Liberation Theologies In The United States Term Paper - 1

Liberation Theologies In The United States - Term Paper Example The authors explain how in the 20th century, so many of these theologies came up with the aim of bringing about liberation for different oppressed groups or simply transforming their social existence. These theologies have a religious commitment but their organization is purely political. The goal of these theologies was to bring about full citizenship and equality in the social and political spheres of the lives of people in United States. This discussion is a term paper the book Liberation Theologies in the United States by Stacey Floyd-Thomas and Anthony Pinn. The authors provide an in-depth discussion about the origin and development of the liberation theologies in the United States. The book contains 10 liberation theologies which are all discussed in detail to the benefit of the reader. In this book each liberation theology is discussed in an exposition that displays its development, purpose and activities (Floyd-Thomas & Pinn 6). Immediately before the first chapter, the authors provide a very informative discussion that delves into the beginning of the cultural and social disorganization that that came to characterize the US in the 20th century when most of the liberations came up. Through this introduction, they lay a very solid background of things that led to the emergence of liberation movements. In this section, the authors show how the Europeans came to America and triggered destruction of cultures and worldviews and the rearrangement of the same. They go on to explain the cause of the diversity of the US people in terms of culture. Part of the diversity they say, was caused by immigrations in the 18th century. The existence of diverse cultures resulted in oppression especially for the minority groups. Through this book, the authors are able to show the true colors of the United States in the past two centuries and how religion has been used by different groups of people to fight for their freedom. For along time, oppression has been

BUSINESS CHALLENGES Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

BUSINESS CHALLENGES - Research Paper Example The kind of foods offered in these restaurants include soups, spaghetti, salads, fried salmon, field mushroom risotto, pork, rack of lamb, desserts such as farmhouse cheese and biscuits, coffee, wine among others. Some of the restaurants in United States are Bar Louie, Primebar, One North, Red Star Tavern, Bluepoint, The Grillroom, Townhouse and Midtown Kitchen (Restaurants America 2009). Restaurants in the United States have different features ranging from construction materials to food service and location. They offer customers with power lunches, business meeting points and late night cocktails (Restaurants America 2009). A case in point is Grillroom which is an urban chophouse and wine bar. Others offer inviting, intimate and warm atmosphere for lunch and dinner with families and friends created by wood paneled and flagstone walls, captivating artwork, oversized curved leather booths and an open kitchen system (Restaurants America 2009). A good example is Red Star Tavern. Looking at employment in the restaurant industry, most entry-level jobs in this sector need slight or no previous training and basic tasks often can be learned in a short time (Ingram and Joel 68-102). Restaurant managers and many division heads, for instance a head chef, usually need some formal training, or years of hospitality industry know-how, or both. All positions in this business need employees to uphold a customer-service direction. Almost all workers in the restaurant business in United States undertake some on-the-job training provided under the supervision of an experienced employee or manager to become accustomed to new employees to any exceptional characteristics of the property or the local area. The restaurant market is projected to see a rise in the number of restaurants in the United States. Many of these newer restaurants are being established in the suburbs where a growing population is more and more

