International Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

International Business Strategy - Essay Example 30% of the 1100 joint ventures shaped before 1967 between one of the US firm and the company from the other developed nation did not survive largely due to organisational or strategic changes made by the management (Killing, 1982). The paper attempts to explore some key reasons behind the failure of large IJVs; at the same, it will also find the specific success factors of IJVS in emerging economies. Cultural difference between partners is considered one of the principal reasons that come in the way to the success of joint ventures. Before forming a joint venture, the companies do not conduct compatibility analysis. Most of the time, their management style differs from each other. One could be more decentralised in its decision making process while the other partner believes in more control and does not provide enough freedom to its line staff. Even after forming a joint venture, no efforts are made to create a suitable mix among the staff making the joint venture nonfunctioning. Farkas and Avny (2003) argue, "Difference in organizational culture is the reason for performance gaps in joint ventures rather than national culture differences. They also state, "The influence of cultural difference on the performance of international joint ventures is indirect, but highly influenced by the level of trust between its partners†. The researchers studied those joint ventures where one of the partners hailed from Israel. Cultural differences between western multinational enterprises and Japanese companies have also been determined as the factor behind the failures of their joint ventures (Brown et al. 1989). Chryslers merger with Daimler is worth mentioning here that could not evoke successful outcomes due to cultural mismatch between them. The Chrysler division was a profitable division prior to merger but its performance deteriorated after the merger. Management undertook several layoffs at Chrysler following the merger that was never anticipated in the beginning.

Price Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Price Discrimination - Essay Example 0 B C A D Quantity In the above diagram the horizontal axis measures quantity in the vertical axis we measure nominal price and utility expressed in terms of money. KD is the marginal utility curve. The price is given by OP. So E is the equilibrium point that obeys the two conditions (both necessary and sufficient). Now we can logically explain why E is the equilibrium point Let us consider that the consumer is consuming 0B amount. For 0Bth unit the consumer is willing to pay BL units of money but he actually needs to pay BG units. His willingness to pay is greater than his actual payment. So he will raise the consumption and consequently there will be a decline in the willingness to pay by the consumer. Finally at point E the willingness to pay matches with the actual payments. The marginal utility curve is the demand curve as it depicts the demand price of the commodity at each corresponding level of consumption. On the other hand at each level of price the equilibrium demand for the commodity by the consumer is determined by the marginal utility curve. In the above diagram the total willingness to pay is measured by summing up the willingness to pay at each level of q. Hence the total willingness to pay is given by the area of 0KEA and actual payment is P.q. 0A*0P= 0PEA. Hence the consumer's surplus is given by the area of KEP. Mathematically we can show C.S as We suppose that is the equilibrium level of consumption which is given by 0A in the figure. As we know that then Hence consumer's surplus can be expressed as The difference between total utility (willingness to pay in terms of money) and the total expenditure on the goods consumed. Graphically the...KD is the marginal utility curve. The price is given by OP. So E is the equilibrium point that obeys the two conditions (both necessary and sufficient). Let us consider that the consumer is consuming 0B amount. For 0Bth unit the consumer is willing to pay BL units of money but he actually needs to pay BG units. His willingness to pay is greater than his actual payment. So he will raise the consumption and consequently there will be a decline in the willingness to pay by the consumer. Finally at point E the willingness to pay matches with the actual payments. The marginal utility curve is the demand curve as it depicts the demand price of the commodity at each corresponding level of consumption. On the other hand at each level of price the equilibrium demand for the commodity by the consumer is determined by the marginal utility curve. In the above diagram the total willingness to pay is measured by summing up the willingness to pay at each level of q. Hence the total willingness to pay is given by the area of 0KEA and actual payment is P.q. The difference between total utility (willingness to pay in terms of money) and the total expenditure on the goods consumed. Graphically the portion below the demand curve and above the price line represents consumer's surplus. (Sen, 2002) The first degree of price discr

Dance of Life Essay Example for Free

