College essay topics to write about Ability - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1660 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? This essay discusses the ability of the governments in developing countries to promote and manage economic development. In essence, the essay discusses the fact that the governments of developing economies understand the problems they face and have a set of priorities, and that the heads of government may have personnel educated and trained abroad who are familiar with recent economic thinking, plus the possibility of support from international institutions. However, they may lack the resources to implement policy, elements of the economy may be outside their control, they may have corrupt bureaucracies, may lack competence at different levels of government and may set anti-developmental priorities. In addition, the problems they face in managing their economic development may be the result of external factors beyond their control, and the narrow base of the economy may make them very susceptible to external shocks. In addition, policies once implemented may f ace conditions, either internal or external, which cause them to fail. In general, the essay considers that East Asian economies supply examples of competent economic management, while sub-Saharan Africa has a record of failed economic management. Africa has heard calls for democracy for many decades, both from internal and external sources, and due to external and internal factors (Darga, 1997), however, especially in this climate, where nations go to war in the name of fighting for democratization, it is important to realise that governance and democracy are not the same thing. Governance, i.e., governing the people in a responsible manner which leads to equal economic prosperity for all inhabitants, is not the same as democracy, which can be defined, in its simplest terms, as â€Å"rule by the people†, and these two ideas have very different practical applications and outcomes, although they are interrelated, and both have emphases which can be political or economical. The World Bank defines governance as â€Å"the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a countrys economic and social resources for development† and it is under the terms of this definition that the present essay shall move forwards, even though this definition does not specify that democracy is a pre-requisite for governance. As can be seen from any analyses of the present state of the economies of these two continents, Africa and East Asia are at very different developmental stages, in terms of social, economic and also political development, perhaps because, in Africa (for example, Zimbabwe), leaders have often failed to deliver on their promises for enhanced economic performance, with changes of regimes also failing to improve economic or social conditions; on the other hand, in East Asia, for example, in Japan, which came very late to industrialisation, under a Western framework, a market system was created which has led to sustained economic success f or this economy. Further examples from East Asia, such as Taiwan and Korea show that strong governance, in the formation of rent creating avenues, such as fiscal incentives and protection and promotion, can lead to the formation of an environment that is conducive to private investment, which propels the country to economic success (Darga, 1997). Thus, governance is of fundamental importance to the economic success of a nation, and nations without strong governments cannot promote and manage economic development, at least not in the long-term. Thus, the need for positive governance is fundamental, in terms of developing architectures which allow future economic prosperity, but it can be seen, across the less developed world, that even if the governments of developing economies understand the problems they face and have a set of priorities for tackling these problems, and even if those heads of government are assisted by personnel who have been educated and trained abroad and who are familiar with recent economic thinking, these governments may well lack the resources to implement policy, elements of their economy may be outside their control, they may have corrupt bureaucracies, they may lack competence at different levels of government and may set anti-developmental priorities. In addition, the problems they face in managing their economic development may be the result of external factors beyond their control, such as payments to impossible external debts, and, as such, the narrow base of the economy may make the country very susceptible to external shocks. A case in point here to illustrate this is Colombia. Colombia is very rich in natural resources, and indeed the government has just begun the process of privatizing its oil resources, through Ecopetrol, but the country has massive external debts, which cripples its economic structure (Solimano, 2000). In addition, the country is beset by other problems which do not allow progress in economic developm ent: it is in the middle of a civil war, between left-wing guerrillas (the FARC and ELN) and the right-wing paramilitaries, said to have been formed as counter-guerrilla movements by the current