Path of Light Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Path of Light - Essay Example Depending on the surface and the position of the reflective surfaces images can be inverted and in other cases depending on the arrangement of the surfaces form many images. The structure and path that the light follows is therefore dependent on the surface and the origin of the light at the source. The reflective surfaces differ from curved surfaces to mirrors that reflect the light and form an inverted image (Keller et al 29). In addition, if the image is reflected across two mirrors there is formation of many similar images that are formed through reflection. Curved surfaces on the other hand form images depending on whether the surface is concave or convex with each surface forming its own unique form of image (Kokhanovsky 107). This is as a result of the path that the light takes once it hits the curved surface and the eventual image that is illustrated on a screen. Similarly there are images that are formed from shiny surfaces that are brighter and more reflective while the dar ker images form unique and distinct images depending on whether the surface can let any light pass through. The surface is therefore an important part in understanding the path of light since it forms different images depending on the surface. There are different methods that can be used to make an experiment and establish the path of light and how the light travels from one source to another. One of the experiments uses cardboards that are placed in a straight line with holes on the same point. The cards are used to show that when one illuminates light at one end the light is seen at the other end when the cards are arranged in a straight line. However, if one of the cards is located on a different position or the hole on the cards are not in congruence then there is no image formed at the other end. The light does not move to the other cards since it does not travel in

Quiz 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quiz 1 - Assignment Example The act protects people who are 40 or older. Hatch Act prevents people employed in the executive branch of federal government from engaging in partisan political activities. The Act does not apply to the president and high rank officials. It specifies the list of political activities officials can and cannot engage. In this case, Roth sued Board of Regents because his contract was not renewed. He claimed that it happened because he made critical statements about University administration. The Supreme Court had to decide whether this case included the violation of the first amendment concerning the freedom of speech. All employees at Duke Power Company were required to have high school diploma and pass IQ test which was not related to job performance. The court decided that the requirements of the company did not provide equal opportunities for promotion of employees who represented racial minorities. Employers must respect religious practice of their employees. They have to comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which lists their responsibilities before employees. They also need to provide accommodation for the employee if it does not cause undue hardships. â€Å"Loudermill rights† pose a requirement to have a due process before any employee is fired. Employers need to have a pre-termination meeting with employee and explain the reason why he or she is to be fired. The  Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 declares that compensation should not be discriminatory. This public law is based on the case where female supervisor Ledbetter had substantially smaller payment than her male co-workers who sis the same. The Supreme Court ruled that any discrimination based on sex is prohibited. In the case, Oncale was discriminated by his male employees and had no reaction from supervisor after he had complained about discriminatory action of his

Customer Service Concepts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Customer Service Concepts - Assignment Example A bank needs to ensure that it has an efficient and effective complaint management system in which customer complaints are dealt with least possible delays and the solution is satisfactory for the customer (Junarso, 2006). In order to create an effective and efficient complaint management system, banks should have online complaint registration systems so the customers can instantly launch their complaints. Once the complaint is received, the complaint manager should forward it to the relevant department and the relevant department should correct the issue as soon as complaint is received. The banks need to hold a history of all the complaints and solutions for those complaints so in future if similar complaints arise, they are sorted out immediately. HEAT (Hear, Empathize, Apologize and Take Ownership)Â  Customer satisfaction can be attained if the concept of HEAT is applied by organizations such as banks. Hear them out is the first step in which the employee listens to the issues o f the customer and does not retaliate even if the customer looses his/her temper. While receiving complaints, banking staff should ensure that they quietly listen to all the issues experienced by the customer before responding (Zemke, 1999, p.291). Once the employee has clearly heard the issues experienced by the customer, the employee needs to respond to the customer in an empathetic manner and inform them that the problem experienced by the customer is well understood.... fective complaint management system in which customer complaints are dealt with least possible delays and the solution is satisfactory for the customer (Junarso, 2006). In order to create an effective and efficient complaint management system, banks should have online complaint registration systems so the customers can instantly launch their complaints. Once the complaint is received, the complaint manager should forward it to the relevant department and the relevant department should correct the issue as soon as complaint is received. The banks need to hold a history of all the complaints and solutions for those complaints so in future if similar complaints arise, they are sorted out immediately. HEAT (Hear, Empathize, Apologize and Take Ownership) Customer satisfaction can be attained if the concept of HEAT is applied by organizations such as banks. Hear them out is the first step in which the employee listens to the issues of the customer and does not retaliate even if the custome r looses his/her temper. While receiving complaints, banking staff should ensure that they quietly listen to all the issues experienced by the customer before responding (Zemke, 1999, p.291). Once the employee has clearly heard the issues experienced by the customer, the employee needs to respond to the customer in an empathetic manner and inform them that the problem experienced by the customer is well understood. A banking employee needs to be aware of how a customer feels when he/she experiences an issue. Next the banking customer needs to respond in a very apologetic manner and apologize from the customer for all the issues caused. A simple apology can change the entire attitude of the customer. Once the problem has been well heard by a banking employee, he needs to make the customer

