The reserch paper on The Euro Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The reserch paper on The Euro Crisis - Essay Example This common national currency Euro is utilised by over 300 million people in the world’s most developed economic region, which is considered as a record in the international monetary system. The common currency Euro was established by the European nations with the objectives of acquiring better integration among member nations as well as to enhance the currency value in the global economy (Feenstra & Taylor, 2012). In the year 1999, Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was also established with the motive of utilising the single national currency i.e. Euro for all the trade activities performed by the European nations. In the starting of 2002, there were 12 countries in Europe Union (EU) which include Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, Italy, France, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg and Portugal that utilised Euro as their national currency. Later on many countries also joined EU and adopted Euro as a national currency. However, three EU member countries namely Sw eden, United Kingdom and Denmark do not used Euro as their national currency. By the year 2010, there were 27 countries as members of EU. In Euro zone, the main objective of EMU was to establish a common monetary currency for EU members and to coordinate the monetary affairs of the member nations through European Central Bank (ECB). The euro zone has faced financial crisis due to sluggish economic growth as well as high rate of underemployment. Moreover, economic recession of 2008 has also raised many economic problems in the European nations (Arestis & Sawyer, 2012). Considering this aspect, the review will emphasize on the factors accountable for crisis in the European nations. The objective of the review is to recognise the reasons for Euro crisis. Moreover, review will also focus on remedies necessary for minimising the effects of Euro crisis in the European nations and other countries. The review includes other aspects related to the Euro crisis along with economic problems fac ed by the European nations. Background The Euro system of the European countries consists of ECB and 11 central banks of different nations. The Euro system has four major jobs with respect to economic growth and sustainability. The first job is to execute the monetary strategies implemented by Central Council of ECB. The second job is to undertake foreign exchange functions and the third job is to maintain money reserves of euro area nations. The Euro system is responsible for coordinating as well as managing monetary policy of EU. Euro was considered as a single common currency by EU members with the objective of acquiring a stabilised price for a long period of time. Moreover, with common currency it was expected that it would help to expand the market and also would assist in better integration of capital, goods and service. Furthermore, it was anticipated that with the introduction of common currency, Euro would be an important currency relating to foreign exchange markets (Euro pean Central Bank, 2009). Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) EMU was set up with the motive of stabilising the monetary operations as well as for prosperous economic development of the European nations. The vision of EMU is to develop an integrated framework for the financial sectors which enables the banking

Organizational Behavior And Communication Paper Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior And Communication Paper Essay Southwest Airlines Organizational Behavior Communication Paper Erica Sepulveda Communications for Accountants/Com 530 January 30, 2012 Southwest Airlines Organizational Behavior Communication Paper Airlines, such as Southwest Airlines, strive to provide the best customer service that they can offer to keep their customers happy. A prospective Southwest passenger may probably make their reservation by calling the customer service number, logging on to the company’s website, or booking at an airport with a Southwest Airlines agent. The employees that assist these prospective and actual passengers are considered the backbone of the company and do their best to represent Southwest in the finest way possible. One may question, what makes these employees happy? What kind of organization culture are they surrounded by on a daily basis? â€Å"A strong organizational culture provides stability to an organization† (Robbins Judge. , 2011, pg. 520). Culture of Southwest Airlines According to Southwest Airlines mission statement, â€Å"Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer† (Southwest Airlines, 2012). This definitely shows a positive sign that the majority of employees working for this corporation are happy. As an unemployed individual looking for employment, a position within Southwest is where they would