Brettonwoods Institution Essays

Brettonwoods Institution Essays Brettonwoods Institution Essay Brettonwoods Institution Essay 1 . What are the Bretton Woods Institutions? = There are two Bretton Woods institutions that were established by the planners at Bretton Woods in 1945. These are International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The IMF works to promote global economic growth and stability to different countries by providing policies and financing nations that are in need. The World Bank, on the other hand, lends money to devastated countries because of war and needful countries for rehabilitation and development programs. 2. What circumstances led to its formation? There are 2 reasons that I can see that led to the formation of the Bretton Woods institutions based on my research. During the Great Depression, many countries, rich or poor, were affected economically. It was a devastating worldwide economic depression after World War II. And a lot of countries were afraid for this to happen again so this is one of the two reasons why they formed the Bretton Woods Institutions. They formed these institutions to promote global economic growth and stability so that the happening in 1930 wont happen again. Another reason behind he formation of these institutions is the reconstruction of the different countries that were devastated after the World War II. Countries that were devastated after the war needed aid from the US to rebuild their nation. US used this moment to make Britain choose. But since Europe was devastated they had no choice but to accept the aid and let US prosper in the global economy. This moment was very sad for Britain because not only war the affected them terribly but also the turning point where financial power was turned from I-JK to US. 3. How did this change the relation etween/ among countries and nation states? = The United States of America became more influential than before. This can be seen when France applied for a loan in World Bank. World Bank secured that France will be able to pay the loan. But before they approved the loan, the United States Department told the French Government that it had to remove first its members associated with the Communist Party. The French complied with this and only after hours that the loan was approved. In this scenario we can see how US influenced things to be done. Focusing on the third world countries, it was difficult for them. The Bretton Woods institutions were focused more on the First world countries that the third world countries cannot cope up with policies of the Bretton Wood Institutions. To make this more specific, here is an excerpt from an essay by Victor Dike about the effect of Bretton Woods institution to third world countries. Nigeriais external borrowing dates back to the colonial period. The last colonial loan was a 1958 World Bank loan to finance the Borno Railway extension (Dike 1990, p. 3). As we have seen, the experiences of other developing nations suggest that devaluation exert a contradictory impact on real output and employment. Yet they have continued with it. Why? The reasons are contradic-tory. When Nigeria approached the International Monetary Fund in 1983 for loan, the Fund massive cuts in public subsidies in Nigeria (e. g. gasoline) made life difficult for the people. In June 1986 General Babangida announced the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) for the period of July 1986-June 1988 for the country. As social scientists have noted, the SAP was a recipe for a chain of social and political instability in Nigeria. There were riots in urban areas across the nation during this period. Many local plants were closed for lack of material inputs and spare parts. The impacts culminated in massive retrenchment of workers. The adverse effects of the SAP programs are still with Nigeria today. The economic recovery programs (the austerity measures and the SAP) were within the policy-framework recommended by the World Bank and the IMF. The key elements of the SAP programs include: 1). Exchange rate devaluation; 2). Liberalization of export trade; 3). Cut in budgetary spending; 4). Reduction of subsidies; 5) Abolition of subsidized commodity board; 6). Privatization of public enterprises; 7). Rationalization of civil service employment; and 8). Tight monetary policy (Usman, March 1999, as cited in The Guardian, April 28, 1999). Comparatively, it is appropriate to indicate that the IMF and the World Bank operate loan policies that are favorable to the GIO nations (the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. In this we can see that these countries would rather sacrifice their domestic economic growth for them to be able to borrow from World Bank. These loan policies should be not only focused on first world countries but also for these countries like Nigeria. As a suggestion, there should be friendly policies based on the domestic growth of a state. So that these institutions can promote global economic stability not only for first world countries but also for these kind of countries.

