A Doll’s House: Summary

It was Christmas Eve and Norah Helmer has just arrived home after completing her Christmas shopping list which includes a horse and a sword for her male children and a doll for her female child. She paid the porter twice of how much she owed him, went inside the house and ate some macaroons before her husband, Torvald Helmer, came out of his study room and investigated the things she bought.Torvald addressed his wife with terms such as ‘skylark' and ‘squirrel' while sweetly scolding her for being a spendthrift. Nora immediately denied by saying that saves money whenever she could but she just can't help herself with the Christmas shopping because it's time that they celebrate the good fortune that is ahead of them.Norah is talking about the job promotion that Torvald got from the bank he is working for, an event which according to his wife will allow them to more extravagant this season as compared to what they had last year.However, Torvald argued by saying that the prom otion will take effect after New Year so before that, they must be more watchful with their expenses, Nora suggested that they can spend on credit until Torvald is paid but her husband immediately reprimanded and explained that there is no freedom or beauty in a home life that is based on debt.As a result, Nora finally gave up with her suggestion. Noticing his wife's disappointment, Torvald asked Nora of the gift the she wants to receive. Nora hesitated at first but eventually shared that she would want her husband to give her money instead so she could buy the things she wanted.Torvald again accused his wife of being wasteful, a trait which he believed is inherited by Nora from her father. He then asked Nora if she has eaten macaroons that day but she denied.   The couple then proceeded to discuss the misfortunes they had last year and compared it with the blessings that they are enjoying today.Suddenly, their maid, Helene, entered the room and announced the arrival of Dr. Rank, Torvald's doctor, and Mrs. Linde, Nora's friend whom she has not seen for many years.The drastic changes in Mrs. Linde's appearance, as Nora described them to be, made it hard for Nora to recognize her childhood friend. She said that Mrs. Linde looked paler and thinner and she also apologized for her inability to write her when the news about her husband's death spread.Nora inquired on the kind of life Mrs. Linde had after the death of her husband. Mrs. Linde replied by saying that it was a very dark chapter of her life since her husband left nothing to her, not even money or a child, while she was tasked to take care of an ailing mother and two younger brothers.But today, after three years of working in various jobs, nursing her mother who has recently passed away, and supporting her brothers who are grown ups now, her life is sadder because there is no one to depend on her.Nora sympathized to Mrs.Linde but wasn't able to help herself from discussing about her three lovely children , happy marriage life, and Torvald's new position at the bank. Mrs. Linde saw her opportunity and expressed her desire to have a position at the bank where Torvald works. Nora said that she will discuss the matter with her husband.Nora proceed to mention that life has not always been so good at them because Torvald was hospitalized and needed to be transported to Italy to allow himself to recuperate, an event which required Nora to borrow money and work in order to pay for it. She emphasized that Torvald knew nothing about these stuff because she was sure that her husband's pride would be greatly hurt   of the idea that he owed his life to his wife.Nora told Torvald that the money came from her deceased father but the truth is that she took job as copy writer   during the winter and locked herself inside a room to conceal her secret while making her husband believe that she was just making ornaments.She even boasted that she will be free from her debt after new year and by then, she will be able to completely assume her role as wife and mother. Krogstad, a lawyer wishing to discuss bank business with Torvald suddenly appeared on the door while Nora and Mrs. Linde were talking.Nora introduced him to her friend but Mrs. Linde said that she already knew him. Krogstad entered Torvald's study room when Dr. Rank came out from it. Nora introduced Dr. Rank to Mrs. Linde and the three of them left the house.  In the next scene, Nora was seen playing with her children. Krogstad came and talked to her explaining his belief that Mrs. Linde will replace his position at the bank. He said that Nora should influence her husband and must prevent him from firing Krogstad from his bank position.When Nora was trying to deny his influence on her husband, Krogstad tried to blackmail Nora and said that if she will not help him then he will have to inform Torvald of the debt that Nora incurred from him. He even reminded Nora of the forgery she made on her father's signature say ing that it is a serious crime that is punishable by law.Krogstad further assured Nora of the gravity of her crime and threatened her once more before leaving. Nora was left very disturbed.On Christmas day, the Helmer house is portrayed to be messy of decorations and gifts. Nora, on the other hand, is not jubilated by the occasion because she is deeply thinking on how to prevent Krogstad's dismissal.She seriously tried to persuade her husband to retain Krogstad's position but her husband declined saying that the presence of Krogstad in the bank is a disgrace for the company because Krogstad is not a reputable man. Torvald explained that Krogstad forged many signatures before and denied it, an event which damaged his reputation. Torvald then proceed to prepare Krogstad's letter of dismissal.The next day, when Nora was trying to win the favor of Dr. Rank in order to help her influence Torvald regarding the dismissal of Krogstad, Dr. Rank suddenly confessed his love to Nora and shared to her that his day are numbered because of a serious illness.Nora was shocked of the doctor's declaration of love but was saddened by the news of his impending death. Dr. Rank said that he intends to leave the town after his declaration of his feelings to Nora and said that a calling card with a black cross will be sent to the Helmer's house to signal his imminent death.After receiving his dismissal letter, Krogstad dropped a letter in Torvald's mailbox. The letter contained a detailed explanation of his transaction with Nora. Mrs. Linde became aware of the situation when she saw Nora crying. She promised to help Nora by persuading Krogstad, who happened to be her ex-lover.Torvald then appeared and Nora asked him to help her prepare the tarantella that she will dance at the costume party. Such action was actually Nora's way of preventing her husband from reading Krogstad's letter.Mrs. Linde met Krogstad at the doorway of the Helmer's house. She confessed to him that she still loved him and wants to take care of him and his children. She also explained that she left him before because she needed the money that she will get from her marriage.Krogstad was skeptical at first because he thought Mrs. Linde was only doing this in order to   prevent him from blackmailing Nora but Mrs. Linde said that she believed that Torvald deserves to know the truth. However, she agreed that Krogstad must retract from his first plans of blackmailing Nora.Krogstad eventually agreed to Mrs. Linde's proposal. Inside the Helmer's house, Torvald saw Dr. Rank's card and Krogstad's letter. He went inside his study room and read both letters then stormed out of the living room and punished Nora. He said that he now owes his reputation to Krogstad and he accuses Nora of destroying his life.He said that Nora is a hypocrite and a liar but prevents her from leaving saying that they must still maintain their marriage in order to save themselves from further disgrace. In response to this, Nor a felt calm and frozen as she began to realize the truth of her marriage. The door bell rang and their maid came with a letter for Nora.Torvald read it and suddenly expressed a change of emotion. He said that the letter came from Krogstad telling them that he will no longer blackmail Nora. As an assurance, Krogstad even attached the promissory note which Nora forged. This made Torvald very happy and explained to Nora that everything has returned to normal and that she must forget the things that he has told earlier.However, Nora has made up her mind. She said that Torvald has only treated her as a doll and not as a real human being. She now realizes that she has been blinded by her love for Torvald that she has forgotten to her own identity.Torvald explained that Nora ought to fulfill her duty to as a wife and mother but Nora replied that her duty to herself is more important. Nora removed her wedding ring, freed Torvald of all of his obligations on her, instructed him never to cont act her, walked put of the room, and finally, slammed the door.Questions:1.)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Act Three. Torvald to Mrs. Linde: Being Nora's close friend, can you advise me of ways on how to win my wife back? Is there a way for me a â€Å"glorious† thing to happen so that I can save our marriage? What changes should I do in order to make myself worthy of Nora's love again?2.)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Act Three. Torvald to Krogstad: Why did you withdraw your intentions of blackmailing my wife? I just want to be ware of the reasons that made you write a retraction letter? Don't you have any hidden agenda?

Person centred planning Essay

It is important that a person is always the centre of planning there decisions and wishes for the future and you should always use a person centred approach when dealing with an individual. For example if a doctor was explaining a course of treatment to a certain individual and you could see that the individual did not understand what the doctor was telling them but the carer assumed it would be OK to let the doctor carry on and just explain the the individual later on. Where in fact you should of stopped to ask that individual if the understood and if not then ask the doctor to explain himself in a different way were they may understand more. This then includes the individual and gives them the ability to ask questions and decided what decisions they may want because they would be in the centre of their own care. If you was to wait until the individual was home to explain what the doctor was saying then they may of made the wrong choices in which path they wanted to go in simply because they did not realise what the doctor was saying and could therefore become distressed by this. For example if the individual was to agree to a type of treatment which goes against there values and beliefs but because the carer did not explain what the doctor meant they may not of known what they were agreeing to. where as by getting the doctor the explain in a understanding form for them means that they could find out all the information they need to make decisions and come away happy knowing that they fully understand what they have chosen to do. This is why person centred planning is so important because it means the individual is in charged of what they want and it makes them less distress knowing that they can make their own choices and they are being listened too and they are valued as a person.

Change Essay

An individual’s attempt to live freely is based on self-respect and interest. To disrupt the ideal and significance of living under a conventional life style, one must step outside their daily routines. We are often resistant to change due to the consequences of our actions but for many, having a routine becomes everything. It is a comfortable customary way of living that guarantees safety and for things to stay the exact same. When a routine has become stagnant and unbendable we have become prisoners within the cells of our own making. By looking at â€Å"Behind the Headlines† by Vidyut Aklujkar one can see the theme the author demonstrates betwwen tradition and change*change can bring liberty In the short story Behind the Headlines, Vidyut Aklujkar states a conflict between tradition vs change. Hariharan’s blind acceptance of mistreating Lakshmi is what leads her to such impulsive way to gain control of her own life. â€Å"Lakshmi got tired just thinking about the predictability of her life.† With this statement we can presume she feels obligated to serve Hariharan due to their marriage and customs. â€Å"Mornings begun thus with Sanskrit and Sangeet would make one feel warm and pure.† Lakshmis flashback to India provides the reader with evidence that like Hariharan, she has also morning routines. She then explains how she had to leave all that behind when she married Hariharan and had to move to Canada. In the short story â€Å"Behind the Headline† by Vidyut Aklujkar, the wife Lakshmi is exhausted of her repetitive life that is caused by her husband Hariharan profession.

