we feel. Different accents, different words having different meanings and connotation that somehow misinterpret. Some of us feel there is a Social Groups and Social Alienation inside the classroom, as each of us has a different culture towards beliefs values and common interests. We dont share similarities; some of my classmates feel isolated from the others. That somehow these dissimilarities create tension in the classroom discouraging them to be more aware and be tolerant to others. Positive: We allow ourselves to accept and adopt a culture. We gain different ideas and nurture these differences that each one of us has. These things can help us in the near future in dealing with various people who have a different culture.   We became knowledgeable in diverse language and culture. We students faced in a diverse classroom and we learn different cultures constantly. We became curious and may ask questions to classmates and we are encouraged to learn another language and culture. Question 2 Critically assess the types of operational conflicts that could occur in an international context because of differences in attitudes towards time, change, material factors, and individualism. Give examples to specific countries. Owners of a company and managing foreign stakeholders who has cultural differences may create managerial challenges.   Companys employing/recruiting people from other culture may arise in operational conflicts because of their differences.   Below are the examples to specific countries where operational conflicts occur in an international context: Time Timeliness in Appointments In US and most of the first world countries really value the time. Scheduled appointments are often treated like a general guideline and to some countries it should be strictly abide by. Failure to come on time may lead to conflict and misunderstanding. Some cultures are more time conscious than others. Punctuality really matters for European countries, as time for them is wealth.   In addition, whether you are in France or in China, your business partners will appreciate your efforts to make good impression if you arrived on time. But failure to do so may feel unlikely not interested or unwell prepared to attend the occasion and business meeting. In New Zealand, they are strict in the number of hours you can work, as they dont want to stress and let the employee feel that they are overworked. They provide certain amount of working time. Filipinos has the manana habit or attitude, instead doing a project/task as early before the deadline comes, they prefer to do it the day before the deadline or in a rush. The habit of saying/doing there will still tomorrow to finish a task.   Change Western Culture considers change as a positive business opportunity. Innovation comes to different type of business in Westernise countries. Business landscape for them is rapidly evolving, changing and transforming which used as a strategy to survive in a never ending changing business trends. Change for them is a good thing as this start of a new business opportunity, start of wealth and new product to market.   Meanwhile, Muslim culture is passive to change due to effect on the gender role and religious practice. They see that a man reflects a dominance of tough, values such as achievement, assertiveness, competition and material success. Religion is something to do with faith that changes are not applicable. That it was written in a book a long time ago and should be abided. In the Philippines or any countries, which Muslim resides, men provide food and work for the family. Muslim wives have nothing to do with it, men are over powered and overwhelmed that results to a conflict.   As well failing to acknowledge the status of Muslim within a business/work or to greet them without respect can leave a bad impression. Material Factors US are considered as materialistic culture. They tend to spend lots of money and invest on material products that sometimes affects to a certain  business opportunities. They are overwhelmed with the money that they have earned and spend it. Lifestyle is very different.   On the other hand, Asian culture valued their natural resources (air, sea, land) sometimes it was misused that result to a conflict.  They give value on natural environment and make new services or products with the natural sources they possess. Individualism Western Culture is highly individualistic like US, Sweden, UK and Germany. They are very confident, independent, have recognition of personal initiative and achievement. Conflicts that UK experience, that they maintain loose social structure, they cant control a person, they more likely to be aggressive and tend to have their own way. While Asian culture  promotes cooperation and teamwork that sometimes they are very dependent to one another. Relying to each other to finish a certain task or project. In the Philippines, conflicts arise when people tend to pass their work and rely to the help of their subordinates or co-workers that results to delayed of a certain task. Without knowing the operational conflicts in an international context may result in some costly blunders in business marketing and management, it also can affect seriously the success of international business negotiations. Question 3 A.) Jo Barnes and Monsieur Hulot are both managers of Port Philip Pharmaceuticals are based in two different countries. Jo Barnes is an Australian International manager who oversees the operation in France under the management if Monsieur Hulot, a French national. Describe and Compare how each of these managers deals separately with the management issue that is affecting the operation of  Port Philip Pharmaceuticals? Jo Barnes is an Austrailan International manager, shes educated, confident, independent woman. Jo Barnes belongs to a country of an individualistic culture,  culture that shows a relative preference for the individual in a contrast to the group. This social structure are characterised by independence, the importance of individuals rights and recognition of personal initiative and achievement. The first approach of Jo was very self-centred that it became obvious that any idea of her running the training programs in testing techniques and quality control was not likely to be well received.   