President, Alvaro Uribe (Solimano, 2000). On top of this, which does not allow the country to flourish, economically, as many people who are able to work cannot do so due to the fighting in large parts of the country, or due to the fact that working in the illegal drugs industry is more lucrative when you need to feed your family, the country is being coerced in to signing a free-trade (the TLC) agreement with the United States, which, under the guise of ‘free trade and ‘trade liberalization would basically mark the end of Colombian agricultural production in some sectors, due to the expected influx of massive amounts of highly subsidized goods from the United States (Solimano, 2000). This situation, however complicated it is by the conflict over drugs, is not unique to Colomb ia: many less developed countries find themselves run by competent governors but unable to forge ahead economic development due to many adverse external factors which cripple any economic progress they try to make (Smith, 2007). Thus, whilst many in the West can blame the problems of the less developed world on the lack of adequate governance, this simply is not the case on the ground in many of these less developed countries. For some of these countries, Argentina, for example, which just passed through one of the worst economic crises of recent times, due to a miscalculation of its foreign exchange system, crippling levels of external debt, which have yet to be forgiven, mean that interest payments make up the bulk of the countrys expenses, at the expense of urgent social development programs. This leads to further problems for less developed countries: as social programs are ignored and left aside, through lack of funds, the youth become more disillusioned still, making it diffic ult for them to be educated fully, making it difficult for them to find work, and thus making it easier for them to enter in to crime, posing far greater social problems for the country concerned (Smith, 2007). It has been suggested that this vicious circle can only be broken when the full extent of the contribution of external problems to the problems of less developed countries is acknowledged fully, and acted upon, by, for example, offering debt relief. Thus, the problems of governance and how these relate to the problems of less developed countries is an agenda to be taken seriously, but not as an agenda in itself, but rather as a means to an end, especially bearing in mind that good governance can only come about when the populace has a certain level of social coherence (Smith, 2007). It is a rather obscure form of negative cultural relativism that assumes that less developed countries cannot ‘manage themselves solely because of the problems of government. People in le ss developed countries, especially those who have been educated abroad, are as capable than people in developed countries, in terms of formulating solutions to the present problems and implementing these solutions. The ability of the governments in developing countries to promote and manage economic development is generally not a function of the personnel involved, although factors like corruption and lack of democracy are, often, present and highly negative, but rather a complex reaction to a range of factors, both internal and external, which usually mean that whatever government is in place in a less developed country cannot fully solve the problems present in that country at any particular time, due to the magnitude of those external and internal problems: the ability to solve those problems, to allow for the promotion and sustenance, of economic development simply is not possible, especially in those countries with no industrial development to speak of (i.e., many African count ries) and those countries with other problems (i.e., Colombia or Afghanistan, for example, where civil war, related to drugs, prevents true economic development) (Smith, 2007). There is no panacea for how to achieve sustained economic development in less developed countries, due to the myriad of inter-related problems facing each and every one of these countries, and the idea that the ability of the governments, alone, is responsible for promoting and managing economic development in less developed countries is naà ¯ve, to say the least. Developed countries have a responsibility to the less developed countries to offer fair aid to these countries, so that they might be allowed to govern themselves, from a level playing field, towards sustained economic development. References Cheema, G.S. (2005). Building democratic institutions: governance reform in developing countries. Kumarian Press. Darga, L.A. (1997). Governance and economic development in Africa. Available https://www.unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/ public/documents/CAFRAD/UNPAN008715.pdf [28th October 2007]. Jreist, J.E. (2001). Governance and developing countries. Brill. Pang, G. (2005). Efficiency of public spending in developing countries: an efficiency frontier approach. World Bank Policy Research Paper No. 3645. Pitt, A. (2005). New forms of governance: the role of the World Bank and civil society in Argentina. Thesis, Oxford Brookes University. Smith, B. (2007). Good governance and development. Palgrave Macmillan. Solimano, A. (2000). Essays on Conflict, Peace, and Development: Colombia (Conflict Prevention and Post-Conflict Reconstruction). World Bank Publications. Van de Sijpe, N. and Rayp, G. (2004). Measuring and explaining government inefficiency in developing countries. Working Paper of the University of Ghent. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "College essay topics to write about Ability" essay for you Create order