want to be. It’s evident that this company values their employees and strives to keep them happy. Happy Employees = Happy Customers. Happy Customers keep Southwest flying† (Southwest Airline, 2012). Recently, Southwest Airlines was honored as one of the best companies to work for. â€Å"Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV)has been recognized as one of the top 50 Best Places to Work, a significant achievement, as nearly 150,000 companies are rated by their employees on Glassdoor† (PR Newswire, 2011). This p oint certainly proves that this organization’s espoused values align with its enacted values. Communication Roles within Southwest Airlines Company An organization’s culture plays a critical role in the way communication is done throughout the company. Southwest airlines, for example is a huge company with thousands of employees. One would guess that communication within this organization takes more of a virtual approach. However, just because they are a huge company, doesn’t mean that communication with others or the voices of management won’t be casual. As Kelleher, CEO of Southwest, said himself: â€Å"Theres a lot being said about the importance of communication, for instance. But it cant be rigid; it cant be formal. It has to proceed directly from the heart. It has to be spontaneous; it has to be between individuals seeing each other on the elevator† (Lee, 1994). This corresponds to the culture of the organization that Kelleher works very hard to maintain. As a CEO who values his employees, we see here that he’s not afraid to show how he is and how much he believes in making the environment a happy and comfortable one for his employees. Perceptions Within Southwest Airlines Let’s consider an employee of one of Southwest competitors wishing that they worked for this airline instead of their current employer. Hearing all the wonderful stories about working for this company and how happy everyone is leads this employee to think that he/she is working for the wrong company. The perception here is that an employee at Southwest is happier than an employee working for the competitor. Robbins ; Judge defines Perceptions as, â€Å"a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment† (Robbins ; Judge, 2011. g 168). Additionally, they mention that what we perceive may not be what the situation actually turns out to be. Reading information or listening to others rant about how wonderful the culture is within a company doesn’t necessarily mean its all good. While employees may be happier than miserable working for Southwest, I highly doubt that there aren’t challeng es that are faced at times in their positions. Research has shown that Southwest Airlines espoused values mirrors their enacted values. However, suppose it didn’t. What happens if the perceptions of their culture, communication and work environment is said to be â€Å"peachy†, however it really isn’t? Suppose employees were really unhappy and the mission statement of Southwest really wasn’t followed in the way they operate their organization. This leads to bad perceptions, along with potential employees ; customers assuming that this organization is voicing something that it’s not. This is an example of how misalignment between espoused values and enacted values would affect perceptions within Southwest Airlines organization. Conflict within Southwest Airlines Conflict is another important topic that should be considered in organizations like Southwest Airlines. â€Å"Conflict results from differences between group members differences in personality, perception, information, culture, and power or influence† (Beebe ; Masterson, 2009. , pg 152). Conflict is something that every company and individual deal with at some point in time. While some people may view conflicts as a bad thing, in actuality and depending on the situations involved, the conflict may be viewed as a great learning experience. Southwest Airlines view conflicts as a way to strengthen and build relationships (Gittel, 2003, Chapter 8). The individuals that are initially involved in the conflicts should first try to come to an agreement. It’s best to make sure that the conflict isn’t over a misunderstanding or something that’s not an issue. If an agreement or resolution can’t be agreed upon, it may be wise to get the other member of the team or group involved. â€Å"When conflicts arise at Southwest and are not resolved by the parties themselves, a conflict resolution process is used† (Gittel, 2003, Chapter 8). Getting others involved will likely help determine why there is a disagreement and somehow find the resolution that the parties couldn’t come to on their own. Southwest Airlines is one the most prosperous airlines in the US today. Many of the other Airlines try to use the methods that Southwest employs to keep their company, staff and employees in good standing. â€Å"The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit†.