British Literature Essay Example for Free

British Literature Essay Literature is one of the most effective ways to protest against the society, iniquities in this society. From early times writers and poets used rhythms and stories for ridiculing the upper class of a society. Why do poets use poems to tell about social injustices? The answer is simple. This way a poet can catch and hold the reader’s attention, his emotions. Usually poets in their works present facts in order to capture attention of many people. These are not new facts that are presented to an audience. From early times poets used the words effectively to make people think about the situation and make want them to act in order to change the present state of things. Poets and writers know the exact words and phrases that can influence people’s attitude to this or that situation so that they start acting. Poems are always aimed to reach feelings of people and thus, to pull strings. Literature of every state shows all the complexity of every epoch. When the situation is the same at several countries, it has a worldwide significance. Before talking about poetry, we should answer the question: What is poetry? Poetry is a special way of describing situations, things, ideas, feelings. Poets present their ideas in short phrases. They use rhythm to emphasize their feelings and ideas. Besides, a poet can appeal to reader’s emotions via poems. That is why a poem is easily remembered. A poem can be compared to a photograph as it reflects real life, real situations and feelings. In a poem a poet captures the exact moment and represents it the way he/she has seen it. When you read a poem you see the poet’s subjective evaluation of facts, situations and the epoch in general. Poets of Romantic Movement wrote their poems to share their feelings. They wrote to help people understand their time from the poet’s point of view. This paper is about Romantic Movement in Great Britain. It is devoted to William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, William Blake, Robert Burns, Mary Wollstonecraft and Joanna Baillie who became a radical group in British literature of their epoch. In the paper special attention is paid to the use of lyric poetry (ballads) and blank verse in poetry of the nineteenth century. British poetry. â€Å"The poem on the page is only a shadow of the poem in the mind. And the poem in the mind is only a shadow of the poetry and the mystery of the things of this word.†    Stanley Kunitz Before analyzing the British poetry of the nineteenth century it is necessary to mention the changes in political, industrial, scientific and cultural spheres of life of that time and caused the changes in British literature having challenged the standards of form and structure in poetry. From 1776 the American and French Revolutions and later the Industrial Revolution astounded Great Britain and Europe and caused disturbances among people. In the second half of the century Charles Darwin published Origins of Species and The Descent of Man that caused the revolution in scientific thought. This was an unrest period and people were forced to evaluate their values and beliefs again. There is no wonder that the British poets changed their world outlook. The first stage of Romanticism in English literature began in 1790s. William Blake was the first major poet who reacted to these changes. His poems were far from standard patterns. The poetry of Blake is characterized by long, unrhymed lines, a steady interplay of opposites (Damrosch 458). A metaphor can be found in titles of Blake’s works. For instance, his series of poems: Songs of Innocence in 1789 and Songs of Experience in 1794; The Marriage of Heaven and Hell etc. Blake believed that opposites are integral parts of life. He wrote about things that we too often forget making the reader look at events from another point of view. Blake tried to use the joy of words. He used figurative language to describe things in an unusual, in a completely new way breaking down the traditions in poetry of his time. Blake’s beginnings were supported by the efforts of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They have written a collection of poems, anonymously authored, famous for its poems and its preface, entitled Lyrical Ballads in 1798. In the preface a poet deems that poems must regard ‘situations from life’ in ‘the everyday language’. Wordsworth describes poetry as ‘the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings’. This expression was the manifesto of the Romantic Movement in poetry presenting revolutionary idea for that time. Moreover, the poet emphasizes on the avoidance of artificial poetic style. He believes language must be understandable and enjoyable for ordinary people. Lyrical Ballads is one of the most significant books which became a major change in the history of English poetry (Damrosch 462). Poems from the collection are written in simple, everyday language. They are concentrated on the appreciation of the power of nature, examination of human personality, inner feelings, emotions and thought with an emphasis on imagination. Lyrical Ballads starts from Coleridge’s long poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner and continues with poems manifesting the nature appreciation, the superiority of emotions and feelings over reason. The romance emphasizes individuality, beauty of nature contrasting to formality and artificiality of the standards in poetry of that epoch. A collection contains Tintern Abbey, The Idiot Boy and other controversial poems of Wordsworth written in everyday language. Poets used an every day language before, thus, they did not use it so that they broke down the rules and standards. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is famous for marvelous The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the ‘conversation poems’, for example, Frost at Midnight and This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison, as well as for his unfinished works Christabel and Kubla Khan, which is like an obsession that haunts your mind (Damrosch 466). Dorothy Wordsworth, William’s sister, is an English prose writer. Her famous Alfoxden Journal and invaluable Gramere Journals were published in 1897. Her works are full of imagination while describing nature and personalities of unusual qualities. Dorothy’s prose is sudden, clear and natural. You may disagree with her ideas or conclusions. However, the writer could possibly say that it is enough that a reader reflects on her ideas. William Wordsworth wrote many short poems which were aimed at breaking down neoclassical verse. He included new poems in the second edition of the collection – The Brothers and Michael. In his works the author tries to speak about life truthfully sharing his feelings with a reader. Sometimes they share ideas, sometimes – a question. These poems and marvelous lyrics were written in his great decade. Thus, the most famous poem of William Wordsworth is his autobiographical philosophical poem The Prelude. This is a spiritual autography in which the author puts questions of philosophical value, about the purpose of his existence, of his value as a poet. In this work William Wordsworth is the major hero. The author places imagination on the first place among human talents. This work is better to call an epic as it consists of 8000 lines and is separated into 14 books (Damrosch 471). It is necessary to mention Joanna Baillie, a poet and dramatist. She wrote plays in verse which were highly appreciated. However, she is famous largely for her first published work, a collection of lyrics Fugitive Verses in 1790. Another talented English writer is Mary Wollstonecraft. She is famous for her works about equality of women concerning education and social life. Mary Wollstonecraft was a member of a radical group together with William Blake and later William Wordsworth. All her life Mary Wollstonecraft remained a passionate defender of women rights. In her works she was bringing up a fulmination against social inequality of women. She wrote Thoughts on the Education of Daughters in 1787 and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which contains a fulmination and a plea concerning equality for women, in 1792. The second stage of Romanticism began in 1805 and was marked by appreciation of history value, attention to origins, to works of Renaissance time. One of the most noted poets of the second stage is George Gordon, Lord Byron. He put the poet in the central place and spoke about imagination in his works (Damrosch 458). Romantic Movement reached its high point of art in the works of Byron. In his poems he emphasizes the individual feelings, emotions of a person, not of several ones; expression of feeling opposes to morality and value of nature to a state. The works of Byron are unique and brilliant, his poetry is an outstanding event connected with the Epoch of Romanticism. When an artist puts paint on canvas, he/she attentively traces shapes and colours for attaining a needful effect. The same Byron does when he writes a poem – he arranges words so that a poem is simple and comprehensible. Byron uses language in unusual way: he chooses words for sound and meaning. He carefully selects and arranges each word to achieve the desirable sound and effect. His major hero is a romantic person who is out of the society. In his poems the author raises the question of immortality. Besides, his works are notable for their flippancy. In 1820s there was a third stage of Romanticism that spread romantic ideas in literature worldwide (Damrosch 458). Summarizing, the Romantic Movement in Britain has three stages; every of stages is famous for poets and their works. At this time poets broke with tradition and tried the relaxed rhythms, everyday language and imagination in their poems. Conclusion. The paper briefly analyzes the three stages of Romantic Movement in Great Britain in general and poets who contributed greatly to the poetry of their country in a more detailed way. Besides, the paper analyzes the peculiarities of literature of that epoch. Having examined the works of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, William Blake, Robert Burns, Mary Wollstonecraft and Joanna Baillie, it is clear it was a new generation of poets in the British literature. References: Damrosch D., Wolfson S. J., Manning P. J. (2005). The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Volume 2A: The Romantics and Their Contemporaries, Longman, 3rd Edition, 1120pp.

Le Petit Chef Essay Example for Free

Le Petit Chef Essay I believe she should take on the projects that have visible differentiation and also take on the high-end microwave oven with the fuzzy intelligence. It is apparent the competing companies are utilizing technologies that are cheaper and are still maintaining their success. Le Petit Chef products are perceived as quality products, which is something that the executives know and something their current customers know. Despite the company’s low returns, I still believe Gagne should go forward with the new high-end microwave oven because it will enhance the ease of use with minimal incremental costs. This microwave oven can also solve the problem with the variation in food quality, which should entice Gagne to go forward with the project. As far as other projects, they need to develop other projects that are all different from each other, which are visible to the retailer and potential customer. As far as handling the executive meeting, Gagne needs to tell them that she is scrapping those several projects in order to free up more funds, allowing more money to be used in other projects and enabling them to differentiate their line. Le Petit Chef’s poor performance can be attributed to a few things. The competition of the other companies developing products that directly competes with them such as Electrolux and Bosch-Siemens. Both companies have developed low-end microwave ovens that are seemingly very attractive to potential customer because of their brand recognition and the price of the products. Another explanation for their poor performance is the company’s lack to differentiate their lines. It is important to have visible differentiation for products so the retailer sees the difference of their products. If a product has a lack of visible differentiation, the retailer and potential client will question what is different with the product and why it is more expensive than the previous model. In order for the company to remedy the situation I feel they need to implement the 18-month project for their high-end microwave oven with fuzzy intelligence technology and further advertise and market the glitches that have been fixed. Further, they need to develop differentiated products in order to promote to their retailers and potential clients of their differences.