Consumer Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consumer Problems - Essay Example It is identified that carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and extreme heat produced during the disaster amplify the dreadfulness of mattress fires. This paper will explore the lethal effects of mattress fires and will also recommend solutions to the issue. Potential issues of mattress fires As per the report released by CPSC representatives, mattress fire causes 700-1000 deaths annually (Mattress and bedding fires). This huge mattress fires related death rates point out the severity of the issue. According to Mullan (2004), national fire loss estimates assert that mattresses and bedding were the major cause to ignite in 19, 400 residential fire cases attended by fire service during 1995-1999. Although many regulations have been initiated to address the issue, none of them could effectively avoid the mattress fires. The regulations could persuade industries to manufacture fire resistant mattresses. However, even the restructured mattresses are not capable of preventing the spread of fire . The issue has turned to be one of the major social concerns in the United States as technology did not develop an effective method to eliminate this problem. Although cigarette smoking in bed is the main cause of mattress fires, type of suits the individuals wearing, the furniture used, and the room setting also add to the rapid spread of the mattress fires. It is important to note that mattress fires spread very quickly in an uncontrollable manner and hence it increases the chances of fatalities and huge economic loss. According to United States Deputy Fire Administrator Chief Charlie Dickinson (as cited in Morales, 2004), mattress fire doubles itself every minute. From the reported mattress fire cases, it is observed that users of mattresses, their family members, and neighbors in nearby apartment units are at risk of mattress fire. It is assumable that the mattress fire victims would probably be asleep and it adds to the severity of the issue. Similarly, kids and aged persons a re easily affected by mattress fires since they lack sufficient physical fitness to leave the disaster spot instantly. Carbon monoxide is the deadly gas released during mattress fire disasters and it would kill individuals before the flames do. Many consumers are of the belief that previous government regulations have completely eliminated mattress fires; however, these regulations could only reduce the risks associated with mattress disasters. Solutions Obviously, it is difficult to stop the mattress fires completely; therefore, it would be better to explore some remedies that would mitigate the dreadfulness of this issue. Firstly, people must get aware of the dreadfulness of mattress fire and the available disaster response techniques. The adult persons must be careful about removing their children and aged parents from bed at the time of disaster. In addition, one must close the doors to stop fire and call the fire service department. It is advisable for the fire service departme nt to provide awareness programs to the public. Likewise, it is not practical to inhibit people from smoking in bed; hence, it is better to place a protective material layer in between sheets and mattress. In the opinion of Hammack (as cited in Sumi and Williams-Leir, 1969), woolen blankets, cotton cloth treated with a commercial launderable fire retardant, and certain types of plastic sheeting are the effective defensive measures to prevent

SWOT Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi Term Paper

SWOT Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi - Term Paper Example This paper seeks to compare and contrast the elements of business adapted by the two soft drinks giants, including PEST and SWOT analyses (Elsbach, 2006). Additionally, the paper analyzes the business culture, performance, and other organizational elements of the two giant organizations. Coca Cola and Pepsi share a similar history: an insignificant business from a simple idea that grows to a multi-billion dollar company after a century. Currently, Coca Cola sales in more than 160 countries to over 6 billion people speaking more than eighty different languages. Similarly, Pepsi is a recognized brand in the whole world, operating in numerous countries and actively competing with Coca Cola for market share. Both organization use mass-marketing strategies, focusing on the entire market rather than particular segments. Moreover, both companies offer similar product line to the same industry, thus propagating stiff competition. Both companies are very innovative as far as product packaging is concerned. Coca Cola introduced the airtight bottle concept, a major revolution of in the packaging and bottling industry. Similarly, Pepsi followed suit and introduced different sizes of returnable bottles (Fernando, 2006). The concept of non-returnable bottles, frosted bottles, and cans is attributable to both the giants. SWOT Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi Strengths Both Pepsi and Coke have long history of the world culture for quite some time. The products from the two companies represent over-romanticism and fun, an image that majority of people take deeply at heart. In addition, the brands are well recognized throughout the world, a major strong point. This enables them to operate on the global market while maintaining a local approach. Independent business people