21st Century Situational Ethics

21st Century Situational Ethics Although the term Situational Ethics only seems to appear in Joseph Fletchers book named Situation Ethics: The New Morality in 1966, partial and similar ideas of situational ethics have been in the mind of others earlier before. Such as will be Durant Drake that published The New Morality, Emil Brunner with his published work Divine Imperative as well as Reinhold Niebuhr with his Moral Man and Immoral Society. During the same year where Fletcher published his book, John Robinson published his book named Honest to God. Although as equally popular as Fletchers book, it was Fletchers book that seemed simpler and less systematic. In 1952, The Roman Catholic Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office labeled this new principle as the new morality. Pros and cons of situational ethics Similar to other ethical principles, Situational Ethics has its pros and cons as well. To make things simple, following are the pros and cons of the Fletchers Model of Situation Ethics that is based upon Christian Love:- Advantages:- Situational Ethics is personal. Since Situational Ethics is based on the teachings that ethical decisions should be made based on flexible guidelines it demonstrates sensitivity towards circumstances, context, particularity and cultural traditions; besides, it has only a single basic principle to adhere to, love, so people can freely, easily, and creatively make their decisions in the various situations among the numerous alternatives available. Thus, this ethical theory may seem attractive to the many individualistic human beings exist in this modern era. Situational Ethics is specific. In Situational Ethics moral decisions are made on a case-by-case basis as in there is no fixed solution to various cases. Therefore, decisions made depend on the situation one is in and the solution to each situation is unique. (why is this good? Justify more) Situational Ethics about goodness. Love is supposed to be a good element and Situational Ethics teaches that right acts are those which are targeted to promote the well being of people (love). According to Situational Ethics, the well being of people can be promoted by maximizing human welfare and happiness that would be beneficial to individuals or a society. Disadvantages:- Love is vague and abstract. Although theoretically Situational Ethics is based on Christian love, but the term love in this principle does not have any definite meaning; every individual is unique by him or herself and every of them feels and interpret love in very different ways which may be due to different living environments, upbringing methods, genetics, and cultures. If everyone was to practice Situational Ethics, it might lead to confusion and therefore very inconsistent outcomes. For example, two very dissimilar decisions might be made in two very similar situations by two different people because their loves are not the same. Situational Ethics is very subjective and emotional-based. Love is a type of emotion and not some kind of reasoning element; because emotions are very individual-based, it is impossible for two persons to feel and express love in exactly the same way. It is generally agreed by ethicists that any ethical theory should be based mainly on reasons. So how can such a subjective-based Situational Ethics be tenable then in 21st century? Definitely people will involve some kind of biasness due to personal feelings when making decisions under such ethical principle; thus, fairness or justice cannot be upheld in Situational Ethics. Love by Fletcher was Self-Contradicting. According to Fletcher, he based his model upon the basic principle, love as interpreted in the new Testament of Bible, God is Love. This statement makes Situational Ethics reasonable at first glance, but actually in the very next chapter of the same Bible, there is another statement says so, This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. This latter statement is encouraging its believers to follow Divine Command Laws, is it not? Due to this, it makes Fletcher together with its Situational Ethics to be less convincing. Situational Ethics is difficult to implement. Like Act Consequentialism, Situation Ethics is not a practical ethical theory in a society as each situation is so different from another that if this system was to be implemented, then when a person faced a moral dilemma, he or she would need a considerable amount of time to consider what was the best action that could bring out the most love. Besides, it is often very difficult to determine what are the boundaries of every situation as well (like when did the situation begin and end). Furthermore, such ethical system that is so relativistic and has only one basic principle often produces very inconsistent results and thus is very challenging to be taught to the younger generations too. Situational Ethics may be misused by some in names of love. Based on Situation Ethics, any particular action does not have an inherent moral value as its good or bad depends on the results or the consequences of the action. Therefore, it seems that situation ethics allows a person to carry out acts that are normally classified as bad, such as killing and robbing, if those acts could be justified to be the expression of love by the committer. To summarize up, Situational Ethics is far too impractical in its own sense and possesses too many obvious flaws. In this 21st century where moral dilemmas simply become more and more complex, this ethical theory, if applied universally, will only produce more instability and disorder in this world. In short, it will definitely not be the best ethical principle to follow. To further advocate our standing, we have continued to do research and found out some problems and issues regarding Situational Ethics. Q: What are some of the issues or problems with Situational Ethics? Issues and Problems of Situational Ethics Is there a proper standard of value in determining the good? In the Fletcher model, moral agents are asked to calculate which action in a particular situation will produce the greatest amount of goods (love) for the greatest number of people. However, this method cannot be applied without some standards of value to aid figuring out the good and bad effects and then in balancing them; without clarifying the proper standards, what good deeds ought to be done in the situation cannot be determined. Besides, Fletcher came to say that he has said enough when he identified human welfare as the standard of value. As an example, he has substituted human welfare for pleasure as the standard of evaluation of both ends and effects, impliedly stating that human welfare is the ultimate love that can be given to other people in any situation. However, it is not clear that Fletchers appeal to human welfare will suffice. Will other religious people and atheists be convinced to follow Situational Ethics? As has been mentioned before, the main source of the theory of Situational Ethics is the Christians holy bible. Its original basic principle, love which has been interpreted by Fletcher was largely influenced by its own faith in Christianity. For example, Fletcher saw love as the Holy Spirit for himself. But what does Holy Spirit mean for other religious people? Do atheists even recognize the existence of Holy Spirit? Indeed, it is true that love exists in any society and culture and so non-Christian people can actually apply this ethical theory in their life as well; however, its Christianity origin may deter part if not all of these people from trusting in this ethical theory because it does seem to have some biasness in its interpretation of love. 3. Can people always act out of love and suppress their self-interests? This is one of the main problems that relates to the practicality of Situational Love Ethics. According to Fletcher, the love he suggested should mean the largest possible care of the well being of others; however, is it really possible for all human beings to set their self-interests aside and be as objective as possible when analyzing each situation? As mentioned, love is a kind of emotion and everyone feels and expresses it distinctively from another. The usual loves people give out are for families and friends. So what if in the specific moral dilemma context, someone a person loves a lot is involved? Can he or she really willing to sacrifice that important person for the sake of the majority and act in the most loving way? 4. Do ends always justify the means? Situational Ethics is very similar to Consequentialism in the way that both emphasize the prediction of the future and the end consequences that could happen, and then only decide on the action that could bring out the most desired outcome. As such, Situational Ethics shares the very same problem with Consequentialism as well: will any mean used to achieve the end be justifiable? In many circumstances, some living beings might need to be sacrificed for the sake of the majority. For example, in order to find out the most effective medicine to cure AIDS which affects millions of people, can scientists be allowed to use the fastest way (use selected human beings to conduct experiments) to achieve that goal? These scientists might consider that as the most loving way to act because they are trying to save millions of people in the end by merely risking a few human lives. But can this really be justifiable? 5. People prefer to have a more Secure Environment Situational Ethics consists of only one and only absolute basic principle to guide the general population; thus, it seems to abolish all the existing rules and laws that exist in every culture. If people were allowed to break the rigid rules and laws when they found that their actions could be justified in names of love (or some other absolute norms), werent those laws and rules be unenforceable anymore? This is definitely going to be a very risky ethical theory to apply because in this 21st century, where the societies and human populations are so complex, without definite laws and rules, people will only feel confused and chaos will happen everywhere. Thus, such a relativistic moral system seems not to be a better choice if compared to some other more absolutistic ethical systems. Best Ethical Principle/ System Q: What do you think would be the best ethical principle for your group to follow? A: After discussion, our group comes to agree that an ethical theory that combines the Confucius Virtue Ethics with the authors (Thiroux and Krasemann) Humanitarian Ethics will be the best for us to follow. After discussion, our group members have reached the agreement that Confucius Virtue Ethics combined with the Ethics textbooks authors Humanitarian Ethics will be the best moral system for our group to believe in and practice, mainly because of the fact that its main purpose is to create humans that implant good moral characters in themselves, or in short is to create virtuous human beings. In this 21st century, many ethicists have come to believe that humans have become more morally corrupted and morality is dying or even dead. In our modern world, people have tried to build up a moral society mainly through the act of establishing various rules and laws, but sadly that has been proven to be pretty ineffective; thus, both rule consequentialism and non-consequentialism principles will not be the best ethical principle to follow. In order to resolve this problem, Virtue Ethics is suggested to be applied universally because its main aim is to construct human beings that are truly ethical and excellent from within, not relying on outside forces such as rigid rules and laws. Virtue Ethics requires its believers to act virtuously and make it a habit; they practice what they do because they realize those acts are morally right and not because they are forced to. If everyone was to follow Virtue Ethics, then the dream of creating a moral society will be more likely to be reali zed. Humans are social beings who do not live in isolation; generally, they are dependent among each other. Thus, Virtue Ethics is advantageous as well in this case. Confucius Virtue Ethics has 4 main elements in total: De, Shu, Li and Ren, all of which are crucial to achieving social harmony. De means the virtue