CIS 206 Research Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIS 206 Research Assigment - Essay Example el (2003)As a matter of fact, the article is keen on the fact that many accomplished technical professional with experience in in e-commerce, web application development, and Business Intelligence. The shell is a crucial element to UNIX in development as stated earlier and allows users to change directories. Since UNIX is not a GUI interface, it can take some adaptive learning to get acclimated to it. A cool functionality in which UNIX has become a ‘parent’ language is the ability to create custom directories which are crucial for managing file systems. Rachel (2003)One can conduct tasks and manage schedules in which CPU can carry that task in an efficient manner. Any UNIX system can have many users on a given time, hence managing files as a user can be utilized by manipulating the file directory. Rachel, S. G. (2003). The book of webmin; or, how I learned to stop worrying and love UNIX / practical UNIX & internet security / UNIX: Visual QuickStart guide.  Library Journal,  128(16), 109. Retrieved from

The Beach Essay Example for Free

The Beach Essay On a hot summer day the best place to be is the Beach. Have you ever been so hot you could melt, and just want to play in the cold, salty ocean? I have! The best felling is the wet, grainy, sand between your toes. When you go to the beach all you see is the clear blue ocean, colorful umbrellas, and the silky white seagulls. But be careful, the seagulls will eat your food right out of your hands! Who doesn’t like the beach? If youre looking for a quiet relaxation at the beach, I dont think that will work out too well. Though out the day all you hear are the clear blue wave’s crash against the rough yellow sand, the loud motors of the boats, and the laughter of children everywhere. But in the morning or at night the beach could be quite relaxing. If you want to just relax and watch the beautiful sunrise, while the breeze blows your hair back the beach in the morning is perfect for you. The beach has many different interesting smells. There’s the smell of fruity coconut suntan lotion, the salty ocean, and the smell of delicious smores being roasted over the fire. At the beach you can also smell the dirty fish in the sea. With the bright sun shining down on you, you will forget all about the bad smelling fish. Other than the smell of fish all the other smells are really delightful. I love the beach! All of the smells, sights and felling of being at the beach are the best. The beach is a lot of fun. It is also a good place to go with your family and friends. As you can see there are a lot of good things about the beach. If you have never been to the beach you don’t know what you’re missing. Alexis Gonzalez

Quantitative models for project planning

Quantitative models for project planning Introduction Project management consists of diverse processes linked to each other. In IT project management, strategic vision and planning are important elements of any project which determine the project outcomes. Historically, project success has been defined as bringing a project to conclusion on time, within budget and according to specifications. For successful performance, IT organizations need effective project management system which consists of control activities and effective resource allocation in order to achieve overall objectives of the company/organization. Project Management Defined Project management aims to achieve specified performance within an agreed time scale and budget. Every aspect of the project is defined, e.g. quality, reliability etc. In general, project management is defined as the process of managing, allocating, and timing resources to achieve a given goal in an efficient and expedient manner (Badiru,1993, p.1). The goals of the project give a sense of direction for the activities of an organization. They give broad guiding principles towards which detailed and specific plans are directed. The important point of the project management is that the elements are expected to work synergistically together to generate a joined output that is greater than the sum of the individual outputs of the components (Badiru, 1993, p.1). Different authors identify different elements of the project management such as planning, scheduling and control or resource scheduling, budgeting and cost control, teamwork and effective leadership, conflict management and knowledge management. The book A Guide to the Project Management underlines that the main characteristics of projects are: performed by people, constrained by limited resources and planned, executed and controlled (Burkun, 2005. p. 4). All of them underline importance of successful planning and control operations to achieve specific goals of the project. Effective projects are based on unlimited model of project management. It describes the impact of resource scheduling, budgeting, teamwork, conflict management and knowledge management on the outcomes of the project. Projects are carried out in organizations, which are collectives of individuals and sometimes in a group, sometimes at cross-purposes. Resource Scheduling In IT project management, resource scheduling in the initial planning stage varies depending on the type of project. When planning a simple project its team may simply consider the type of resources necessary for each activity, equipment or skill groups. However, if planning a project with fewer resources, the project team may consider