The Role of expatriation in MNC International Assignments Essays

The Role of expatriation in MNC International Assignments Essays The Role of expatriation in MNC International Assignments Paper The Role of expatriation in MNC International Assignments Paper Essay Topic: Economics This assignment examines the role of expatriate staff in the success of a multinational corporation (MNC) reviewing literature on international human resource management, knowledge transfer, the benefits of employing expatriates for international assignments and cross cultural training. The literature stipulates that having experienced international staff is a principle source of competitive advantage for a multinational corporation (MNC) (Hamill, 1989; Harris and Moran, 1996; Bender and Fish, 2000; Luthans and Farner, 2002; OKeefe, 2002; Paik et al, 2002; Vance and Paik, 2002; Harvey and Novicevic, 2005; Shen, 2005; Shih et al., 2005). Increasing globalisation and internationalisation has meant that international assignments are no longer reserved for a small number of top flight executives (Bonache, 2005), so companies can now recruit a wider range of individuals to expatriate and develop into internationally aware talent. Some researchers (Webbe and Wright, 1996; Yarvas and Badur, 1999; Stanek, 2000; Downes et al., 2002; Suutari, 2003) have recognised that individuals are more likely to accept further international assignments if their first was successful, so it is in the best interest of companies to expatriate their staff effectively. This assignment is a broad review of the literature. It will explore the reasons behind the employment of expatriates in MNCs, and will provide an overview of the processes which MNCs should adopt in order to successfully manage their international staff. An MNC is a firm that owns business operations in more than one country (Hill, 2005). In terms of their international workforce, there are three types of employee; the Host Country National (HCN), local managers employed by the MNC, Parent Country Nationals (PCN), those who live, and work in a subsidiary of the MNC away from their home country and are citizens of the country where the MNC is based, and Third Country Nationals (TNC) who are employed by a MNC but are citizens of a country other than the one in which the MNC is headquartered or the country in which they are assigned to work. (Hodgetts and Luthans, 2003) The literature identifies three main reasons for why MNCs send out expatriates: position filling, transferring technical skills and knowledge; management development, giving international experience to national managers; and organisation development maintaining the structure and decision processes of the parent company (Hamill, 1989; Harzing, 2001; Baruch et al., 2002; Morgan et al., 2004). MNCs should recognise that selection and subsequent management of expatriates will differ, depending on the reasons behind the expatriation. Perhaps the most persuasive argument as to why expatriates are needed in MNCs is due to knowledge transfer (Bender and Fish, 2000; Harvey and Novicevic, 2001; OKeefe, 2002; Fish 2004; Crocitto et al., 2005; Shih et al., 2005). Colgate-Palmolive, have harnessed their expatriates knowledge into a massive database which can be accessed by other managers throughout the company (Anon, 2003). As some researchers have recognised, if companies can effectively harness the knowledge which their expatriates have acquired during their international assignments, they can attempt to establish an international learning organisation, which would be a valuable source of competitive advantage (Bender and Fish, 2000; Harvey and Novicevic, 2001; OKeeffe, 2002). The benefits of expatriates are numerous. The expatriate will gain a holistic overview of the company at an international level which will enhance business awareness, planning and motivating techniques (Webbe and Wright, 1996; Stanek, 2000), ensuring the development of a pool of specialist employees who are more internationally business aware and culture savvy. Despite the obvious benefits of employing expatriates, the drawbacks are equally as numerous. The failure rate for expatriate assignments is staggering, and the direct costs arising from this failure are estimated to be as high as $1,000,000 per unsuccessful expatriation (Luthans and Farner, 2002). The hidden costs including a loss of business and reputation, and a negative effect on local morale (Hamill, 1989; Yavas and Badur, 1999) are equally high. The reasons for failed expatriate assignments can stem from a poor selection of candidates, a lack of cross cultural training, poorly designed compensation packages, inability to adapt to the new local environment, and a lack of preparation for repatriation (Hamill 1989; Darby, 1995; Crocitto et al., 2005). Such problems can have a massive impact on the individual, including a loss of self esteem, feelings of failure, and an inability to properly readjust to life back in the domestic country (Yavas and Badur, 1999; Banoche 2005). OKeeffe (2002) suggests that such difficulties can lead to depression, alcoholism and extra marital affairs. Nevertheless, the alternatives of sending out expatriates are very few. One suggestion is that of virtual expatriation, whereby the individual remains at their home base, but confers with the overseas office by means of videoconferencing, taking short term trips to the subsidiary if necessary. This cuts costs and the burden of coping with new cultures and family concerns, but still enhances the communication and business skills of