acts to be practiced by individuals so as to bring the great goodness to the people surrounding. Shu teaches people to reciprocate among each other, suggesting that distribution of justice is to be practiced. Li provides guidance to act appropriately in different contexts and to respect others, especially the higher authorities and therefore contributes to social stability. Lastly, Ren tries to compromise individuals interests with that of societys, in which enhances human interrelationships and promotes humane behavior; for example, it includes the Silver Rule (not to do to others what you do not wish to be done upon yourself), which can be used to test whether an action should be taken or not in any particular situation. In overall, as you can see, Confucius Virtue Ethics is very humanistic and social-based, which makes it seems very ideal in our current diversified and complex societal world. For example, if leaders in this 21st century were to follow Confucius Virtue Ethics, then their followers will be more likely to show loyalty to them because the leaders are doing right and are concerned about their respective followers instead of merely using coercive or tyranny methods. One of the basic assumptions made by Thiroux and Krasemann, the authors of our Ethics textbook that any workable ethical principle should have is to be rationally based and yet does not eliminate emotion; indeed, Confucius Virtue Ethics is one that has this characteristic. It is an undeniable fact that many moral decisions involve emotional elements, and this ethical principle tries to achieve a balance in between reason and emotion; not only that it urges people to act virtuously, but it also wants its followers to feel good about their deeds. Besides, that, Confucius Virtue Ethics also fulfills other basic assumptions made and thus really seems to be a very practical ethical principle: logically consistent, has universality, and can be taught to the younger generations. Of course, Confucius Virtue Ethics is not flawless. One of its main problems is how to define what virtue means and what does it constitute? Many people will have very different opinions about which acts can be considered as virtuous. To solve or lessen this problem, perhaps a group of experts can sit together and discuss about what should comprise virtuous acts and then make out a list of virtues (and vices) to guide the general population what they should (and should not) do. Another main problem about Confucius Virtue Ethics is that it does not really fulfill the fifth basic assumption mentioned by textbooks authors in which a workable moral system should have: ability to solve conflicts. Although Virtue Ethics can serve as a good guideline about what goodness comprises of, it does not provide instructions for us about how to set priorities when two goodness conflict and how to solve moral dilemmas properly. This is when our group members all think the authors Humanitarian Ethics with its 5 basic principles come to be useful (source: Ethics textbook by Thiroux and Krasemann):- 1. The Principle of Appreciating Human Life (primary) 2. The Principle of Doing Good and Avoid/Deter Doing Bad (primary) 3. The Principle of Fairness in Distribution (secondary) 4. The Principle of Honesty (secondary) 5. The Principle of Individual Freedom (secondary) While critically analyzing and reasoning a conflicting or complicating moral situation, it is said that the first two primary principles should be given the priority first, then only consider those in the secondary category; if the conflicting principles are in the same category (for instance in the case of mercy killing), then the individuals freedom of choice will come into play. This reasoning method is very compatible with Confucius Virtue Ethics because as can be noted, virtues can all actually be the goodness that are required in the second principle. Thus, in short, all the virtues taught in Confucius Virtue Ethics can be used by the general population as their daily-routine guidelines and when exceptional situations happen, people can use these 5 basic principles to make justifiable moral decision judgment. Hence in conclusion, our group believes that the combination of both Confucius Virtue Ethics and the authors Humanitarian Ethics is perfect because this combined version of moral system can not only fulfill all the basic assumptions for an ethical theory to be practical, but if it is implemented well, it can also create many ethical and excellent human beings that can live harmoniously with each other.

The Traits of Society in George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) Es

The Traits of Society in 1984 In the novel "1984", by George Orwell, an interesting, thought-provoking scenario is created for the reader to ponder. The totalitarian government which ruled this oppressive world controlled every aspect of the citizens who resided there. Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not, in any case, enjoyable. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner Party in several ways. Thought, speech and actions are all monitored by political officials in one way or another. Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces the system. "It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You haven't a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winsto... The Traits of Society in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) Es The Traits of Society in 1984 In the novel "1984", by George Orwell, an interesting, thought-provoking scenario is created for the reader to ponder. The totalitarian government which ruled this oppressive world controlled every aspect of the citizens who resided there. Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not, in any case, enjoyable. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner Party in several ways. Thought, speech and actions are all monitored by political officials in one way or another. Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces the system. "It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You haven't a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winsto...

Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? :: School Education Essays

Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? Students at Boston University complain of grade deflation College students work hard assuming that they will get the grade they deserve but this is not always the case. Caroline Boulanger, a sophomore business administration and management major at Boston University studies hard. In her freshmen economics class, her final grade was based on three exams. She received two "A's" and an "A-" on these exams. However, at the end of the semester, she ended up with a final grade of a "B-." She tried contacting her professor and he has still not gotten back to her, so she assumes her grade was deflated. Boulanger is not the only person who has had this problem as a result of the grading policy of Boston University. â€Å"I’ve heard that getting a 4.0 at this school is about as likely as winning the lottery or getting struck by lightening. It could be considered an act of god,† said Haley Goucher, a freshman premed student at Boston University. If a student does receive a 4.0 at Boston University they are in the minority. In a survey of 100 Boston University students, only 23% received an "A" in any one of their classes and 0% of the students had a GPA of 4.0. Many of these students expressed that this sudden decline of grades made them lose confidence in their work and themselves. â€Å"People who did well in high school have trouble transitioning sometimes. They work hard and they still feel stupid,† said Alex Corhan, a sophomore journalism major at Boston University. There is no formal grading policy at Boston University but the university does give several guidelines for professors to follow. â€Å"Don’t be a grade-inflater! Grades should reflect the distribution of effort and success in the class †¦ If your distribution of grades is skewed toward the high end, it might imply that either an 'A' does not require a high level of achievement in the course or you are demanding too little of your students,† the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences â€Å"Information for Faculty Instructors† states. Not only does Boston University strongly discourage grade inflation, but they evaluate their professors by how high they grade their students. This leads to problems for both professors and students. â€Å"The individual colleges monitor the grade distribution of courses and let instructors know if their grades seem to be considerably higher or lower than the norm. Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? :: School Education Essays Are College Students Getting the Grades They Deserve? Students at Boston University complain of grade deflation College students work hard assuming that they will get the grade they deserve but this is not always the case. Caroline Boulanger, a sophomore business administration and management major at Boston University studies hard. In her freshmen economics class, her final grade was based on three exams. She received two "A's" and an "A-" on these exams. However, at the end of the semester, she ended up with a final grade of a "B-." She tried contacting her professor and he has still not gotten back to her, so she assumes her grade was deflated. Boulanger is not the only person who has had this problem as a result of the grading policy of Boston University. â€Å"I’ve heard that getting a 4.0 at this school is about as likely as winning the lottery or getting struck by lightening. It could be considered an act of god,† said Haley Goucher, a freshman premed student at Boston University. If a student does receive a 4.0 at Boston University they are in the minority. In a survey of 100 Boston University students, only 23% received an "A" in any one of their classes and 0% of the students had a GPA of 4.0. Many of these students expressed that this sudden decline of grades made them lose confidence in their work and themselves. â€Å"People who did well in high school have trouble transitioning sometimes. They work hard and they still feel stupid,† said Alex Corhan, a sophomore journalism major at Boston University. There is no formal grading policy at Boston University but the university does give several guidelines for professors to follow. â€Å"Don’t be a grade-inflater! Grades should reflect the distribution of effort and success in the class †¦ If your distribution of grades is skewed toward the high end, it might imply that either an 'A' does not require a high level of achievement in the course or you are demanding too little of your students,† the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences â€Å"Information for Faculty Instructors† states. Not only does Boston University strongly discourage grade inflation, but they evaluate their professors by how high they grade their students. This leads to problems for both professors and students. â€Å"The individual colleges monitor the grade distribution of courses and let instructors know if their grades seem to be considerably higher or lower than the norm.