not just the skill types necessary but particular individuals, especially if the project has a short duration. The effective resource planning is essential, because the initial stage determine the development and outcomes of a project in general. On some projects, collocation may not be an option; where it is not viable, an alternative may be scheduling frequent face-to- face meetings to encourage interaction (A Guide to the Project Management, 2000). The people who created the PERT scheduling technique realized that any estimate of the duration of a proposed task is subject to uncertainty (Frame, 2002, p. 74). Unproductive long-range planning for purchasing does not allow the project to achieve its goals. It can lead to waste of time and poor outcomes. It is important that the project be finished on time and close to budget. By adding resources it can easily be seen whether any project resources are expected to be working on a huge number of activities, to such an extent that they will not be able to complete all the work by the scheduled completion date. Ineffective resource scheduling can lead to low profits and useless unprofitable outcomes (A Guide to the Project Management, 2000). Budgeting and Cost Control On the majority of IT projects where there is very limited equipment being used, the main cost will be that associated with the people in the internal project team, appointed contractors and subcontractors. It is important to note that for different organizations, cost of the staff plays a different role. For instance, organizations running in-house projects do not estimate the cost of their internal staff working on the project, but do esti ­mate the cost of contractors and suppliers. Knack finds that The more hours staff members spend on a project, the more expensive it becomes (Frame, 2002, p. 20). This is often the case not only for small organiza ­tions, but also many multinational companies which do not have systems in place to allow them to accurately track and record the time people spend on individual projects. For these organizations, effective cost management is crucial for the project outcomes and its profitability. Cost budgeting involves allocating the overall cost estimates to individual activities or work packages to establish a cost baseline (A Guide to the Project Management, 2000, p. 89). Human Resource Management Management of conflicts is an essential part of project Management. It has assumed a vital strategic role in recent years as organizational attempt to compete through people. Today, projects can create a competitive advantage when they possess or develop human resources that are psychologically strong and organized. To avoid low motivation and confidence of employees, conflict is now treated seriously as an important aspect in the proper understanding of behavior. Modern management prac ­tice emphasizes the need for free expression and encourages open com ­munications, especially between superiors and subordinates, and methods of continuing consultation and negotiation (Frame, 2002, p. 98). Conflict resolution takes time and efforts of employees, reducing success of the project in general. Also, conflicts have a negative influence on productivity because of low motivation or frustration of the staff. Knowledge Management Without effective knowledge management the IT project will fail. Proper flow of knowledge and training of employees ensures success and fixed outcomes of the project. Knowledge management is viewed as a means of communication and as a means of storing knowledge. Knowledge manage ­ment is more about people than technology. Organizational networks can be particularly important in ensuring that knowledge is shared. Risk Management A major source of risk on IT projects is tied to difficulties in managing needs and requirements. If requirements have not been identified correctly and if the corresponding requirements do not capture real needs properly, then a project is doom to failure because it will produce deliverables that do not correspond to customers needs and wants. Proper management of needs and requirements is a necessary condition for project success. Problems begin with attempts to identify needs. One common difficulty is determining who the customers are. Managers who aspire to enable their organizations to be good at managing risk must recognize the road to effective risk management. In projects, there are techniques that may help to reduce uncertainty of the future and hence are valuable. In the area of investment decisions, probability forecasts are very important, e.g. variable estimates of future sales costs and prices will affect the estimated rates of return on capital invested in projects. Risk management is an important area of project management because it helps the project manager to locate and plan resources taking into account probability analysis and possible risks. Ineffective risk analysis leads to failure of the project and threatens its outcomes. To understand why these may be threatening to some people, consider what risk management processes do: they force people in organizations to approach their efforts in a deliberative fashion and to be aware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows (Badiru, 1993). In order to survive in highly competitive world, IT organizations have to improve their flexibility and be ready to meet change from external environment. He says that changes in organization are often facilitated by such factors as uncertain economic