the individual as he works closely with the foreigners in the subsidiary (Stanek, 2000). However employees choose to take international assignments for reasons including a chance for personal career development and for the adventure that these experiences can provide, and by using this technique, these may be diminished. Despite the problems and costs that arise from failed international assignments research empirically shows that companies do little to assist their expatriates. This is perplexing as the development of a pool of experienced international managers and staff is in a firms best interest, considering the benefits and competitive edge over their competitors that this would give them (Selmer, 1999; Shen, 2005). There is a superfluous of literature available on how MNCs can successfully manage their expatriates. This needs to include the selection of the right individuals to be expatriated, how to prepare these staff for their experience including any family or organisational concerns they may have, preparing an effective compensation package, and repatriation. The selection of staff to go an overseas assignment is difficult, and if the right candidate if not chosen the chances of the assignment being successful are slim. MNCs need to recognise that individuals need to have skills and abilities over and above those that are required at a national level (Hamill, 1989; Rodrigues, 1997; Yavas and Badur, 1999), and should understand that due to differences in culture across the world, as Darby (1995) illustrates, although someone is an excellent manager in the UK, they may not be elsewhere in the world. Harvey and Novicevic (2001) recognise that individuals with the right competencies can support and promote knowledge transfer throughout the organisation, and will be more able to appreciate, and take advantage of, trends at a regional, national and international level, based on the skills developed and acquired overseas. In her research, Suutari (2003) identified motivators that affect the likelihood of an individual accepting an international assignment. These include a personal interest in expatriation, for the experience this offers, and to further their own careers, however the acceptance of an offer can depend on factors such as age, and marital status. The literature acknowledges many attributes and competencies that expatriates should have, and there is little controversy in the research as to what these are (Yavas and Bardur, 1999; Baruch et al, 2002; Fish, 2004; Holopainen and Bjorkman, 2005). Having undertaken an extensive review of the literature, Jordan and Cartwright (1998) identified that the most prominent of these are four key competencies, relational ability, cultural sensitivity, linguistic skills and the ability to handle stress; and three main attributes, low neuroticism, moderate extroversion and a high openness to experience. Research also suggests, however not significantly so, that individuals with high emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and control ones own emotions, be socially aware, build strong relationships and communicate well with others (Goleman et al. 2001), will be able to prosper and adjust well during an international assignment (Gabel et al.,2005; Tan et al., 2005). If MNCs can factor these components into their selection process for expatriation, they will be more likely to ensure the success of the assignment. It is important to note however, that as well as having the right person in place, there are a number of organisational determinants that can affect the success of an international assignment. Morgan et al. (2004) suggest that the type of work that the expatriate will be undertaking can have a substantial impact on their success. Individuals working in the upstream functions of Porters value chain, such as logistics and production will have less difficulty in adjusting to their new environment than those working in downstream functions, such as marketing or sales. This is due to the fact that individuals working in these latter functions will have more personal contact and integration with HCNs, and so will be more aware of the cultural differences. The systems that a company has in place can impact the outcome of an international assignment. If the systems used in the subsidiary are different to those in the home country, the expatriate will have to overcome this as well as coping with adjusting to external cultural differences (Morgan et al., 2004) Research has found that companies can affect expatriate success by remaining in communication with their international employees (Yavas and Badur, 1999; Harzing and Christensen, 2004; Bonache, 2005). This would calm any fears of isolation and ambiguity, which can lead to the failure of an assignment. Additionally, Wright and Baker (1996) suggest that companies should allow their expatriates some time to settle in to their new environment and become accustomed to their new environment before assuming their full job responsibilities. Once a MNC has established what operational factors can be altered to facilitate the success of the international assignment, the company needs to establish any family related factors that could affect the assignment. Approximately 60 percent of international assignments fail due to family problems (Ruhsing and Kleiner, 2003) which could be due to difficulties of the partner or spouse adapting to the local environment, and often, they have more trouble adjusting than the expatriate themselves (Fish and Wood, 1997; Suutari and Burch, 2001). This is due to the