Arab women essays

Arab women essays "And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has bestowed his gifts more freely no some of you than others; to men is allotted what they earn, and women what the earn...(4:32). This verse is simply implying that every man is not better than any woman or vice verca". It glues in on the fact that each sex has some advantages over the other. I am here to explain women in the Arab world and how they differ form us here in the U.S.A. As well as what makes them unique in so many ways. Women's roles are much different in the Arab workd than they are here in the United States. A wife must nither recieve male strangers nor can they accept gifts without their husband's approval. A husband has the legal right to restrict his wife's freedom of movement, which to me is unfair and unjust. He can pervent her from leaving the house without his permission uless there is a legitimate reason to do so. A wife must also not to object to the husbands right to take another wife or to have a divorce. However if she wishes to not have his freedom she is legally allowed to do so. Women however are asked not to make a display of they're figures, not to wear tight clothing that can reveal their shape and figure, nor can they appear in such dress except to there husbands, relatives living in the same household, or infants or small children who have not yet got a sence of sexual orientation. Every women is also required to cover her whole body excluding the face and hands, which is much different form how we dress these days. However, if a women is old but still has sexual desires she may take off her over-garments but nothing else can come off. The social behavior of a women is different. Men make their wife's promise that they would obstain form stealing, slander, and disobedience. When the women take this oath; they take their hands as a make of allegiance. But there are some that view this as a bit much. The pr...

7 Principles of Pitching Articles

7 Principles of Pitching Articles 7 Principles of Pitching Articles 7 Principles of Pitching Articles By Mark Nichol You’ve thought of an interesting angle on a political or social issue you don’t see discussed anywhere else. You have access to an expert who you believe would be a good subject for a timely interview, or you know an up-and-coming entrepreneur you think people will pay attention to. You know what you want to write, and you’re ready to do it and you could simply post it on your own blog, but, hey, why not get paid for it and be guaranteed a sizable audience? It’s time to prepare a pitch. A pitch, known in book publishing as a query letter, is an overture to a print or online publication about an article, essay, or review you’d like it to publish. An effective pitch gets considered; an ineffective one doesn’t. Fortunately, there are some proven strategies for making sure your pitch is of the former variety: 1. Pitch to the Publication Consider the audience. Any topic is appropriate for a number of publications, but your approach to it, and your voice, is going to be a good match for some and a poor fit for others. You can certainly adapt your take on the topic depending on the publication’s personality, but tailor each pitch to a specific recipient. 2. Be Professional Use an appropriate tone in your pitch. If you haven’t met the recipient, be formal. If the editor is an acquaintance, or you’ve had prior correspondence or personal contact, mention that fact as an entree but move on, and again, be professional. If you’ve already had your work published in the publication, remind the editor of the fact, but don’t loosen your language unless you’re certain at the risk of losing an amenable editor if you’re wrong that you can afford to be casual because of your relationship. Professional doesn’t mean â€Å"pedestrian,† though. Display your personality and your distinctive writing style, but in moderation. Think about how you would approach your correspondent in person: You’d want to come across as clever and charming but not overbearing or obnoxious. 3. Play by the Rules Unless submission guidelines specify otherwise, email a specific editor, rather than using postal mail or the telephone. If a junior staff member is listed as the point of contact, don’t try an end run to a senior editor unless you have a recommendation from a mutual contact or you already have a connection. If you’re sending a cold-call pitch, it has to stand on its own merits, no matter who reads it, and be worthy of being sent along to a key decision maker. If there’s no response, follow up after a couple of days, emphasizing the timeliness of the prospective piece, if it is in fact time sensitive. If there’s no response after an initial reply, do the same thing, but if there’s no further contact, move on. Repurpose your query for another publication and send it off. 4. Be a Solution, Not a Problem Despite the feel-good pop-psychology trope to the contrary, there are stupid questions. They’re the ones you ask the wrong person or at the wrong time. Don’t query an editor about per-word rate, word count, or other quotidian questions that may be available on a Web site FAQ page or in submissions guidelines, or by just reading a publication, and that are probably premature anyway. Asking about such details at the pitch stage is an amateur move, and a deal killer. The only question your pitch should include other than a question your article will answer is, â€Å"Are you interested?† 5. Pitch the Pitch, Not a Portfolio Refrain from submitting a CV, a resume, a summary of prior publication, or any professional background information unless any of the above are relevant to the article’s subject matter (you have an advanced degree in the subject matter, or a renowned would-be interviewee was your master’s-thesis adviser) or are especially impressive in some other respect. Do include two or three clips, preferably accessible by URLs for articles published online the more pertinent to the pitch topic, the better, but your best work will do. 6. Share Your Sources Identify by name and credentials the people you will be interviewing or consulting to inform your work and don’t include anyone you’re not reasonably certain will talk to you. If you have personal contacts a White House insider who’s a friend of the family, or a freed hostage who was your college roommate you might want to mention that. A key part of your pitch is persuading an editor that your work will be authoritative. Your personal interest in the topic doesn’t count for anything, and knowledge alone of quotable people isn’t much better; you must demonstrate that you can connect with them. 7. Audition for the Role You want to prove that you can deliver a tight, potent, incisive article that will keep readers engaged from start to finish. Demonstrate your ability to do so with a crisp, clear, concise presentation. Tell the editor what you’re going to do, and how you’re going to do it what thought-provoking idea you’re going to explore, what your perspective will be, and from whence your authority will derive. A brisk one-paragraph outline of no more than a few sentences should do the work. If you have a great idea for a headline, work that into the pitch. You might even use it for your message header but if not, make sure that what shows up in the editor’s email queue is eye catching. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of Adjectives"Have" vs "Having" in Certain ExpressionsRunning Errands and Doing Chores