conditions, globalization and fierce competition, the level of government intervention, political interests, scarcity of natural resources, and rapid developments in technology. As well as increasing demand for high-quality goods, services and customers satisfaction, flexibility in organizational structure determines the changing nature of workforce and conflict within the organization. Therefore, in todays fast changing business environment, change turns to be an unavoidable part of social and organizational life (Blanchard and Johnson, 2002). Hence, organizational change can appear in different shapes, sizes and forms; it can be reflected in various change programs such as total quality management, business process re-engineering, per formance management, lean production are all being enforced in organizations all over the world. Moreover, each organization has to find its own approach on how to implement change, reduce conflict and achieve higher productivity. It is important to have a detailed management plan, create an appropriate organizational environment to deliver change, follow carefully the steps of change models and focus on human resources (Badiru, 1993). Quality Management Quality management can be described as a collection of principles, techniques, processes and best practices. These are put into practice during the time of companys existence. In general, the whole process is based on a number of effective technologies. Traditionally, the technologies are based on the use total quality management elements (Badiru, 1993). The use of these elements is projected to improve the quality management method model that has been developed by the company. The main objective of the given model is to describe the primary quality management methods that are currently practiced by the company. The combination of these methods is used with the aim to assess an organizations present strengths and weaknesses. Traditionally, the analysis is done with the regard to the use of quality management methods. Recent times have brought many approaches to management. Just-in-time (JIT) management principles have become the main principles that are used in modern managerial prac tices. The main specifics of JIT program is that it is directed towards ensuring that the right quantities of the people. Many people perceive this program as a material-control system (Frame, 2002). In IT projects, a great emphasis is put on training people in tools and techniques knowledge. So, knowledge of safety rules for workers would eliminate accidents at work, thus making process more effective and productive. With the help of quality control process chart, a safety officer is able to analyze his actions directed onto training people in safety issues. The cause of any issue can be steaming either from people, or process, or equipment. If equipment is not working properly, the incidents at working station could be also an effect. The scheme is divided into cause and effect parts, where cause can contain such categories as people, methods, machines, materials, environment, measurements, etc. Usually there would be found a relation between causes and effects in the projects Other issues that could be considered as principles of performance, besides profitability, include market share, degree of compliance with rules, rate of innovation and extent of society involvement. In addition to an overall judgment of consumer value, the input process of value creation must also be tracked and changes made as needed. In the issue of value, minor errors could later cause problems and require the type of essential change that a plan of endlessly improving value seeks to avoid. A suitable frame of indicators for the process of leadership is provided by the other issues themselves. The leadership, Integration, Involvement, and Ingraining achieved by the organization are reliable factors of how effectively the organization is pursuing its stated eventual end (Frame, 2002). Conclusion The outcomes of the IT project depend upon all elements of the project and effective implementation of all parts of the plan. In project management, resource scheduling and resource location are the main keys of effective project management based on control of project and its security. All elements are interdependent and cannot be considered in isolation. For instance, better customer relations lead higher morale of staff, lower program costs result in higher profit margins. Individuals have a lot of freedom, but when they join a project their freedom is restricted and their effort must be joined with those of others to achieve organizational goals. For this reason, the project manager should take a special attention to all areas of the project and resources involved to achieve desirable and predetermined outcomes. Effective project management depends upon location of resources and management skills of its leader. IT project management links such categories as people, methods, machin es, materials, environment, and measurements. List of References Badiru, A.B. 1993. Quantitative Models for Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. Quorum Books. Burkun, S. 2005. The Art of Project Management. OReilly Media; 1 ed. Blanchard, K., Johnson, S. 2002. The One Minute Manager. Berkley Trade. A Guide to the Project Management: Body of knowledge PMBOK Guide 2000 edition. Project management Institute. Frame, J.D. 2002. The New Project Management: Tools for an Age of Rapid Change,Complexity, and Other Business Realities. Jossey-Bass.