War of 1812

Several forces led Americans to declare war on Britain in 1812. France and Britain, Europe’s two most powerful nations, had battled almost continuously since the late 1700s. Hostilities began during the French Revolution, and then continued as Britain led the efforts to stop French expansion under Napoleon I. In 1803, the continuing tension in Europe escalated into a full-scale conflict, the Napoleonic Wars. As fighting between the British and French increased, each side took steps to prevent the United States from trading with the other. The great causes of complaint against Great Britain, your committee need only say, that the United States, as a sovereign and independent Power, claim the right to use the ocean, which is the common and acknowledged highway of nations, for the purposes of transporting, in their own vessels, the products of their own soil and the acquisitions of their own industry†¦. † (Document 1). European warfare directly affected American trade and the economy. American presidents from Jefferson to Madison tried to keep the United States impartial during these conflicts, but both France and Britain completely disregarded the rights of neutral countries. Another conflict occurred in North America itself, which was clashing with a native population committed to protecting its lands from intruders. In both the North and South, the threatened tribes united to resist white infringement. They began as well to build connections with British forces in Canada and Spanish forces in Florida. Therefore, the Indian conflict on land became intertwined with the European conflict on the seas, and ultimately helped cause the War of 1812. In 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, the British virtually destroyed the French navy. Since France was no longer a threat to the British at sea, Napoleon designed what he called the Continental System, which closed the European continent to British trading. Napoleon also issued decrees banning British ships and neutral ships at British ports from leaving their cargoes at any European port controlled by France or its allies. The British government responded by establishing a blockade of the European coast. The blockade required that any goods being shipped to Napoleon's Europe be carried either in British vessels or in neutral vessels stopping at British ports. In the early 19th century, the United States had developed one of the most important merchant marines in the world, which controlled a large proportion of the trade between Europe and the West Indies. However, the conflicts in Europe threatened that control, because American ships were caught between Napoleon's decrees and Britain's blockade. Both of the belligerent powers were violating America's rights as a neutral nation. Yet most Americans considered the British, with their greater sea power, the worst offender, since the British vessels frequently stopped American ships on the high seas and seized sailors off the decks, making them victims of â€Å"impressment. † The British navy received low pay, had terrible ship conditions, and few volunteered. As a result, most had to be â€Å"impressed† into the service. Many deserted and emigrated to the United States to join the American merchant marine or the American navy. To justify this loss of men, the British claimed the right to stop and search American merchantmen and reimpress deserters. Public outrage over impressment grew increasingly after the incident between the American naval frigate Chesapeake and a British vessel, the Leopard. In June 1807 the Leopard approached the Chesapeake and demanded to search the ship for British deserters. The Chesapeake’s commander, James Barron, refused, and the Leopard opened fire. Numerous American sailors were killed or wounded during the attack, and the Chesapeake surrendered. When news of the Chesapeake-Leopard incident reached the United States, there was a great cry for revenge. But Jefferson and Madison tried to maintain peace. Jefferson ordered British warships to leave American waters and demanded an end to impressment. The British did make some apologies and restitution for the Chesapeake-Leopard incident, but continued to claim the right to seize American ships and inspect them for deserters. To avoid war and maintain neutrality, Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass the Embargo Act of 1807. It prohibited American ships from leaving the United States for any foreign port anywhere in the world, a policy that banned trade with Europe. British and French aggression hurt New England more than any other section of the country, but its merchants did not want to go to war with the British. Twenty out of thirty-two New England representatives voted against war with England in 1812 (Document 5). Britain was the region's most important trading partner, and the profits were extremely important. The Embargo was a growing political problem, and Jefferson decided to back down. A few days before leaving office, he approved a bill ending the embargo with what he called â€Å"peaceable coercion. † Consequently, Congress replaced it in 1809 with the Non-Intercourse Act, which forbade trade only with France and Britain. This measure was also overturned in 1810 by Macon's Bill No. 2, which reopened American commerce with all nations, but authorized the President to prohibit commerce with either belligerent if it should continue violating neutral shipping. In an effort to force the United States to reimpose the Embargo against Britain, Napoleon announced that France would no longer