with authority to sell and distribute Coke and Pepsi products operate and own majority of the local bottling companies. Indeed, Pepsi and Coke have among the largest distribution networks in the world, which is among the strengths of the two companies (Fernando, 2006). Weaknesses Similar to any other businesses, Coke and Pepsi have their own weaknesses. For instance, the cola drinks from the two companies have experienced a significant saturation and subsequent decline in the past few years. This is attributable to the increasing awareness on the contents of the drinks. Nowadays, consumers are more attracted to healthy drinks than carbonated soft drinks, as addiction to cola drinks has an adverse effect on the human body (Czinkota, Ronkainen, and Moffett, 2009). Opportunities One of the factors affecting the competitive positions of Pepsi and Coke is brand recognition. About 94% of the world populations are aware of the two brands. Despite the saturation in North America, the two brands have enormous potential to expand and operate in non-North American market. For instance, per head consumption of Coke in India is only six bottles per head compared to 700 bottles in the United States. The refore, the two companies have potential for expansion (Oppong, 2011). Threats Being the industry leaders, the two companies face significant threats from emerging companies in the industry. Moreover, the companies are facing serious threats of substitute. Consumers are more attracted to healthier drinks, including coffee, tea, milk, hot chocolate, and milk. Nonetheless, the two giants control over 40% of the

A History of Total quality management

A History of Total quality management Total quality management is the integration of all functions and processes within an organization in order to achieve continuous improvement of the quality of products and service. Deming defined quality as a never ending cycle of continuous improvement(Allotey, 2003, p.7), Juran defined it as fitness for use (purpose) (Estafanous, Barash, Reves, 2001, p.951). Bearing in mind that TQM is a long term improvement process which requires significant resources. It is also important to realize that TQM is a dynamic process not a static process that is based upon continuous efforts to improve quality. Since there are no deadlines or targets to be met then TQM can never be considered complete which makes it to become a way of life. (Mehra Ranganathan, 2008) During the early years of manufacturing, inspection was used as a tool to decide if a workers job or a product met its requirements. In fact, at that time inspection was not done in a systematic way, yet it worked well when the volume of production was low. However, as organizations became larger and more complicated the need for more effective operations became obvious. (Montogomery, 2001, p.9) In the early 1900s, The Father of Scientific Management Frederick W. Taylor helped to satisfy this need. He proposed a framework for the effective use of people in industrial organizations through his book The Principles of Scientific Management which was republished yet again in 2008. One of his concepts was clearly defined tasks performed under standard conditions. Inspection was one of these tasks and was intended to ensure that no faulty product left the workshop or the factory, it also focuses on the product and detection of problem in the product, and testing every item to ensure that the product match as the requirements or specifications. This process is carried out at the end of the production process and requires specially trained inspectors. The need to performing this process was the reason that led to the emergence of a separate inspection department which resulted in the emergence of defect prevention concept which led to quality control. (Webb Gorman, 2006, P.32) (M ontogomery, 2001) The roots of Total Quality Management can be traced back to the 1920s when Dr W. Shewhart developed the application of statistical methods for the management of quality. He demonstrated that variation in the production process leads to the variation in the product, thus by eliminating the variation of the process a good standard of end product can be achieved. The theory of Statistical Quality Control focuses on the product and detection and control of quality problems that involves testing samples and statistically inferring compliance of all products. This process is carried out throughout the production process and requires trained production people as well as quality control professionals. Towards the end of 1920s the theory was further developed by Dodge, and Romig who developed statistically based acceptance sampling as an alternative to 100% inspection (Webb Gorman, 2006, P.32) (Montogomery, 2001). In 1940s, the quality guru Deming with his peer co-workers Juran and Feigenbaum continued with the improvement of the theory. However, instead of focusing just on quality of products the concept rapidly widened to evolve quality of all issues within an organization i.e. Total Quality Management. (Webb Gorman, 2006, P.32) During the 1950s, many Japanese products were low quality and viewed by the world as junk products. Industrial leaders in Japan recognized this problem and decided to produce high quality products. In fact, Japanese might have not been able to achieve the aim of high quality products unless they had had the help of quality gurus such as Deming, Juran, and Feigenbaum (Soin, 1999, p.1). Deming suggested