fact that they are mainly left to cope on their own without the support of the MNC however the company can take steps to resolve this. MNCs need to be aware of the growing number of dual career couples in the workplace. According to the research, very few firms have made an effort to support such families, and if companies fail to address these problems, then they will suffer from both a lack of suitable individuals accepting overseas assignments, consequently limiting their pool of international talent (Selmer, 1999; Yavas and Bodur, 1999b; Riusala and Suutari, 2000; Moore, 2002) To limit the extent of these problems, research suggests (Fish and Wood, 1997; Simeon and Fujiu, 2000; Rusing and Kleiner, 2003) that companies should endeavour to create a network of expatriate families before departure, to reduce the feelings of isolation that can go hand in hand with moving to a new country, away from family and friends. Many spouses leave careers, so some companies have began to provide career advice, and have even considered employing spouses at the subsidiary (Fish and Wood, 1997; Riusala and Suutari, 2000; Glanz and van der Sluis, 2001; Baruch et al 2002). The children of expatriates are another concern. There is little research on this area, however Rhushing and Kleiner (2003) suggest that these children should be given cross cultural and language training, and the MNC should make an effort to find out about child care or the schooling in the destination country, and if necessary, contribute towards fees or costs. Hurn (1999) recognises that ideally where children are involved, companies should coincide the dates of the assignment with school terms, to limit disruption. Expatriate families will also have concerns about housing, both at the destination, and regarding what should be done with their family home. Pets are another concern, however Rushing and Kleiner (2003) suggest that companies should take advantage of professional specialist services that can assist with the practical side of the move. The firm also needs to consider soft factors, principally cross cultural training, to facilitate the move. Research proves that any type of cross cultural training facilitates expatriate adjustment, as it enables individuals to better understand, and integrate themselves with foreign cultures (Treven, 2003; Jassawalla et al, 2004; Waxin and Panaccio, 2005). Luthans and Farner (2003) suggest that this training should be a mixture of both social norms, and business culture to be most effective. Historically, pre-departure training has been generic however some research found strong evidence to suggest that such training can be improved by including the opinions of HCNs (Vance and Paik, 2002). Some of the literature suggests that firms should undertake post departure training, yet Shih et al. (2005), in their study of the management of expatriates in five large MNCs found that this didnt occur at all. There is a distinct lack of congruence between management practices and the advice in the literature on training and development (Shen, 2005; Lewis, 1996). This is again paradoxical, as it would be in the best interests of the company to provide such training, not only to limit the costs of a failed expatriation, but as the world is becoming more globalised and interdependent, it is likely that the company will have increasingly more customers, suppliers, and other employees from different cultures. Hence, MNCs need to ensure that they have some type of cross cultural training in place. Perhaps the example set by the Finnish MNCs, whom have a proportionately higher number of successful expatriates than other countries, can be followed (Suutari and Brewster, 2001). One reason why they are so successful is that they have a longer period between the selection of expatriates, and sending them abroad, allowing more time for support and training, showing how important this training is. Once the expatriate is on their assignment, there is a wealth of research to suggest that assigning the expatriate an international mentor can help alleviate any feelings of isolation, and provide support (Downes et al., 2002; Harzing and Christensen, 2004; Crocitto et al., 2005). Crocitto et al. (2005) suggest that the expatriate should have a network of experienced mentors, so that they can obtain social support, or business advice from a number of different sources. This really is a method of knowledge sharing, and so can be of mutual benefit for the organisation and the individual. This will only be possible however, if the firm has had some considerable experience on the global arena. A final factor that MNCs need to consider when preparing to expatriate an employee is the compensation and reward package that they provide. Researchers recognise that reward packages that attract, retain and motivate outstanding employees going on international assignments are essential in achieving organisational goals (Phillips and Fox, 2003; Simms and Schraeder, 2005). However Banoche (2005) has found that many expatriates are unsatisfied with their compensation packages (Banoche, 2005). The most common approach is the balance sheet approach, whereby the expatriate keeps their home salary but is given extra compensation to cover such costs as living allowances and long and short term performance incentives. Some companies even provide support for spouses or partners (Phillips and Fox, 2003; Sims and Schraeder, 2005; Banoche, 2005; Baruch et al 2002). There are many criticisms of this approach. As Phillips and Fox (2003) remark, it can be costly if