Dance of Life Essay The painting â€Å"Dance of Life†, created by Edvard Munch in 1900, is a painting that portrays people in different stages of life. It portrays two women who seem sad, a third woman who seems happy, and a bunch of other women dancing with men. The painting implies that life is difficult and that it can be depressing at times, but that it always goes on. The arrangement of the women in a half circle represents the phases of life. The women on the end of the half circle are both standing alone. The woman on the far left stands alone, representing youth, and wears white, representing innocence. The woman on the far right stands alone, representing the loneliness of old age, and she wears black, representing death or loss. The women dancing in the background represent the different phases of life and the enjoyment that can be found in every phase of life. The woman in the center of the painting represents the idea of being out of step with the ‘dance of life’. She wears a red dress, different from all the others. Red represents danger or anger which can be perceived as negative, but by painting her in the center the artist respects her unique position in life and implies that her difference from the rest is a positive quality. The way that others are turned towards her represents how people in society center so much of their lives on attention to others’ decisions. More than half of the painting has a green background representing life and vitality. The top quarter of the painting is a blue body of water that simultaneously represent tranquility. The juxtaposition of these two represents the necessity of having balance in your life. The green, as well as the people dancing, represent the joy to be found in life. Most of life should be joyous, coupled with the tranquility, silence, and reflection represented by the blue and the three girls not dancing. The different colors used in this painting represent all the different aspects in life and how important it is to acknowledge all of them. The artist doesn’t use harsh lines or defined shapes in this painting. All the shapes are smooth and rounded. It really adds to the implication that life flows. The smooth shapes help the painting transition from left to right. The smooth shapes support the half circle shape and it all works together to create a path for the eye to follow. There’s not a large contrast of darkness and light; most of the painting is dark except for one column where the sun is, which casts more light on the girl in white. This gives the idea that there’s more light, more carefree-ness in the youth. The entire painting is two dimensional. Though there are clearly different rows and elements to this painting, the grass, water, and sky all seem to run together in a flat way. This gives the feeling that we are bigger than life; that we are bigger than the problems of the world around us. The painting has three central points of interest; the three women in their different phases of life are set up as the most significant points of the painting. It represents the phases of life and brings to mind the emotions associated with those phases. The young girl in the white dress stands next to flowers which only accentuate the idea of youth and imply that the girl, like the flowers, will still continue to grow. The older woman on the end seems to have a morose, solemn look about her. It implies introspection and reflection on the long life she’s lived. It gives pause to the viewer and causes them to be solemn. One reason the painting conveys its message so well is because of the way the women are set up in contrast to each other. The harmony in the painting is created in the way that the women wear white and the men wear black. It creates a calm background which sets up a better backdrop to set the three women apart. The sun setting over the water creates a smooth backdrop and adds an idea of resignment to the painting; as though it’s okay to accept this ‘dance of life’ as a way of living. Unity is completely achieved in this painting as all of the people have something in common; be it gender, clothing color, or disposition. This is a closed compositional painting and it’s emphasized by the circle closing off at the edges of both paintings. It represents the idea of the circle of life and ensures that every aspect of life is contained in the painting. The lines and structure of this painting seem unintentional. The lines of the grass and the separation between the water and the sky aren’t straight or harsh. They’re smooth and blurred, creating an intentionally casual dynamic. The point of view of the painter is that life is short and that people are happiest in their youth. The older woman seems to have a look of remorse or regret on her face as she stares at the lady in red. The painter seems to be saying that we, as the viewers, should enjoy our youth and live without regrets. It also gives implications about life and the human experience; life is contained in a short circle and passes by quickly. In any phase of life, there are things to be enjoyed and appreciated because life passes by way too quickly. The painter’s view of the world is that there’s good aspects of every part of life. He seems to think that youth is the best part of life and that mistakes are central to life. The way that everyone circles around the woman in red represents that life circles around mistakes and trials but that it’s all surmountable. The painting accurately describes the way that the artist sees the way the life begins and ends; the way that we start as the girl in white—innocent and hopeful and young—and that we end as the lady in black—feeling morose and sad and as though life has slipped away all too suddenly. The way that she looks at the girl in red implies that the painter thinks that in our old age all we have to look back on is the choices we made, the friends we choose to keep, and the happiness that we choose to create. Though this was painted in 1900, it very accurately represents our culture right now. It’s a reminder to seize the day, to live for the moment, to make the most of whatever phase of life you’re in so that you won’t look back at the end of life and regret choices or missed opportunities. This painting causes me to reflect on my life and the decisions that I make. It makes me want to focus more on being happy with the phase of life that I’m in and to appreciate being youthful and carefree. It reinforces the desire to not make decisions that will keep me out of the circle. The painting gives the feeling that life is to be enjoyed, and that no matter what it will keep going.