Meanwhile, Monsieur Hulot is a French Manager, which has an element of specialisation, unity of command, and unity of direction, with a hierarchical line of authority, initiative, and esprit de corps. All of the characteristics describes a Collectivist culture, these culture clearly distinguish between in-groups and out groups and expected to subordinate their individual interests for the benefit of their in- groups.   Two countries with different culture, one has been overpowered by being independent and educated (Jo) and the other focused on the benefit of all his subordinates (M. Hulot). They were not able to deal immediately the issues but Jo Barnes was able to adjust to the French culture that makes M.   Hulot be proud of her. B.) One of the challenges of international business in different countries is the different forces of International environment that impacts the role of management of multinational organisations. Evaluate any of the international forces that have affected Port Philip Pharmaceuticals in their operation and its management in France? International force that affects  Port Philip Pharmaceuticals in their operation and its management in France are the following: P3 in France are members of a collectivist, in whom they clearly distinguish between in groups and out groups and are expected to subordinate their individual interests for the  benefit of their in-groups like family and organisation. And value the overall good of loyalty to the group. They became dependent on each other, and trust everyone in their respective work that sometimes not well, as they rely on each other. With a relatively high power distance (uneven distribution of power). Hand in hand with a focus on individual rights and personal achievement. They are concern about their status differences and show proper respect to their superiors. This status difference exist within P3 may be based on age, social class or family role. P3 employees had high opinion for themselves and have professional knowledge. Power distance exists based on education and wealth too. P3 also possess high uncertainty avoidance, they prefer structure and predictability that results in explicit rules of behaviours and strict laws. They do not want changes. Not risk takers. They limit themselves into new ideas or innovation.   Language barrier was also became an international force to P3s management and operation. One of the hindrances that they encounter dealing that not most of them cannot speak English. Translations as well can have different meanings or connotations.   C.) A multinational company like Port Philip Pharmaceuticals deals with many constituents. Evaluate the management approach of Jo Barnes in dealing her constituents in Philippines and France. Jos management approach in the Philippines just worked very well. Filipinos were known to be hospitable. She doesnt find any hard time in dealing with them. As Filipinos knows how to respect and deal with different kinds of people. Filipinos with a high degree of Power Distance tends to accept and give importance of a cultures position (Australia) along a certain cultural dimension. They know how to accept and adopt once culture. Jo was taken out for a dinner in a wonderful restaurant, every day and night she was entertained, wined and dined. While during working hours Filipinos had listened respectfully to Jos suggestions for improvements. On the other hand, when shes in France her situation was different from the Philippines. Her first approach just failed as she tends to be an individualistic (independent, self-centred, personal initiative and  achievement) person, she was informed that her qualifications to be inadequate. As a result of this approach, the French chemists had high opinions of themselves and their professional knowledge was not prepared. It became obvious that any idea of her running training programs in testing techniques and quality control was not likely to be well received. On the next day, Jo remembered how Filipinos treated her. Jo adopted a new strategy. She made a little speech thanking M. Hulot for his courtesy in inviting her to visit the company and congratulated everybody on its fine reputation, back home on Brisbane, for the high quality of its products and the creative innovations it had made to the pharmaceutical industry. And compliment how proud she is to have French Connection.   Jo Barnes, knew already to adjust and adapt to the French Culture (new sense of respect and able to know French commitment to their areas of specialization) She was able to cope up with them. She was able to put smiles on their faces and was able to start her training with everyones listening. She set aside first her educational background, her status in Australia and her personal achievement. Instead she extends her hand to help French P3. She was able to impress everyone. She showed that she was part of the group (Collectivist) person. They have one objective and goal as a group. Thats the time brainstorm arose, with everybody contributing ideas.  Everything just went well. A solution to the problem had been found and she was confident it would be implemented without a delay.   Question 4 Today, international business people must think globally about production and sales opportunities. Many global managers will eventually find themselves living and working in cultures altogether different from their own. Many entrepreneurs will find themselves booking flights to places they had never heard of. What do you think companies can do now to prepare their managers for these new markets? What can entrepreneurs and small business with limited resource do? In order for the companies prepare their manager for the upcoming new markets. They should act global and should practice globalism. Creating a closer ties or bond to other countries by way of exchange of goods and services. Through globalisation managers may increase their interdependency and may bridge between two countries. It can also innovate ideas and can easily be implemented.   