The Tourism And Its Economic Impact On Industrialized Tourism Essay

The Tourism And Its Economic Impact On Industrialized Tourism Essay This research paper which explains the tourism and its economic impact on industrialized and developing countries has focused mainly on the two major problems that have been experienced by the tourism industry that hampers its progress and development: seasonality and terrorism or crime. The problems are ubiquitous irrespective of the scale of the industry whether it is a small scale or a mammoth firm. Many efforts have been taken in action to cope with these problems but still require more strenuous and painstaking work to be done to overcome these problems. Seasonality is classified into three categories which put some light on the bearings of tourism businesses. Similarly, a research on terrorism and its impact on tourism show how these increasing activities of terrorism have affected tourism. The author of this research paper says that Small Tourism Firms (STFs) has an immense impact on the economic development of the communities and hence being considered as a factor to spur the enhancement the local economies. To support his research the author makes an assertion by giving the example of New Zealand Tourism which states that in New Zealand the tourism is responsible for overall regional development. There industrial revolution is more palpable when dependent agricultural economy is transfigured into free market economy. These changes entail cutback tax, take away of all major subsidies and no check on cost, wages and prices. In spite of Top Down approach, a different, bottom up approach is used which resolves all major concern of classical theory. A bottom-up approach is experienced in very few countries but its capable to tackle the problem of sustainability. Research on Wairarapa Another research Wairarapa (Wellington), depicts that after that demise in agricultural sector, tourism came as a revitalization which further concluded in establishment of wine industries and numerous tourists. This research focuses on the previous work and to develop additional explanation by performing various tests. To satisfy the STFs; research involves the survey and interviews of all people from both public and private sectors. These interviews were framed with the core questions and then analysis of interview-based data was done to answer how the people remarked The Revolutionised Wairarapa. Government Support Various Agencies A Push-and-Pull factor was such a motivating factor to make the people to participate in these small businesses, which contribute to regional development. The diversity was palpable in this path of involvement in the small tourism business; farmers builders, teachers, and doctors were the participants in the tourism industry. The most interesting thing was the womens involvement reflecting the regions strong farming tradition in which activity women were less involved. Now, for the maturation of the STFs, the government identifies the factors that inhibit the growth and development to take the appropriate actions to cope with them. One of the major initiatives is the lifting education and economic development and launch of High Speed of Internet, consequences of which resulted in the establishment of e-centers, free internet at schools and computer skills learning. Government also offers wide variety of services like training to improve their businesses, event scheduling, advertising tourism, visitors record centres; these facilities are provided by various tourism agencies. On darker side, growing competition and envy are seen clearly as barrier to interaction with local institutions and organization. There are some organizations under which these STFs are operated. Some major ones are Tourism New Zealand (TNZ), Central Stage Micro Region (CSMR) and Regional Tourism Organization (RTO)/ Go Wairarapa. Main role of TNZ is to allow little people to fascinate international market where as for RTO, equity and distributions of resources are major concerns. Planning, marketing, HR, ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), networking are some managerial areas and one major where tourism depicts entrepreneurial attitude. Small business owners set up their own in house centres comprising publicising going-ons, customer data and records and used Internet for other efforts. The diverse training ranging from personal training management, ICT, small business management and marketing was given. The business owners from all sectors took pain to learn new skills which can be helpful to run their commerce. They also try to overcome the problems faced during weekdays and peek off periods by capturing international market. These small tourism firms are directly related to local and regional economy, either by means of business services and employment or by purchasing or physical goods. And they also share a deep relation with Banks and accountants. As shown by surveys and interviews, many of the firms are dependent on bank borrowings to pioneer business. In conclusion, tourism business with active participation of both private and public sector and support from government allows an insular region to develop its economy. Literature Analysis Seasonality One of the major problems of tourist industry is Seasonality, a periodical change which occurs every year because of public holidays, occasions or festivals and season.