Internet Business and Electronic Commerce Assignment

Internet Business and Electronic Commerce - Assignment Example The paper tells that Internet has revolutionized the human life considerably. The traditional principles with respect to many areas of human life have been changed with the entry of internet and the business segment is also not an exception. At the introduction stage many people thought the internet is just another medium of communication; nothing more than that. But then as time progresses, people has realized the potential of internet in many areas of human life and at present it is used extensively in education, business, communication, transportation etc. E-commerce is a paperless exchange of business information using electronic data like e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, fax transmissions, and electronic funds transfer etc. A recent survey conducted by Nielsen/Net ratings and Harris Interactive indicates e-commerce sites are driving more purchases offline than online. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is attracting business both in offline and online modes. Many people use in ternet for comparing the features and prices of different products of similar kind then visit shops for purchasing. Online business has much wider scopes than offline businesses because of the wider reach-ability of it. It is easy for a person to purchase a product from America staying in some other countries using a simple credit card. Moreover, the consumer can compare the prices of the same product in various countries and thus he will able to purchase a product for the cheapest possible price. This research mainly concentrates on yahooshopping.com, shopping.aol.com, ebay.com levistrauss.com for analyzing the online business generally and amazon.com for analyzing the online book business specifically. Yahooshopping.com, shopping.aol.com, ebay.com, and levistrauss.com are offering various products for the customers like clothing, accessories, flowers, gifts, electronic items, computers, sports items jewelry, watches, holiday tour packages, medicines, fragrances, beauty products et c.

Film Analysis Report of the Movie Mask Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film Analysis Report of the Mask - Movie Review Example The film also stars Dennis Burkley and Laura Dern in supporting roles. The film won the Academy Award for the best makeup. The stars of the film Cher and Eric Stoltz were selected as nominees for Golden Globe awards for their excellent performances. The film also paved the way for the actress Cher to win the best actress award in the Cannes Festival of 1985. Mask is definitely a star studded film and all the actors fantastically portray their assigned roles above the average mark of performance. Rocky Dennis played by Stoltz and Rusty, mother of Rocky Dennis who is an addict and member of a reckless biker family played by Cher, are amazing and outstanding in profound strength of character depiction and emotional exuberance. Both these characters have done complete justification to the characters of a boy suffering from Ionitis and his mother who is protective about her son, an addict and leads a reckless life herself but at the same time wants him to receive a normal healthy life like any other mortal, is superbly represented in the silver screen at length through the fineness of the performance and precision of the cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs and insight of the learned director Peter Bogdanovich. The setting of the film Mask can be considered as mixed with a proper blend of indoor and outdoor backgrounds. Though the major course of the film takes place indoors in school, camp for the junior blind and maternal home of the Rocky Dennis, there are considerable portion of the plot and events which occur outside too. At the outset of the film, the audiences are introduced with the protagonist of the film, Rocky Dennis who stays with his mother and his maternal grandparents. Due to his skull deformities, there are also numbers of tumours which occur on his face and audiences are made well aware about the adversities Rocky Dennis is ought to face for his deformities. He is received by his extended biker family, the boy friend of his mom,

Warehouse Group (Strategic Marketing Management ) Assignment

Warehouse Group (Strategic Marketing Management ) - Assignment Example Businesses are consistently faced by dynamism in their operations as they trot towards the envisioned aims and objectives. This therefore calls for substantive strategies that are aimed at restoring the business to its path as well as facing the challenges head on to guarantee continued life and the eventual financial health. The same will see strategies that are market driven that present a strong foundation upon which a business gains a strong standing in its activities. In respect to this, any business foreseeing triumph ought to craft such dimension so as to remain relevant and consistent to the ever changing nature of business environments. By so doing, a firm embraces various strategic perspectives including competition, branding and innovation alongside other aspects that improve the well being of an organization. 2.0 Background information and current situation Operating in New Zealand, The Warehouse Group Limited was established in 1982 and is today rated the biggest retaile r sharing similar characteristics with Walmart located in the USA. It is also listed in the New Zealand Stock Exchange where shares are publicly traded. Nevertheless, The Warehouse majors with more operations than those exhibited by department or discount stores with increased capacity and volume of business. Since its inception The Warehouse has grown tremendously increasing its presence in New Zealand to 83 stores by 2012. It is during this time that a decision to be involved in an acquisition was hatched to increase production and reach more markets for growth and success. The actual business of the Warehouse revolves around grocery as well as non grocery products, an activity that is undertaken broadly in its department store with a workforce slightly exceeding seven thousand employees (Gunter & Mark, 2005). Moreover, there are additional distribution stores that purpose to augment as well as broaden the market reach thus increasing the geographical coverage. The Warehouse also boasts with a number of brand names that are situated around the stores that adds up to its other operations. The presence of gardening facilities also increases the value of business more so in Auckland and Christchurch areas where the Warehouse offers its just brand alongside other brands owned totaling to almost thirty (Krishna, 2007). The Warehouse doesn’t operate in isolation and it’s never a monopoly. It operates in a highly competitive business enviroment since there are other players in the industry who are also aiming at capturing a larger share of the market and also remain relevant. The retail platform is shared by Super Cheap Auto who trade in products related to automobiles, Farmers having department stores across the country dealing with lowscale end of the market, Kmart and Briscoes Group who basically major in homeware and sportsware. Notably, the industry is still attractive to venture in hence there are other potential players who have the urge to sha re in this cake. Subject to time therefore, these players will find their way into this market hence would pose extra competition to Warehouse. With a view to

Feminism Film Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feminism Film Art History - Essay Example Blackmail (1929) is a story of a shopkeeper’s daughter Alice and her detective fiancà ©. At a wider perspective, the plot of the film can be well viewed from a feminist perspective as well. Blackmail is also a story of a women fighting against law and the issues of deconstructing a body of a women to a mere commodity and finding an alibi of art for the gratification of sexual appetite. It is the violence that has been taken into consideration repeatedly in the film through cinematic aesthetics. Also for Modleski, the interpretation of various scenes in the film can be interpreted from various dimensions. The studio incident with Alice and her assault is viewed in the light of sexual violence inflicted upon women where as a male critic can view it from an aesthetic of a body and its intricacies. Blackmail is a story with a women and her consciousness at the central plane and a delicate problem as well as relation of a woman and law. On one hand, the film’s central projection is on the punishment of woman for the reason of subordinating the law for her own desire and also for flaunting the bond that ties her with it which is her engagement with a member of the police force. On the other plane, we are presented with a more complicated relationship between the law and woman and also its abrupt failure to accommodate an experience of lady in patriarchal society. Modleski strongly raises the issue of attempted rape and silencing of women. Modleski contends that Alice is not provided with a voice rather she is objectified. She indicates that the painting of the Jester is used deliberately to put women on the realm of an inferior sex. Jester becomes the icon, the archetypal of male dominated society representing himself as a laughing male to both Alice and her fiancà © Frank. Jester again stops Alice and condemns her from laughing at the end of the film. He also reminds Frank of his deceiving fiancà ©

A Report on the Foraging Behavior among the Chameleon Species Research Paper

A Report on the Foraging Behavior among the Chameleon Species - Research Paper Example Chameleons are predominantly omnivorous though some species exhibit more preference for carnivorous diet while others are more herbivorous. Some smaller species are preyed upon by some predators like birds and snake making them. Chameleons have a unique feeding strategy due to the wide variety of diets and foraging habit. Aerts Herrel, Meyers and Nishikawa observed that the retraction of the chameleon tongue pad creates suction on the prey and enhances adhesion of the tongue (3262). This report focuses on the foraging behavior of the chameleon. Objectives of the Report The specific objectives of this report are to; I. Provide an in-depth understanding of foraging mode exhibited by different chameleon species II. Examine the prey capturing mechanism in chameleons and how it is associated with the chameleon foraging mode III. Establish whether chameleons exhibit a unique prey capturing mechanism and foraging mode Characteristic Features of the Foraging Mode in Chameleons Foraging mode is one of the most crucial aspects in animal life. Foraging mode is used to describe the manner in which animals obtain food within its ecological habitat. Foraging is usually associated with other natural and behavioral traits like locomotive ability, energy utilization and reproduction among others. More importantly, foraging mode plays a critical role in determining prey-predator interactions among animal species. The chameleon’s feeding behavior is often defined in terms of foraging mode which has been mainly classified as either active or ambush (sit-and-wait) type (Hagey, Harmon and Losos 1). With regards to behavior, there are observable differences between active and ambush foragers. Active foragers exhibit a high frequency of movement, tend to prey on sedentary prey, use more energy and possess small clutch size (Butler 797). As a result of their highly motile behavior, active foraging chameleon species are likely to obtain their prey through encounter. On the other hand, the sit-and-wait foraging chameleons exhibit less movements, tend to remain still for longer periods and often run to the prey as they spot it. Active and ambush foraging is largely determined by other factors including morphological and behavioral characteristics, the type of prey and habitat use among others. It has been found that variations exist among active and ambush foragers in terms of activity levels, body temperatures and intake of calories. Most active foragers have higher levels of activity, high caloric intakes and higher body temperatures than their ambush counterparts (Hagey, Harmon and Losos 1-2). This phenomenon is true for chameleons as such differences have been observed among different chameleon species. Chameleons have unique morphological and behavioral characteristics which influences their foraging behavior. In a study aimed at investigating chameleon foraging mode in the dwarf chameleon (Bradypodium pumilum), Butler suggested that in addition to the u sual active versus ambush foraging strategy in chameleons, some species have adapted an alternative cruise mode