Summary Of 12 Years A Slave By Solomon Northup Essay

Before the Reconstruction which took place after the Civil War, many slaves began to acquire their freedom by many things, including escaping plantations, buying their freedom, or being granted freedom from their former owners. Once slaves entered the North, they were able to finally be seen as a free African American. The thing that scared African Americans the most, frequently happened, being sent back to the South into slavery. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup gives a recap of how his life, filled with joy and freedom one day, became a living nightmare the next. Northup, a self-taught, master violin player is fooled into traveling with â€Å"gentlemen† to share his talents for a small fortune. Leaving his family behind, he decides to go with the men and once he reaches New York City, the men convince Northup to travel to Washington D.C. Solomon soon began feeling sick and one day wakes up chained in a cell. Next thing he knows, he is being sold into slavery. He lives a l ife of a slave for twelve years until he is rescued by Henry B. Northup, who saves Solomon while he was working in the field. Once back in his own home, Solomon writes an autobiography of his experiences. After many decades, a historical movie retelling Solomon’s autobiography was released. Throughout the movie, many differences are present. For example, the wife of Solomon’s master was portrayed to be an evil woman in the movie, but in the book not so evil. Another example is while slaves did not fight backShow MoreRelatedSummary Of 12 Years A Slave By Solomon Northup946 Words   |  4 Pages12 Years a Slave 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup is the true story of the author, a free black man, being abduction from his home in N.Y and sold as a slave down south in Louisiana. Torn from his family and friends, Solomon Northup endured the cruelties of slavery for twelve years before being returned to freedom through the help of a sympathetic abolitionist. Told in first person narrative, Solomon Northup makes clear on the first page of the book his intentions. â€Å"My object is, to give a candidRead MoreAnalysis Of Django Unchained And 12 Years A Slave1543 Words   |  7 Pagesmovie Django Unchained and how it took a somewhat satirical approach on slavery and how slaves were treated in the 19th century. But when I saw 12 Years a Slave, and how it took a more serious approach on how slavery was in the 19th century. There were a lot of compare and contrasts that came up as I finished watching both films. So nonetheless, this is a double feature analysis on Django Unchained and 12 Years a Sla ve. Here I will summarize and discuss about the two movies and how they’ve impacted meRead MoreJehovah s Witnesses During The Nazi Regime1258 Words   |  6 Pagesanother group of people that were violated of their human rights, 19th century slaves. These slaves were required to labor and suffer pain in the South, but some of these slaves were actually free black men from the northern states (where slavery was illegal) who had been lured into the southern states (where slavery was legal and encouraged) like Solomon Northup was a victim to this scam. Jehovah’s Witnesses and slaves were persecuted in a homogeneous manner, in a sense that both groups were torturedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Years A Slave By Steve Mcqueen1396 Words   |  6 Pages The movie 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, depicts a free black man, Solomon Northup, from New York who was drugged and kidnapped in order to be sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. The movie is fil led with powerful scenes and moments of tension that portray the cruel, gruesome years that millions of slaves experienced. For the next twelve years of Solomon’s life, the movie illustrates how he became a piece of property under several different masters. Solomon spent the bulkRead MoreAfrican American Studies4176 Words   |  17 PagesVictoria Braden Jasmine Sullivan AAAS 2000 23 April 14 1.) In chapter 1, Black women slaves were defined as either a â€Å"jezebel† or â€Å"mammy†. In detail define the characteristics of a â€Å"jezebel† and â€Å"mammy†. Why were black women defined in these two extreme ways? By contrast, how were Southern white women characterized? * One of the most standout images of black women in white slavery America was of a woman who ran entirely off of her sex drive, a Jezebel. A jezebel was considered to be

Children of Men Film Free Essays