Social Needs of a Child

Social Needs of a Child From the time our children are born we work with them on getting along with others. Children need to learn how to communicate with others, how to problem solve, and morals. A good place for children to learn these steps is at home with the family. When there is a healthy family relationship the child will develop greater social skills. One thing that a family can work on is to promote good communication. This can be done by just sitting around the dinner table and holding conversations. The parent needs to talk to the child as well as listen to what the child has to say. This helps to develop the childs communication skills and teaches them how to communicate with others. Another thing that families can work on at home is problem solving skills. This can be done by guidance from the parent. The parent can help point out what the problem is and they can think of different ways to solve the problem. After they have come up with different ways to solve the problem the child (with the parents direction) can evaluate the solution and then come up with a plan to solve the problem. This is also another way that the parent can work on communication skills with the child. When families attend church they learn about different types of morals. However, not everyone has to go to church to learn morals. The parents can teach these at home through example. When the parents are living a clean, good moral life it is showing the child how to live a good clean moral life. It is important for the parent to set good examples so the child has them to follow. The examples the child will learn from are by the parents interactions with other (i.e. the verbal and non-verbal communication with others), by how the parent treats the child, and through observing how the parent handles different situations. The parents can also teach the child about lying and stealing through example and when the conversation comes up. If there isnt good morals in the home this can affect the moral character of the children. Parents need to work hard to provide the basic needs for the family. The child shouldnt need to focus on the basic needs because they need to spend time learning to problem solve. If the child has to stress over the basic needs then there isnt time left over to learn how to problem solve and can affect the childs social and emotional development. At school there are also things that can contribute to the communication development of children. These things can be the interaction of classmates, interactions with the teacher, and how the classroom is arranged. The classroom arrangement can help in encouraging communication between students. By setting the desks up in groups or having tables in the classroom this encourages communication, but if the desks are set up in rows this can hinder the opportunity for children to interact and communicate with each other. Also having the desks set up in groups gives the teacher easier access to the students and helps with the student to teacher communication. The classroom environment is also another strong contributor to the development of the students problem solving skills. Maurice Elias suggest engage in creative, disciplined process of exploring alternative possibilities that leads to responsible, goal-directed action, including overcoming obstacles to plans (Elias, 2003). Through listening to Eliass suggestion the students can be promoted in their learning, develop problem solving skills, and can also learn how to assume responsibility for their learning. When the teacher is in the classroom and is dictating to the children and when the child answers something wrong is harsh to them then the students can have impaired communication and problem solving skills. When the student is uncomfortable with answering the question the teacher has asked of them they arent able to develop upon their communication skills. However, if the teacher were to show empathy instead of being harsh the student will be comfortable participating and will be able to develop upon their communication skills. When the childs basic needs are being met and you add a morally strong home with a classroom that encourages open communication the student will be well on their way of having their communication and problem solving skills met.

A Humourous Ritual :: miscellaneous

A Humourous Ritual Have you ever witnessed a humorous ritual that was really funny? I witness one everyday and it makes me wonder. This ritual is the one that many people that you and I both know participate in. this ritual is going to school. Everybody does it nowadays. The reason why it is funny is that we get up early everyday to learn stuff we don’t need to, we eat horrible food and even pay for it, and when we try to be an individual we get in trouble for doing so. Everyone says â€Å"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.† well that is very, very true statement, even though my name isn’t Jack. Millions of students worldwide get up at early hours of the day to get to school to learn a lot of stuff that we don’t need to know, such as information about Puritans. Not only that, we must endure the torture of worrying about our grades; that if we don’t work hard then we get bad grades, and that makes it much harder to get into Harvard Law School. Everyday, students must worry about their grades and they must do their work, and it isn’t fun. During the school day, one must eat. We get in trouble if we choose to eat in a classroom or quench our thirst by drinking an ice cold beverage during class. So we are forced to either bring a lunch, which is trouble in itself, or eat the school food from the cafeteria. Everyday when I make my journey across campus and past the cafeteria, I wonder what the intoxicating smell is coming from the building. The fries are not nutritious and are very greasy and salty, the chicken burgers are not cooked thoroughly, and the cheeseburgers are tasteless. The only thing I think is edible in the school is a Coca-Cola. The water in the fountains taste really bad. Yet everyday, hundreds of students flock to the cafeteria to poison their bodies, in a sense. Why cant we all just be happy and eat Subway everyday? That would make more sense, no? I was raised to express myself and be an individual. I was taught to not follow the pack and create my own trend. So, I try to do just that. I dress different than most, I act the way I want to act, I get piercings, and hopefully soon I will be getting some tattoos.

How successful is Stevenson in appealing to his Target Audience in the first 6 chapters of Treasure Island? Essay