(Chung, 2009) These refashioned patterns can be seen not only in a year but within a month, a calendar week or even in a time of day.(Chung, 2009) It is indicated that pantry, Inns, cafes, general departmental stores are utmost affected businesses. (Jang, 2004) Off periods are always considered as a constraint in tourism industry and these are divided into three categories (Chung, 2009) Employment People working with hospitality and tourism industries expect to have a fixed yearly package but its difficult to employ them for full year. These casual jobs led people to migrate from region in search of better opportunities whose outcome is to increase in salary for same job. Seasonality (Off Periods) Employment Environment Investment FIG:- Classification of Off Periods (Jang, 2004) Investment When it comes to investment, accommodation and warehouses are adversely influenced during this period. As they have to pay fixed amount for physical facilities even in slow seasons. Environment Large number of tourists in peak season causes various environmental problems like air, noise and water pollution. It also stimulate use of plastic bags and bottles which causes environmental problems .(Jang, 2004) Research shows that these off seasons have more adverse effects in rural and isolated areas rather than urban. (Butler, 1993) Beside all these negative effects of seasonality there are some benefits which are necessary to both tourism industry and to nature and its inhabitants. Environment can rejuvenate itself and even entrepreneurs can undergo edifice or some kind of renovation if needed. (Butler, 1993) Many of the suggestions are given to tackle the slow season problem but very few of them have been implemented.(Jang, 2004) It is assumed that we can trim down the seasonality problem to some extent but we cant eliminate it completely. (Butler, 1993) One measure is the financial portfolio theory developed by Markowitz 1952, which can help in reducing the instability in demand to some extent.(Jang, 2004) Business meetings and conferences could be promoted to address the off peak season. Special price offers and discounted prices can help them to tackle the off periods.(Chung, 2009) Terrorism Another problem which causes detrimental effects on tourism industry is the increasing terrorism, a strategy to create the ambience of havoc and instability and terrorisation to threaten the social, constitutional and spiritual motive by numerous exploits of violence like use of explosives, arson, hijacking and many more. (Pizam Smith, 2000) Terrorism had many adverse effects on both, tourists and tourism industry. The graph illustrates the fluctuating immoral events in various years. In 1993-94, according to the graph maximum number of terrorist incidents took place Graph- Number of terrorist incidents per year, 1985-98. (Pizam Smith, 2000) . Who can forget the bombing at London 2005, the train explosion in Spain 2004, attack in Israel 2002 and the most infamous attack in US 9/11 on world trade centre? The global economy and tourism industries are still trying to recover from the deadly effects of tourism. (Moss, Ryan, Moss, 2008). Terrorist activities are ubiquitous to all countries whether it is a developed country or a developing.(Sandler Enders, 2008). Table 1 shows, Iraq is at top of list which endures the maximum number of violence attacks. Top 10 countries terribly affected by terrorism are given below. Table 1- Top 10 countries with terrorist incidents (Terrorism Act 1968-2006) Rank Country Amount (per 1 million) 1 Iraq 439.078 2 Lebanon 329.371 3 Barbados 260.796 4 Israel 228.9 5 West Bank 228.003 6 Gibraltar 107.419 7 Colombia 32.092 8 Cyprus 31.876 9 Algeria 29.852 10 Angola 29.521 Source: World Statistics Website (http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php) Impacts of terrorism Terrorism distress the whole country, its economy and its native peoples.