Business Marketing Communication Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Marketing Communication - Article Example Instead, both academics and practitioners are embracing models which acknowledge the autonomy and unpredictability of customers. Initially building communication was not identified and recognized as a task of strategic importance in an organisation, but now with cut throat competition and a deluge of marketing tools, building relations and spreading information has increasingly become more important. One reason for seeing marketing communications as tactical rather than strategic is that much of its development and execution has been outsourced to marketing services agencies offering a range of specialisms (such as design, creative consultancy or sales promotion). This casts some doubt on its position as a core competence. Furthermore, much advertising and promotion thinking risks being short to medium term because the people and organisations involved are constantly changing. Butterfield suggests that, because of the increased importance of company-wide brand values in providing competitive advantage, marketing is becoming a way of delivering a communications strategy, rather than the other way round. The traditional hierarchy of strategy has been challenged by the increasing importance of brands as

Organizational Response to Internal and External Challenges Research Paper

Organizational Response to Internal and External Challenges - Research Paper Example There are many challenges that are experienced by various organizations and each challenge needs its own solution - each challenge is handled differently and uniquely from others. Some of the challenges might include technological advancement, change in customers’ preference, inflation, fraud, increasing local and international competition, globalization, reducing cost structures and economic crisis among others (Cathy and Tim, 2008). Many organizations find it difficult to survive in the current business environment with its technological advancement. This means that every part of organization has to keep up the pace at which technology advances for sustainable growth and competitiveness. Although modern technology is generally considered good enough to go for, it always presents a challenge to organizations in that it comes at a higher cost of adoption and sophistication. Daft and Willmott (2010) explain that not only is the initial cost expensive but also the maintenance and running costs that make it difficult to adopt and maintain. The short lifespan of technological innovations also means that companies and organizations have to invest a great deal in updating of current technology to the most current for relevance purposes. The main reason for going the modern technological way is to offer relevant services which are compatible with the societal needs and to be cost effective in the long run. An organization should always monitor the external environment for any emerging technology that has the potential of changing the way it operates hence the basis for competition. This can help in identification of the most challenges that emerge everyday with Information Technology. Some of these technologies when adapted might mean loss of jobs for individuals for instance when the desktop came, many typists who did not update their skills lost their jobs. Ragg (2011) contends that recipients or consumers of the organizations’ goods and services also offer challenge to the organizations in terms of their change in preferences, likes and dislikes, lifestyles and opinions. For instance, consumers can prefer a product to be wrapped using a polythene material while on the other hand the cost of polythene is higher than that of paper to discourage its use due to environmental concerns. The options left for the business is using the polythene wrapper then increase the price of thei r product or to continue using non polythene materials and maintain the commodity price while risking loss of customers. In case such an organization responds by adopting the first option, then the external environment will surfer by receiving non-biodegradable materials. Consumers will also experience high cost of the product which can mean that the organization may lose some of them to its rivals because of inability to cope with the increased cost. Local and international competition also presents a challenge to many organizations. Organizations with the same mission and aim and which offer the same goods and services are likely to compete with one another because each believes in itself and that it is the best or it can be the best among the pack. Once one