Stevenson originally wrote the book for his stepson Samuel Lloyd Osbourne on a holiday in Braemar in 1881. This means the book was intended to be read by teenage boys, although there are many characters so age does not matter too much. However he made the map of Treasure Island before he even began to write the book. In part 1 there is only one female character though (Jims’ mum) which means the target audience of the book is males. Whilst writing the book Stevenson realised he could market it and eventually the book was published in the ‘Young folks’ magazine, this supports the theory that the book was intended for teens. The subject of the book is pirates and treasure which will interest and appeal to teenage boys. Stevenson uses a Pseudonym to subliminally suggest that he himself was a seafaring man – Captain George North and was familiar with the Sea this would appeal to children as they may believe the book is more authentic. Another way of appealing to children is by making the narrator of the book ‘Jim’ a teenager himself which works well. Victorian parents would also approve of this book because it implemented good morals such as obey your parents- as Jim doesn’t disregard others because of their appearances, don’t give into corruption an example of this is when he is offered money by the captain to get him a drink but refuses, instead he does it for his fathers’ sake. Be kind, polite, mature, hard working, always help others regardless of their ways as the narrator and main character Jim does – another example of this is shown when he is frightened of Pew, the blind beggar – however remains polite to him. Another way in which he appeals to his audience is by using techniques such as Imagination – he is very subtle in doing this, like in chapter one when Jim makes reference to his dreams he says ‘How that personage haunted my dreams, I need scarcely tell you’. This makes the reader think they can relate to Jim on a level were an adult cannot as they are going through the same thing and because Jim does not specify his age this will appeal to a wider age range. Part one shows no fear of death as many characters die such as Pew, Jim’s father and the captain. I do not find this works well as it tells the reader to expect a lot of deaths in the rest of the book which will remove some elements of surprise. Other techniques he use include language, for instance he spells the Captains’ words phonetically so it makes it easier to imagine his accent like in chapter one page two were the captain says ‘mought’ instead of might. This is appealing to children as their imaginations have to focus less on correct grammar and more on character. Stevenson also avoids actually swearing in the book as it is for children although he does refer to characters cursing and making oaths this works very well as parents would not want their children picking up explicit swear words like when Jim refers to the stories the captain told instead of giving an example he says ‘and the language he used shocked us plain country folk. Mystery is the final very successful technique he uses at the end of each chapter like the end of chapter two you are left with many questions like – Who is Black Dog? And how does he know the Captain? This makes you want to read on to find out. These questions are still to be answered after part 1 finishes and more also such as will Jim and Dr Livesy make it to Treasure Island and what will they come across when they get there. It seems every chapter at least one question is answered but more are posed, for instance by the end of part 1 the contents of the Captain’s chest are revealed however the map inside is of an unknown Island. In conclusion part 1 of Treasure Island does very well in appealing to it’s key demographic as there is so much suspense and excitement contained within in just the first few chapters to set the scene for the rest of the book. Although I would have held out with more deaths of characters because they could have played a vital role and deaths later on in the book would be more effective, I still find it very thrilling which I think will certainly appeal to teenagers.