Chinese traditional value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese traditional value - Essay Example However, the Chinese traditional values demonstrate the rich history of Confucian culture that emphasis on respect for the elderly and caring for the needy. As far as cultural values are trusted as vital elements in determining the behaviors of members of the society, it is not possible to hear, touch or even taste their existence. This is because cultural values are passionately contained within the hearts of the members of the society where it would be maintained through all dynasties. In contrary to western countries, Chinese has its own unique values, very distinct in terms of morals standards and attitudes some of as identified below (Hofstede 243).THESIS: Chinese traditional values significantly differ with the western traditional cultures. Chinese falls amongst the countries that experience high cultural contexts and for this reason, they exhibit a lot of collectivism in contrary to western countries which endorse a culture of individualism especially in terms of power, what has been gained or what is expected to be gained. Chinese has put at the forefront the recognition of collectivism and value to all members of the society. Their culture is an impediment and labeled with all efforts of synergy as everybody get equal measure of treatment as one unified group. Going by this cultural practice, Chinese value recognizes collectivism as compared to individual identity. Due to such reasons, much attention is given to group unity than self-attention and personal opinions. Moreover, they believed that anybody practicing self-assertive behavior is of disgrace to the society and should awarded no respect since he poses extreme danger on unity or peaceful coexistence between members of the group and the society at large. In s imple terms, all members of the group must harmonize co-existence with each other through allegiance, loyalty, participation and equitable sharing

E gov Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E gov - Case Study Example he effect of the established water projects in people’s lives, demonstrate institutional failures and corruption of Thar government and how they have led to distrust in the public and my opinion to reduce such occurrences. Decrease of monsoon rainfall is caused by Arabian Sea that branch north of Cambay gulf resulting in extreme drought conditions in Thar Desert, unexpected change of air currents, and the dry air of Sind. Karakilcik and Kalyar (2014) argue that deflection of air currents to the east in Arabian Sea is increasing causing the air to move east and southeast. As a result, the rain bearing wind reaches south-west of Arabia and marks the end of monsoon rainfall. This has caused increasingly drought conditions in Thar Desert. Thar Desert in south East Pakistan has been suffering from extreme drought conditions for a period of three years. Jillian (2015) notes that Tharparkar region is the most neglected areas in Pakistan. Lack of proper rain for the last three years has affected people and livestock greatly. An interview with one of the residents of Thar parkar region in Pakistan indicates that drought has left nothing edible for people and livestock. Halepoto (2012) indicates that 90% of the agricultural land has perished due to inadequate water. Human beings are suffering. Reports from the local doctors and hospitals indicate that children are the most affected due to malnutrition and premature births. Despite the increased efforts by the government to get the people of Pakistan from crisis, the continuous increase in drought is dragging their efforts (Halepoto, 2012). Water borne diseases from saline water and malnutrition have caused increased number of infant deaths. In search of greener pastures, thousands of people migrate to the nearby farming districts close to River Indus (Poonia and Rao, 2013). Trained Health care workers are migrating to big cities, such as Karachi to look for employment (Halepoto, 2012). There is also no continuity in

US Intervention in Somalia, 1992 Essay Example for Free

US Intervention in Somalia, 1992 Essay The 1992-1993 intervention of the US forces, with UN authorization, in the fractured country of Somalia is a complex issue not just in terms of Somalian domestic politics, but also the constellation of foreign entanglements that were involved in this strategic part of the world. This brief essay will attempt to answer some key questions about the conflict itself, the American role and the diplomatic and power struggles internationally, especially given the strategic location of Somalia on the Indian Ocean trade routes and the controlling interest in the mouth of the Red Sea. The conflict itself is rather straightforward. The dictatorship of Said Barre was an eccentric one, since he attempted to combine the Islamic movement with that of Marxian socialism. But Barre, in this tribally fractured society, found himself at loggerheads with the powerful Hawiye tribe, as well as certain Islamic factions operating within the country, eventually to develop the Somali National Alliance (SNA), which, for reasons to be described below, became the main target of the American wrath. Concerning the basic structure of the conflict using the typology of Kriesberg, his concern for â€Å"interests and values† is very important, since the basic struggle, outside of its tribal basis, was one of independence from the west. If the SNA were to be victorious, than the US might well be shut out of this strategic area, and a hostile power would come into play, just when the US had helped oust the hated Marxist dictator in Ethiopia, Mengistu Hailie Maram. It is the contention of this writer that this specific reason underlies the entire US intervention in 1992-1993. But apart from interests and values, it seems that the Civil War in Somalia was a zero-sum battle, in that the Islamic movement had a very different agenda than the pro-Ethiopian movement. The victory of one meant the automatic loss for the other. The organizations themselves were both tribal and ideological, centering around the destiny of Somalia relative to the Arab-Israeli conflict, where the Muslims rejected the US presence in support of Israeli interests and the pro-western side sought to use Ethiopia to eliminate the Islamic movement of General Farah Adeed. Hence, in Kriesberg’s terms, these organizations were basically bi-focal, with two mutually exclusive agendas that eventually, in 1993, permitted the US government to hold that the Islamic movement is the great threat to Somalia (cf Kreisberg’s typology, 2006, 7-14). Now, the basic issues in the conflict concern, first of all, the actors themselves. After the disastrous war with Ethiopia in the late 1980s, the Barre regime in Somalia tottered, and eventually was overthrown by an military organization, backed largely by the Hawaye tribe, the United Somali Congress (USC). They overthrew Barre, but were incapable of managing the post-war world. Hence, the development of the Civil War and the rise of Addid’s SNA. The CIA maintained a major post in Kenya, and the US maintained a air base in Ethiopia where spy planes can traverse the Middle East (Griswold, 2007). After the overthrow of the communist DERG state in Ethiopia in 1991, the western backed government intervened regularly in the conflict within the US frame of reference. Hence, it seems that the American approach was to either restore Barre in power or create a coalition of anti-Adeed forces (preferably led by militia leader Ali Mahdi (US Army, 10). None of this worked, and Adeed seemed to emerge from the conflict victorious, as he played upon the anti-colonialist struggle against the United States and successfully engendered hatred against the US (Kaemph, 2007). Therefore, in general, the Somali war pitted Adeed’s forces against both the Ethiopians and the United States. In addition, the state of Eritrea was also involved, and received both Israeli and American backing from its independence against he former communist government of Ethiopia. Hence, the Eritreans were used against the Adeed government and the state itself became a base for the anti-Islamic movement. Eritrea was very useful for the United States and Israel (who certainly had an interest in the Red Sea being open to western trade), since they fought with the Islamic government of Sudan, and became a part of the peace-keeping efforts of the US in that country, also with the ultimate purpose to eliminate the influence of the anti-US and anti-Israeli Islamic movement. Hence, the causes of the conflict and the American intervention are woven within the functioning of the actors themselves within an international context. To put it simply: the US, the UN and Israel supported Ethiopia and Eritrea (though these two have fought in the past), as well as what was left of the Barre regime. Barre himself had offered several oil concessions to American oil firms not to long before his overthrow, and hence, the major oil firms and the US government had an interest in his movement, discredited thought it was (Kretzman, 2003). The major purpose was to keep any coalition that could be formed by Adeed and the anti-US forces under both a nationalist and Islamic banner. The US Army holds in its official account of the war that psychological operations (PSYOPS) were the order of the day in the Somali countryside. This ominous methodology is not elaborated upon in the Army’s description of events (US Army, pub 70-81-1, p 10). At the same time, the CIA was providing the basic logistical support for the intervention out of Kenya. Given this background, the major issues that motivated the American intervention might be reduced to four. First, the control of any oil found in Somalia and, more importantly, the massive oil reserves of Sudan. The two conflicts are very similar in that both Omar Bashir and Adeed are anti-US and anti-Israel, and are fighting for a country that has at least some oil reserves that can be exploited. Secondly, both the US and Israel have an interest in keeping Islamic movements out of power in this strategic area, since such movements may well join with Iran and Russia against American oil interest in the area. Third, to maintain a secular and pro-western state in both Ethiopia and Eritrea. Fourth, to keep friendly powers in charge of Somalia in order to keep both the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean free of hostile powers, since major shipping goes though these areas, and importantly, oil shipping. But similarly, this is all based on a certain geography: Somalia is highly strategic for the above reasons–this eastern horn of Africa sits upon oil and major shipping lanes that cannot fall to hostile powers. But the area of the US intervention, it should be noted, only developed in the extreme south and west of the country, not accidentally the area bordering Kenya, where the CIA maintains a large base and listening post (Griswold, 2007). The US, as part of its PSYOP mentality, hit the radio stations belonging to Adeed, as well as attempting–unsuccessfully–to harm his infrastructure. The reality of the situation is, in the chaos of the war, the Islamic movement of Adeed developed his own social services and social infrastructure, not unlike Hamas in Palestine. To destroy this became the main purpose of the 1992-1993 intervention and largely dictated the popular hostility of the masses to American intervention. Adeed successfully created his own anti-PSYOP mentality by holding the Islamic faith and using nationalist ideas to mobilize the country to his cause. Hence, the nonsense about feeding the â€Å"starving masses† should not even be taken seriously, since the only man who successfully rebuilt at least a modicum of social services became the main target of US attacks (Kaemph, 2007). Hence, several things can be said in conclusion. First, oil is an important issue here, both in Sudan and Somalia. This is one of the most important motivating influences behind the intervention in 1992. But this oil is not sitting in the ground, it is being shipped worldwide, and hence, the Indian Ocean routes near Africa and the Red Sea both need to be kept open, and hence, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are central actors here. Second, the Eritreans were encouraged in their independence drive under the communist DERG state in Ethiopia by both the US and Israel so as to maintain a pro-western state there. Eritrea hence, sought to support the US in the conflict with the purpose of maintaining its independence and legitimacy. The Islamic forces in Sudan and the SNA wanted an Islamic and nationalist state to fight the west and the Israelis. For the US, this was unacceptable and might be the central issue in the entire American mentality of the time. The reality is that Adeed won–and he won using anti-colonial rhetoric that saw the US as invaders, not interveners. Third, the American PSYOP organization, with CIA backing fizzled. They failed to convince the population that the US was their friend. The very fact that Adeed’s own infrastructure was attacked proved to most that the US was there for the sake of realpolitik, not humanitarian aid, a rather silly â€Å"official† story from Washington, given the strategic nature of the area. Since PSYOPS are little more than brainwashing, Adeed certainly seems to have the moral high ground here–he had the money and the power, as well as the support and military training to make his movement work. Insofar as Kriesberg’s organization typology (cf pg 12), the reason for the American intervention is that it seemed that Adeed’s forces could not be beaten. His main opponent, and a recipient of US money, Mahdi, had no real military training and was no match for Adeed (US Army, 10). The former forces of Barre were also fractured and demoralized, and hence, to keep Adeed out of power, intervention was necessary. But what remains central is that the official reason for the American involvement was not only false, but laughable. Not even an armchair analysis could hold that humanitarianism was the central issue when which globally strategic issues were at stake. An Islamic government in Sudan and Somalia could spell doom for the American interest in the shipping lanes of the area, and might well serve to harm the states of Ethiopia or Eritrea. Israel’s interest were also central, since the US presence in northeastern Africa is substantial and is a major base for operations against he enemies of the Israeli state such as Iraq (formerly) and Iran, not to mention Sudan or even Libya. The US, in short, appeared as an amoral colonial invader against the genuinely popular Adeed forces. Ultimately, the Somalia failure proved the problematic nature of American post-Cold War foreign policy. First, her official rationale made little sense. Second, the simple battle for American interests will not win the US forces respect throughout the world (Allard, 1995). The nations of the world will work out their own problems without CIA meddling, which only rarely provides a lasting solution (though few could doubt that the fall of Mengistu in Ethiopia was not a good thing). But lastly, what seems to come out of the Somalia failure is the simple fact that the US drive for global empire is doomed to fail, and what should come out of the decay of the bi-polar world is not a uni-polar world or even an multi-lateral one, but the simple concept of self determination for all the nations and people’s of the world according to their own lights, not dictates from Brussels, New York or Washington. Bibliography: Allard, K.. (2005) Somalia Operations: Lessons Learned. Washington: National Defense Griswold, Diedre (Jan 7, 2007) â€Å"Why Somalia has no National State. † Workers World. http://www. workers. org/2007/world/somalia-0111/ (This is a communist publication that should be taken with a grain of salt but it does have some interesting observations about the CIA’s role in the area, as well as Israel’s) Kriesberg, L. (2006). Constructive Conflicts. Rowman and Littlefield. Kretzman, Steve (2003). Oil Security, War and the Geopolitics of United States Energy Planning. Multinational Monitor, Jan/Feb. (http://www. thirdworldtraveler. com/Oil_watch/Oil_Security_War. html) United States Army (nd). The US Army in Somalia. CHM Publication 70-81-1