Children Of Men. â€Å"Children of Men† Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Is set in the year 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, Theo Faron a former activist, agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman, Named Kee, to a sanctuary located out at sea, where her child’s birth could help scientists save mankind. We will write a custom essay sample on Children of Men Film or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the film Children of Men, there are many crucial scenes to help convey the idea of the film, however I find one of these scenes particularly important; namely the apartment scene. In this scene Theo is being driven through the streets of London to the Ark Of Arts to visit his cousin Nigel. The director uses a number of techniques to help portray the themes and ideas, such as music, setting, lighting and mise-en-scene. During the apartment scene, the song â€Å"The Court Of the Crimson King† by King Crimson is playing in the background; The lyrics in this song help portray the idea of mankind’s demise. Crimson is the colour ascribed to someone who is furious, for example how God must feel toward mankind for its sins. But the wise never refer to God directly, for it seems nutty and conjectured. Instead they refer to God’s ordained agents, in this age personified as crimson-seated monarch. All the diabolical-sounding protests at the beginning of the sequence is bone-chilling with detail of various biblical verses predicting the end of the world. It implies that infertility is God’s punishment for man’s sins as humanity approaches the grand finale. I. e. the final coming to a head culmination of the human saga. Also during this scene the lighting plays a significant role in creating the mood which the audience feel. It directs the viewer to what the character is feeling, drawing the viewer into the film. The scene starts with Theo being driven though the busy and crowded streets of London, full of cars, people and protesters. The weather throughout the first part of the scene is quite cloudy emphasising the dim mood in the scene. It is quite dark and gloomy, this helps portray the connection to the depression throughout the country due to the infertility. The images and lighting are similar to images that record the suffering of people during the depression of the 1930s. However, inside the park the weather starts to brighten making everything look lush and vibrant. It seems absurd to see such a strong contrast after passing through the imperial gates. This brings to mind the saying â€Å"The grass is always greener on the other side† This helps to show how the members of the public see this part of London as a desired thing and that everything is better, but this saying usually ends up being false; these people still live in the same world, it is all an illusion, Further on in the scene Theo says to his cousin Nigel, â€Å"A hundred years from now, there won’t be one single sad f**k to look at any of this (meaning his apartment). What keeps you going? † To which Nigel replies â€Å"You know what it is, Theo? I just don’t think about it†. He is just ignoring the inevitable. Mise-en-scene creates a shocking impact as the viewer draws on their prior knowledge to make connections to the symbols revealed in this sequence. As Theo crosses the bridge to the Ark of Arts, above the Battersea power station, you can see a floating pig, reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s album cover for â€Å"Animals†. As Theo enters the court in the background, you can see a painting of two policemen kissing which is quite a famous piece by the street artist Banksy. After Theo enters the apartment he is greeted by his cousin Nigel. Behind him is the Statue Of David and two dogs in front of it. The Statue of David represents civil rights and the two dogs represent guards or loyalty, But with the dogs in front of The Statue Of David, This represents, Guarding the people, Or keeping the people from their rights. The scene then cuts to Theo, Nigel and his handicapped son sitting at a dinner table and behind Theo on the wall is a large painting by world famous Pablo Piccaso, The painting is called â€Å"Guernica† it was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, Basque country, by German and Italian war planes. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetrated reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol and an embodiment of peace. The presences of Banksy, Michelangelo and Picasso artwork help portray the thoughts of society, as these entire artist stands for, peace, civil rights and anti-establishmentarianism. Near the end of this scene Theo and Nigel are talking by the window and behind them you can see again the floating pig. Having this floating pig is very symbolic using another saying â€Å"pigs will fly†. This presumably will never happen, a metaphor for being impossible like making plans to touch the sun at night, but having an actual floating pig represents how ‘Pigs Will Fly’ and hope is not lost when it comes to the infertility of mankind. Using the four techniques, Music, Setting, Lighting and Mise-en-scene, the director has successfully brought the viewers into the movie to experience it as he intended us to, which is to challenge our beliefs of how our world functions. Even just in this one scene there is so much to understand other than just watching the film, but the ideas of the story hidden in plain sight challenging the viewer to read further into the movie and the issues it highlights. Written by Matthew Puterangi. How to cite Children of Men Film, Papers