M & a of China Automobile Industry Essay

The Researches on Overseas Mergers and Acquisitions of China Automobile Industry in Post-Crisis Period? ZHU Qin School of Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University, P. R. China, 310018 Zhuqin9871@163. com Abstract: Since the 2008 financial crisis, the overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of China automobile industry have become a topic the world’s automobile market most concerns about. This paper views that the rapid growth of the domestic automobile market, the adjustments in overseas auto industry and much support from government’s policies provide a good background and favorable conditions to overseas M&A of China automobile industry. It also points out that although China’s state-owned enterprises are still the main body of overseas mergers and acquisitions of China auto industry, private enterprises are playing an increasingly important role. Through studying specific cases, the paper proposes countermeasures concerning overseas mergers and acquisitions of China automobile industry in post-crisis period. Keywords: Post-crisis period, the automobile industry, overseas mergers and acquisitions 1 Introduction The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform and opening, the explosive increase of automobile industry in recent years and government’s supporting policies on the automobile industry altogether offer new opportunities and conditions to overseas M&A of China automobile industry. At present, China has become the largest automobile producer in the global. In 2009, the top ten automobile manufacturing countries were: China (13791000), Japan (7. 935 million), United States (5. 697 million), Germany (5. 206 million ), Korea (3. 513 million), Brazil (3. 183 million), India (2. 628 million), Spain (2. 17 million), France (1.935 million), Mexico (1. 561 million). Large-scale production capacity endows China auto companies with a base to expand overseas. Following the 2008 financial crisis, the global economic downturn has had the international Automotive Group faced with overcapacity problem; meanwhile, the global credit shortage has brought great pressure to the survival and development of the automobile business. Funding gaps emerged in many international auto giants. After the financial crisis, the asset value of many foreign enterprises is seriously underestimated, which gives a good chance for Chinese enterprises to take a shot. Through overseas M&A access to the dreaming international auto brands, the core technology and international marketing channels can be acquired at low costs. At the same time, Chinese auto companies have sufficient capital reserves at the present stage, and with the strong support from the government and national financial institutions, there is a potential for them to become competitive buyers for part of the international Automotive Group’s quality assets. It is worth mentioning that related departments in the Chinese government treat the auto industry as a pillar industry of national economy, giving it much positive policy support. â€Å"The automotive industry restructuring and rejuvenation program†, promulgated in 2009 increased efforts to support the automobile industry. First, the program states that â€Å"it is required to promote the restructuring of the automotive industry, to support M&A of large-scale automobile enterprise groups, to expand the scale of major auto parts enterprises through M&A. † Previously, the major auto companies were not willing to conduct cross-regional restructuring because of too many barriers. â€Å"The automotive industry restructuring and rejuvenation program† can effectively solve this kind of concerns. In related detailed ? [Sustentation Fund]: National Science Fund of China (70703030) , Zhejiang Province Science Fund (Y6080222), Humanity and Social Science Fund of Chinese Ministry of Education (07JA790083, 09YJC790240) 43 M & D FORUM regulations, associated guidelines are made which involve the acquirer and acquiree, such as the source of acquisition financing, tax issues that may arise in acquisition, the asset disposal of acquired companies and employee relocation and other problems prone to cause disputes or already existing barriers. At the same time, it will lift the standard of admitting foreign asset and acquiring related domestic enterprises to (protectively) enhance the competitiveness of domestic auto companies. In addition, in March 16, 2009, the Ministry of Commerce issued † procedures for the administration of foreign investment † to further reform foreign investment management system, promote the facilitation of foreign investment, support Chinese enterprises to â€Å"go out† and participate more in international economic cooperation and competition. These help to raise strong and positive support for overseas M & A of China automobile industry. 2 The Main Body of Overseas M&A of China Automobile Industry Before 2008, although there were many cases of overseas M&A in China automobile industry, such as SAIC’s acquisition of Ssang Yong in 2004, Nanjing Auto ’s acquisition of Rover in 2005 and so on, the overall impact and scale were still limited and attention from the domestic and international was not intense enough. From 2006 to 2008, the scale of M&A China’s major automobile companies has been further reduced, with the total number of only 7. It only covered 19% of the total number of Chinese car companies’ various overseas investment. Other overseas investment approaches were: 21 cases of joint ventures or strategic alliances, accounting for 57%, 8 cases of factory founding directly, accounting for 22%, and 1 case of technology transfer. But after 2008, when the world auto market is still full of financial cold haze, the Chinese auto companies went against the trend. A number of enterprises joined with foreign auto brands in carrying out cross-border marriage. In this short year, both the vehicle industry or parts manufacturers lunched many acquisitions either far-reaching or with