Defining and Experiencing the Humanities Essay Example for Free

Defining and Experiencing the Humanities Essay I am currently having trouble defining humanities in my own words after reading week one’s overview. Unfortunately after reading this week’s readings and watching the assigned videos, I am still unclear as to what humanities really is. The week one overview while well written was merely a string of questions and what ifs, that honestly left me with even more questions than I started with. Is this an art appreciation class, a literature class, maybe history? Could it possibly be all these things and more? I am still not sure but I am very certain I look forward to finding out. My selection of a cultural event that I have attended (and participated in) is the War for Empire event at Ft. Dobbs in Statesville, NC. This event is the largest event at Ft. Dobbs each year. During this event there are several encampments that showcase different aspects of life on the North Carolina frontier during the mid-18th century. There are Cherokee and Catawba encampments that demonstrate music, dance, and other forms of art such as finger weaving. The native interpreters also discuss clothing, food, and social norms associated with their people. There are also many Anglo (European) encampments which demonstrate things such as period cooking, beer crafting, tailoring, and furniture and once there was even a cobbler (awesome). Other sights to be seen are weapons and tactics demonstrations, the clothing and equipment used by the common soldiers, laborers and farmers of the North Carolina frontier during the Seven Years War.

Investigation of Flame Retardant Chemicals

Investigation of Flame Retardant Chemicals 1.0 Introduction Cotton has been used for textile fibre for a long time. It is cool and comfortable to wear. The air spaces within the fibres allow the fibre to absorb liquids. Cotton can be chemically treated to make it fire-resistant by soaking it into chemicals mixed with water. A fibre is a strand composed of polymer chains twisted around each other. All fabrics will burn with some being more combustible than other, as shown in Figure 2, combustion requires energy, fuel source and oxygen (), but their burning rates can be reduced with flame-retardants applied through chemical-treatment. Flame retardants are usually added to consumer products for furnituZhZhre, insulation, textiles and electronics to meet the flammability standards. The flammability is how easily something will burn-or-ignite, causing fire-or-combustion (Wikipedia, 2014). There are complete, incomplete combustion and charring occurs during incomplete combustion, which refers to burning in a lack of sufficient air. Not all carbon atoms form carbon dioxide, some or all may turn into carbon monoxide or forms pure carbon particles (soot) or deposits (char). Flame retardants are used for preventing fires from starting or for delaying fire, as well as limiting the spread of fire and minimise the fire damage. Solid-materials do-not burn directly; they must be decomposed by heat (pyrolysis) first to release flammable gases. When the flammable gas burns with oxygen in the air, visible flames will appear. However, if solid-materials do-not break-down into gases, they will only be slow smouldering and usually extinguish themselves. Especially if materials ‘char’, then form a stable-carbonaceous barrier which prevents-access of the flame to the-underlying material (EFRA, 2014). When materials have been ignited, the heat generated breaks down from long-chain solid molecules to smaller molecules which transpire as gases. Ammonium sulphate [(NH4)2SO4] is an inorganic salt with various commercial uses (Wikipedia, 2014), and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4) forms when a phosphoric acid solution is put into ammonia till the solution is significantly acidic. These are used as flame retardants in our experiment in investigate which chemical is a better flame retardant at their maximum and half concentration. Discussion Analysis The most effective flame retardant was judged by the average differences of mass before and after burning of ammonium sulphate (AS) and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) at their maximum (M) and half maximum (H) concentrations. The control has the highest differences of mass of 1.48g, because it fully burned after it is put on fire for three seconds. 5.62mol/L (M) AS and 3.48mol/L (M) ADH have average differences of mass of 0.2g and 0.073g, which are less than the 2.81mol/L (H)AS and 1.74mol/L (H)ADH. This show the chemicals were more effective at their maximum concentration. Due to an anomaly that occurred in the average area burnt data, the average area burnt result in Table 3.1.3 and Graph 3.2.2 for ADH solution cannot provide a high accuracy data, so this result will be disregarded. The percentage differences between the mass before burning and average mass were calculated for comparing and justified 3.48mol/L ADH was the best flame retardant in this experiment. Water had the highest percentage difference which proves that water has little or no flame retardant ability. Obviously, MADH has the least percentage difference which supports that ADH is a good flame retardant. A higher molarity resulted in a better flame retardant. Both chemicals had better results in resisting the burning process at maximum concentrations. There was lots of charring on fibres soaked in MADH after burning (black substances showed it was only burnt on the surface), and only a little amount of charring occurred on MAS’s fibre. The layer of carbon (black substances) on fibre’s/polymer’s surface is charring which proves the chemical is a good flame retardant. The more char fibre has, the more effective the chemical of that fibre coated with. When the fibres soaked in the other three solutions were burned, charring was only present on the edges. Charring occurs during incomplete combustion, which proves the lack of sufficient air during the burning, and therefore supports the result that 3.48mol/L ADH was the best flame retardant. [(NH4)2SO4] and ADH (NH4H2PO4) both have NH4 and hydrogen, however, the main difference is sulphate and phosphate. Although AS h as one more nitrogen and two more hydrogen atoms than ADH, from the results, element phosphate can be predicted as having a better flame retardant ability than element sulphate. Evaluation Improvements The results have a high level of consistency, as the range of values between trials was small, with a few anomalies. Table 7.3.1 shows the mass before and after burning of Trial 2 of the control (0.24g), which had a significant large disparity with the other trials’ data (0.04g 0.03g). Although it could be removed from calculation of average, due to its small effect on the overall results, it was kept. Table 7.3.1 also shows the amount of burnt area of Control Trial 2 (88 squares) was lower than the other two trials (both fully burned), and is therefore a significant anomaly. This occurred as the fibres weren’t always steadily put at the same spot in the flame. This could be improved by placing the fibre in the flame more carefully, and performing a few more trials to ensure the overall accuracy. Part of our group experiment was done twice, due to a systematic error. At first, the fibres coated with MADH and HADH were not timed, so the time that the fibres were soaked varied. The beakers might be put in the wrong concentration of ADH as it was marked. Therefore, those fibres might contain less or more solution, which explains the HADH solution’s results that appeared to be a better flame retardant than the MADH solution. A second attempt on the ADH solutions was successful, and showed much better results, matching the expected results. These results were used for analysing with the water and AS solutions’ data. At half maximum concentration, the molarity is lower than the maximum concentration, but in Table 3.1.3 result of 1.74 mol/L HADH had a smaller area burnt than the MADH. Table 7.3.2 also shows the unexpected results of area burnt for ADH. This may be a systematic error as human judgement was required to count the number of burnt squares. Burning time can be recorded to the future experiment, to determine the best flame retardant. The mass retained of chemicals at their maximum concentration should be twice of the half concentration mass retained. Table 3.1.5 shows fibres’ masses at maximum concentration is 1.236 (AS) and 1.289 (ADH) times of their half maximum concentration; Graph 2.3.4 shows the growing trend of the mass retained at their half and maximum concentration. The exponential trend due to when chemicals at their maximum concentration the mass retained won’t grow any higher. In this experiment AS and ADH weren’t actually done at the same concentration, so in future experiment the ultimate test of the best flame retardant is to do the chemicals at the same concentrations. Alternatively, aluminium potassium sulphate-12-water and disodium tetraborate-10-water can be added into the experiment, and investigate the best flame retardant.