that this aim could be achieved within just five years. As a matter of fact not many Japanese believed what Deming claimed. However, they followed his suggestion in order not to lose face and because they respected him (Deming, 1995, p.139). In the late 1950s, quality control management developed rapidly and became the main theme of Japanese management. Interestingly, the idea did not stop at the management level. In the early 60s the concept of the quality control circle was first introduced in Japan by K. Ishikawa (Montogomery, 2001, p.10). A quality circle is a group of workers who meet and discuss issues to improve all aspects of workplace and make presentations to management with their ideas for improvement. In this way workers were motivated because they felt that they were involved and listened to (Cole, 1979, p.135). Another advantage was the idea of improving not only the quality of product but also all aspects of organizational issues, which probably was the start of Total Quality. The term Total Quality was first used by Feigenbaum at the first international quality control conference in Tokyo in 1969. (Stephens Juran, 2004, p.77) During the 80s and 90s a new phase of management and quality control began, which became known as Total Quality Management (TQM). Zairi et al (1994) defined TQM as a license to practise. Although there are many other different definitions for TQM yet the concept is still the same. Nowadays, TQM may be called Business Excellence and has a more clearly defined approach (Montogomery, 2001, p.10). Quality movement in Saudi Arabia: Total Quality Management has caught the attention of organizations worldwide ever since its tremendous success in Japan. The term TQM (Total Quality Management) is a management technique in which customer satisfaction is given the prime importance, and the deliverables are made highly acceptable not just through Quality Control techniques but by focussing on the process, encouraging employees to pursue quality and reducing the cost of production. And just like other countries who wish to be world class, organizations in Saudi Arabia are also trying hard to keep up to pace by implementing TQM widely throughout the country. (Al-Sulimani, 1995) In 1973 Saudi Arabia established the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO), an independent organization concerned with implementation of standards, on the local and international levels. It is also responsible for overseeing quality aspects of locally produced products. SASO developed over time and became the most important Saudi organization concerned with formulating and approving national standards for all commodities and products as well as standards for other quality aspects such as metrology, calibration, marking and identification, methods of sampling, inspection and testing. In addition to this it is also responsible for setting the rules for granting certificates of conformity and quality marks and regulation of their issuance and use. During the early 90s the growth of the quality movement in Saudi enlarged and the first non-profit organization (NPO) in the form of Saudi Arabian Quality Council in the Eastern Province was established and was sponsored by Saudi Aramco. In 1994, with the increasing awareness of the importance of Total Quality Management as a powerful tool for improving the work culture Saudi Quality Council (SQC) established its branch in the Western Region of the country with only 4 members however this organization was later transformed into an independent organization that is operating under the sponsorship of Engineering Committee. In the year 2000, this society was renamed to become known as SQC (WR). The mission of this non-profit, nongovernmental society which has operated in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia over 15 years so far is to advance individual and organizational performance excellence through providing opportunities for learning, quality improvement, and knowledge sharing. SQC (WR) started its actions by executing a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of the status of quality in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results of the analysis were then utilized to set up long term goals such as making quality a part of Saudi corporate Culture as well as setting short term goals for SQC (WR). King Abdulaziz Quality Award (KAQA): Since its establishment SQC (WR) has managed to organize 150 meetings with a quality theme and has had the participation of over than 7000 quality experts and more than 1700 members from different walks of life in its activities with Healthcare, Education, Construction and Engineering and Business Excellence Interest Groups. SQC (WR) also contributed in establishing and formulating the King Abdulaziz Quality Award (KAQA), a prestigious National Quality Award in Saudi Arabia that intends to maximize quality, efficiency and productivity in different sectors within the kingdom (Al-Amri, 2010). The award was approved in the year 2000 and has the objectives of: Increasing awareness of quality and the importance of its application. Motivating and gently pushing public as well as private sectors to adopt and apply the principles of (TQM). Increasing the quality in the production and services sectors to enhance their competitiveness in the global markets Improving organizational leadership to achieve the total quality management objectives and fulfil their responsibilities Ensuring Continuous