Reflective Portfolio of an Occupational Therapist

Reflective Portfolio of an Occupational Therapist Reflective Portfolio and Continuing Professional Development Portfolio The HCPC defines a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) portfolio as: ‘A range of learning activities through which health professionals maintain and develop throughout their career to ensure that they retain their capacity to practise safely, effectively and legally within their evolving scope of practice’. (Allied Health Professions project) Put simply, a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio is a way for professionals to continue to learn and develop throughout their careers so they keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are able to work safely, legally and effectively within social services or the private sector. Alsop (2000) recognises that there is a wide range of benefits of CPD. By keeping a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio it helps to encourage a higher standard of personal professional performance. It demonstrates a commitment from the healthcare professional to ensure the best practice is given as well as demonstrating a dedicated commitment to service users. Continuing Professional Development Portfolio requires some specific documents. For example a CPD portfolio requires a fully up-to-date Curriculum Vitae and a personal statement with a summary of current work and how your CPD improved the quality of your work and the benefits you have provided to your service users. As well as the basic necessities there are a variety of things that could be beneficial to include in ones Continuing Professional Development Portfolio such as informative hand-outs or articles that have impacted upon your understanding of Occupational Therapy or examples of your skills applied to your current situation. Another key aspect of keeping a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio is to have regular reflections of your objective practices and assessments. By turning ones experiences of practice into a written form of documentation it will help each individual identify and support their learning outcomes and learning needs. It also helps to have a wide ra nge of learning activities including peer review/feedback and group projects. As well as peer feedback from group work it would also be beneficial to include feedback on assignments from professors, illustrating how your learning has developed, and your practice has improved. The Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (COT, 2010) specifies the requirements of an Occupational Therapist in relation to keeping a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio. It states that all Occupational Therapists must continue to keep a CPD portfolio that may be audited by the HCPC every five years. Each professional must make sure that their CPD Portfolio shows a variety of different kinds of activities and that each activity is relevant to their line of work. Each CPD portfolio should aim to improve the quality of work you produce, and ensure that each healthcare professional is able to practice safely and effectively within their scope of practice as well as being able to practise within the legal and ethical boundaries of each varying profession. For example an Occupational Therapist because they have such a holistic approach to their care would need to be aware of the impact of culture, equality and diversity on their practice (HCPC 2013) With each health care prof essional updating their Continuing Professional Development Portfolio they will be able to draw on up to date and appropriate knowledge and skills to inform their practice decisions and to help them understand the need to establish and maintain a safe practice environment. However a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio is not just kept by Occupational Therapist’s but are required from the entire multidisciplinary team A multidisciplinary team (MDT) is composed of members from different healthcare professions with specialised skills and expertise. This is beneficial to the patients because when professionals from a range of disciplines with different but complementary skills, knowledge and experience work together they are able to deliver comprehensive healthcare aimed at providing the best possible outcome for the physical and psychosocial needs of a patient and their carers. Multidisciplinary care occurs due to the fact that a patient needs may change with time and treatment. Since the team has such a diverse range of professions to call upon for a patients care the structure of the team may also change to meet these needs. There are many health care professions that make up a multidisciplinary team ranging from District Nurses, Physiotherapist, Doctors, Speech and Language Therapists and of course Occupational Therapists The role of an Occupational Therapist can provide many benefits within the multidisciplinary team. Their specific training allows them to hold the distinctive role of understanding a patient’s medical, physical and psychological state and the impact that their disability or injury might be imposing on their lives. It also helps that occupational therapists are able to address an individual’s broader goals that will help a patient integrate with their local community and