Looking for Dr. Fuller :: Buckminster Fuller Essays

Looking for Dr. Fuller It's the next to next to last day of English 381: The Personal Essay. We're reading Annie Dillard's Teaching A Stone to Talk and I call attention to a blurb on the jacket by Edward Albee. A student notes asks about another quotation from Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller. She doesn't know who Fuller is, and no one else in the class does either, but the running speculation is that he's a fundamentalist evangelist, a sort of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I fumble for an explanation of Fuller--architect, philosopher, voice of a generation like Dr. Spock. I joke that I should bring in my Whole Earth Catalog so I can illustrate my remarks. I explain that Fuller invented the geodesic dome and when some in the class aren't certain what that is, I scrawl a bad drawing on the board. Finally someone saves me by mentioning Epcot Center, and we go off awhile on that. I mention that another dome much closer is in Downs, Illinois, ten miles down the road in a one-tavern town. Here is an essay possibility, the connection between Epcot Center and Downs, Illinois. But that's not the road to travel in this essay. At the library I plug Fuller's name into the computer. Twenty books pop up, their call numbers ranging from C, to H, to P, to T, and I suddenly recognize a title Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, its publication place of Carbondale reminding me that Fuller taught at Southern Illinois University. There's a picture of his geodesic dome house in Carbondale, by the way, in the plates between pages 96 and 97 of Ideas and Integrities: A Spontaneous Autobiographical Disclosure. For kicks I also ask the computer to find The Whole Earth Catalog, call number AP2.W5. My book search will take me, then, to five different floors. The Whole Earth Catalog is yellowing and brittle. Its publishers, the Portola Institute, probably didn't expect back in 1969 that the they would show up on university library shelves, and so they didn't bother with acid-free paper. When I flip through the pages I remember the day I bought a copy myself, a later edition, at least, in 1975 and, reading, through it, came upon a recipe for baking bread, from the Tassajara Bread Book. It was summer. Breaking bread sounded like a righteous thing for a college freshman to do and so in my mother's kitchen I measure yeast and molasses and water and whole wheat and salt and oil and kneaded out six loaves.

The Many Themes of William Gibsons Neuromancer :: Neuromancer Essays

William Gibson's Neuromancer is a complex story that deals with the future computer technology and the impact on the lives of the world citizens. There are themes of love, betrayal, trust, and forbidden knowledge within each of the story lines of the book. These story lines give a human quality to a world that is described as being controlled by computers and technology. Also throughout the book Gibson brings in the ethical and moral values of the debate over what cost humanity takes as technology advances. In the early 1900s when Henry Ford first used the automatic conveyor belt it came at the cost of hiring manual labor to do the job. The usage of the conveyor belt, however, redefined the factory assembly line. As with the previous example, technology comes with the advancement of a culture, but with those advancements come the decline of some part of the human aspect of the previous way of life. Sometimes this advancement is for the better and aids the next generation do more for their culture as well as the world, but there are those advancements that degrade humanity and cause more harm than good for the rest of society. Gibson deals with this debate and brings it into the modern era with creation of the Internet and World Wide Web in the late 1980s. Case as well as the other characters were faced with the underlying plot of if what they were doing for Wintermute was the right thing to do, and how would it effect the rest of society. Â   The underlying tension throughout the entire novel is the fear of who do you trust and who will betray me next. In the opening of the novel Case is trying to figure out why a drug lord is looking for him and what will the drug leader do with him. Case received a drug shipment from Wage, the drug lord, and has not paid Wage for the drugs. He goes to one of his friends, Julius Deane, to figure out what to do and what Wage is trying to do to Case, and later in the novel Deane becomes a leader in the mission to sabotage Tessier-Ashpool. There is an incident between Case and Jules as the story develops where Jules has been taken over by Wintermute, and revels to Case that he in fact killed Linda Lee, Case's love. The Many Themes of William Gibson's Neuromancer :: Neuromancer Essays William Gibson's Neuromancer is a complex story that deals with the future computer technology and the impact on the lives of the world citizens. There are themes of love, betrayal, trust, and forbidden knowledge within each of the story lines of the book. These story lines give a human quality to a world that is described as being controlled by computers and technology. Also throughout the book Gibson brings in the ethical and moral values of the debate over what cost humanity takes as technology advances. In the early 1900s when Henry Ford first used the automatic conveyor belt it came at the cost of hiring manual labor to do the job. The usage of the conveyor belt, however, redefined the factory assembly line. As with the previous example, technology comes with the advancement of a culture, but with those advancements come the decline of some part of the human aspect of the previous way of life. Sometimes this advancement is for the better and aids the next generation do more for their culture as well as the world, but there are those advancements that degrade humanity and cause more harm than good for the rest of society. Gibson deals with this debate and brings it into the modern era with creation of the Internet and World Wide Web in the late 1980s. Case as well as the other characters were faced with the underlying plot of if what they were doing for Wintermute was the right thing to do, and how would it effect the rest of society. Â   The underlying tension throughout the entire novel is the fear of who do you trust and who will betray me next. In the opening of the novel Case is trying to figure out why a drug lord is looking for him and what will the drug leader do with him. Case received a drug shipment from Wage, the drug lord, and has not paid Wage for the drugs. He goes to one of his friends, Julius Deane, to figure out what to do and what Wage is trying to do to Case, and later in the novel Deane becomes a leader in the mission to sabotage Tessier-Ashpool. There is an incident between Case and Jules as the story develops where Jules has been taken over by Wintermute, and revels to Case that he in fact killed Linda Lee, Case's love.

Technical Theater During the Restoration Lighting and Scenic Design England 1660-1800 :: English Theater

Technical Theater During the Restoration Lighting and Scenic Design England 1660-1800 The Restoration in England was an era ripe for the development of new ideas in the arts. The return of the Stuart monarchy under Charles II marked the end of eighteen years of almost dictatorial control by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan parliament. Cromwell had campaigned actively to halt all theatrical activity. In the end, however, his laws were actually responsible for helping move England forward in theatrical history. Actors, under Cromwell's laws, were to be apprehended a rogues if they were caught "in the act" so to speak of performing their trade. Some left their careers and sought employment elsewhere. Most, however, remained undaunted by parliament's threats. Productions continued quietly in tennis courts, inns and private houses. Officials were bribed to keep silent their knowledge of violations. The theater in England had moved indoors as it had already done in France and Italy. Although the reasons for the move were different, the end result was the same. Up until this time plays had always been performed outdoors in the early afternoon. Performances traditionally relied on sunlight, natural scenery, and minimal set pieces that could be easily transported from one location to another. Indoor productions required something much more elaborate. The preliminary concepts of scenic design and lighting design began to form in England in the late 1650's. During the Restoration, as controls were lifted, technical theater began to flourish. Many early examples of modern stage techniques were born between 1660 and 1800, making the Restoration a significant era in the history of scenic design and lighting for the theater. The art of scenic design did not begin in England. As early as 1570 the Italians were giving elaborate opera performances in the ducal courts using perspective scenes and various types of stage machinery. The French mimicked the design ideas of the Italian's and gave them a name, la scene a l'italienne. (Souther n 221) Although Cromwell had banned public theater, opera was still considered a lawful art form. In England, just prior to the Restoration, John Webb designed the scenery for William D'avenant's 'opera' production of The Siege of Rhodes.

Learning Styles and Competencies

Especially when the instructor give exactly what they want out of you when learning room them, like precise instructions, directions, and they give the tools needed to complete their course. My three highest results on the competency spectrum are researching, applying expertise, and logical thinking. Researchers learn new task and retains the Information quickly. Also they demonstrate an Immediate understanding of newly presented Information. A researcher supports good decision making due to well done research. Second was applying expertise this is using technology to achieve goals.Demonstrates an understanding of a variety of different things. Third s logical thinking which is using all sources available to complete a task. Logical thinkers have a great understanding of problems and thinks of ways to solve them. Also they think about the future and the action we make today will affect us in the future and to make wise choices. I believe I am a great researcher and I always I am usua lly the one looking up everything and researching everything to know before making decisions. Second is applying expertise which I also agree that I am good at . My friends and family always ask me for my expertise.I am open too variety of different things. Third is logical thinking I believe that is also pretty true about myself. I understand problems and can always come up with a solution that everyone Is happy with. These results did not surprise me. And competencies as determined by these activities. I don't think there are any major alterations to my study techniques to take advantage of my abilities. My study habits and competencies match well with my results.. I strategies my week with what I need to learn and study. I think logically and deduce answers by making rational judgments.I analyze information to find out what it means and how it works. How can knowing your abilities and competencies from the My Career Plan help you prepare for professional environments? I would uti lize my strengths, abilities, and skills that I have to market myself better in a professional environment. I believe there is a place in any company that you work at to make yourself shine above the others by applying your strengths to the best of your abilities. I am quick learner and I research anything I don't know and absorb that knowledge for the future when needed.I coped well with pressure, so anything expected from me in a working environment, I will not falter. I know myself as an individual. I know what my strengths are, and it will benefit me moving forward to prepare me in any professional environment. How would you approach collaborative work in the future given what you now understand about your competencies and abilities? I think by best approach is asking questions with students, teachers, and professional who is already working in the field I am studying in. What is the relationship between your competencies identified in My Career Plan and your results on the pers onality spectrum profile?My three highest results on the rationality spectrum are researching, applying expertise, and logical thinking. My personality was musical and interpersonal . What can you do to Improve on the competencies needed for your career goal? Review the competency development tips for assistance with improving competencies. Improve my personal competencies by evaluating my strengths and weaknesses. Make a commitment to add skills that can improve my quality of life. Take classes on line or in physical classrooms to enhance competencies which is what I'm doing now . Look for ways to improve work-life strategically by expanding my skill-set.