(Sandler Enders, 2008) These terrorist attacks not only detriment the tourism industry but also cause the loss of life, damages to public and private properties and disruption of services like water, electricity, communication etc. Also it affects the global economy and aids obtained from tax and foreign exchange earnings. (Feridun, 2010) Countrys Economy There are many countries whose large part of economy is based on tourism, and Tourism industries contribute to increase in GDP (Gross domestic product), employment, economic growth and education. (Lee Chang, 2008) For example: In New Zealand, $6.5 billion of GDP was generated in year 2010 (New Zealand Statistics www.stats.govt.nz) So targeting some of the most famous tourist destinations can be the ultimate approach to bang the economy of a country and its international image as well. (Feridun, 2010) Top ten tourism destinations are given below according to world statistics. Table 2:- Top 10 tourism destinations in Year 1980 1997 Rank Country Tourist Arrivals (Thousands) Share of Arrivals World-wide (%age) Average annual growth (%age) 1997 1980 1997 1980 1980-1997 1 France 66864 30100 10.95 10.5 4.8 2 USA 47754 22500 7.82 7.9 4.5 3 Spain 43403 22388 7.11 7.9 4.0 4 Italy 34087 22087 5.58 7.7 2.6 5 UK 25515 12420 4.18 4.3 4.3 6 China 23770 3500 3.89 2.0 7.6 7 Poland 19520 5664 3.20 2.0 7.6 8 Mexico 19351 11945 3.17 4.2 2.9 9 Canada 17285 12876 2.83 4.5 1.8 10 Hungary 17248 9413 2.82 3.3 3.6 Source:-world trade organisation website (www.wto.org) Air Travel Many business sectors face the harsh impacts of Terrorism and the Air travel is one of them. It was found that after the 9/11 attack on US, these travel and resorts industries were hit hardly. About 240 contracts were cancelled in only Las Vegas, US. People were reluctant to fly even after 2 years of assault. Similarly in Spain (Mallorca) 96% of tourist come via air and 50% of its revenue is derived from tourist. But after the bombing in Mallorca, Spain, It was proposed that the international travel revenue fell up to $29.1 billion that year. (Moss et al., 2008) Also air travellers have to pay new levied taxes on air tickets, fuel and long queues in security checks. Media also plays a significant role in disheartening people by covering the incident place and discourages people from international travel. (Pizam Smith, 2000). It can set off the successful and extravagant journey of tourism industry to an end. Lesson for SMEs The objective of this research was to explain the two ever green problems of tourism industries. Many destinations are enduring the terrorism and yearly seasonality problem. These problems are responsible for the falloff businesses, low GDP, sometimes loss of public property and low employment to population ratio which directly contributes to loss in countrys economy. This paper focuses on the negative effects of seasonality with some remedies like financial portfolio and special offers during off season to minimize it. It depicts that though seasonality leads to drowning away of income but beside all these it also has some positive effects, especially from the environmental latent. A break after the gigantic peak season is needed by the atmosphere to refresh itself. Its like servicing your car engine to reduce wear n tear and to achieve enhanced performance. Terrorism or felony has been introduced as new emerging problem in tourist industries which was neglected earlier. The research shows that terrorist attacks disturb all nations but majorly the ones which have tourism as a backbone for their survival. Data depicts that there was increasing number of missive attacks from mid of 80s to 90s. this creates the Terrophobia all around the world. People are afraid to travel to the targeted destinations because of the massive destruction done by the terrorists. And the unintentional participation of media in spreading the gossip to raise their TRPs, make the things bad to worse. Its true to say that the terrorism is inherently unpredictable as the earthquakes and tsunami. So both Government and local people have to take active steps to control such violence, by creating awareness about terrorism among peoples and by providing tight and unbreakable security. Even after so much study, still its not clear that if tourism is a honey pot for the te rrorism or they are just the victims of one of their cruel activities. No effort can lead us to abolish these problems so some precautions should be taken against them. We should learn from the previously affected destinations and should prepare ourselves for the crisis either by allocating a squad for the crises management or by assigning permissible authorities. Further research is needed to find the other factors which are responsible for weakening of trade Tourism. Also its affects in a developed or developing country is still an open minded question.