reduce depression and participate in the activities that are important to them. Essentially Occupational Therapists prove to be instrumental in combined teams as they are able to understand both the health and social care context of a client. The Occupational Therapists have a unique opportunity to link various professionals dealing with a clients care. They can act as the cohesive agent to maximise the effectiveness of a team. They have involvement in working with both health and social care and return to work schemes. Unlike the rest of the multidisciplinary team Occupational Therapists’ provide a client centred approach to their practice, they look at the person as a whole so involving the clients occupation, their environment and their spirituality into their treatment. ‘The occupational therapist values individual experience, cultural diversity, religious beliefs and lifestyle diversity in their clients. The expression of these values means that occupational therapy is essentially a flexible process in which the therapist listens to the client in order to understand and respond to their individual needs, values, interests and aspirations. For intervention to be integrated into the life and context of the individual, the family and carers, it must be culturally sensitive and culturally relevant.’ (Creek 2003, p29). This client centred approach is also greatly aided by the fact that occupational therapists have an extensive knowledge and understanding of the equipment and adaptations that are a major part of healthcare services (Rabiee and Glendinning 2010). This makes Occupational Therapists a valuable part of the MDT for the government as they drastically help reduce the cost of care for some clients. A recent study which explored the relationship between provision of correct equipment from an Occupational Therapist and the reduction on care package costs and residential care found that on average the cost of an eight week care package was dropped by over  £60,000 (Hill. S (2007). This was because housing adaptations made by the Occupational Therapist greatly reduced the need for daily visits and reduced or even in some cases removed the costs for home care this ultimately brought savings in that ranged from  £1,200 to  £29,000 a year. (Heywood and Turner.2007). Ultimately the setting up of supplementary moving and handling equipment by the occupational therapists reduces the need for two carers to assist the patients with their personal care. In Somerset, of the 125 services users who were assessed; 37% of them are now only assisted by one carer instead of two, with savings of  £270,000 achieved. The average initial investment in equipment was  £763 per service user (Mi ckel 2010). This additional money saving shows that the Occupational Therapists are a cost effective and highly efficient members of the multidisciplinary team, who can provide holistic, well rounded care to each individual patient. As well as all members of the multidisciplinary team having to keep a Continuing Professional Development Portfolio they must also keep reflection folders. Reflection can be defined as a framework through which professionals can explore all issues involved in clinical practice to them it is a means of enabling practitioners to theorise about practice and thus enable theory to emerge from practice. Schà ¶n (1983) presents the idea that there are two types of reflection: Firstly there is reflection in action this is when the professional’s instinctive actions are reflected upon, whilst they are carrying it out the actions or assessment, and altered as necessary whilst in the situation. Secondly there is reflection on action this is when we as professionals step back from the performance and reflect on that action at a later time and date. Many different professionals have presented different models of reflection for healthcare practitioners to follow, ranging from Graham Gibbs, Christopher Johns and John Driscoll. Graham Gibbs developed his reflective cycle (Gibbs 1988) based upon each stage of David A. Kolb’s experiential cycle (Kolb 1984). He suggested how a full structured analysis of a situation could take place using prompt questions at each stage. It is probably the most cited model by health care professionals but does not contain the number or depth of prompt questions contained in some other models Description In this section, the professionals need to explain what they were reflecting on. This means that they need to include background information, such as what it is they were reflecting on and tell the reader who was involved. It’s important to remember to keep the information provided relevant, to-the-point and most importantly confidential. Feelings In this section the professional needs to discuss their feelings and thoughts about the experience. They need to consider questions such as: How did you feel at the time? What did you think at the time? What did you think about the incident afterwards? Here they are able to discuss their emotions honestly. Evaluation-For the evaluation, the professionals need to discuss how well the event went. Including factors such as: How they reacted to the situation at hand, and how did other people react to the same situation? What was good and what was bad about the experience? Analysis- In the analysis, one needs to consider