Global Cultural Analysis: China Essay

Abstract In this paper, I will focus on the cultural issues, which American investors wishing to venture into the Chinese market need to learn. It has been noted that different countries have different cultural backgrounds and organizations need to understand the culture, economy, and politics of a foreign country before venturing into that market. This means that time and resources must be invested in research of these cultural backgrounds. In addition, understanding how cultural dimensions in China compare to that of the US is very important because it helps an investor in taking advantage of them in making the right decisions. Since the Chinese are very proud of their culture, it has been noted that foreign investors should take advantage of joint ventures in order to benefit from the relationships established by local firms. In addition, the quality of Chinese products is under scrutiny across the world, which means that foreign investors should ensure that products are up to standard. Introduction China is rapidly becoming a superpower economically and as a result, it has been approaching the economic abilities of the United States. Globalization is about the flow of international knowledge and ideas, culture sharing, global environment, and civil society. It has to be noted that the reason why companies decide to invest in other countries are diverse. Global expansion brings about extensive benefits and challenges for organizations wishing to take this path. Extensive research, learning, and patience are required before one invests in a foreign country. It is important to study the customs, culture, language, economic implications, and legal systems of the country one is wishing to invest (Kline, 2010). Countries have noted that China is a very impressive country for foreign investment because of the economic growth happening in the country. It is of paramount importance to note that each country has a unique culture, which implies that any foreign investor ought to take time to understand the culture of the destination country. Culture could be defined as a set of the shared values, practices, attitudes, and goals that give an institution or organization its identity. Investing in a country before one understands the culture of that country leads to failure (Alon, 2003). Literature Review Major dimensions and elements of culture in China 1 Major cultural dimensions in China The People’s Republic of China, which is commonly referred to as China, is the most populous country with a population of more than one billion. The geographical area of China is more than 9 million square kilometers and as a result, it is the fourth largest country in the world. There are several ethnic groups in China, the Han Chinese is the largest group, and it is found in almost all parts of the country. Other minority groups include Tibetan, Zhuang, Korean, and Mongol. The Chinese society is high context and non-verbal. The Chinese people acquire the knowledge of what they are supposed to do and say even if they are not told through conversation. Voice and facial expressions play a critical role in determining the feelings in a person. They do not have facial expressions when in a conversation. Direct eye contact is avoided because it is viewed as a symbol of disrespect (Clair & Norris, 2011). The Chinese alphabet is very different from the others because characters repr esent whole ideas, concepts, or words. The dialect does not determine the symbols to be used and they are uniform throughout the different dialects. Chinese people speak the Mandarin and Cantonese. Cantonese dialect happens to be common and it is mainly spoken in the south while Mandarin is common in the northern part of the country. It is worth noting that a dialect is the way words are pronounced but not how they are written. Moreover, it is difficult for two people communicating in different dialects to understand one another. In addition, different voice tones result in different meanings of the same words, which mean that the wrong tone results in a different meaning for a word (Kelley, 1993). Greetings are a formal affair in China and elders are given preference by being addressed first. In western countries, people are addressed by their last name and titles. On the other hand, names are reversed in China whereby a person with the name of Tom Hanks would be known as Mr. Tom. Chinese keep their heads down when greet ing another person and use a handshake after introduction to foreigners. In most cases, entertainment is conducted in public places. A great honor is given to those who attend home invitations. Tardiness is not accepted and people are expected to remove their shoes when entering houses. Failure to remove shoes is seen as a sign of disrespect and dishonor to the host (Alon, 2003). During dining, the host is always the first to start eating. The host proposes the toasts. Guests are expected to eat a lot of food to show their host that the food is delicious. Smoking and consumption of large quantities of alcohol is common during feasting. The host is the one expected to take the last item from a serving dish whereas slurping of dishes, burping or belching are common among the Chinese after taking drinks or food. The traditional eating utensils are the chopsticks and they are set on a rest or table when not in use. Playing with chopsticks is disrespecting the host (Kelley, 1993). The communist party, which rules China, is officially atheist. This means that they do not believe in the existence of God. Government officials are prohibited from holding any spiritual beliefs and if any member is found to be religious, she or he is removed from office. Despite the fact that religious freedom is guaranteed in the Chinese constitution, many are harassed and persecuted for their religious beliefs. The Chinese constitution only acknowledges five religions, which are Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Protestantism, and Catholicism. The Chinese law does not cover any person who practices any other religion (Hu & Allen, 2005). The main religion in the country is Buddhism. Buddhist monks introduced it into the country in first century A. D. Buddhism religion is based on Buddha Siddhartha Gautama’s teachings. Rituals, values, morals, and traditions form the philosophical system of the religion. The fact that Buddhism is not theistic means that many people do not consider it a religion. On the other hand, Taoism is very important in the culture of the Chinese people. Taoism has shaped the characters and minds of millions living in China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Southeast and East Asia, Taiwan, and Korea. The two main philosophical systems and religions are Taoism and Confucianism. Islam and Christianity account for less than six percent in the country whereas a very small proportion of the population practices Protestantism and Catholicism. Muslims study their religion through the Quran as Christians use the Bible (Hu & Allen, 2005). The Chinese people have several holidays, which are Chinese festivals. The most common are Journalists’ Day, Teachers’ Day, Army Day, Chinese Communist Party Anniversary, Children’s Day, International Nurse Day, Youth Day, Arbor Day, Women’s Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Qingming Festival, National Day, Mid-Autumn Day, May Day, Spring Festival, and New Year’s Day. The National Day and the Spring Festival, which are public holidays, lead the Chinese to receive three off days. Marriages have immense cultural meaning to the people of China. Marriage unions are not between a man and woman only, but they unite families. A proposal meeting is set up and when the bride’s family accepts the groom’s family, the groom and bride set a wedding date. Several gifts are sent to the bride’s family. It is worth noting that arranged marriages and incest are prohibited (Kline, 2010). 2 The cultural elements in China Given the high population in China, the government has imposed a one-child policy. In urban areas the law is strictly enforced but a family has the right to petition the government to have a second child for several reasons. The obligation/s of a person towards the others is based on the teachings of Confucius, who was a Chinese philosopher. This is referred to as Confucianism and has been used in defining cultural values amongst East Asian countries for thousands of years. Confucianism is the leading philosophical system used in China. The Chinese education system is based on Confucianism. The government puts emphasis on education and those who attain excellent marks are appointed to government positions. The appointments raise the living standards of the person appointed as well as that of the family. Children from well to do families have higher opportunities of accessing quality education when compared to those from poor families. Since the people value education, some children are locked up in rooms for the purposes of learning in some instances (Anantatmula & Thomas, 2010). The elements and dimensions integrated by locals conducting business in China 2.1.1 The integration of locals conducting business in China Corruption has been on the rise in recent years in China and it is considered one of the top social and political problems. Studies have revealed that corruption is on the rise in the country and as a result, people are aware that the monetary cost brought about by corruption is on rise. Although the Chinese government has mechanisms of eradicating corruption, they are not sufficiently enforced. Evidence suggests that less than three percent of corrupt officials end up in jail (Clair & Norris, 2011). Chinese organizations are unwilling to engage in deals with companies, which they do not know. All business materials concerning corporate history, services and products as well as business information are sent before an organization starts doing business with another one. All the information shared is official and the Chinese prefer face-to-face dealings. Rank plays a key role in business whereas gender is irrelevant in business. During social meetings, the Chinese do not engage in any business matters. Chinese prefer to offer gifts, which should be wrapped and received by both hands upon delivery. When one wants to engage in a meeting, a date should be set in advance. Patience is very important when in meetings and each speaker is given enough time to air his or her views. Rank is very important in the Chinese culture and this implies that senior members sit together. Senior members of an organization are the ones who engage in negotiations. Men are expected to wear dark colored business suits whereas women should be in a business suit or a dress that has a high neckline with flat shoes (Clair & Norris, 2011). How cultural elements in China compare to the US business and culture 3.1.1 Customs and Language The United States is larger than China in terms of geographical area. Its population is the third largest. Just like China, the United States has several ethnic groups. The three main ethnic groups in the US are the Caucasians, African Americans, and the Hispanics. Other minority groups in the country are Asian Americans, Native Americans among others. Americans are a verbal society as opposed to the Chinese who are non-verbal. In the US, looks and facial expressions are important in conversations but they are accompanied with verbal expressions. In the American society, altercations occur whereas the Chinese avoid all embarrassing situations. The Americans use the English language for communication, which originated from England. English has an alphabet that is used to construct different words. After English, the second most common language is Spanish. Accents depend on where a person originates from and all the people comprehend the different accents as opposed to China. In the Am erican culture, a handshake is the most common form of greeting. In addition, kisses, hugs and kissing on the cheek are other forms of greeting but not very common. Men are expected to remove their hats when dining or indoors. Mrs., Mr., and Miss followed by the last name of a person are used when addressing people for the first time. Although home entertainment is common, each person is expected to inform a host before visiting (Longenecker, 2010). A person should excuse himself or herself before leaving a dinner table and eating should start after the meal starts. A guest is not expected to eat everything offered as it happens in China. Belching, slurping and belching are signs of rudeness in US. The American constitution guarantees all the people religious freedom. Moreover, majority of the people are Christians but a few practice Islam and Buddhism, which are also practiced in China. Although atheism is practiced in US, promotions are not made as it happens in China (Anantatmula & Thomas, 2010). Some of the officially recognized holidays in the US are Labor Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Most American workers are given off from work on these days. There some other unofficial holidays, which the American people celebrate. Ethics and values are based on ones religious beliefs. The majority of marriage laws are the same in US and China. Polygamy and domestic violence are offenses in both states .There are no birth control laws in the US, as is the case in China (Kline, 2010). Corruption in the United States has been brought into the forefront by the scandals involving Enron, Martha Stewart, and other inside trading deals. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that businesses and investors are not subjected to illegal and unfair practices. Most organizations in the US have a code of ethics that must be followed by all employees in order to curb corruption. The code of ethics aid in protecting the businesses and ensure that employees behave ethically (Anantatmula & Thomas, 2010). 