extremely high degree of concern. Beijing Automobile Works acquired Saab, Geely acquired Volvo, Beijing West Industry’s acquisition of the U. S. Delphi, Geely DSI bought Australian automatic transmission companies, to name just a few. Overall, in the current automobile industry, China’s M & A main body is evolving towards a diversed boom. China’s automobile companies participating in overseas M & A are no longer confined to state-owned ones. Due to their growing strength and government’s supportive policies, private enterprises have become the new force, injecting new vigor and vitality into the overseas M&A of China automobile industry. However, state-owned enterprises are still the most important main body in cross-border M & A activities [7]. In this M & A wave, the Beijing Automotive, as one of the state-owned enterprises, successfully finished the acquisition of the Swedish brand Saab in December 2009. State-owned enterprises have an advantage of large scale, but often there is a serious deficiency in the governance, a general lack of motivation of in the management. A majority of state-owned operators have an incomplete momentum for cross-border M & A. The private enterprise, with their natural clear property rights, fewer policy constraints, and a flexible structure and mechanism are playing an increasingly important role in the wave of automotive M&A. Thanks to less intervention from the government and following less protection compared with the state-owned enterprises, private enterprises possess stronger self-awareness, risk awareness and a sense of competition. Increasingly powerful private enterprise group is supposed to become an important force in the cross-border M & A in the future [15]. In this M&A wave, the most distinctive representative of private enterprises is China Geely Group. As a leader of China’s private auto enterprise, in March 2010, it successfully reached an agreement with General Motors, purchasing 100% of the shares of GM’s Volvo. 3 A Study of Overseas M & A Cases in China Automobile Industry 44 M & D FORUM 3. 1 Overseas M & A cases of automobile enterprises In the choice of overseas M & A targets, China’s auto enterprises prefer developed regions like Europe and the United States, especially concentrating on world’s top 10 auto-producing countries besides China such as the United States, France and other places. The vehicle industry in these areas has long history, with many powerful brands, more developed economy, higher living standard and stronger consumer ability. In the choice of specific targets, Chinese enterprises are in favor of those enterprises that are of highly well-known brands, a long history, as well as advanced technology and experienced management. However, during this financial crisis, a serious setback in operating performance led some of these companies or brands to great losses or even near-collapse. Geely’s acquisition of Volvo and Beijing Auto’s of Saab is representative ones. They are very typical in this M&A wave starting after the financial crisis. 3. 1. 1 Beijing auto’s acquisition of Saab On December 28, 2009, Beijing Automotive Holdings formally announced the acquisition of relevant intellectual property rights of Saab cars at a cost of 200 million U. S. dollars. By then, Beijing Automotive has gotten the core data of the complete research, production, marketing, quality control system. This international transaction is the first successful case for a domestic automobile enterprise to carry out the acquisition of foreign advanced and complete vehicle power technology since 2009. As one of a few China’s Automotive Groups who not yet have their own brands, Beijing Automotive is very urgent on owning its own brand-related technology. So the successful marriage with the Saab is of great significance for Beijing Automotive to speed up the process of independent R & D and internationalization. 3. 1. 2 Geely’s acquisition of Volvo On December 23, 2009, Ford Motor Company released a statement of reaching a framework agreement to sell its Volvo to Geely. In March 28, 2010, Geely signed a definitive stock purchase agreement with Ford to buy 100% of the shares of Volvo Car at a cost of 1. 8 billion U. S. dollars and then signed a definitive agreement concerning related assets [32]. This saliva battles full of troubles ended with Geely tenaciously achieving its dream of â€Å"snake swallows elephant†. It is a spur for other domestic auto enterprises, also a major step for Geely towards the international market Simultaneously it helps the Volvo brand to further open the Chinese market,. However, it is not easy for Geely to â€Å"digest† Volvo. Whether it is because of the picky European Union, or high operating costs for brand, or cultural integration, especially the integration and management of Volvo’s distributors, factories and suppliers scattering over more than 100 countries and 2,400 regions. There are a series of huge problems. 3. 2 Overseas M & A cases of automobile parts enterprises After the financial crisis, overseas auto parts enterprises were faced with greater difficulties than full-vehicle enterprises. Bankruptcy and M&A happened frequently. Influenced by this round of auto industry structure adjustment, the integration of parts suppliers intensified, and M & A wave aimed at supplier groups resurged. Foreign well-known auto parts enterprises like Australian transmission company DSI, Delphi in the United States and so on occupy pivotal positions in the auto parts industry, and even have a significant impact on the development of the full-vehicle market. Direct purchase of foreign auto parts enterprises is local suppliers’ one way of gaining access to core technology. After the current financial crisis, the M&A cases of auto parts enterprises are quite frequent and also larger and more far-reaching than that of before the crisis. Such as Geely’s acquisition of the Australian transmission company DSI, Beijing West Industry’s acquisition of U. S. Delphi, WanXiang Group’s acquisition of the U. S. DS automobile steering shaft and so on. 3. 