what might have helped or hindered the event at the time. The professional also has the opportunity here to compare the experience with the literature they have read. Conclusion- In the conclusion, it is important for the professional to acknowledge: whether they could have done anything else; what has been learned from the experience; consider whether they could you have responded in a different way. If the experience was positive it is important to discuss whether the same actions would be undertaken to ensure the same positive outcomes next time. At the same time considering if there is anything that could have been change a to improve things even further. If the incident was negative then you need to reflect on how this could have been avoided and what needs to be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I chose Gibbs’ model of reflection to use in my own assignment, because I found that the structure was easy to follow, and was laid out clearly. The instructions were simple and sequential. In addition to this the model was easy to apply to my assessments and my clients. Applying the Model to an Assessment performed on Placement. For confidentiality reasons during this reflection the client will take the pseudonym of Mrs Jones who was a seventy five year old woman and my educator will go by the pseudonym of Mrs Smith. Description In this section I will be reflecting upon a washing and dressing assessment with Mrs Jones that took place on the ward before her returning home. Mrs Jones was in hospital for several months after suffering a fall at home. Mrs Jones lived at home by herself in a two storey house, with three bedrooms but with a downstairs toilet and bathroom. Involved in this assessment were myself, Mrs Jones and Mrs Smith. The assessment took place on the ward in a small wash room and toilet. After her fall Mrs Jones had been using a Zimmer frame to walk around the hospital ward. Feelings As this was my first assessment on my own naturally I was incredibly nervous. Throughout the entire assessment I was worried that I was going to make a wrong choice or a poor decision. Throughout the assessment I was also conscious about trying to impress my educator, so actually I could be guilty of focussing more upon impressing my educator than focussing on the patient. However after the assessment had finished I did feel that it had been a success! Mrs Jones had performed well proving that she was capable of washing and dressing herself with minimal assistance from myself or from Mrs Smith. This ultimately proved that she was ready to return home. Evaluation- During the assessment I felt that I remained calm and collected and managed to keep my nerves under control. However looking back on the assessment and after a discussion with Mrs Smith, I feel like I could have been a bit firmer with Mrs Jones. For when she kept asking to sit down and rest during the assessment I would let her whereas Mrs Smith said that she would had encouraged Mrs Jones to keep going. Stating that since being on the ward Mrs Jones had become used to the nurses doing everything for her and that whilst she was with us I would need to learn to differentiate between Mr Jones genuine need for help, for example when she needed help washing the top of her back and when she was being lazy and trying to get me to do things for her. However Mrs Smith said that being firm but fair with clients would become much easier with age and experience. Analysis- During this assessment I also learnt to give the physical environment much more thought before starting a washing and dressing assessment. The cubical wash room was quite small and I failed to take into consideration that during the assessment I would have to manoeuvre myself, Mrs Jones and Mrs Jones’ Zimmer frame around the toilet, shower and wash hand basin. I should have realised that I should have entered the wash room first in order to have full access to all the facilities, however I politely followed Mrs Jones into the bathroom, but then had the difficulty of moving round Mrs Jones and her Zimmer frame in order to move on with the assessment. A greater awareness of the physical environment would have enabled me to pre-empt this inconvenience. Conclusion- In conclusion I feel that the assessment was a positive experience for both myself and Mrs Jones. In order to replicate the same positive experience for both parties, I need to remain confident and emphatic to my clients, whilst ensuring I am realistic with their abilities. The fact that I remained in an energetic and encouraging mood help lift the spirits of Mrs Jones, and inspired her to keep going in the assessment even when she claimed she didn’t want to. I found that the mood of the Occupational Therapist can quite often transfer to the patient, so remaining positive whilst in front of the client is essential to a beneficial and successful assessment. Reflecting on all of my assessments whilst on my placement helped me identify my future learning needs. I realised that there is still plenty of room for me to grow and develop not only as a professional but also as a person. Mrs Smith and all of the clients helped me understand that to grow as a professional I need to continue to build therapeutic and respectful relationships with my clients. Although a strong rapport with patients is essential