interfere with American shipping. Madison announced that an embargo against Great Britain alone would automatically go into effect early in 1811 unless Britain renounced its restrictions on American shipping. This new embargo persuaded England to repeal its blockade of Europe. Nonetheless, the repeal came too late to prevent war. As stated by Congressman John Calhoun, â€Å"The question†¦ is reduced to this single point-which shall we do, abandon or defend our own commercial and maritime rights, and the personal liberties of our citizens employed in exercising them? These rights are essentially attacked, and more is the only means of redress†¦. I know of one principle to make a nation great†¦ and that is to protect every citizen in the lawful pursuit of his business†¦. Protection and patriotism are reciprocal†¦ if [the British] persist in such daring insult and injury to [the United States], it will be bound in honor and interest to resist. † (Document 2). Did the United States actually have a choice other than to resort to war? Western and southern representatives in Congress, most notably Henry Clay of Kentucky and John Caldwell Calhoun of South Carolina, led a pro-war faction that became known as the War Hawks. They argued that British officers from Canada were encouraging Native American peoples to rebel against the United States. For many years, frontiersmen had fought interior tribes with little help from the federal government. The War Hawks now felt they could enlist federal aid against Native Americans and their British allies by supporting a war to stop British interference with American trade on the seas. In addition, the War Hawks wanted to acquire more land. The United States could seize the territories of Canada and Florida in a war with Great Britain. Thus, representatives from the South and the Western Frontier voted strongly in favor of war with Great Britain (Document 5). Since the American Revolution, the United States had been provoked by the failure of the British to withdraw from American territory along the Great Lakes. Their backing of the Indians on America's frontiers and their unwillingness to sign commercial agreements favorable to the United States also upset Americans. Ever since the Revolution most Indians had continued to look to England for protection. The British in Canada, for their part, had relied on the Indians as partners in the lucrative fur trade. The 1807 war crisis following the Chesapeake-Leopard incident revived the conflict between Indians and white settlers. This conflict involved William Henry Harrison and Tecumseh. Harrison was an advocate of development in the western lands. Jefferson offered the Indians a choice: they could convert themselves into settled farmers and become a part of white society, or they could migrate west of the Mississippi. In either case, they would have to give up their claims to their tribal lands in the Northwest. The separate tribes were helpless by themselves against the power of the United States so the British authorities in Canada were willing to help. This further enraged Americans and led to war. There were several circumstances and events, which led to the War of 1812. Britain continually violated America’s rights as a neutral nation. It created a blockade. It also established a policy of impressments. In addition, the British incited the Indians to attack Americans for western territory. The United States continually tried to remain neutral. However, according to Hugh Nelson of Virginia,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to demonstrate to the world†¦ that the people of these states were united, one and indivisible†¦ to show that our republican government was competent to assert its rights, to maintain the interests of the people, and to repel all foreign aggression†¦ My conduct as your representative has been regulated entirely by these great and important considerations. † (Document 7). This clearly shows that war was inevitable. It was important that for once we as a country came together and asserted ourselves as a unified nation.

Children Should or Should Not! Be Paid for Good Grades

Children should or should not be paid for good grades? I believe that children should not be paid for good grades for several reasons. First of all, To get good grades depend on how each student learns and handles with the result he or she will receive at last. According to Sylvia Rimm, a child psychologist, money does not play an important role in achievement but consistency does. To illustrate, successful students always try to maintain their scores with unchangeable effort while others who once fail give up easily because they believe that there is no second chance to get rewards and compliment. Another reason is that paying for good grades does not mean paying for any knowledge at all. Like a case of Kasama and her 13-year-son, each grade in the report card has its price – laptop, cellphone, portable DVD player and even money. Thus, many children are so eager to have tutorials just to get ‘A's and then what remain in their heads will be soon replaced with what they want and eventually receive as a prize. Finally, paying for good grades can ruin children's confidence. For instance, I had never pay for better better grades until high school when almost all of my friends paid for tutorials. I felt like I could not be good enough without taking extra courses in spite of the fact that I could succeed my self-studying. To sum up, with these reasons given above, a lot of money should not be spend on getting only good grades.