The company must start to train their managers by involving themselves in the movements of ideas, information images and people. Company should provide remuneration and rewards. Provides health and safety insurance. Treating employees as assets of the company. International managers should pay attention to trends in the global industry. Able to predict globally hot topics, products and services that the new market will be interested. Managers should develop niche expertise; their skills, knowledge and abilities should be nurtured and embraced through training. The international business environment influences how firms conduct their operations in both indirect and direct ways. Managers of globalization are causing the flows of trade, investment, and capital to grow and  become more entwined-often causing firms to search simultaneously for production bases and new markets.   Companies today must keep their finger on the pulse of the international business environment to see how it may affect their business activities Each national business environment is composed of unique cultural, political, legal, and economic characteristics that define business activity within that nations borders. This set of national characteristics can differ greatly from country to country. But, as nations open up and embrace globalization, their business environments are being transformed. Globalization can cause powerful synergies and enormous tensions to arise within and across various elements of a society. Company managers must be attentive to such degrees, adapting their products and practices as needed. International firm management is vastly different from managing a purely domestic business. Companies must abide by the rules in every market in which they choose to operate. Therefore, the context of international business management is defined by the characteristics of national business environments. Because of widely dispersed production and marketing activities today, firms commonly interact with people in distant locations within the international business environment. Finally, managers and their firms are compelled to be knowledgeable about the nations in which they operate because of the integrating power of globalization. Businesses should try to anticipate events and forces that can affect their operations by closely monitoring globalization, national business environments, and the international business environment Know how to market. The concept of personal branding that suggests individuals should think of them as a brand and market their skills.  For the entrepreneurs and small business with limited resources can do is to expand their business with new target market and customers that are not too costly. They would be able to identify their local and global potential markets. Able to determine their needs and desires. Not only discover the prospects want, but why and how they want it. It is crucial, but they should meet their wants and needs. International trade specialists can help small businesses locate and use federal, state, local, and private-sector programs. They are also an excellent source of market research, trade leads, financing, and trade events. The Trade and Development Agency also helps small and medium-sized firms obtain financing for international projects. Even if you have small business yet you think BIG that would be their competitive advantage. Making sure that their business takes the maximum advantage of those areas represent their strengths of small companies. Create a constant improvement and listen to the customers. Market driven. Listen. Act. Respond to customers needs. Maximise employee productivity. Question 5 What are the claims of those who say globalisation eliminates jobs, lower wages, and exploits workers? Some societies find globalisation as a dominating concept. That it may affect their lifestyle. A country has a complex cultural conditions such as they see exploiting people on the ground of race, gender or class, people will really try to get rid such society or country. People in a certain country feel they are being over powered with foreign workers. Just like in the views of developing countries, globalisation increase phobia of inequality. It eliminates jobs from local nationality; they somehow prioritise foreign workers because they were paid at a lower wages or labour fee. Or they have lots of job opportunities but then the wages were too low, claims are they see the potential of the foreign worker or a country that offers a cheap labour. Conflicts arise and instability.   A country can outsource cheap labour and sell it on their country in a higher price. Local manufacturers feel that they are dominated by imported products. Lots of subcontracting that reduces job opportunities.   Competition became higher and risky for local workers and labourers as international dominate their working environment.   They criticize the practice of sending good-paying manufacturing jobs abroad to developing countries where wages are a fraction of the cost for international firms. It is argued that a label reading Made in China translates to Not Made Here. Although critics admit that importing products from China (or another low-wage nation) lowers consumer prices for televisions, sporting goods, and so on, they say this is little consolation for workers who lose their jobs. When a manufacturing job is lost in a wealthy nation, the new job (assuming new work is found) pays less than the previous one. Some evidence does suggest that a displaced manufacturing worker, especially an older one, receives lower pay in a subsequent job. Those opposed to globalization say this decreases employee loyalty, employee morale, and job security. They say this causes people to fear globalization and any additional lowering of trade barriers. Because of these claims above mentioned, it may cause  issues like chauvinism, fundamentalism, and religion, ethnic and racial hatred in controversy. Question 6 A.) One strategy Yahoo! Could use to deal with the Chinese government is to allow its local joint venture partner, Beijing Founder Electronics, to deal with the government. What are the benefits and risks of doing so? The benefits of Beijing Founder Electronics (joint venture partner of Yahoo!) in dealing with Chinese government, it can produce mutual gains and clear distinction of operational freedom. It is legalise and recognised by the authority. The process of hiring and remuneration will be authenticated. There will be a secure patent and copyright protection supported by the government.   