at the same time I need to learn to distance myself emotionally from my clients and to continue to remain professional. For a few times on placement and during initial assessments I found myself becoming emotionally attached to my clients, viewing them as if they were a family member, my grandparents for example. In order to become a better professional I need to learn to differentiate sympathy and empathy for my clients. Once I have managed this it will be easier for me to learn to find the balance between firm and fair when assessing my eld erly clients, and only ask them to do what was realistically achievable. The final learning need that I was able to identify from my multiple written reflections, and from my reflection discussions with Mrs Smith was that as a professional I need to learn to be more confident when in charge of an assessment, but this will be something that will continue to develop and grow with age and experience. In assessing a client’s needs and appropriate course of treatment I need to consider which methods will best help achieve the desired outcome. Experience will help develop my ability to determine realistic targets and reflection will enable me to create a portfolio of these methods to achieve those targets. A record of good and effective practices such as exchanges with other Occupational Therapists can only serve to enhance my professional development. References (Allied Health Professions project), ‘Demonstrating competence through CPD’, 2002. Alsop, A. 2000. Continuing Professional Development: A Guidefor Therapists. London: Blackwell Science. COT- College of Occupational Therapists 2010. Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. London. College of Occupational Therapists. Creek J (2003) Occupational therapy defined as a complex intervention. London: College of Occupational Therapists Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit. HCPC Health and Care Professions Council 2013.Standards of proficiency for occupational therapists. London. Health Care professions council Heywood F and Turner L (2007) Better outcomes, lower costs: implications for health and Dsocial care budgets of investment in housing adaptations, improvements and equipment: a review of the evidence. London: Stationery Office. Hill S (2007) Independent living: equipment cost savings. [Research report identified through the COT Killer Facts Database]. Mickel, A (2010) A ticking timebomb. Occupational Therapy News [OTnews], 18(5), 38-39 Nottingham University: Reflection Models online accessed 25/04/2014 http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nmp/sonet/rlos/placs/critical_reflection/models/gibbs_model.html Rabiee P, Glendinning C (2010) The organisation and content of home care re-ablement services. (Research Works 2010-01). York: University of York, Social Policy Research Unit. Schà ¶n D.A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. Aldershot. Arena

Near the end of the book Atticus says to Heck Tate, Sometimes I think :: English Literature

Near the end of the book Atticus says to Heck Tate, Sometimes I think I'm a total failure as a parent, but I'm all they've got. How do you judge Atticus as a parent? Does he make any mistakes? What do other characters say about him? Near the end of the book Atticus says to Heck Tate, "Sometimes I think I'm a total failure as a parent, but I'm all they've got." How do you judge Atticus as a parent? Does he make any mistakes? What do other characters say about him? Atticus is a single parent who is nearly fifty years old when we first meet him. He lives with his two children, Jem who is 10 at the beginning of the book, and Scout who is six. His wife died when Scout was two, so Atticus has had to bring the children up for four years, on his own, with help from Calpurnia-a coloured servant. Atticus is a lawyer, who practises in his hometown, which is a small town called Maycomb in Alabama. Hard times fall upon the Finch family when Atticus is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white girl. Atticus does not have to agree to take the case, but his self-respect and pride demand that he makes sure Tom gets a fair trial. He knows that he does not have a good chance of winning the trial, because it is a case of a white mans word against a black man, he admits this, "we were licked before we started". This act displays his belief in humanity and his sense of justice. It also verifies that Atticus is not a racist man and views the black community as equals. This attitude was not prevalent at the time, despite the fact that it was over seventy years since the Civil War. We learn of Atticus' approach to bringing up his children when Scout says, "he played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment". This, however, is not the only view Scout and Jem have of their father. To begin with they seem disappointed that their father does not do the same sort of things that other fathers do. He does not play football or poker, and he does not drink or smoke. Even though Atticus may have been remote in some of his dealings with his children, he did speak frankly to them, even about embarrassing things. He bought them a shotgun for Christmas, telling them not to kill a mocking bird. He may have been reserved, but I think he was

Omnipotence And St. Thomas Aquinas :: essays research papers