3.1.2 Government elections Although education is important in the lives of Americans, government appointments are not based on what one scores in school. Government appointments are given through free elections, which are conducted by the American citizens. Prior to allowing a person to run for these positions, she or he has to meet certain conditions, which are age for Governor and President and Citizenship when one is running for presidency. Other positions are through appointment by the President (Kline, 2010). Implications of US businesses wishing to invest in China 4.1.1 The importance of learning a foreign culture It is important to familiarize with the culture of the country a person is wishing to invest in. Corporate relationships could be easily built after learning the culture of the Chinese people because interactions would be easier. The culture of the Chinese people is very different from that of the Americans. The Chinese are proud of their culture. This implies that when a business fails to respect the Chinese people and their culture, it cannot be successful in the country. There are several individual challenges that a person faces once she or he opts to invest in a foreign culture. It is important to understand that one must invest resources, time, and money when she or he chooses to take the challenge. Global expansion is rife with very many challenges and risks, and this makes it difficult to understand the competition. In addition, a business should try to understand the competitive advantage that it has over the other organizations in the same market (Longenecker, 2010). To reduce the risks involved in investing in China, one might choose to enter into a joint venture with an existing Chinese organization. This would give the American organization an advantage because it would be in a position to take advantage of the relationships established by the Chinese organization. The economy of China is growing rapidly and it threatens to overtake that of the United States. This means that investing in China would help the country’s economy to grow and thus overtake the US. Corporations intending to globalize are attracted by the availability of cheap labor in China. Such companies cut the overhead costs and as a result, increase profits. Although this seems to pose an advantage to organizations on business point of view, in the end it would hurt the US economy further because it is under recession (Longenecker, 2010). 4.1.2 Why local organizations invest in global markets Globalization has led to many organizations investing in foreign countries because the world has become a global village. The main reason why US corporations are investing in foreign lands could be attributed to the fact that the US economy is under recession, which means that organizations have suffered huge losses over the recent years. US consumers do not have as much money as they used to have before and this has slowed down consumption. In addition, very many people have lost their jobs because of collapsing organizations, which has drove down the spending ability among American citizens (Alon, 2003). The American labor market is very expensive and this has been reducing profits for corporations. On the other hand, the Chinese labor market is cheap and this means that an organization that operates from China accumulates higher profits than the one operating from the US. China has an estimated one billion consumers and this provides an ideal market for organizations. Although the challenges and risks associated with globalizing are very many and real, it is important to note that when one conducts a comprehensive research chances of success are very high. This implies that before investing, one ought to take time and conduct an extensive research in order to ensure that she or he makes the right choices (Kelley, 2003). 4.1.3 The necessary conditions for expansion into international market Any organization that wishes to invest in a foreign country must take time to learn all the aspects regarding that country. After gathering information about the foreign country, the investor must ensure that she or he comes up with an export plan. Investors should take time to learn the customs, culture, and the economy of the country they wish to make investments. The advance in technology has made it possible to gather information online and this should be the starting point. Visiting the target market is very important because it gives the investor an opportunity of understanding the potential buyers, competition, distribution channels, and local rules. Attending events and trade shows that are related to the field one would like to invest in is very important. At the show, it is important to take notes on services and products, competitors, labeling and packaging of products, which are similar to what the investor would be offering (Jayaraman, 2009). Prior to investing in a foreign country, one should have a clear understanding of the politics of that country. The Communist party in China controls cultural and economic institutions and has absolute power over the country’s legislation. Rules in China are not absolute and transparent as those of Western countries. Social networks are very important and they help an organization in avoiding bureaucracy and red tape. In addition, it takes time to build a reliable social network and this is a challenge for organizations investing in China. China has several legal challenges because the law is not clearly defined. Although China has been incorporated in World Trade Organization (WTO), patent rights are not clear and competitors and employees steal patented technology. This has made China a leader in the production of counterfeit goods, which are openly sold in markets across the country. Since Chinese value their culture more than anything else, a western investor entering the market must have an intermediary. This implies that he or she cannot do business in China if she or he is not willing to collaborate with other Chinese investors. It is important to have a clear understanding of the Chinese people because they do not directly refuse an offer. In most cases, the quality of products originating from China has been questioned because they have had several low quality products over the recent years. This implies that any organization wishing to invest in China should understand that it has to fight these challenges if it has to have a competitive edge. In the western world, quality is very important and production should be done according to the specifications given in the contract. This implies that western organizations have to take time when checking the quality of products originating from China (Jayaraman, 2009). Questions before investing 5.1.1 Is the timing right One of the first questions that an investor should ask himself or herself when looking to start an investment either locally or in foreign markets is whether the timing is right. The aim of any investment is to harness as much profit both on short and long term basis. To guarantee this, an entrepreneur should do a forensic research on his or her target market. While investment is all about taking risks and trusting that all will go well, it is possible to foretell the chances of business survival if one has the right timing in his or her target market. This calls for an evaluation of certain factors like the economic policies of the host nation, the international trade policies and the market condition. The right timing for an investment creates more opportunities that guarantee success. An investor needs to consider the demand of his or her goods and services as well as ability to supply them at the given time of investment start up (Murray, Ju & Gao, 2012). Investors need to be able to predict the market movement in the future so that they can foretell the viability of the market before they venture into it. This may be possible through looking into the economic analysis of the nation and the international market. Some financial analysts claim that the market prices are always randomly fluctuating; thus, there is never an optimum time for venturing into a market. This hypothesis has been proved null by critics who believe that an investor can determine the success rate of the investment if he or she chooses the right time to get into the market. Depending on the type of business that an investor looks to start, there are always periods of low markets and high market trends. An investor should avoid venturing into a market during the low sales season. In the event that an investor moves into a market during the lowest sales season, the cost of doing business may add to the liabilities. This leads to an eventual diminishing profits trend that would kill the business in the long run (Murray, Ju & Gao, 2012). 5.1.2 The scale of investment Investors should look at their expected value before they decide on the scale of investment. The main aim of this should be to optimize the periodic capacity for the investors in order to minimize the failure insecurity (Dupuis & Prime, 1996). The investors should consider the time of investment as they calculate the scale of investment so that they can use the expected market value and trend to calculate the risk brought by the scale of investment. A good investor should not rely on chance, he or she should have his or her financial goals calculated in order to avoid unnecessary loses. Looking at the market trend at a given time, the financial analysts can tell the optimal scale of investment that would guarantee the success of an investment; this is normally done by using the market growth rate as an indicator of the future trends. An investor with unlimited resources may be at a better position to harness the opportunities presented by the right timing and the optimal scale of inv estment. Globalization has linked the world to become one large market in which the competition in the entrepreneurial world is stiff. The market is filled with large and small corporations that each investor should consider before he or she embarks on a business venture. It is important to limit the scale of investment to a controllable size in the initial days of business. While the market trends may be enticing and promising, an investor should not get carried away in his or her assets expansion. The use of the internet has helped most corporations to up their game in the competition. This means that a new investor or one looking to expand his or her enterprise should first invest in the latest technology and have a grip on the competition. The market may be viable but the competitiveness of the major players in a given field should limit the scale of investment. Starting on small scale is always the safest mode of investment. As the returns of the organization increase, the management should have a strategic plan on how to expand the investment (Dupuis & Prime, 1996). 5.1.3 The ideal location An investor should always have a target society who will be the customers. Once an organization has pinpointed its potential customers, it should ensure that it locates the business in a strategic place where the products and services are easily accessible by the target group. China is one of the most developed nations in the world. It is extensively urbanized, meaning that there are many potential areas to situate an investment. There are various factors that an investor should consider before he or she chooses the location of his or her business in China. First, the people of China are highly cultural in the business activities. This means that depending on the type of investment chosen, the investor will have a certain group of customers. The business should be situated where there is a high concentration of potential customers for profit maximization purposes. The investor should also consider the level of competition in the area he or she is locating the business. An organization looking to survive in the Chinese market should pick an area where it is easy for it to monopolize the market (Dunfee, 2001). The location should also be well facilitated in terms of infrastructure. This is particularly important for the accessibility of the business to the customers. There should also be an efficient transportation system for the raw materials and the finished goods. The location of a business directly influences the production cost; therefore, he business location should be in a place where the cost of production and other inherent liabilities are minimized. The location of the business should also be in an area where there is the potential of an expansion in the future. The Chinese towns and cities are overcrowded and the possibility of an organization expanding is limited to the option of relocating. To avoid this, an organization looking to expand in future should locate its enterprise in a place where there is ample space. The availability of energy and the security of the area should also be considered before a firm selects its ideal location for its business. A foreign business has a great chance of survival in China if the location is in an area where the policies of the company are parallel to the cultural values of the organization (Sign, Zhao & Hu, 2005). 5.1.4 Exporting or Importing This is one of the least risky entry modes to a foreign market. In the Chinese market, there are many businesses that solely engage in importing and exporting products. These companies bring imports to China, which they sell out to the locals and they later export other goods from China to other parts of the world where they are based. The aim of this is to gain a deep rooting into the Chinese Market before they can engage in an intense investment mode in the market. The businesses normally form tight ties with importing and exporting agencies within China, which later come in handy after they fully establish their enterprises. This mode of entry into a foreign market significantly minimizes the risk of investment since the involved companies can evaluate the market trends and decide on the best investment timing and scale of investment. It is a strategic entry mode that has been very effective for different organizations globally (Shehane, Huan & Ali, 2011). The most competitive corporations in China are Multinational corporations that export goods from China to other international markets and import the goods on demand in the Chinese Market. The business is particularly successful since the commodities involved in the trade are selected according to their market value locally and internationally. If a firm is looking to start up on a small scale, there are many intermediary export and import firms that may form partnerships with it and over time, the company may rise up and form its own enterprise. Export and import mode of entry into a market does not require a lot of capital; hence the chances of making loses are minimized. A company without the required amount of capital to start up its investment may engage in this mode of entry until it gathers enough profit to use as capital for start up (Murphy, 2012). 