Recognise the impact of prejudice Essay Example for Free

Recognise the impact of prejudice Essay Three of the examples of prejudice or stereotyping in Task 9 and describe what strategies/methods as a community interpreter would use to influence/educate agencies in overcoming these barriers. Write about what systems agencies already have in place to overcome these particular barriers. Example 1: The Iranian Interpreter, how would you deal with this situation in a professional manner? Strategy: Get to know a person on an individual basis before you decide if you dont like them. Youre not going to like everyone, but you do need to respect them as an individual and spend time with them before you make a judgment. You need to realize that your way isnt the only way. Example 2: People who came from an Arab background and who attended mosques were looked at differently. This means that people you passed every day on the street were given a discrimination.This is not fair treatment Strategy: Learn about different cultures and people to understand differences between yourself and others. As you learn more, you can relate to other people better even when differences exist. You need to go where you are in the minority and experience what it is like to be in that situation. Example 3:Many people have the view of a person with mental illness as someone who is violence-prone. Strategy: Be respectful of differences. You need to be able to agree to disagree. Even if you dont have eye contact with each other, you will feel and know that their attitudes and behavior.

health and fitness Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health and Fitness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I think about people who are into health and fitness and people who are not, I notice the two groups differ greatly. These two groups have two totally different lifestyles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People who are into health and fitness wake up to a bright sunny morning, every morning, and debate with themselves if they should go on a short or a long morning run. On the last half of their morning run these people one already thinking what healthy tasty breakfast they can satisfy the hunger built up on the fun. After they decide what to eat they plan there day with the most things they can pack in their schedule. To these people everyday is a good day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also those types of people who could care less about fitness and health. These people wake up in the morning slamming their alarm clocks so hard its like dropping an anvil on a marble. And when they open their eyes no matter how nice the morning weather is, these people always see it as being real dark and gloomy, like the middle of the winter in the coldest of weather. Breakfast is a maybe to them, a maybe ill eat breakfast today or, a maybe ill have time for breakfast today knowing they are already late to begin with. The best invention for these people is an alarm clock with a snooze button.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eating is a wh...

Health & Social Care Essay

Ai Identify four key pieces of Legislation and Codes of Practice relating to handling information in social care setting. 1). Data Protection Act 1998 – Gives rights to individuals in respect of personal data held about them. It also seeks to protect individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. 2). Freedom of Information Act 2000 – The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to ask any public sector organisation for all the recorded information they have on any subject. Anyone can make a request for information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live. If you ask for information about yourself, then your request will be handled under the Data Protection Act. 3). Employees Policies & Procedures – To make sure that all records that are kept in the office are put away in a locked secure cabinet. And when you write out the daily report sheet in the Care Plan Book, make sure that the Care Plan Book is closed and not left open. 4). Health and Social Care Act 2008 – requires us to publish a code that sets out the practice we will follow in obtaining, handling, using and disclosing confidential personal information. Aii Explain how legal requirements and codes of practice affect the day to day work of a social care worker in relation to handling information. It is important to follow the codes of practice in everything you do in your day to day work. For example, I personally had a situation a while ago where my regular service user was in hospital for a couple of months, and a friend of Mr T’s approached me and asked if I could give her the key safe code so she could go into to his property and clean round and get him some shopping. I told her that I could not give her Mr T’s key safe code as it is my duty of care not to give out any information that was entrusted to me. And if I gave it to her then I would be breaking the codes of practice and my employees policies and procedures.