the expatriate assignment runs for a long time, and it can create friction between expatriates and local workers doing the same job but for lower pay. To cut down on the expense of expatriates, Selmer (1999) identifies that increasingly, firms are reducing expatriate compensation packages or cutting extra compensation all together, reasoning that international experience is essential for career advancement, and is a necessity in todays globalising environment. However, expatriates are not likely to function properly if they cannot see a clear link between performance and reward, not only in regards to their financial compensation, but their future career progression (Harzing and Christensen 2004). Shih et al., (2005) remark that this may be a sign that MNCs themselves are unsure as to how to harness and develop their management talent, especially on repatriation. This is the final step in expatriation, and should be an integral process, thus needs to be managed effectively for the assignment to be a success. Repatriation is often overlooked (Paik et al., 2002), and research has found that people are significantly less satisfied by their repatriation, than expatriation (Morgan et al., 2004). Some companies, including Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline have sought outside advice to help this transition (Hurn, 1999). Companies need to realise that problems at this stage can seriously diminish the psychological contract that employees have with the firm, resulting in low morale, and high turnover (Fish, 2004). If this occurs, then the knowledge and expertise that the expatriate has gained from going overseas may be lost to a rival firm (Anon, 2003; Crocitto et al., 2005; Shih et al., 2005) Typical repatriation problems include feelings that the international assignment is not of as much value as expected to the company and financial difficulties, due to readjusting back to the basic reward package (Selmer, 1999). Change is another massive problem. Depending on the duration of the assignment, the likelihood will be that both the employee and the company will have changed considerably. This organisational change not only relates to systems and technology, but the turnover of colleagues and support networks (Paik et al., 2002; Baruch et al., 2002). To facilitate repatriation, MNCs should keep channels of communication open to provide support to the employee, continuing after the assignment has finished. Hurn (1999) suggests that firms should debrief the employee, identifying areas of skill development and deficiency, and actively search for roles that will now utilise and develop these skills further, showing commitment to the employee and enforcing the psychological contract. He remarks that repatriation should not be seen as a separate phase, but a holistic career step, and an intrinsic component to the expatriation process (Hurn, 1999). To summarise, firms can reduce the expense of failed international assignments by ensuring that they follow the necessary steps to select, expatriate, train and develop, and repatriate their staff. As discussed, the benefits to both the firm, and the individuals involved are substantial, and by following this process, firms can establish and nurture these international experiences into a source of key competitive advantage.

Cross Cultural Management. Importance of Value Essay

Cross Cultural Management. Importance of Value - Essay Example Cross cultural management refers to a mechanism formulated to train people regarding the variations of practices, preferences, and culture in global business. With the lapse of time, diversity in practices, cultures, and preferences of consumers increase substantially, thereby increasing the need to bridge the communication gap by implementing cross cultural management. In management, cultural differences refer to varying taste, preferences, culture, likes and dislikes, ways of communications, norms, values, and beliefs of every culture. The objective of this paper is to examine the cultural variations in the light of scholarly articles as mentioned in two renowned models. An extensive study of Hofstede and Schwarts model will be done followed by a criticism of Hofstede model. These two models can be viewed in terms of how the business managers react to cross cultural management. The business managers face various sorts of cultural issues while performing their tasks e.g. workforce d iversity, language barriers, religious issues etc. Under these circumstances, it is highly effective for the business managers to understand these two cross cultural models and incorporate their effects in their organizational context. Importance of Value Hofstede and Schwartz have studies cross cultural values and their findings are in the subsequent parts of this section in order to gain acquaintance with importance of value and varying values in different culture. Hofstede Model Hofstede (1993) stated that when management theorists embark to other parts of the world, outside their own country, they encounter strange customers, beings, theories, organizing and disorganizing, immoral or old-fashioned ways of doing things. Some of them work but some of them fail to work. After gaining this experience, the traveler comes to home country and can use this experience advantageously. The purpose of the study of Hofstede (1993) was that all great ideas relating to management, politics, or science, have come from different parts of the world and have been enhanced by foreign influences. Hofstede (1993) examined the context of management from different