improvement in the performance of all production and services processes Encouraging organizations commitments to national and international standards Awarding organizations which achieve the highest level of quality Increasing organizations participation in building and serving the society Building strong relationships with customers, employees, suppliers, and investors to satisfy them and gain their loyalty by applying the best methodology that help determine and deliver their requirements needs and expectations. Establishing a database for the King Abdul Aziz Quality Award Adopting quality strategic planning in order to set business plans and objectives and methods for implementation Training and developing the national workforce and creating a better work environment and improving the efficiency and technical skills of employees to enhance quality Making use of all available national resources to support operational and economic performance on the organizational level and on the national level Measuring performance level in different business areas and comparing it with the performance level of competitors and measuring results improvement Communicating the leading Saudi experiences in regards to quality and to make use of these experiences, and increasing the number of quality experts. (KAQA, no date supplied) According to Al-Amri (2010) the year 2008-2009 will always be remembered as a Year of Quality in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the great achievements that were achieved by the quality movement starting with the introduction and administration of (KAQA). However, without sustainability TQM initiatives usually fail because the main idea behind TQM is continuity over time and integration of quality management initiatives into daily organizational operations (Curry Kadasah, 2002).In support of this further Al-Turki Andijani, (1997) insist on the need for more programmes to be adopted in order to increase awareness of the importance of continuous improvement in Saudi organizations. Work Culture There has been an increasing awareness in Saudi on the importance of Total Quality management as a powerful tool for improving the work culture (Najeh Kara-Zairi, 2007) (Al-Turki Andijani, 1997). Lack of understanding about the concept of TQM by employees, limitation of information available on TQM, lack of support from senior management, focus on quick profit, and lack of documented policies and procedures appear to the author to be factors that hinder the implementation of TQM in Saudi organizations. In support of this (Ahmed Tannock, 2008) have highlighted the limited progress which has been made in quality management development in Arabic-speaking countries. People from different countries often do things differently according to their culture. Furthermore, the culture of the same country differs from one region to another and that individuals of the same culture have different beliefs and behaviours. One way to express these variations in behaviour is the idea of culture (Treven, Mulej, Lynn, 2008), referring to this Al-Sulimani (1995) mentions the difficulties and challenges of implementing the concept of Total quality management in Saudi because of the multinational workforce which is estimated to represent 60 per cent of the total labour force of Saudi Arabia (Woodworth Said, 1996). On the other hand he also argues that a workforce with experienced foreigners should improve the knowledge of the Saudi workforce. Hofstedes five Cultural Dimensions: According to Hofstede (2009) Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster. (To be completed) Power distance index (PDI): This dimension represents the extent to which the less powerful member of organizations accepts and expects unequal distribution of power and wealth. The Geert Hofstede analysis of this dimension for the Arab word including Saudi Arabia suggests a large power distance in that region, a score of 80 was recorded for this dimension see figure (1). This is according to Hofstede due to the fact that Arab societies follow a caste system that disables any significant upward mobility of its citizens. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI): This dimension indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either comfortable or uncomfortable in unstructured situations. The Hofstede analysis of this dimension for the Arab word including Saudi Arabia suggests that Arab societies are highly rule-oriented with laws, rules, regulations, and controls to increase the amount of certainty. Individualism (IDV): This dimension represents the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. The Hofstede analysis of this dimension for the Arab word including Saudi Arabia suggests that the Arab society tends to be collectivist society. The score recorded for this dimension is 38, which is considerably less than the world average ranking of 64. Masculinity (MAS): This dimension represents the distribution of roles between the genders. The Hofstede analysis of this dimension for the Arab word including Saudi Arabia suggests that women in the Arab countries are limited in their rights due to Muslim religion not due to cultural paradigm see figure (1). Long-Term Orientation (LTO): This dimension is said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. This dimension has not been applied to the Arab word. Hofstede does not report any results for Arab countries in relation to long and verses short term orientation.