The risks/influences that the government implies to Beijing Founder Electronics: There will be levels of taxation and restrictions on profit repatriation. Have controls on risks limits and observance of professional standards. Some rules to be followed and should abide. There will be labour union rules to obey. Foreign firms should regulate it.   In such way there will be benefits and risks to consider in a local joint venture of two organizations. There might be an effect and impact but still its necessarily to address it in a legal way. B.) How does a strategic alliance differ from a joint venture? Explain the pluses and minuses of such alliances? Strategic alliance (called in a government perspective) is a form of collaboration between two or more companies that can take on many forms such as: Technology transfer, Purchasing and distribution agreements, Marketing and promotional collaboration and Joint product development While Joint Venture (called in a business man perspective) involves a potentially long term of investment of funds, facilities and resources by two or more companies to a combined venture which benefits all companies. All involved will have an equity stake in the new venture. It may be formed to: Run production facilities in another country, establish a marketing distribution presence, use complementary technologies held by each participant and Joint venture can also be used to get around country trade barriers.   Advantages or Pluses of these alliances: Forming a business relationship with a partner, or partners, may provide you with a number of advantages. You may be able to access technologies or patented processes owned by the other partner. You may be able to access their distribution network. Enable firms to share costs and risks of the research and development of new products and process. International alliances serve to avoid import barriers (Free flow of goods). Licensing requirements and other protection legislation. Disadvantage or Minuses of these alliances: Global alliances are usually slow in the making, but in a highly competitive they present a faster and less risky route of globalisation. It is not easy to negotiate and finalise an argument, but if both parties have approved the agreement everything will be fast. Problems and challenges that alliance may encounter:   Shared ownership (risks of shared assets), differences in national cultures (cultural differences; national and organisational culture), difficulties with integration of different structure and systems, distribution of power (may dominate one partner when it comes to process/ideas/outcome), competition within partners, conflicts between relative centres of decision and control. Disclose confidentiality of information, usage of patented technology or intellectual property rights, difficulty on collaborative efforts that lead to mistrust and secrecy. All the advantages and disadvantages mentioned above are inevitable in having alliances. Alliances may work and may not work well. So alliances, should consider their strengths and weaknesses. Ideal partnership takes advantage in their both core competencies that will strengthen weaker areas of a company business.   Question 7 A.) Evaluate the management strategy used by Brandon in order to finalise the deal of the Yokohama parts with Mr. Kumatsu and how it led to success or failure of the deal? The management strategy used by Brandon to finalise the deal of the Yokohama parts with newly appointed Japanese executive, Mr. Kumatsu was based on direct coordination which decision making is based on the merits of the individual situation. It should not treated that way as Japanese have a high uncertainty avoidance which pertains to dislike of any changes (resistance to change) and want the process in a prefer structure and predictable as Japanese company always look for a long-term goal. It also give least common approach that gives more pressure to Yokohama parts and able not to coordinate well. From the above mentioned strategy Brandon used, it led him to be unsuccessful with the deal. The complexity and interdependence of both parties decrease the needs to think parallel and drawn up to a contract. B.) Design an effective management strategy for Brandon to successfully achieve a good international dealing with their companys suppliers in Japan. For Brandon to successfully achieve a good intetrnational dealing with their company suppliers in Japan, the effective management strategy should be managing resistance to change. This strategy will change raises anxiety over fear of the following: Economic loss, basically Japanese company look after their economic status if the deal/opportunity is worthy to grab and if it will be beneficial to the company as well to the country. Inconvenience, they want to reduce the cause of trouble or problem. They more likely want to have an easy access. They want to be more convenient and efficiency. Uncertainty, basically Brandon must prove that theres no doubt in their business negotiations and be certain enough. Break in status-quo, Brandon must prove that it will be a breaking through deal, that he will have no fear in making it through a good negotiation and provide a quality service for Mr. Kumatsu. In using the above management strategy, it would be a successful deal as it leverages distinctive mix of orientations and strategies. It is global technological competence with unique product development. It also focuses on quality and leveraging of foreign distributor competencies. Brandon should also adapt to the demands of its new environment and culture as it remains the most effective way of maintaining a lasting competitive advantage. http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0131746170/pdf/Deresky_CH03.pdf http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/09/19/3-things-to-do-now-to-prepare-for-the-new-job-market http://catalogue.pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/hip_gb_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0273752634.pdf International Strategic Management (Strategic Formulation and Implementation) Hodgetts, Luthans and Doh, International Management: Culture, Strategy and Behaviour, 6th Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2006)