parts of the world. Hofsetde (1993) reviewed the managerial culture of countries like Japan, France, China, Holland, Russia, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Hofstede (1993) stated that management is what is common among all countries but its context and meaning differ to a smaller or a larger extent from country to country. Hofstede (1993) further stated that it requires considerable cultural insight to understand the philosophies, processes, and problems. Further arguing, Hofstede (1993) stated that if management is such a broad word and it means so many varying things, then it cannot be expected that management theories of one country will be applicable to abroad as well. Management is related to government, politics, and school. It is present in beliefs and religion about science. Manag ement theories are interdisciplinary but as soon as national boundaries are crossed, it becomes more interdisciplinary. By stating so, Hofstede (1993) divided cultural difference into five dimensions. i. Power distance; inequality among people that is considered as normal among people ii. Individualism vs. collectivism; degree to which people of a country tend to act as individuals instead of a members of a group iii. Masculinity vs. femininity; where tough values like performance, assertiveness, success prevail over gentle values such warm relation, care, quality of life. iv. Uncertainty avoidance; people preferring planned situation over unstructured ones. v. Long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation; long-term refers to values

Violence in Video Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Violence in Video Games - Essay Example Games today are much more sophisticated. Realism, drama and storylines have been integrated so beautifully that gamers today tend to forget their surroundings when they sit in front of their play-stations of X-boxes. To bring about this reality in games to today, creators have succeeded in creating very true images and animations of the laws of physics in games. I mean, shoot someone in the head and not only does blood spray out and backwards from the place the bullet hit the head, but the head even jerks backwards with the force of the bullet. Fantastic! Still there are those who say that this realism is creating a negative impact on our children and should be banned. So in this paper, this dilemma will be proved wrong by common sense and cool logic. The nature of a game is to take you far away from the real world. It is about going somewhere where you can only be in your dreams, only this dream is in your hands. The main purpose of games has always been to finish off your rivals and get to the top. In the early stages it only used to be someone falling off a cliff or an invisible barrier because graphic technologies could not support anything greater than that. Not though realism can be shown. Gamers can really "feel" the game. So the games of today really haven't changed. If anything, they have become better for people who play them. Critics say that there is too much violence in games. Really So George Bush bombing the world without any valid reasons and news channels showing it all live on TV isn't Israelis butchering Palestinians in front of their family is soothing Movies showing the hero shooting the bad guy in the face are something to be encouraged By the logic of all those against violence in video games, all this shou ld be banned too. All news channels, movies and anything even hinting at a "negative" thought should be banned then. Even food programs should be shut down because they cook dead animals in it which could be disturbing to younger viewers. This is all a prime example of extremism. The world sees as most Muslims being extremists just because they try to protect their faith from harm and when the real definition of extremism is shouting them in the face they are twisting it towards "social issues". Toulmin's Argumentation model Now let's look at things a little more theoretically. What is coming up is my point of view explained by Toulmin's model of argument. Claim: Video games do not spread violence. They are a form of entertainment and only used as a relaxation source for children and adults of all ages. Support: video games have not changed in their basic levels. This is because you always have one basic mission. Find and kill the bad guy. Furthermore, gamers know the difference between reality and the game's fantasy. This is because they are exposed to a lot of real live violence and they see and digest actions of their family and the world of how everyone is despising those people who injure other people or any incident of loss of human life. Speculations of people thinking that a child might become un-sentimental and lose the value of human life will then not hold true if the child learns that he is not supposed to learn from the game, but rather from reality itself. Warrant: there is very small amount of evidence going against this claim. This is because there are many other factors to take into account when behavior is being

1994 Rwandan Genocide Essay Example for Free