2. 1 Beijing West Industry’s acquisition of Delphi On March 31, 2009, Delphi formally agreed to sell its global businesses of braking and suspension to Beijing West Industry. Beijing West was prepared to pay 90 million U. S. dollars in cash to acquire Delphi’s related machinery and equipment, intellectual property and real estate, including its businesses of braking and suspension in eight plants, five technology centers and 14 technical support and customer 45 M & D FORUM service centers which locate worldwide. 3. 2. 2 Geely’s acquisition of DSI. On March 27, 2009 in New South Wales State’s Government Building, the signing ceremony of Geely acquiring Australian Automatic Transmission Company was held. According to a statement from Li Shufu, the Chairman of Geely Group, Geely conducts a wholly-owned acquisition of DSI for it values DSI’s complete designing and manufacturing capabilities accumulated over 80 years. DSI Automatic Transmission Company is an automatic transmission specialist centralizing research and development, manufacturing, and sales altogether. What is more, it is one of the only two global automatic transmission companies that are independent from all automotive vehicle companies. 4 Countermeasures and Suggestions for Overseas M & A of China Automobile Industry 4. 1 The selection of objects for overseas M & A First of all, when making overseas M & A, Chinese auto enterprises need to be careful of those M & A targets who already have no competitive advantage within the industry, and just to sell companies to reject the burden. Therefore, they should be especially cautious in the choice of Objects for overseas M & A and take various factors into consideration. Second, while doing overseas M&A, Chinese auto enterprises can not just focus on targets of low purchase price, but on the potential value of the enterprises after the acquisition. Therefore, the Chinese auto enterprises ought to choose targets that are consistent and coordinated with their own strategic objectives, and can complement their own businesses to achieve synergies; to choose overseas assets with low cost but are able to produce better results through the integration. Finally, in assessing M & A targets, priority should be given to smaller yet high quality objects in accordance with their requirements. M & A are to be done for many times, at small amount and with steady integration. 4. 2 A careful and scientific implementation of overseas M & A After enterprises have determined the strategic premise of overseas M & A consistent with their own development requirements, they need to compare the key links in tactic and carry on related initiatives. First, in M & A planning session, to establish a more comprehensive overseas assessment system; to do a comprehensive and quantitative research with regard to the status of the host country market, national policies and regulations, competition pattern, the main risks; to do further accurate assessment of the target company’s technology, independent intellectual property rights, operation status and potential value, weighing the risks and opportunities. Second, after selecting the target of M & A, a comprehensive understanding of the business-related technology, the details of intellectual property rights should be gained, and the specific items and amounts of M & A be finalized. To maximize benefits at the lowest cost by conducting effective negotiations. Third, after the transaction is completed, to assess comprehensively the differences of both managements in management philosophy, and the differences of staff in culture, values, benefits, remuneration and so on. To orderly propel the process of integration in achieving M & A objects. 4. 3 The implementation of the strategic resource reserves in overseas M & A To obtain opportunities of overseas M&A, auto industry are required to carry out resource reserves in four aspects. First, human resources reserves. The Chinese auto enterprises should consciously reserve all kinds of overseas M & A professionals as soon as possible. Second, M & A experience reserves. By continually accumulating experience through practices, enterprises can learn more about related laws and regulations, operating procedures, and precautions to reduce risks, and then improve the success rate. Third, M & A financial reserves. To fight for access to financial support from the government or large financial institutions. To ensure enough amount of money while minimizing financial costs. 46 M & D FORUM 5 Conclusion During post-crisis period, the China automobile industry is facing an unprecedented good opportunity in overseas M&A. With the support of concerning policies, the China auto industry is adopting an active global strategy. Through the integration of global auto industry resources, the international competitiveness force of China auto industry is enhanced in a great degree. In the process of overseas M&A, the China auto industry needs to actively carry out relevant strategic resource reserves, scientifically select acquisition targets, and carefully as well as scientifically implement specific overseas M & A strategy. Author in brief: Zhu Qin, PHD, Associate Professor, School of Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University Email: zhuqin9871@163. com. References [1]. Stefano Rossiand Paolo Volpin. Cross-Country Determinants of Mergers and Acquisitions [M]. London Business School, 2002 [2]. Guo Jianhua. The global automotive industry changing situation report [R]. Beijing: Equality in Automobile Research Institute, 2009(in Chinese) [3]. RolandBerger Strategy Consultants. China’s auto industry development, in the current financial crisis the opportunities and challenges [R], 2009 (in Chinese) [4]. State Council Development Research Center of Industrial Economics Research Department, Society of Automotive Engineers of China, Volkswagen Group. China Automotive Industry Development Report [M]. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2009. 7 (in Chinese) 47