Organisational Analysis

The aim of this essay is to explore and discuss the view that mechanistic and bureaucratic organisations will probably struggle to encourage organisational learning. The structure and learning perspectives of organisational analysis will be used as academic lenses to view and propel this discussion. Relevant theories will be applied to analyse my own organisational experiences (direct and indirect). Examples derived from case studies of organisational situations will be looked at so as to make the discussion more cohesive. To begin with definitions of the perspectives in question will be given as to make understanding of the different types of organisations clearer. According to Drummond (2000) mechanical imagery depicts organisations as static machine-like entities operating in a steady and predictable manner. Likewise, the metaphor of bureaucracy suggests that people in organisations are bounded by rules, job descriptions and organisation charts. It is important to note that Taylor’s philosophy is founded upon mechanical imagery. The key concepts in the structural perspective are based on Taylor’s principles of scientific management and Weber’s ideal bureaucracy. Taylor (1911) formalised the principles of scientific management into four objectives which are division of labour, one best way, scientific selection and training and monitor performance. In Taylor’s view, organisations need clearly articulated objectives, sharp divisions of labour, specified hierarchies and responsibilities and formalised systems of control. Taylor saw people as near-automatons (robots), potentially troublesome perhaps, but basically programmable given proper supervision and appropriate incentives. In Taylor’s eyes, the existence of contradiction and ambiguity in organisations were signs of managerial weakness, something which could and should be eliminated. His work is basically a recipe for clarity and control (Drummond, 2000). According to Taylor (1911), output could be increased not by requiring operatives to work harder, but by showing them how to work more efficiently. Taylor came up with scientific management for shop floor workers but I have realised that even the fast food industry has adopted the same kind of set-up. Whilst working in McDonalds on the BigMac grill there was a systematic approach to work and it was timed, 1 – place buns in toaster, 2 – after thirty seconds place burgers on grill, 3 – dress the buns, 4 – place burgers on buns. This routine was done by two people and we would do this all day. Steps 1 and 3 would be done by one person and steps 2 and 4 by another; this was done so that the person handling meat stayed there and not touch the buns. It was like an assembly line because the burgers moved from one employee to the other doing different things but to achieve the same outcome. Constant monitoring was in place as we were given stars according to progress or put simply as to how many different stations you can work at, e. g. a star for each station – tills, chips or chicken. The layout of the kitchen looked like one conveyor belt going round and round. Critics have mentioned that mechanistic approaches work well when the task is straightforward, stable environment, replication, precision and compliance. All these attributes are greatly present in McDonalds and the other fact was that we had to clock in and out we were expected to behave like machines to be predictable and efficient. Extreme forms of the machine metaphor of organisations are seen in the bureaucracies and mass production factories – of which McDonalds is a bit of both. Weber based his ideal bureaucracy model on legal and absolute authority, logic and order. In Weber's idealised organisational structure, the responsibilities for workers are clearly defined and behaviour is tightly controlled by policies, procedures and rules. To a certain extent organisations should have some sort of bureaucracy and there are a number of bureaucratic structures. Morgan (1993) mentioned that the types of bureaucracy are rigid (person at the top), bureaucracy with task forces and project teams (guided by strict procedures) and bureaucracy with senior management team. The main idea that Weber brought about was the rational type of bureaucracy which is characterised by specialisation, authority hierarchy, operating rules and procedures and impersonality. Now looking at Taylor the characteristics of his organisation are division of management and labour, scientification of work and specialisation of tasks. It is not difficult to note that Taylor was a big influence on Weber and we can conclude that in these types of organisations decision-making is based on fairness and strict procedures. Weber's theory of organisations reflected an impersonal attitude towards the people in the organisation. Indeed, the work force, with its personal frailties and imperfections, was regarded as a potential detriment to the efficiency of any system. Weber’s idea of rationality was best developed further by Ritzer and coined a new term for it â€Å"McDonaldisation†. According to Ritzer (2007), a society characterised by rationalisation is one which emphasises efficiency, predictability, calculability, substitution of nonhuman for human technology and control over uncertainty. The process of McDonaldisation takes a task and breaks it down into smaller tasks. This is repeated until all tasks have been broken down to the smallest possible level. The resulting tasks are then rationalized to find the single most efficient method for completing each task. All other methods are then deemed inefficient and discarded. McDonalds have standardised their product to make it more efficient, e. g. McDonalds is the same wherever you go – a big mac is still a big mac, we know what to expect in a McDonalds and we know how to behave as well because of that predictability. McDonalds’ environment is structured in a way that there are no surprises to customers. Efficiency is brought about by looking for the best route to getting the best output with least amount of resources and costs i. e. he grills in McDonalds cook meat within seconds and one person needed to operate a grill at any time. This brings us to the notion of control and calculability, there is great reliability on technology rather than humans and emphasis is on quantity rather than quality. Clearly these two approaches to viewing organisations are sort of out-dated and can be detrimental to the progress of an organisation in this day and age. Hence organisations are requi red to be flexible and evolve and also be able to cope with today’s pressures. Organisational learning (OL) is the way forward and aims at making sure that organisations are well equipped for the ever changing market place. Weick and Roberts (1993) mentioned that OL consists of interrelating actions of individuals, which are their â€Å"heedful interrelation† which results in a â€Å"collective mind†. Organisational Learning as the ability of an organisation to gain insight and understanding from experience through experimentation, observation, analysis, and a willingness to examine both successes and failures. Heedful interrelating is made possible via contribution, representation, and subordination. Organisational learning