1994 Rwandan Genocide Essay The 1994 Rwandan Genocide impacted on a lot of people in a lot of different ways. In this essay the causes I will be covering are ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation, Propaganda and hate rhetoric, the role of the international community, and political problems. The consequences I will be covering are causalities, the economic effects, remembrance and education, and population displacement. In this small country in Africa called Rwanda this terrible killing took place. The Rwandan Genocide began on April 6th 1994 when the president was assassinated, followed by the prime minster the next day. It lasted 100 days, â€Å"100 days of slaughter† ending on the 18th of July 1994. The genocide included many groups. The perpetrators were – Hutu civilians, Hutu army, Interhamwe-the youth of Hutu organised into an extremist militia, and radio RTLM-a radio station announcing to kill all Tutsis. Victims included – Tutsi, Hutu political moderates for example prime minster AgatheUwilingiyimana. Other groups include – RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front). President Juvenal Habyarimana who was in charge if the Hutu government, and the international community for example the UN (United Nations) Peacekeepers. During these 100 days of slaughter hundreds of thousands of Tutsi we killed. Women and girls we raped, and many tortured by having their breast chopped off and sharp objects inserted into their vaginas. Many people tried to hind in schools and churches but were found and executed. I have just written about the context and the course of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. I am now going to write the causes of this horrific event starting with ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation. Ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation is arguably the biggest cause in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. It is a political and social cause that happened over a long period of time. Starting in 1860 and coming right down to 1926. In 1860 the first Tutsi king was appointed. In 1884 German explorer Carl Peters enters the Rwandan kingdom and obtains treaty rights. In 1885 Germany declares a protectorate over present-day Rwanda. In 1890 Rwanda accepts German colonial rule with resistance. A German territorial administrator is not appointed until 1907. In 1916 WW1 Belgium Allied Forces capture German East Africa. In 1924 Great Britten assumes control over Tanzania, while Belgium is granted trusteeship over Rwanda and Burundi. Belgium Colonisation begins. In 1926 Rwandans were given an identity card showing if a person was Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. Prior to colonisation people could ‘jump’ races e. g. Hutu’s could become Tutsi’s. Callipers were the tools of colonisation. The size of the cranium and nose and the colour of the eyes were the factors that determined whether a person was a Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. The result of the unfair system was – Tutsi could have government positions, be landlords, be supervisors of Hutu, collect taxes, get an education (only Tutsi could go to school after the colonisation), be an administrator for the justice system. Hutu were denied higher education, land ownership and positions in government. The identity cards that everyone was given were very clear they had what ethnic group they were from, their place of birth, their date of birth, their profession, their place of residence, the name of their spouse, their C. I number, and their signature. A quote form chief prosecutor of the international Rwandan court sums up this cause well â€Å"European colonial history was a major contributor to what eventually became the genocide in Rwanda†. The second cause I am going to discuss is Propaganda and hate rhetoric. This is a social Cause; it is short term because it happened quite fast after the death of the president and prime minster. Kangura Newspaper was a newspaper about how discussing the Tutsis were, this was launched by first lady AgatheHabyarimana in 1990. Kangura means wake them up in English. In the newspaper they had racist comments such as â€Å"They look like animals, actually they are animals†, â€Å"If you allow snakes to live amongst you, you will be exterminated†, â€Å"They look hideous with their bushy hair and beards that are full of fleas†. RTLM (Radio Television des Milles Collines) or commonly known as â€Å"Hate Radio†, used good rock music to get people to listen to it then they used in to convey hateful messages such as â€Å"cut down the tall trees† this meant for all Hutu extremists to wipe out the Tutsis. RTLM often referred to Tutsi as cockroaches. In 1990 Kangura newspaper published the 10 commandments for the Hutus they were an extended version of 1, Every Hutu must know that the Tutsi woman is working for the Tutsi ethnic cause Hutu is a traitor who a) Acquires a Tutsi wife, b)Acquires a Tutsi concubine, c) Acquires a Tutsi sectary or protegee. 2, Every Hutu must know that our Hutu daughters are more worthy and more conscientious as a woman, as wives and as mothers. 3, Hutu women, be vigilant and make sure that your husbands, brothers and sons see reason. , All Hutus must know that all Tutsis are dishonest in business. We have learned this from experience from experience. Hutu is a traitor who a) forms a business alliance with a Tutsi, b) invests in own funds/public funds in a Tutsi enterprise, c) Borrows money from/loans money to a Tutsi, d) Grants favours to Tutsis. 5, Strategic positions such as politics, administration, economics the military and security must be restricted to Hutu. 6, A Hutu majority must prevail throughout the education system. 7. The Rwandan Army must be exclusively Hutu. No Solider may marry Tutsi women. 8, Hutu must stop taking pity on the Tutsi. 9, Hutu wherever they are must stand united, in solidarity, and concerned with the fate of their Hutu brothers. Hutu must constantly counter Tutsi propaganda. Hutu must stand firm and vigilant against their common enemy. The Tutsi. 