Omnipotence and St. Thomas Aquinas Omnipotence literally means the ability to do all things, or to have absolute power. This quality seems to be generally accepted as an intrinsic characteristic of the Judaeo-Christian god, as it says in Luke I. 37, "...there is nothing that God cannot do.". Certain objections can be raised to attributing this characteristic to god however, in-so-far as this characteristic seems to conflict with other accepted attributes of god. In The Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquinas addresses some of these objections, the most telling of which can be restated as: (I) To sin is an action, however god is unable to sin. Therefore god cannot be omnipotent. (ii) The greatest act possible of god is his practice of "sparing and having mercy". There are actions judged to be much greater however, such as creating a world. Therefore god is not omnipotent. (iii) If god is omnipotent, then everything is possible and nothing is impossible. If this is true however, things which are necessary (things which cannot possibly not exist) are no longer so. This is impossible - therefore god cannot be omnipotent. Aquinas begins his rebuttals by defining what is encompassed by the characteristic of divine omnipotence. He explains that god is able to all things which are "possible absolutely", which he defines as all things which can be logically expressed without the predicate being in conflict with the subject - i.e. god is capable of all things which do not involve a contradiction in terms. This does not imply any defect in the power of god, Aquinas goes on to say, because impossible things by definition have "no aspect of possibility", moreover, it is absurd to expect divine omnipotence to encompass the logically impossible. (I) Aquinas answers the first objection as follows. He explains that "...to sin is to fall short of perfect action; hence to be able to sin is to be able to fall short in action..." which he attests is contrary to the meaning of divine omnipotence. (ii) In answering the second objection Aquinas points out, "It is not

Former president of South Africa Essay

My friends and I had joined and have been a member of the African National Congress for a long time. Our non-stop mission is to remove apartheid. Since 1944, when I had just joined the antiapartheid organization ANC, we have been trying to talk with the government officials about the unfairness and the disadvantages of apartheid. Our non-violent mission to get rid of apartheid seems to go nowhere. The United Nations and the United States, too, is backing us up with our couple of hundred black colored folks. Since the government is mostly white dominated, they wouldn’t listen to our concerns because removing apartheid would be a great disadvantage for them. Most factory or company owners are white. Removing apartheid would mean that they would have to pay the blacks and the colored folks the same money since right now white people get more paid than us. This is just one of the many things the whites would suffer if an antiapartheid nation was formed. In the footsteps of Mohandas Gandhi we pursue a non-violent protest. â€Å"I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.† Clearly, one could draw the point on how miserable our lives were and under these circumstances you suffer greatly or stand up for your culture, stand up for your country and the meaning of our tribes. A changing world demands redefinition of old concepts. Africa, first step where humans took on this planet and we follow the biblical rules. â€Å"I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.† Dear Journal: November 1962 This is my first night in prison. I do not write to you in shame since I believe to be lucky enough to escape hanging. I am currently imprisoned at Robben Island with some of my colleagues for protesting against the true Africans not having any democratic rights, which wiped out the possibility of bringing peace to South Africa. We Africans do not even have any of the Basic Human Rights. We are born with these rights and unless we give them up  for a certain type of government they are ours to keep. Us not having any human rights was an unarguable point since at Sharpeville in March of 1960 the police fired at an African crowd and killing 67. Most of them were shot in the back. â€Å"No one in his right senses would choose such a life, but there comes a time when a man is denied the right to live a normal life, when he can only live the life of an outlaw because the government had so decreed to use the law.† I could have continued with my life with what I was taught to do in life; fight, and since I was almost considerably a professional boxer I could have made good money and have a high-social life. But I chose to fight for our Basic Human rights, bring peace and end apartheid. And is this what I get for trying to get equal rights? I have been sentenced for life in this forbidding, desolate place. â€Å"This was my home. It was so big at the time. I don’t know why it is so small now.