can be done and have a finite outcome. Organisations need to work faster and adapt quickly if they are to survive the current and turbulent environmental changes. Argyrils and Schon identified different types of organisational learning single and double loop learning. Single loop learning is sometimes referred to the lowest level because it only responds to change by detecting errors and then modifying strategies. Double loop learning is an advanced form of single loop learning meaning that it questions if operating norms are appropriate whereas in single loop there is embededness of culture and learned habits become resistant to change and learning. In other words double loop learning is concerned with the why and how to change the organisation while single loop learning is concerned with accepting change without questioning the underlying assumptions and core beliefs. In today’s organisational world knowledge has become really important. It is contributing to high value products and services. The rate of learning has to be greater than the rate of change and learning is the responsibility for everyone in the organisation. Organisational learning links nicely with learning organisations, this type of organisation continuously transforms itself and its context. â€Å"A learning organization is an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights. † (Garvin, 1993, p. 80. ) Fincham and Rhodes (2005) mentioned that knowledge management involves organisations developing practices and policies that reward, recognise and harness the storehouse of knowledge of its people continuously innovate and remain creative using brain power as a source of competitive advantage. With the latter in mind it is wise to judge that the old ways of analysing organisations notably the structural perspective hinders organisational learning in a number of ways. Taking McDonalds as the case study it is clear that employees are merely resources which are there for use to maximise profits. Deskilling of workers because of the monotonous and repetitive work which can lead to stress because of emotional labour. Boredom and disassociation with task will creep in leading to alienation and lack of commitment. More routine and rigorous structure limits a lot because it is not good in times of change. There is limited space for creativity, innovation and flexibility because of the fragmented problem solving approach and the disconnected roles and communication. Low level of commitment and loyalty has seen a high staff turnover at McDonalds. Organisations are made up of human beings not machines. Employee alienation and customer dehumanisation is not attractive in any organisation. Bureaucratic organisations will struggle to encourage organisational learning because of their hierarchical structure. Management seem to have all the decision-making powers and this might not sit comfortably with the rest of the employees as they are disempowered. This obviously leads to inefficient decision-making, slow response due to the chain of command and politics is rife. Several critics have noted that the learning organisation model implies that managers must become interested as never before in the process of learning, as well as the results. The central statement of the learning organisation is in two parts: (1) that a key success factor for any business in the age of global competition is its ability to innovate continuously, appropriately, and faster than its rivals, and (2) that can only happen through unleashing the untapped capabilities of all its employees. The learning organisation is definitely a new and significant paradigms shift from the traditional bureaucratic view because it emphasises process over structure and contains a number of components. These components include: a vision of better organisational life, a body management practice guidelines and a network of experts and advocates, a set of mental models regarding individual and social psychology, the sociology of organisations and change and finally a concern for values of wholeness (in preference to fragmentation) and respect for people (Wheatley, 1992). Cravens et al (1996) also noted that organisations need to shift away from the old structural perspective because of the new highly dynamic environments. Many corporations are reducing management layers and organisational bureaucracy in pursuit of rightsizing or the horizontal organisation, concurrent actions include re-engineering business processes followed by organisational redesign and greater use of multifunctional teams, central issues are obtaining precision, flexibility and speed in the execution of programmes and strategies. This shift has also seen the new approach develop powerful information systems and automated knowledge capture permit the empowerment of employees in the management of business processes, priorities are more customer satisfaction and retention through greater organisational responsiveness and competitive advantage for the reformed organisation comes from added-value, created through knowledge feedback and exploitation (Cravens et al, 1996). To be effective in the workplace, we must be better learners; we must become more open to alien ideas and more humble about our own limitations. Tools and techniques cannot be separated from the vision and the values of the learning organisation. (Kofman and Senge, 1995). The learning organization approach is not just about improving productivity and work satisfaction it is also about the fundamental ethics of the workplace and the marketplace. People’s needs have to be considered and should people not be seen as productivity factors; this holistic approach sure does improve conditions and output. A happy worker is a motivated worker. I only lasted six months at McDonalds and the reasons for that are outlined in the essay. References Argyris, C. (1993) On Organizational Learning. Oxford: Blackwell Business/Blackwell Publishers. Cravens, D. W. (1996) New organisational Forms for Competing in Highly Dynamic Environments: The Network Paradigm. British Journal of Management 7: p203-217 Drummond, H. (2000) Introduction to Organisational Behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press Encyclopaedia of Small Business (2007) Organization Theory. Encyclopedia. com [Accessed on 12 Dec 2011] http://www. encyclopedia. com Fincham, R and Rhodes P. (2005) Principles of Organizational Behaviour, 4th Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press Garvin, David A. (1993) â€Å"Building a Learning Organization,† Harvard Business Review, July-Aug: p. 78-91. Kofman, F and Peter, S. (1995) Communities of Commitment: The Heart of Learning Organizations, in Learning Organizations. Sarita Chawla & John Renesch, (eds. ), Portland, Productivity Press. Morgan, G. (1993) Imaginisation, London: Sage Ritzer, G. (2007) The McDonaldisation of Society, 5th ed. London: Pine Forge Press Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation, New York: Doubleday. Senge P et al. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, New York: Doubleday Taylor, F. W. (1911) The Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Harper and Row. Wheatley, M. J. (1992) Leadership and the New Science. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