The Xenophobia Through The Social Theory Sociology Essay

The Xenophobia Through The Social Theory Sociology Essay In this essay Id like to analyze the phenomenon of xenophobia in Ukraine. This topic corresponds to the issue of limits of tolerance. To start this paper its crucial to define what the tolerance is. Basically tolerance is will or capability to endure, allow and accept the existing opinion or behaviour, which the person dislikes or disagrees with. This definition makes it clear that the ties between two notions of tolerance and xenophobia are undoubted. The context, in which the xenophobia is investigated here, is quiet interesting. Ukraine has got its independence in 1991, but before that for almost 400 centuries (with the exception of few years during the interwar period) it was a part of different Russian empires, Polish states and Habsburg Empire. Therefore, the conditions of Ukrainian nation formation were really interesting. To my mind this process is still in progress, thats why nowadays we have such an interesting case of xenophobia phenomenon there. The question my essay is going to answer is: What are the reasons of xenophobia in Ukraine? To answer it I need to fulfill following steps: 1. To review the contemporary approaches to the studying of xenophobia. 2. To analyze the results of two sociological researches on xenophobia in the state in 1995 and 2006. 3. To propose and analyze the reasons of xenophobia in Ukraine. The structure of my essay is closely related to the steps, which I mentioned above. Therefore, the first part will give the theoretical basis for the data analysis, which will be done in the second part. The third part will be more theoretical as Im going to find out which reasons play the key role for xenophobia level in Ukraine. The central place in the logic of my essay is occupied by the results of researches made by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, one of the leading sociology research agencies in Ukraine. As I mentioned above two researches were made in 1995 and 2006 correspondently. During each of these researches a little bit more than 2000 people were interviewed. The results of these researches are representative for the adult population of Ukraine (18+). Part 1. Theory overview 1.1. Xenophobia through the social theory Before turning to statistical data it is crucial to see which theoretical basis this topic has, thats why I decided to look at xenophobia through the prism of social science theories. The generally accepted content of the notion of xenophobia can be expressed by the following theses: 1. This is the condition of fear towards strangers or simply something unknown, unusual and strange; 2. Hatred, intolerance and hostility towards representatives of other races, religion, culture, foreigners or representatives of other regions as well as towards something unknown, unusual and strange.  [1]   This definition proves that the phenomenon of xenophobia has not only individual character, but also has the social nature as it is made of social reasons, factors of influence and consequences. Basically, the investigation of xenophobia is grounded on the following sociological concepts and theoretical explications: Other, Strange, identification, ethnocentrism, cultural compatibility, nation and nationalism, collective ideas, tolerance and racism. The notion of xenophobia is ontologically connected to the categories of Other and Strange. G. W. F. Gegel, E. Gusserl, M. Haidegger and others made a great contribution to the development and investigation of these categories. It is crucial to mention that the Other is not obligatory the Strange. According to G. Simmel, B. Vandelfels and E. Goffman the Strangers are not simply unknown people, but they are uninvited guests in ones world, who are not going to leave it. They come today to stay here tomorrow, but even if they stay they continue being the strangers. In other words, getting closer physically doesnt mean becoming closer spiritually. The realization of Their existance allows us to constitute ourselves and to isolate our We from them.  [2]  From this point of view xenophobia fits the theory We (not strange) They (the Strange) very well. The next dimension, which xenophobia can be investigated through, is the concepts of identities. In different times the problem of identity and identification was developed by E. Fromm, G. H. Mead, A. Giddens, E. Erickson, J. Habermas, K. Horney, E. Smith, etc. People have numerous identities, force and volume of which varies depending on different factors. The structure of identity develops during the whole life according to the change of social context. Identification has opposite nature and foreknows the statement that they are different from us. The beginning of xenophobia can be seen when the stating of peculiarity is replaced with hard valuating contrasting (they are worse than we are, we are their victims, etc.).  [3]  Usually it is connected with the phenomenon of negative identification, when self-affirmation occurs through the humiliation of others. To my mind this approach to xenophobia is very logical and well-grounded. In time of globalization in contemporary societies the ethnic (national) community predominates in peoples identification. Respectively, the issue of ethnic identity gains a great value and a special status. From this point of view in such a situation ethnic identity causes intolerance towards representatives of other ethnic groups.  [4]  Here we can see how xenophobia is born as a result of the Others deviation from the accepted by majority unitary cultural norm and the xenophobic person considers him/herself to be the standard of this cultural norm. To my opinion its time to turn to the theories of ethnocentrism and cultural compatibility. The notion of ethnocentrism was introduced by L. Gumplowicz and was defined as the reasons, which make every people believe that it occupies the highest place not only among the contemporary peoples and nations, but also comparing to all peoples of the past.  [5]  For ethnocentrism it is typically: 1. To accept own group as a standard for the evaluation of other groups (own is always right, natural and the best). It causes groups inner consolidation; 2. To recognize the other groups as worse ones. Its accompanied by hostility, distrust and disrespect to the members of other groups. These tendencies can exist separately from each other, but for xenophobia the last feature is obligatory condition. So, this is how xenophobia can be studied from the ethnocentrism point of view. Considering xenophobia its important to stress that xenophobic world-view includes negative collective ideas, social stereotypes and prejudices. The stereotypes can have neutral or even positive character, but xenophobia is a consequence of negative stereotypes only. These negative stereotypes influence much the formation of social consciousness, defines the disfigured way of social and cross-cultural communication. This phenomenon is common for individuals and social groups. Therefore, to understand xenophobia it is crucial to investigate the stereotypes of social environment, but not the individuals prejudice. From the point of xenophobia its more logical to speak about collective ideas (the notion proposed by E. Durkheim).  [6]   During the end of 19th beginning of 20th centuries the racial myths became a part of nationalistic arguments. Therefore, the overview of approaches to investigate xenophobia wont be full without turning to theory of nations and nationalism. Diverse understanding of nation is expressed in different approaches of understanding of nationalism. In contemporary tradition of national studies nationalism is characterized as either neutral, or good, and only sometimes as negative phenomenon. The discussion around the question of nation and nationalism still takes place. But there is no doubt that the radical aggressive manifestation of nationalism (chauvinism) is one of xenophobia types. For sure, xenophobia should be considered in terms of bipolarity, when its other pole is the phenomenon of tolerance. One of the ways to analyze xenophobia is to observe its opposite side. The notion of tolerance was discussed in works of M. Weber, G. W. F. Gegel, T. Hobbes, J. Locke and others. The real revolution of tolerance theory was made by the theory of personal autonomy of J. St. Mill. He claimed the authority of individual freedom. An individual is absolutely sovereign in his actions. His/her freedom can be limited if his actions harm or trouble other members of society. Starting from the times when this theory was elaborated the principle of personal freedom became the basis of toleration and human rights in liberal theory.  [7]   Thereby, this overview provides an understanding of existing approaches to investigate xenophobia as social phenomenon. I named and discussed briefly basic theories to approach intolerance expressed in xenophobia. The concepts of Other, Strange, identification, ethnocentrism, cultural compatibility, nation and nationalism, collective ideas, tolerance and racism constructed the basis for further investigation of the issue Im interested in. For me the central place in this overview is taken by identity and issues related to it. In this essay we are going to see how human (social) identity influences xenophobia in Ukrainian case. Nevertheless, I would assume that all named above theories are applicable for the case, which is discussed in this paper, but Im going to stress on the most important just for that very case of Ukraine. Part 2. Analysis of empirical data 2.1. Bogardus scale Its important to describe Bogardus scale briefly as this method was used for the researches, results of which are going to be discussed in this paper. The  testing scale of xenophobia was named after its creator Emory S. Bogardus. It was elaborated to estimate willingness of people to take part in social contacts on different levels with representatives of varying social groups (for instance, different  ethnic, racial  and  socio-lingual groups,  sexual minorities, etc).  [8]   The Bogardus scale asks how close people would accept the representative of each group, which research interested in (the answer 1.00 represents no social distance at all as its the closest possible social contact): to accept as family member (no social distance); as the close friends; as neighbors; as colleague; as the citizens  of the same country; as the  visitors  of the country, where responder is coming from; the responder wants to exclude this person from his/her country.  [9]   The Scale of Xenophobia proposed by Bogardus is based on the method of cumulating as the respondents answer, the social distance, which the respondent chooses, means that he/she also accepts bigger social distances (according to the scale) with a member of social group, which he-she asked about. This method was criticized much, because it simplified the meaning of different social contacts, because family relations as well as close friendship cant be compared to interactions of far-away type. Nevertheless, this scale started being used in 1925 and is still used. This is not the only way to measure social distance, but it was applied for the researches, which are discussed in this paper. 2.2. Xenophobia in Ukraine. General overview To make the general overview of xenophobia in the country the best way is to see the dynamics of xenophobia rates change in time. Lets see the Figure 1, which represents the table comparing the xenophobia index in Ukraine in 1995 and 2006. Its obvious that in Ukraine the xenophobia index towards all ethnic, ethnic-lingual and racial groups presented in the table increased. Hierarchy of dislikes almost didnt change except of Americans, intolerance towards who increased of 0.9 points. Ethnic/Racial/Ethnic-lingual Group 1995 2006 Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians 1,72 2,06 Russian-speaking Ukrainians 1,84 2,23 Russians 2,05 2,39 Jews 3,71 4,13 Polishes 3,82 4,37 Germans 3,92 4,56 Americans 3,72 4,63 Black people 5,01 5,42 Figure 1. The xenophobia index in Ukraine towards several ethnic/racial/ethnic-lingual groups. 