HMO Regulation Essay -- essays research papers

HMO Regulation Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMO’s, are a very important part of the American health care system. Also referred to as managed care programs, HMO's are combinations of doctors and insurance companies that are formed into one organization. This organization provides treatment to its members at fixed costs and decides on what treatment, if any, will be given based on the patient's or doctor's current health plan. Sometimes, no treatment is given at all. HMO's main concerns are to control costs and supposedly provide the best possible treatment to their patients. But it seems to the naked eye that instead their main goal is to get more people enrolled so that they can maintain or raise current premiums paid by consumers using their service. For HMO's, profit comes first- not patients' lives. HMO’s are groups of doctors hired by insurance companies and are usually controlled or regulated by the hospitals who facilitate them. The majority of this limitation is due to pressure from within the organization or government pressure. The government influences hospitals into denying treatment in order to cut federal costs. These government actions generally result in a revision of private employee health care claims, and in turn certain businesses can no longer afford to provide health insurance for their employees. Consequently, approximately 50 to 60 million people go without insurance for at least one month each year. Many HMO’s constantly evaluate their services to "ensure" the best care and coverage. But in many cases, what is happening is the exact opposite. HMO's can and do conduct their business quite ruthlessly. Patients are continuously unable to receive the necessary treatment due to the insufficient HMO coverage. Many HMO's actually make more money if their doctors see or treat fewer patients. According to the Associated Press, â€Å"Consumers who have been denied a treatment that the HMO says is not covered, or who inadvertently fail to follow HMO guidelines in seeking treatment and are therefore denied reimbursement, will continue to have little recourse.† (2) Many people must drive for hours, generally sick or injured, simply to receive treatment from a doctor that will be covered by their HMO. Another downfall to HMO coverage is selective-contracting. This is a process where hospitals deny treatment to patients because their... ...ts to cover their mistakes. This is the exact opposite of what the country needs. Why should costs go up because of denied treatment? The big concern is whether or not government really understands the great difficulty in trying to control HMO’s and other health care programs without a nationalized program. Since there are some 6 million people using Medicare in HMO’s something needs to be done to ensure these patients the treatment that they need. In conclusion, there still needs to be a lot of work done to health care in the United States. Other nations provide universal health care to their citizens, but this would cause dilemmas in balancing two often conflicting policy goals: providing the public with equitable access to needed pharmaceuticals while controlling the costs. Universal health care probably would not work in the U.S. because our nation is so diverse and our economy is so complex. The system we have now obviously has its problems, and there is a lot of rom for improvement. HMO’s will still create problems for people and their medical bills, but they definitely should be monitored to see that their patients are receiving just treatment.