Good Ancestors Like Dandelions essays

Good Ancestors Like Dandelions essays Urban sprawl is not a new phenomenon, and the battle between environmentalists and developers is well-known. But perhaps the issue is not that the land is being utterly stripped of life and replaced by cookie cutter houses or factories, which has been a controversy for decades. Perhaps the fighting has exposed a deeper problem: the American acceptance of a false outside, seen through lawns that mimic interiors. People often perceive that any green space is nature. As Michael Ventura says, America is form opposed to content (216). Contractors leave some existing trees on lots not because it may be costly to remove them but because those trees also serve as a selling feature for the houses built between. Most people would rather spend their weekends at an official, regulated and landscaped park rather than hiking through some un-named forest track. While there is the standard human desire for new experiences, people often are only willing to try pre-tested experiences. Even when one realizes the societal manipulation, it still seems difficult to jump over the railings and really cut a new So if people are aware that theyre being led by the nose through a sterile, pre-chewed and mocked-up environment, why dont they respond? Heres why: People are simply cannot deal with vast expanses of "nothing." Afterall, it is more or less the American motto to tame the wilderness, to take what the land has to offer and use it to better the standard of human living. Just being there, a more Eastern philosophy, seems only a waste of both money and resources to American thinking. The court system has even ruled several times along the lines that a loss of open space amounts to an insignificant impact to dissuade new housing developments (Preservation Groups Lose Favor). The planet alone has been deemed worthless without us, a belief ...