5.1.5 Use of intermediaries and their importance Whether an investor is inexperienced or experienced in foreign markets entry, there is always the risk of using the wrong entry mode that would subject him or her to risks. To eliminate this risk factor in investment, an investor may choose to use or consult intermediary firms within the host country. The Chinese market has a very large number of intermediary companies involved with different products and services importation and exportation as well as sale in the local market. Among the first time investors in the Chinese market, the intermediaries act as a tool to deliver the imported goods to the local market on behalf of the investors. The intermediaries help in making ties with the local businesses in China who may be interested in the products being sold by the new investor. The intermediary companies may also come in handy while acquiring export goods. Among the experienced foreign investors, the Chinese intermediary firms offer leads towards the feasible business areas (Weldon, Li & Tsui, 2000). The advantages of having the intermediaries is that they easily manage all the issues concerning the payment of taxes, license acquisition and export activities among other paper work that would be hectic for the investors. The fact that they are already acquainted with the local business men makes them very useful in the formation of new relationships in the market with the best business partners available. With the help of the intermediaries, it is possible for the new players in the market to determine the genuine business partners in the host nation. They are also an asset when it gets to neutralizing the high competition especially in a developed nation like China where there are numerous foreign investors. As the new investors attempt to start up their investment on full swing in the markets, the intermediaries work as the trainers to their new management to help them cope with the policies in the host nation (Weldon, Li & Tsui, 2000). 5.1.6 International experience The experience level of the intermediaries in the foreign market provides new investors with a tool to market their goods and to ensure that they get the right exposure to the target customers. The survival of foreign investors lies on who they know in the new market since the competition is always stiff. The intermediaries may help in securing business deals with potent investors in the international market, which further increases the chances of success. The Chinese market is one of the fastest growing markets in the international trade and this means that the competition level is always on the rise. The intermediaries have the experience with the ever fluctuating market in China hence, for an investor who is looking to eliminate the loss risk in this market should seek for help from such firms. The foreign financial teams are always at a better position to advice the new investors on the most feasible strategic plans to use while venturing into their market. The Chinese market is seasonal for different products and the natives are best suited in the prediction of the market trends (Weldon, Li & Tsui, 2000). 5.1.7 Market size The market size in a given nation is a great determinant of the profits attained of the foreign investors in that country. Foreign investors always look to invest in foreign markets in which profitability is guaranteed even for the small scale investors. The size of the market is determined through the demand for the given good and services as well as the state of the competition in that nation. The economic policies in the host nation must also be favorable in order for the market size to be feasible. The demand for most goods in the Chinese market is extremely high owing to the large population. The big size of the market reduces the uncertainty risk for the foreign investors. The size of a market also determines the investment entry mode, the timing and the scale of investment for foreign firms. The host nation’s government policies determine the feasibility of the market (Muller, 2007). 5.1.7 Environment The political environment in a host nation is the most important factor that a foreign investor should look at prior to making investment arrangements. Different governments have different policies that are effective on the foreign investors. The policies entail the taxation rates and the rates of subsidiary acquisition for the foreign firms. There are nations with very discouraging government policies that make the business environment very harsh for foreign investors while other nations have enticing policies. China’s policies are very stable since the nation is politically stable. This means that the policies are not likely to be changed for the worse anytime soon. The availability of labor and the liabilities that the employees incur to the foreign investor should also be considered. The operation costs should be minimized as much as possible. The legal implications of the type of business that one is trying to start up should be considered too. This involves licenses acquisition and the certification of the ethical requirements in the host nation (Muller, 2007). Conclusion The population of China makes it one of the most viable markets for local and foreign investments. The high demand for goods and services calls for the entrepreneurs to keep up with the competition it creates. Having foreign investors in the Republic makes it difficult for new investors to venture into the market without first having to calculate the risk involved. Getting into such a market attracts a lot of risk that would lead to business failure. China has numerous companies that act as intermediaries for foreign investors. These companies help foreign investors to grow their businesses and to build surviving empires through forming partnerships with the most potent business firms in the republic on behalf of foreign investors. The intermediaries reduce the uncertainty risks for the foreign investors. The cultural elements of the republic also play a great role in determining the investment methods for foreigners as well as the locals. These factors should be considered by all in vestors looking to invest in the Chinese market. Annotated bibliography Alon, I. (2003). Chinese culture, organizational behavior, and international business management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. The author notes that the people across the world have understood that China is good destination for investment because of its rapidly growing economy. Moreover, several challenges face organizations wishing to invest in the country mostly because of the Chinese culture, which they are very proud of. The author explains what need to be done in order to be successful in China. Anantatmula, V. & Thomas, M. (2010). â€Å"Managing global projects: A structured approach for better performance.† Project Management Journal, 41(2): 60-72. Management of global projects comes with very many challenges because a person has to deal with a different culture and political environment. This implies that investors must take time to study the implications of investing in foreign markets, and what it expects. Clair, N. S. & Norris, J. T. (2011). â€Å"Business ethics and social responsibility in contemporary China.† Journal of Academic & Business Ethics, 5: 1-9. Business ethics in China are very complicated because the law is not well defined. This is the main reason why China produces counterfeit goods and products of low quality. Investors should be aware of these challenges and devise ways of dealing with them. In addition, there are several legal challenges that investors face in China because of the control of the economy by the communist party. Dunfee, T. W. & Warren, D. E. (2001). Is Guanxi Ethical? A Normative Analysis of Doing Business in China. Journal of Business Ethics, 32(3): 191-204. This Journal discusses different levels of ethical practices that a business should portray in the Chinese market. It looks into the investment implications of foreign entrepreneurs in the Chinese market. Dupuis, M. & Prime, N. (1996). Business distance and global retailing: a model for analysis of key success/failure factors. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 24(11): 30–38. This journal discusses the various business risks and uncertainties that are attracted by foreign investment. The authors particularly analyze the factors leading to success and failure in the retail business in the international markets. Hu, H. L. & Allen, W. C. (2005). Religions of the World: Taoism. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. Religion plays an important role in understanding the culture of a given society. The author discusses the world’s religions and how they influence the people around the world. They note that Chinese main religions are Buddhism and Taoism. The religions govern the cultural beliefs of the Chinese people. In addition, atheism is widely practiced in the country. Jain, S. C. (2006). Emerging economies and the transformation of international business: Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. China is an emerging economy and receives the largest share of foreign direct investment after the United States. This can be attributed to the fact that the Chinese country has a very big population and this provides market for goods and services produced in the country. Jayaraman, K. (2009). â€Å"A risk analysis.† Journal of Emerging Knowledge on Emerging Markets, 1(1): 1-9. Before investing in any foreign country, it is important to have an assessment of the risks involved. The author gives the reader an understanding of the risks involved when one is investing in China. The communist party and other legal challenges are the main risks associated with foreign investment in China. Kelley,L. (1993). International Business in China. New York: Routledge. China has very many international businesses operating in the country thanks to its growing economy. Investors have realized that one is able to take advantage of the one billion Chinese consumers to increase profitability. Investing in China needs research to understand what one should do to be successful. Kline, J. (2010). Ethics for International Business: Decision-Making in a Global Political Economy. New York: Taylor & Francis. Decision-making is very important when investing in a foreign country. Mechanisms should be put in place, which allow employees to make the right choices at all times. It has been noted that the legal system of the China is flawed. This implies that very many legal loopholes used to swindle organizations. This can be attributed to the fact that the government does not enforce all laws. Longenecker, J. G. (2010). Small business management: Launching & growing entrepreneurial ventures. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Management of small businesses comes with challenges because of the competition offered by large multinationals. The US economy is under threat from being overtaken by that of Chinese government and very many US organizations are investing in the country. This means that the organizations are helping in developing the Chinese economy and this poses a threat to the US. Muller, T. (2007). Analyzing Modes of Foreign Entry: Greenfield Investment versus Acquisition. Review of International Economics, 15(1), 93-111. This journal analyzes the factors to be considered by a multinational corporation looking to enter a given new market. It gives a highlight on the different forms of market entry that are viable for different foreign markets and the factors to consider in the markets. Murphy, M. (2012). An Integration of Cultural Frames of Reference with the Market Entry Decision. Journal of International Business Research, 11(1), 43-57. This Journal discusses the implications of the cultural requirements in a market. The authors paint a clear picture of what is expected of an organization by the people while they are entering their home market. The ethics of their business is emphasized. Murray, J. Y., Ju, M. & Gao, G. Y. (2012). Foreign Market Entry Timing Revisited: Trade-Off Between Market Share Performance and Firm Survival. Journal of international Marketing, 20(3), 50-64. The authors of this journal focus on the right timing in business investment. Their main focus is in the foreign markets. They address all the factors that an investor should consider and the indicators that a foreign market is viable. Shehane, R., Huan, X. & Ali, A. (2011). A framework analysis of the Action Plan for Import Safety (APIS). Journal of International Business & Cultural Studies, 5(1):1-19. This journal gives an analytical framework for the importation policies and guidelines that should govern the processes of importation for the purpose of ensuring effective management. The analysis refers to the U.S. and the Chinese markets. The authors focus on the safety of imports and the management of imports. Singh, N., Zhao, H. & Hu, X. (2005). Analyzing the cultural content of web sites: A cross-national comparison of China, India, Japan, and US. International Marketing Review, 22(2): 129–146. This journal is an analysis of the implications of the cultural beliefs and ethical standards involved in the business sector in different nations including China. The authors compare and contrast the cultural beliefs of the people in these states. Weldon, E., Li, J. T., & Tsui, A. S. (2000). Management and organizations in the Chinese context. New York: St. Martin’s Press. This book focuses on business management requirements in the Chinese market. It discusses the challenges and strengths of good business management in the Chinese economy. References Top of Form Alon, I. (2003). Chinese culture, organizational behavior, and international business management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. http://www.questia.com/library/106810418/chinese-culture-organizational-behavior-and-international Anantatmula, V. & Thomas, M. (2010). â€Å"Managing global projects: A structured approach for better performance.† Project Management Journal, 41(2): 60-72. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=48836961&site=eds-live Clair, N. S. & Norris, J. T. (2011). â€Å"Business ethics and social responsibility in contemporary China.† Journal of Academic & Business Ethics, 5: 1-9. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=70868688&site=eds-live Dunfee, T. W. & Warren, D. E. (2001). Is Guanxi Ethical? A Normative Analysis of Doing Business in China. Journal of Business Ethics, 32(3): 191-204. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=12128518&site=eds-live Dupuis, M. & Prime, N. (1996) â€Å"Bus iness distance and global retailing: a model for analysis of key success/failure factors†, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 24(11): 30 – 38. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=857181&show=pdf