Manhattan Project :: essays research papers

The Manhattan Project   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Winston Churchill, in 1949, was quoted to say that â€Å"the advent of the atomic bomb might prove to be the most beneficent development in history precisely because it will make war intolerable.† The interesting thing about nuclear war is that it is not merely a question of science, but one of morals and of the ethics of war. Surely, with a result so potentially catastrophic, no one within ethical boundaries could use it. I’m not sure whether Mr. Churchill had it right or if he underestimated the inherently wicked nature of human beings, but a question of equal importance must be posed first: where did it all start? To answer this question, we must predetermine what exactly it is. Let’s assume for the sake of study that it is the first atomic bomb and from that draw a conclusion that possesses a slightly better perspective. So, where did it all start? It started with a group of scientists and engineers that formed an organization called the M anhattan Project.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Manhattan Project was given almost unlimited funding by President Roosevelt and was really only a rented out school in Los Alamos, New Mexico where scientists began working on what was to be the first atomic bomb. Given it was a large camp with 6,000 sets of ears (that’s one set per person), security was obsessively tight. The General in charge of this project (General Leslie R. Groves) was very secretive and most of the scientists, technicians, and their families had no idea what it was they were working on. Perhaps the most intriguing thing was that there were 200,000 people nation wide working on some piece of this without a clue they were aiding the extermination of over 300,000 people. Over $2 billion was hidden from the public and snuck into the funding by President Roosevelt which could not have hurt the cause. This kind of spending is the reason why Germany and Japan never came close to developing the bomb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What would any study be without a dry outline of the costs involved? The total cost for WW2 in the U.S. was approximately $3.3 trillion, and about $20 billion of that was purely spent on the A-bomb (about $5 billion per bomb). It is worth noting that that cost only includes raw materials and not the cost for all of the scientists and technicians designing it.

The Good Life :: Essays Papers

The Good Life In The Good Earth, by Pearl S, Wang Lung the main character is a poor peasant who buys a wife and moves up in the social ladder during the peasants' revolution. This story displays many major ideas of ancient Chinese culture, such as the social order, the treatment of women, and the role of the family in everyday life. At the beginning of the movie the following quote appears on the screen "The soul of a great nation is expressed in the life of its humblest people. In this simple story of a Chinese farmer may be found something of the soul of China. Its humility, its courage, its deep heritage from the past and its vast promise for the future." This means that an empire's greatness can also be measured by the life of its poorest people, and from this you can tell its character and where the empire is going. The Good Earth is an accurate reproduction of China during the Song and Tang Dynasties. The role of the family was completely represented in both the film and the book. The oldest male in the family is always greatly respected with filial piety. Filial piety was the the idea that elders should be respected and the older you were the wiser you were. In the beginning, Wang Lung bought an ugly slave for a wife because his wise father told him to. Wang Lung's respect for his father somewhat diminishes as his wealth increases and because of this he buys a second wife for his own pleasure. This shows that the Chinese society was predisposed against women and they were a disgrace to the family. The Good Earth shows the treatment, or mistreatment, of women accurately. O-Lan was treated badly by today's standards, but Wang Lung was kind to her compared many other husbands back then. Women in China were treated as slaves, they often worked in the fields, kept the house, and cared for the children. If a couple had a girl as a first child then there was a good chance that she would be killed because only men could earn good money. Some women had their feet bound to keep them small, this was thought to be attractive. If a woman's feet were bound then she could not be a slave or even walk properly on retarded feet. Rich men sometimes had two wives, one they bought for slave work and the other for beauty.