The Yanomamo and the Fierce Anthropologist

The Fierce Anthropologists The controversy revolving the tribe of the Yanomamo and the professionals linked to anthropology has caught the world’s attention. Rapid and unforeseeable events have set the tone for the controversy. The study of these Amazonian Indians, who live in regions of the Venezuela and Brazil border, has turned in western exploitation. Accusations about of unethical anthropologist are abundant, but little facts about such accusations are evident. The grand attention that these events have attained has turned into a focus on larger issues in anthropological practices.By comparing the approach and relationships of other research projects, we can identify just ethical standards. Most of the controversy stems from the publications about the Yanomamo tribe by anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon. His 1968 volume Yanomamo: The Fierce People made the tribe famous due to good writing and extensive interaction with one of the most isolated people on the planet. But ultim ately, the way that he portrayed them–violent and fierce–is what attracted wide audiences.Much of his books and his video productions are centralized around the theme that the Yanomamo have an immutable trait of violence. According to Chagnon, he collected data, interacted with opposing Yanomamo villages, and received testimony to arrive to his findings. His researched was very lucrative; his book sold more than 4 million copies, which is well beyond the average of other ethnographies. He not only gained financial benefits, he began to be praised and attacked by people around the globe. People accused Chagnon of exaggerating the fact that violence is a part of their culture.For instance, French anthropologist Jacques Lizot, who lived with the Yanomamo for more than twenty years, said that violence is periodic; it does not govern their social life for long periods of time. It is worth noting that Lizot was accused of homosexual acts with young Yanomamo and distributing guns. Others, like Kenneth Good, accused Chagnon of sensationalizing violence, which he elaborated in his book, New Yorkers: The Mugging and Murdering People. He explains that just because violence occurs within the Yanomamo, does not mean they should all be generalized as violent.Good also received backlash for his research because he married a young Yanomamo girl, whom he now has three children with. Another compelling argument came from the studies of Brian Ferguson. He identified Chagnon’s representation of violence as a historical situation. He states that there is a spike in violence during contact with Westerners. As it relates to Chagnon, because he brought western manufactured goods, such as steel and iron tools, he disrupted trading relationships, which lead to inter-village violence for the unequal access of those scarce and desired tools.Among all the accusers, journalist Patrick Tierney gave the controversy the most attention. Tierney’s book, Darkness in E l Dorado: How Scientist and Journalist Devastated the Amazon, explored the affects of Yanomamo’s exposure to the outside world. Published in 2000, the book accuses Chagnon of misrepresenting the Yanomamo as fierce people, being responsible for warfare by interrupting trading relationships, staging film scenes, fabricating data, giving unsupported claims of being the first to contact with the Yanomamo, violating Venezuelan law, and overall unethical practices.The next set of accusations involves geneticist James Neel, who joined Chagnon in the fieldwork of the Yanomamo in 1968. He accuses Neel of helping the measles epidemic worsen because he provided outdated vaccines and misadvised the Yanomamo, which resulted in the deaths of thousands. Many of these accusations were prevalent since Chagnon’s work in the 1960’s, but Tierney’s publication brought them together for mainstream audiences. Subsequently, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) was comp elled to launch an investigation on the controversy.After investigating the abundant accusations, the AAA exonerated Neel from worsening or causing the measles epidemic, found insufficient evidence to charge Chagnon with all of Tierney’s accusation, but did find that he did not have the Yanomamo’s best interest in mind. It is undisputed that this controversy is repelling. Even if all of the accusations were false, the mere accusations show that ethical standards were broken. Surprisingly, the controversy does reap some positive consequences; it encourages personnel–within and outside the field–to consider the appropriate standards that anthropologist should be held to.Ethical questions arise, such as: how an anthropologist explains and gains consent from the targeted group, what is just compensation, or the dynamics and limits of ‘doing no harm’ to the subjects. The unbalance of power between the anthropologist from developed societies and th eir isolated subjects is a relationship that needs to be treated with delicacy to avoid exploitation. We can compare the relationship that researcher and filmmaker John Marshall had with the Juhoansi people of the Kalahari Desert for ethical analysis.John Marshall first went to the Kalahari in 1950 and researched the Juhoansi for fifty years thereafter. His relationship with the Juhoansi was one of friendships. He, alike other anthropologist, compensated the Juhoansi for their cooperation with western goods, but he did not stop there. During one of Marshall’s visits, he found the Juhoansi living in government settlements, which provided food relief and low wage jobs, but also inflicted alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and the lack of independence.In the late 1970’s, Marshall began to advocate for more water access and