† I am treated harshly in this place. We do not receive healthy food and we have to work in a lime quarry. I can only write letters no longer than 500 words every six months and eventually I was able to talk with Winnie my dearest wife. We were not allowed to read books nor newspapers so the only way I could get information about what is going outside was through Winnie and her letters. Dear Journal:December 27, 1988 You could say I’m getting used to my imprisonment. Since December, I was moved to a cottage at Victor Verster Prison. The reason I believe why the government moved me to this comfortable prison is because; back in August, when I became very ill the government was afraid that if I died there would be a massive revolt. Because of my enormous popular support, I was taken to one of the best medical centers in the country. When in October I felt better, I was moved here. I feel much safer and more comfortable. This was just a prison farm even with a swimming pool. At least I do not have to work on fixing roads and collecting seaweed on hot summer days. During the winter, back at Robben Island, we worked at Limestone Quarry and after 10 years of labor my doctor told me that I shouldn’t lift so hard. The South African Government published my photos to show how much comfort I was living in. After all the restrictions I have received, these were the first photos of myself since 1966. â€Å"In the name of the law, I found myself treated as a  criminal†¦not because of what I had done, but because of what I stood for, because of my conscience.† After all I did expect them to treat me harshly, I was the one of few man who stood up for my country and because of what I was trying to accomplish made it so unbearable towards the government. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.† The United Nations Article states that all men shall have the basic human right, independence and equal treatment. So I shall receive that right. Dear Journal:August 17, 1984 I have been telling you about in how horrible living conditions that black people live in. But maybe you don’t exactly know what they are. Well let me tell you a broad definition of apartheid. Apartheid was a law unfair to black people in South Africa and it was made even before I was born. It limited our civil rights. We couldn’t vote nor have proper jobs. We endured bad housing such as slums with no electricity or pluming. Black people were arrested most of the time for no major particular reason and put into really bad prisons. So now you know why it is so important for me to end apartheid. â€Å"A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness†¦.The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.† After 20 years at Robben Island, the state’s most guarded prison, my people were asking for my independence. In my isolation section, I was secretly able to keep track of what was going on at the outside world. According to the information I received, newspapers started writing headlines such as â€Å"FREE MANDELA† and â€Å"LET MANDELA GO.† I was so respected and recognized that the whole world started to notice how much the people wanted to free me. What I don’t understand is why they waited so long. It was hard to know what was going on but I made it my business to keep track of what was happening in my nation and in the world. The United States and Great Britain were naming streets and parks after me. I didn’t realize till today how people looked up to me  and considered me important, for what I have tried to do and will still try; end apartheid. Human rights groups and Universities gave me honors and awards but it was impossible for them to ever reach me. It’s not like they’re papers which could be sneaked in, well I will just have to wait till I receive my independence. Dear Journal:May 11, 1994 Yesterday was one the happiest days of my life. I was the president of South America. After 27 years if suffering in prisons. After the next 4 years of my release I had been involved in rebels against the government, beside my followers. These last 4 years chaotic and violent. My supporters fought viciously with the Inkatha Party of the Zulu chief Gatsha Buthelezi. Many were killed on their side but unfortunately so did many on our side. When in 1986 I started to make negotiations with Botha I had refused his deal to give me my freedom under such conditions where I had to live in Transkei, reject violence and many other things. If I accepted these conditions just for my freedom, it would be a violation of what I stand for in my spot at the ANC. I kept it a secret till when I had to tell my friends so they could help me get my freedom and I could do well for my nation. The new President of South Africa and leader of the National Party, F.W. de Klerk, in the end decided to release myself and the other political prisoners. He also made ANC legal so I when I asked him for my freedom he released me. On February, 1990 I was released. But my joyful days weren’t over yet. A general election was held in April, 1994. And about a year after the elections, yesterday I became the new and first black president of South America. â€Å"Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another†¦. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. Let freedom reign. God bless Africa!† The people were dependant on me because they knew that I would spare a civil war and follow whatever the ANC says to do so. As the people saw me end apartheid along F.W. de Klerk back in 1993 and received the Nobel Peace price, they expected me to bring many other good reforms. I promise to change the whole perception towards black people.