1995 and 2006.  [10]   The table also shows that the highest rate of intolerance was towards black people, the members of different racial group, both in 1995 and in 2006. Intolerance rates towards the representatives of different ethnic groups, which are culturally distant (Americans and Europeans), are a bit lower comparing to the black people. The smallest social distances are towards ethnically and culturally close ethnic groups. To observe the real picture of xenophobia it is crucial to consider the following percentage of those, who according the researches results wanted the member of other nations to become the member of their families. So, 59% of Ukrainian population want to accept Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainian as a family member, 13% of responders said yes to accepting Americans as their families and only 5% considered as possible to include a black person to their family. Moreover, the percentage of those, who wouldnt let the representatives of the named above groups in Ukraine, makes the picture even more impressive: 0,5% of responders dont want to see Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians in Ukraine (!), 9% are against Americans presence in the state and 21% of population said no to black peoples arrival to Ukraine.  [11]   There are some basic theories of xenophobic dislikes. So Im going to see in which ways the xenophobia is usually explained by the theorists of this phenomenon in Europe and the USA. According to Theodor W. Adorno intolerance is an element of authoritarian system, which depresses personality and makes people seek for some objects to wreak their anger on. But this theory has nothing in common with image of scapegoat, because this object should be historically grounded and perform as incontestable element of tradition and it has to be defined quite well by the existing well-known stereotypes  [12]  . He created this theory regarding anti-Semitism and ethnical prejudice in authoritarian societies. Investigating post-war intolerance in the USA and Germany he didnt probably realize the topicality of his invention for the democratic Eastern Europe in 1990s and even 2000s. Another theory, which can be relevant for the Ukrainian case and is worse to be considered, is economic theory. Its explanation is quiet different, but fits Ukrainian reality for my mind. Gordon W. Allport argued that prejudice increases when the members of different unequal ethnic and racial groups contact each other, when one group dominates the other one. It means that not every experience of contact with representatives of other ethnical groups leads to decreasing of stereotypes. In other words the experience of interaction between members of different ethnic/racial groups is positive and successful if only they are equal by social status and they do not compete against each other.  [13]   The theory of cognitive-linguistic orientation stresses on the fact that stereotypes are to simplify the communication inside the social group and to strengthen sense of belonging to this social group between its members. This rule especially works during the radical social change periods, when group interests and mechanism of group protection form.  [14]   Three theories were proposed, which to my mind explain xenophobia in Europe and the USA well. Moreover, it fits Ukrainian case as Ukraine belongs to post-authoritarian states of Eastern Europe, which face a lot of difficulties on the way of following the democracy and improving democratic values in societies, thats why we can assume that authoritarian personality, who is intolerant to others, is still widespread. Following the second theory we can also suppose transformation of economy to lead to phobia increase on the ground of economical competition. The opening of Ukrainian market after the years of closed plan economy faced and is facing resistance from ordinary Ukrainian. Im sure that low living standard caused by economical instability and weak economy of Ukraine led to the fear of new economic reality, which is followed by intolerance increase. Unfortunately any comparisons of Ukraine to other states are senseless as Ukrainian xenophobia situation is quite different because of intolerant attitude of Ukrainians towards each other and even themselves. This peculiarity makes me look deeper for other possible reasons of xenophobia in Ukraine; otherwise the reasons named above would be enough. 2.3. Xenophobia in Ukraine: internal dimension The results of the researches, which are discussed in this paper, were also analyzed on the basis of the geographical division. Usually Ukraine is divided into two ethnic-lingual parts East and West, but KIIS divided it into 5 sub-regions (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Map of Ukraine: this dimension is used for data analysis in 2006. 2 orange parts are Ukrainian-speaking and 3 blue sub-regions are mostly Russian-speaking.  [15]   The detailed analysis of ethnic evaluations and attitudes, which were made on the basis of this researchs results (see the Figure 3), declared that Eastern and Western parts of Ukraine differ from each other by the level and character of xenophobia attitudes. From the table presented below it is possible to see that the level of xenophobia is higher among the Western Ukrainians than among the population of Eastern Ukrain. The table, which shows the xenophobia rate by large Ukrainian ethnic-lingual groups, is also presented below (see Figure 4). This table as well as the previous one shows the percentage of respondents who agree to accept the representative of these large ethnic-lingual groups as a family member. The lower the percentage is, the higher rate of xenophobia is. to accept as a family member West, % W.-C., % E.- C., % South, % East, % Ukrain.