The Principles of Morality

Humans must not treat each other merely as a means to satisfy an end. Human beings are objects of dignity and not a mere machine, thus deserving respect to and from each other and respect to the law as well. Respect, although a human feeling, is a self-wrought rational concept and, thus, free of influences. This is the true essence of ethics that   is supposed to exist among human beings. However, as Kant implied in his Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals this is not always the case, that humans behave to each other in pursuance of freedom, human rights, violence, peace and anything attributing to his own well-being as well as to the well-being of others and the community in general. Kant has acknowledged in his arguments   that aside from respect and duty, human acts accordingly based on his inclinations and, or worse, out of fear. However, it was emphasized that with obedience to law the actions would be in conformity to that law and would become a binding principle among humans. Respect is properly the conception of a worth which thwarts my self-love. Accordingly it is something which is considered neither as an object of inclination nor of fear, although it has something analogous to both. The object of respect is the law only, and that the law which we impose on ourselves and yet recognise as necessary in itself. (Kant) Humans need guidance to be enlightened and eventually be free and at the same time, need a universal law to exist among them for their own sake.   This law would be the imposing object of humans to themselves as a result of their will. This include the common day-to-day congenial acts of humanity such as honesty, faithfulness, respect for each other, trustworthiness, non-imprisonment of innocent individuals and be like the example that was in Kant’s Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, keeping ones promises. Why is it a wrong deed for A if she took the hand of B forcing the latter to shoot C? This case would be an act of deception and coercion and obviously a crime, in which case, against the universal law. A have â€Å"bypassed†(Hare 13) the agency of B as A used B as the shooting medium. It is also a deception when A impede the rational   choice and free will of B to make the decision and the action. This is a violation of the universal law and it is a treatment of humans, in this case B, as without dignity but only used as a means to achieve an end, the shooting of C. As the source of guidance to the acts, duties and obligations of humans, morality is very important. In fact, as Kant have argued, â€Å"it is only a pure philosophy that we can look for the moral law in its purity and genuineness.† This means that even morality itself may have something of its own immoralities within: a hidden motive. To someone of a morally good, or a virtuous, character that someone should perform an act without looking at the effect of that certain action or, without deriving the motive of that act from its possible effect. A virtuous character â€Å"wants† or â€Å"wills† (or what Kant calls the â€Å"principle of volition†) the performance of an act for the act itself and not from the expected results or a return that can be gained from doing such acts. As Kant have put it: â€Å"an action done from duty derives its moral worth, not from the purpose which is to be attained by it, but from the maxim by which it is determined† Moreover, the virtuous person thus acts in accordance to the â€Å"autonomy†, that would be an act of the holy will, which can be viewed as â€Å"absolutely good† according to Kant. The autonomy causes the Will of the action a â€Å"law to itself†. This is because the Autonomy of the Will is the supreme principle of morality which makes a rational being of freedom efficient and independent upon his choices and actions, as opposed to an irrational being who is fragile to influences of the external environment. However, if the will is only based on necessity of morality, this would become an obligation, and the action resulting from it is called duty. This makes autonomy as one of the important limitations of morality: â€Å"part of the dignity of life is choosing one's own path through it. Given those limits, there can be principles so demanding that compliance simply will not be forthcoming.† (Griffin 127) Human actions have imperatives and are governed by the Ought. Acknowledging its obligations is a way for humans to be within the world with sense and understanding. However, this conception of obligation is not easily accepted or might be challenged by humans due to immaturity, ignorance or fanaticism. Humans are supposed to be rational beings that belong to an intelligible world, conscious and responsible for its actions. It is, however, very evident that humans act in the contrary and as Kant has argued, â€Å"can never conceive the causality of his own will otherwise than on condition of the idea of freedom.† This might be attributed to immaturity which not an outside force to him but something that he has self-incurred. This is the lack of courage and resolution from the side of humans to use his â€Å"own understanding without the guidance of others.† (Kant) Immaturity would hinder the purpose of morality laws that have an ultimate principle conceived to guide humans in every possible circumstances in life. Without recognizing their respective obligations, humans would be living in darkness, without a well defined function in life. This would hinder the attainment of human freedom, his free will. In Kant’s An Answer to the Question: â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† he has emphasized the value of freedom that can only be attained by an enlightened humanity. Without recognition of the obligations, there would be no duty. Without duty means without worth of   morality for human actions. Works Cited Griffin, James. Well-Being: Its Meaning, Measurement, and Moral Importance. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986. Questia. 5 May 2008 ;http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o;d=26035794;. Hare, John E. The Moral Gap : Kantian Ethics, Human Limits, and God's Assistance /. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Questia. 5 May 2008 .