Ethnoarchaeology - Cultural Anthropology Archaeology

Ethnoarchaeology - Cultural Anthropology Archaeology Ethnoarchaeology is a research technique that involves using information from living cultures- in the form of ethnology, ethnography, ethnohistory, and experimental archaeology- to understand patterns found at an archaeological site. An ethnoarchaeologist acquires evidence about ongoing activities in any society  and uses those studies to draw analogies from modern behavior to explain and better understand patterns seen in archaeological sites. Key Takeaways: Ethnoarchaeology Ethnoarchaeology is a research technique in archaeology that uses present-day ethnographic information to inform remains of sites.  Applied first in the late 19th century and at its height in the 1980s and 1990s, the practice has decreased in the 21st century.The problem is what its always been: the application of oranges (living cultures) to apples (ancient past).  Benefits include the amassing of huge quantities of information about production techniques and methodologies. American archaeologist Susan Kent defined ethnoarchaeologys purpose as to formulate and test archaeologically oriented and/or derived methods, hypotheses, models and theories with ethnographic data. But it is archaeologist Lewis Binford who wrote most clearly: ethnoarchaeology is a Rosetta stone: a way of translating the static material found on an archaeological site into the vibrant life of a group of people who in fact left them there. Practical Ethnoarchaeology Ethnoarchaeology is typically conducted by using the cultural anthropological methods of participant observation, but it also finds behavioral data in ethnohistorical and ethnographic reports as well as oral history. The basic requirement is to draw on strong evidence of any kind for describing artifacts and their interactions with people in activities. Ethnoarchaeological data can be found in published or unpublished written accounts (archives, field notes, etc.); photographs; oral history; public or private collections of artifacts; and of course, from observations deliberately made for archaeological purposes on a living society. American archaeologist Patty Jo Watson argued that ethnoarchaeology should also include experimental archaeology. In experimental archaeology, the archaeologist creates the situation to be observed rather than taking it where he or she finds it: observations are still made of archaeological relevant variables within a living context. Edging Towards a Richer Archaeology The possibilities of ethnoarchaeology brought in a flood of ideas about what archaeologists could say about the behaviors represented in the archaeological record: and a corresponding earthquake of reality about the ability of archaeologists to recognize all or even any of the social behaviors that went on in an ancient culture. Those behaviors must be reflected in the material culture (I made this pot this way because my mother made it this way; I traveled fifty miles to get this plant because thats where weve always gone). But that underlying reality may only be identifiable from the pollen and potsherds if the techniques allow their capture, and careful interpretations appropriately fit the situation. Archaeologist Nicholas David described the sticky issue pretty clearly: ethnoarchaeology is an attempt to cross the divide between the ideational order (the unobservable ideas, values, norms, and representation of the human mind) and the phenomenal order (artifacts, things affected by human action and differentiated by matter, form, and context). Processual and Post-Processual Debates The ethnoarchaeological study reinvented the study of archaeology, as the science edged into the post-World War II scientific age. Instead of simply finding better and better ways to measure and source and examine artifacts (a.k.a. processual archaeology), archaeologists felt they could now make hypotheses about the kinds of behaviors those artifacts represented (post-processual archaeology). That debate polarized the profession for much of the 1970s and 1980s: and while the debates have ended, it became clear that the match is not perfect. For one thing, archaeology as a study is diachronic- a single archaeological site always includes evidence of all the cultural events and behaviors that might have taken place at that location for hundreds or thousands of years, not to mention the natural things that happened to it over that time. In contrast, ethnography is synchronic- what is being studied is what happens during the course of the research. And theres always this underlying uncertainty: can the patterns of behavior that are seen in modern (or historical) cultures really be generalized to ancient archaeological cultures, and how much? History of Ethnoarchaeology Ethnographic data was used by some late 19th century/early 20th century archaeologists to understand archaeological sites (Edgar Lee Hewett leaps to mind), but the modern study has its roots in the post-war boom of the 1950s and 60s. Beginning in the 1970s, a huge burgeoning of literature explored the potentialities of the practice (the processual/post-processual debate driving much of that). There is some evidence, based on the decrease in the number of university classes and programs, that ethnoarchaeology, although an accepted, and perhaps standard practice for most archaeological studies in the late 20th century, is fading in importance in the 21st. Modern Critiques Since its first practices, ethnoarchaeology has often come under criticism for several issues, primarily for its underpinning assumptions about how far the practices of a living society can reflect the ancient past. More recently, scholars as archaeologists Olivier Gosselain and Jerimy Cunningham have argued that western scholars are blinded by assumptions about living cultures. In particular, Gosselain argues that ethnoarchaeology doesnt apply to prehistory because it isnt practiced as ethnologyin other words, to properly apply cultural templates derived from living people you cant simply pick up technical data. But Gosselain also argues that doing a full ethnological study would not be useful expenditure of time, since equating present-day societies are never going to be sufficiently applicable to the past. He also adds that although ethnoarchaeology may no longer be a reasonable way to conduct research, the main benefits of the study has been to amass a huge amount of data on production techniques and methodologies, which can be used as a reference collection for scholarship. Selected Sources Cunningham, Jerimy J., and Kevin M. McGeough. The Perils of Ethnographic Analogy. Parallel Logics in Ethnoarchaeology and Victorian Bible Customs Books. Archaeological Dialogues 25.2 (2018): 161–89. Print.Gonzlez-Urquijo, J., S. Beyries, and J. J. Ibà ±ez. Ethnoarchaeology and Functional Analysis. Use-Wear and Residue Analysis in Archaeology. Eds. Marreiros, Joo Manuel, Juan F. Gibaja Bao and Nuno Ferreira Bicho. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique: Springer International Publishing, 2015. 27–40. Print.Gosselain, Olivier P. To Hell with Ethnoarchaeology! Archaeological Dialogues 23.2 (2016): 215–28. Print.Kamp, Kathryn, and John Whittaker. Editorial Reflections: Teaching Science with Ethnoarchaeology and Experimental Archaeology. Ethnoarchaeology 6.2 (2014): 79–80. Print.Parker, Bradley J. Bread Ovens, Social Networks and Gendered Space: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tandir Ovens in Southeastern Anatolia. American Antiquity 76.4 (2011 ): 603–27. Print.Politis, Gustavo. Reflections on Contemporary Ethnoarchaeology. Pyrenae 46 (2015). Print. Schiffer, Michael Brian. Contributions of Ethnoarchaeology. The Archaeology of Science. Vol. 9. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique: Springer International Publishing, 2013. 53–63. Print.