-speaking Ukrainian 58,5 65 57,5 58 52 Rus.-speaking Ukrainians 27 62 57 65,5 62 Russians 19 52 55 58 62 Jews 7 15 10 23 11 Figure 3. Willingness to accept representative of large ethnic-social groups as a family member by regions (2006).  [16]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to accept as family member All respondents of 2006, % U-s Ukrainians, % R-s Ukrainians, % Russians, % Ukrain.-speaking Ukrainian 59 60 61 53 Rus.-speaking Ukrainian 55 42 64 67 Russian 49 33 56 74 Jew 14 9 17 20 Figure 4. Willingness of large Ukrainian ethnic-lingual groups to accept the representative of these groups as a family member (2006).  [17]     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So, according to these tables the highest level of intolerance towards related cultural and ethnic groups is in the Western Ukraine and among Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians. The data of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine claims that the situation was the same in 1992  [18]  . The highest xenophobia rate in this region and among this group of Ukrainians is towards Jews and Russians comparing to the other ethnic-lingual groups. The tables data also show that both groups of Ukrainians, Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking, has a low-level tolerance towards the members of their own groups. Only 60-64% of respondents agree to accept a member of their ethnic-lingual group as a family member. Thereby, in this part the results of researches made by KIIS in 1995 and 2006 were analyzed. The general overview of xenophobia level in Ukraine indicated the most tolerated and not tolerated groups. From this point of view Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians were the most tolerated group in Ukrainian society, but black people were tolerated much less. In general during 1995-2006 the level of xenophobia increased much. I turned to three theories to ground the xenophobia: Adornos depressed personality theory, economic and cognitive-linguistic theories. Post-socialist depression, the fear of new economic realities and low economic development of country (causing the low standard of living), dominance of stereotypes in interaction/communication with representatives of other ethnic and racial groups represent main social reasons for high level of xenophobia in a country. The increase of it can be explained by long-term no change in socio-economic situation in the state. Of course, these theori es explains partly the xenophobia in Ukraine, but to my mind Ukrainian case needs detailed individual approach as it has peculiarities. The Ukrainian xenophobia peculiarity is xenophobia inside dominant national community. According to KIIS data of 2006 there is xenophobic tension between Ukrainian-speaking and Russian speaking groups of Ukrainians. Moreover, there is xenophobia inside each of these groups towards the members of each of them. This part of the paper declared the low level of tolerance in Ukrainian society towards all possible ethic-lingual/ethnic/racial groups. To my mind there are three different ways to explain this phenomenon of intolerance in the Western Ukraine. Part 3. Theoretical argumentation of research results 3.1. Structural theory The first explanation is based on the structure of peoples settlements as from this point of view the Western Ukrainian region is quite different from the Eastern part. Statistics are quite interesting, they show that half of the Western population lives in countryside, but only 10% of Eastern Ukrainians live in villages.  [19]  Its crucial to emphasize that difference between the urban and rural areas is still very big in the meaning of education and wealth. In some villages it is even hard to get access to the basic school education. The villagers are less educated than townsmen are, thats why its possible to assume that the level of education is higher on the East than on the West of Ukraine. This can partly explain the xenophobia level differences in both regions of Ukraine. This approach was called structural (the structure of settlements) by sociologists  [20]  . The lower toleration level in rural areas can be also grounded on economic factors. During the independence period the economic situation became much worse in countryside comparing to cities. Here we can go back to T. W. Adornos theory about depressed personality. In contemporary Ukrainian village we have classical case, when people being unsatisfied with their life blame other people in their misfortune. In Western Ukrainian case Jews, Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians are blamed. On the East of Ukraine traditionally (from the USSR times) they blame Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians and foreigners from the West. Nevertheless, it is obvious that economic factor-based explanation is not enough. The Western Ukrainian case turns to the deeper historical and cultural roots of this phenomenon. Western Ukrainians have already got the image of enemy, they hand this image down from parents to children. In the situation of radical social change they use it more actively. Of course, the image Im speaking about is embodied in a Russian. This image is very well supported by the stereotypes. Russian is a symbol of enslavement of Soviets times (the attitudes to this on the East is much differs). I propose to take a look at the table, which is to present the xenophobia rates in Western and Eastern cities and villages. This will make it clearer if this difference between both regions xenophobia depends more on structural or historical/cultural reasons Ethnic or Ethnic-lingual group Western region Eastern region City Village City Village Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians 2,33 2,02 1,97 1,82 Russian-speaking Ukrainians 3,38 3,48 1,61 1,61 Russians 3,67 3,86 1,61 1,44 Figure 5. Xenophobia rate in Ukrainian city and village by regions (researches for 2005 and 2006).  [21]   The data from the table testify against the structural theory but not at all as we can mention the small difference between the citys and the villages xenophobia rates. It is also easy to notice that city and village from one region have more in common in their attitudes than villagers and townsmen from different parts of Ukraine. 3.2. Insecure majority To explain the phenomenon of xenophobia in both large Ukrainian ethnic-lingual groups Id like to turn to the theory presented by  K. Liebkind in 1996  [22]  . According to Liebkinds point of view minorities and majorities can be observed through the dimension into secure and insecure in order to investigate the way how minorities get along together with majority. I think that Ukrainian case fits in with this theory much. This theory sees two types of majorities and minorities in this perspective. The group of insecure majority is defined by the defensive internal identity, which is constructed on strong ethnic or national basis. Interacting with minority usually insecure majority declines their demands. Secure majoritys identification is vice-versa constructed on weak ethnic or national basis; moreover, it doesnt accent its own identity much. Obviously, this kind of majority respects the rights of minorities more and tries to fulfill their demands while including them into the society where they rule. The other side of this coin is minorities. Insecure minorities are opposite to insecure minorities, which were presented above. This group has a very weak ethnic or national basis, thats why their identifications construction goes beyond the scope of their group. In the case of insecure minority the assimilation is widespread while including them into the society ruled by majority. For the representatives of insecure minority the community of majority is the standard, which they strive for. In case, if assimilation as the only possible method of insecure minority inclusion fails, this group is supposed to be marginalized. The secure minority position is simpler as they admit their own particularity and wants to be recognized by the social majority. Its inner identification is built on the strong ethnic or national ground.  [23]   By-turn she noted that this scheme allows to invent different combinations of its components. He also mentioned that this distinction of majorities and minorities has another consequence while forming new states. If, for example, a secure minority happens to create its own state, its more likely that this minority will become an insecure intolerant majority.  [24]   Turning to Ukrainian case after the analysis of this scheme I realized that from the point of view of these categories in Ukraine we deal with two groups, one of which is insecure majority on the Western part of Ukraine, and another group is secure majority of the South-East of the country. Of course, this distinction is far from perfect as I assume there are no pure categories in real life, but anyway for the purposes of this essay Im able to make some generalizations on the basis of contemporary Ukrainian socio-political life. In XIX century the leaders and inspirers of Ukrainian national building considered the Western Ukraine to be Ukrainian Piedmont as Ukrainian national building was mostly promoted by Lviv. The national idea was the thing, which the West carried all the time in the interest of whole contemporary Ukraine. Even now this region is highly nationalistic (I will turn to this issue in the next part). As it was said above the identification of Western Ukrainians is based on high national profile. The radical right parties are highly popular there (this fact also has some correlation with xenophobia rate). It can be explained by historical path of this region. The situation is much different on the East. I consider Eastern Ukraine to be secure majority. It means that population of this region has no strong nationality-based identity, because its identity is citizenship-based (I will turn to this later in the next part). Eastern Ukrainians never cared much about the Ukrainian nationalism, b

The Curse Of The Dot Com :: essays research papers

The Curse of the Dot Com   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the last few years, we have all seen commercials and other advertisements for all kinds of Internet companies. It started an Internet revolution, including such common things as shopping, stock trading, even entertainment. Recently, however, many have noticed that so many of these once growing companies no longer exist. They filed bankruptcy. Why? Because this new market became saturated, and there was not enough demand to support all of the companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here’s an example; Mother Nature dot com. The company went belly up in 2000, and actually started the trend. We all saw the ads for Mother Nature dot com, they were the ones with all the natural health supplements. The problem was, the supplement trend is still new, and people jumping on the wagon want to have it as soon as possible, and Mother Nature was an online mail order.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then there’s the most famous belly-up dot com; Pets dot com. Everyone knew their slogan; â€Å"Pets dot com, because pets can’t drive.† They had the funny little sock puppet dog as a spokesman. Publicity wasn’t their problem. As a pet owner, I can tell you that when I get something for my dogs, I don’t know what I’ll get before I leave the store. I need to browse the store to know what there is. An Internet site won’t let you just see what’s there, you can’t feel it, or touch it. Sure, that system works well if you know what you want, but what if you’re not sure?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet companies are going bankrupt mainly because not that many people like the idea of not seeing, touching, etc., what they bought until a week or more after they bought it. You can see some harm to on site stores from dot coms; it helped Wards to close their doors.