agricultural opportunity from the government. Because there was such a significant interruption to the traditional way of Juhoansi life, desired changes beset different challenges. Marshall justly compensated the Juhoansi and kept their best interest in mind to avoid causing harm to them. The latter characteristic is one that is of greatest importance because harm can come in direct and indirect ways that are temporary or permanent.The American Anthropological Association standard, labeled the ‘do no harm’ rule, is one that anthropologist often have little ability to prevent. At bare minimum, anthropologists almost always interrupt a group’s way of life when doing research and compensating with goods that are scarce to their environments. Interruptions in general, require adjustment and adaption, and when dealing with groups that have customs and traditions that have not changed for possibly hundreds of years, those adjustments are problematic and often prove to be vitally harmful.For instance, Chagnon’s and other Yanomamo researchers brought western goods and weapons into their community, which created a n interruption in trading and likely contributed to their state of warfare. Further, John Marshall also unintentionally created a significant interruption when his tire tracks that he created during his visits facilitated the contact with government entities, which ultimately changed most of the Juhoansi traditional ways of life.The difference between the two examples is that Marshall actually returned and improved their situation by advocating to their interests. Chagnon not only used more coercive techniques in gaining cooperation, there is also no trace of tangible efforts made to improve the harm he contributed to in the Yanomamo community. If the AAA standards were altered to ‘do not harm only while researching’ or compensate for cooperation, little ethical analysis would be needed, but that is not the case. Doing no harm to the group is indefinite and needs to be examined even after research is complete.Additionally, a â€Å"just† amount of compensation mea ns that it needs to be fair, not just in the context of the region researched, but also that of the western entities benefiting from it; i. e. ten machetes given to the Yanomamo for an ethnography research is not equivalent $500k and advancement in the anthropologist respective career. Alike the Yanomamo, the Juhoansi continue to face challenges due to outside interference. However, their interference mostly comes form governmental entities, and the Juhoansi have been assisted by Marshall and treated ethically by other anthropologists, like Richard Lee.On the other hand, the Yanomamo face problems from miners camping in their territories, destruction of the environment by mining and other outside forces, along with other governmental issues, but it is also clear that the Yanomamo have been significantly exploited by the western world. This could be because of the lack of oversight and/or due to little ethical standards. In any case, these unfortunate chain of events should serve a g reater purpose to the ethical standards of practicing anthropologist and aspiring students.

The Idea Of Perfection In Grendel By John Gardner

The Idea of Perfection in an Imperfect World Society has become addicted to achieving perfection. Its precedence can be seen in every aspect of life from sports to appearance. The illusion of human perfection motivates great feats yet it can also be the cause of infamous failures. Famous coach and commonly quoted motivator John Wooden once said â€Å"Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfect is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts.† Working for an idea or belief that is unreachable or in some cases may not even exist seems futile, but the success of the attempt does not outweigh the presence of the effort. The idea of perfection is unachievable because everything has flaws, but the path to perfection is walkable. In his†¦show more content†¦Along with this comes the authoritative voice, but also the ability to public speak. The point that Grendel focuses on is Beowulf’s eye contact or lack thereof. He pinpoints each aspect of Beowulf that d oes not fit the expectation and obsesses over it the same way one fixates on their own imperfections. These minuscule oddities are the only faults Grendel finds which serves to his discomfort because he is not able to understand Beowulf since he is so wholesome. The peculiarities Grendel preoccupies himself with are faults that in society are often not even counted as actual flaws. Grendel is so blinded with his misunderstanding of Beowulf that he cannot see his humanistic flaws or interior flaws, and since Grendel is the narrator the absence of these shows the tendency to look for any possible errors. Perfection is so sought after that even the closest attempts to it are ripped down by criticism. The problem with perfection is that there is no definition, an individual or even a majority does not truly know when perfection is even achieved. Gardner’s verbal irony highlights Grendel’s fear for the unknown, establishing that because of the discrepancy perfection creates among individuals it will never be attained. While Grendel examines Beowulf he undergoes a fit of horror, once it passes he proclaims, â€Å"Except for his curious beardlessness, there is nothing frighteningShow MoreRelatedJoker and Batman Essay9227 Words   |  37 Pagesofficial credit for the character. Batmans secret identity is Bruce Wayne, billionaire industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and intellectual perfection, don a costume, and fight crime. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, technology, and physical prowess in his war on crime. Contents [hide] 1 Publication