How the economy works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the economy works - Essay Example s to be made very carefully and after a lot of thought as it is important to understand that every choice made will also mean forfeiting another choice. This question can be answered only after proper analysis of the resources that are available in an economy. The one thing that is also kept in mind is the true cost. This is one aspect of the choice that economist are interested in. as mentioned earlier while making a choice the chances of forfeiting another choice are always possible. Hence economists generally use the concept of opportunity cost which allows them to analyze the value that must be sacrificed or given up (Stonebraker, 2008). This question deals with the determining how to use the factors of production to produce the product. In countries that are highly industrialized use of capital goods like computers, machinery etc. In countries which are lesser developed the production is normally got through physical labor. This question mainly deals with from whom the goods are being produced. This is mainly who will receive the produced products. In a country as developed as the United States, it depends a lot on the income of the people and the prices of goods and services. While talking of economic stability the one variable which always catches attention is Unemployment. After which the prices levels is the next topic of interest. The levels of unemployment and the economic stability of a country are directly related. With the decreasing levels of employment the levels the economy of the country will also be affected. Hence to maintain the economic stability of a country it is essential to keep the levels of employment stable, or increasing however no reduction should be permitted. Also the price levels for goods and services directly affect the countries economy and thus need to be kept at constant levels. Countries which have prices of goods increasing drastically signify inflation within the country (Brozen, 1958). Thus to maintain the economic

Arab world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arab world - Essay Example 3. Bruce Riedel is a white male American, who was born in 1953, when he wrote the book in 2013; he was 60 years old. He has worked as with the CIA and he was a counter-terrorism expert he has been a presidential advisor for the last 29 years served under four presidents. His history and background make it easy for him to consider the facts objectively he presents given he has had considerable experience in the corridors of power 4. The primary audience for the book is the public rather than policy makers although they can also benefit from it from a professional perspective. He wants to render to the public his view of retrospective relations between the three nations and shares his opinions on the causes of the crisis, and how it can be resolved. 5. There is notable silence in the fact that the US park equation has not been addressed although they were responsible for provoking Islamic fever by encouraging al-Qaida forced against the Najeeb regime (Riedel 19). 6. The source is both prescriptive and descriptive since it discusses the situation and describes how it came about and what factors contributed for instance to rivalry between India and Pakistan. On the other hand, it is prescriptive since it attempts to give proposals of the action that should be taken to curb the runaway insecurity and violence between the two nations by the US and their respective leadership. 7. The author talks about various political ideology most prominent of which are capitalism and communism, which motivated the US to promote General Zia-ul-Haq a radical general in Pakistan to counter Russia’s influence in India which resulted in much of the present radicalization in Pakistan today. 8. Although he does not explicitly say so, the writer alludes to the fact that the lower classes take the brunt of the conflict while the higher ups experience it at a diplomatic level. The results of insecurity and poverty are shown