Ethical Theories and Its Issue Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Ethical Theories and Its Issue. Answer: Introduction: The implementation of ICT systems and automation of workforce in organizations have created profound concerns for the employment of humans and have been highlighted in majority of media sources. The identification of the case studies of companies such as Foxconn, Amazon and examples of small scale organizations and a critical review of the different cases from the perspective of classical ethical theories such as Deontology, Utilitarianism, Contract theory and Virtue theory. Despite the wide uproar in the media over replacement of human jobs by artificial intelligence, there have been substantial criticisms that point towards the minimal impact of automation on downsizing and reforms in employment (Dekker, Salomons Waal, 2017). As per Hammond, the discussion on the ethical issues from the perspectives of the ethical theories would provide viable insights into the credibility of the decisions identified in the different case studies. Furthermore, the outcomes of reviewing ethical issues could also be helpful for drawing justifiable and logical conclusions necessary for resolution of ethical issues. The big question to be resolved in context of this assignment is, Are AI and robots a threat to human employment? Some of the common ethical issues which are observed in context of ICT applications include references to privacy, ICT professionalism, intellectual property, community and identity, social inclusion, cyber-crime, security and employment (Hammond, 2017). Employment could be perceived as a major ethical issue in context of the case study due to the application of robots and artificial intelligence for automation of human tasks (Ferrell Fraedrich, 2015). The ethical issue pertaining to employment could be reviewed from the perspective of the four theories in order to determine the rightfulness or wrongfulness of the action of employing robots. Deontological theory Deontological theory suggests that actions should be guided by moral obligations and the impact of categorical imperatives can be perceived clearly in the case of this theory. The categorical imperatives identified in the ethical theory of deontology include the formulation of universality and formulation of humanity. The imperative of universality is directed towards the assumption that a particular action or principle of action followed by an individual could be assumed as a general rule without contradiction that. The general rule implies that similar actions could be validated in the case of similar scenarios (Kant Categorical Imperatives: Crash Course Philosophy, 2017). The ethical concerns of employment identified as a response to the automation of human work processes with AI and robots could be reviewed from the perspective of the formulation of universality that preferences of one organization for automation of its complete workforce could lead to establishment of benchmarks for other organizations to lay off their workforce. However, this can be contradicted on the grounds of formulation of humanity involved as a categorical imperative in deontology. As per Hammond, the formulation of humanity refers to the factor that humans cannot be used as mere means and can be used only as means to accomplish something. Therefore, organizations with the intentions to replace their human workforce with robots and AI should emphasize on the factor that employees could be assumed as mere means when replaced with AI and robots (Hammond, 2017). Another prominent perspective that can be drawn forward from the critical reflection on deontological theory reflects on the prospects of humans becoming mere means in context of employment due to the large scale employment of robots and artificial intelligence. Utilitarian theory: The issue of employment identified from the case study could also be reviewed from the perspective of utilitarianism which is also accounted as a profound ethical theory. The principle of utilitarianism is based on the fact that actions are measured on the grounds of pleasure produced by the action. However, the classification of utilitarianism into different forms such as act utilitarianism which could be observed on the grounds of morality of actions is determined by the measurement of good actions that bring good outcomes for a greater number of people (Osawa et al., 2017). On the other hand, the rule utilitarianism accounted for a wider exposition on the ethical theory of utilitarianism which emphasizes on adhering to certain precedents which lead to the most favourable outcomes for the higher number of individuals possible (Utilitarianism: Crash Course Philosophy, 2017). Therefore on the grounds of act utilitarianism, the employment of AI and robots improves the productivity of the organization and leads to favourable outcomes for a large share of employees in the organization. However, the concerns of the employees that lose their jobs due to this initiative should also be taken into concern for determining morality of actions. Therefore rule based utilitarianism could be applied in the case of ethical issue of employment to reflect on the measures for relocation of the replaced employees (Trevino Nelson, 2016). Virtue theory The application of the virtue theory for analyzing the case of probabilities for extinction of human employment due to the large scale introduction of robots and AI for automating human work processes could also be a viable opportunity to identify recommendations for improvement. The profound implication of virtue theory could be observed in the terms of humans as pursuers of virtuousness (Aristotle Virtue Theory: Crash Course Philosophy, 2017). According to West, the definition of virtue theory is guided by the objective of Eudemonia which can be depicted as a state where an individual accomplishes a sense of self-achievement. The application of virtue theory in the case of concerns raised over human unemployment due to automation could be a feasible contributor to the resolution of concerns of unemployment anticipated by humans (West, 2015). The different sectors where employment could be subject to risks include references to the ability of humans and the inherent desire to acquire a flourishing life which would enable them to retrain themselves in different skills. The motivation for accomplishing basic needs as well as realizing basic social requirements could also imply refraining from automation of tasks which are required inherently to establish social contact (Osawa et al., 2017). Therefore, the ethical issues anticipated in context of human employment could be addressed through observing precedents of the virtue theory. Examples of companies which have ensured flexible growth in inclusion of AI and robots in the workforce alongside ensuring substantial improvement in the human workforce indicate that efforts for retraining of human workforce would reduce the concerns of complete decimation of human employment in the coming years. Contract Theory The issue of employment is observed as a major ethical dilemma in context of the case study of implementing AI and robots in modern workforce. It could also be reviewed from the perspective of contract theory which suggests the presence of contracts to ensure that specific agreements are made to validate morality of actions. The application of contract theory in resolution of the ethical issue related to employment of AI and robots could be adopted by organizations in which they could provide contracts to human employees citing relocation incentives or retraining and placement opportunities for them (Contractarianism: Crash Course Philosophy, 2017). The prospects for realizing the application of contract theory feasibly in the case of the ethical issue of employment for humans in event of the large scale automation initiatives could be validated on the grounds of trust between the parties in the contract which ensures that employees are able to appreciate the inclusion of robots in the workplace as a reduction of their workload (Dekker, Salomons Waal, 2017). The contract theory could also be utilized for developing trust of employees in the automation initiatives on the grounds of opportunities for accomplishing complex objectives rather than working on redundant and repetitive tasks. Conclusion: The review of the case study of large scale employment of robots and AI in contemporary industrial and service based functions provided credible insights into the ethical issue related to human employment. The review was supported by references to four prominent ethical theories which were subsequently helpful for drawing recommendations for resolving the ethical dilemma. References Aristotle Virtue Theory: Crash Course Philosophy #38. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 15 September 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrvtOWEXDIQ Contractarianism: Crash Course Philosophy #37. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 15 September 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Co6pNvd9mc Dekker, F., Salomons, A., Waal, J. V. D. (2017). Fear of robots at work: the role of economic self-interest. Socio-Economic Review, mwx005. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J. (2015). Business ethics: Ethical decision making cases. Nelson Education. Hammond, R. (2017). A Future Without Work? A.I. Robots and Employment. Kant Categorical Imperatives: Crash Course Philosophy #35. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 15 September 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw Osawa, H., Ema, A., Hattori, H., Akiya, N., Kanzaki, N., Kubo, A., ... Ichise, R. (2017, March). What is Real Risk and Benefit on Work with Robots?: From the Analysis of a Robot Hotel. In Proceedings of the Companion of the 2017 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (pp. 241-242). ACM. Trevino, L. K., Nelson, K. A. (2016). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley Sons. Utilitarianism: Crash Course Philosophy #36. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 15 September 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a739VjqdSI West, D. M. (2015). What happens if robots take the jobs? The impact of emerging technologies on employment and public policy. Centre for Technology Innovation at Brookings, Washington DC.