10, The social Revolution of 1959, the Referendum of 1961 and the Hutu Ideology must be taught to Hutu of every age. Hutu must spread the word. Any Hutu who persecutes his brother Hutu for spreading the word and teaching this ideology is a traitor. A quote from Leon Mugesera sums up this cause â€Å"The fatal mistake we made in 1959 was to let them escape †¦ they are foreigners from Ethiopia so we will send them by the shortest route throwing them into the Nagbarongo river. We must act. Wipe them all out†. The third cause I am going to discuss is the role of the international community; it is a political cause that is a short term because it became an issue soon after the colonisation. During this cause the world just stood by and watched. Following WW11 and the Holocaust, The United Nations adopted a resolution on December 9, 1948, which stated â€Å"genocide, whether committed in time of peace or time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish†. There were two opportunities to intervene that were missed. In October 1993 The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda began with the deployment of 21 troops under the command of Brigadier – General Romeo Allaire of Canada. Additional troops continued o arrive until February 1994, when the mission was fully staffed with 25,000 personnel. Many soldiers arrived without weapons, food or water; vehicles and radios were sent out second hand from other missions and rarely in working condition. On 11th January 1994 Officers were stockpiling weapons and training civilian militias; the level of preparedness would enable the murder of 1000 Tutsis every 20 minutes. This saying will finish off this cause nicely, â€Å"clearly, the massacres in Rwanda constituted genocide, so why didn’t the world steep into stop it? In my fourth and final cause I’m going to discuss political problems (the role of the Hutu extremists in the Habyarimana government and the catalyst). This is a political cause which was short term. President Juvenal Habyarimana came to power through a military coup in 1973. He promised national unity. By 1994 many Rwandans were calling for democratic government. In January 1994 in spite of increased state oppression and the French-supported up-build of armed forces, 50,000 Rwandans marched in a pro-democracy demonstration in Kigali. The build-up to the Hutu’s wanting power is over quite a short period of time†¦ only 3 years! In October 1990 civil war started when the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a militia of Rwandan Tutsi excels and Hutu dissidents based in Uganda, invaded Rwanda. Thousands of Tutsis were arrested. In 1991 RPF military victories pressured President Habyarimana into drafting a new multi-party constitution. In 1992 UN led peace talks led between the RPF, The Rwanda government and 12 opposition parties to try and achieve a power-sharing agreement. In August 1993 Arusha Peace Accords were signed to neutral Tanzania. Hutu Power’ started broadcasting Tutsi hate messages in the media. In 1993 A Hutu Power Party no participating in the government established Radio/TV Libre de Millie Collines (RTLM) to get round the Arusha agreements explicit prohibition on government sponsored hate speech. I has been believed that the ‘final nail in coffin’ was the assignation of P resi dent Habyarimana. At 8. 30p. m on April 6, 1994, President Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda was returning from a summit in Tanzania where, under international pressure, he was negotiating with the opposition to reach a settlement. A surface-to-air missile shot the plane out of the sky. All on board were killed. I have just written about the causes of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, I am now going to write about the consequences of the ‘100 days of slaughter’. Starting with causalities. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide left behind some major consequences but beyond all others the biggest is the casualties. This is a political, social and ideological cause and is most defiantly immediate timing because it happened during genocide obviously; so many people were left both physically and mentally scared. Over the course of 100 days from April 6 – July 16 1994 it is estimated 800,000 – 1 million Tutsi and some moderate Hutu were slaughtered. The UN estimated 800,000 but the Rwandan government has estimated 1,071,000. It’s very difficult to get exact numbers because these numbers do not include people who were thrown into river/lakes and those who were burnt. Mass graves held up to 50,000 making it even harder to count exact numbers. If the numbers of Tutsis living in Rwanda before and after the genocide are correct then 77% of the Tutsi population was wiped out. 8,640 per day; 360 per hour, 6 per minute. If this is correct this is the equation 6 people x 60 minutes x 24 hours x 100 days = 864,000 people! There is between 300,000 to 400,000 survivors. Almost 50,000 women were left without husbands. Almost 100,000 of the survivors were aged between 14 and 21. 75,000 of the survivors were orphaned. A 1999 study showed 80% of women surveyed showed signs of trauma. Many face health problems such as HIV/AIDS as a direct act of violence during the genocide. Some of the survivors are still threatened with violence, attacked or killed by former perpetrators. Almost all women and girls that survived were raped, many also tortured and mutilated by having their breasts cut off and sharp objects being inserted into their vaginas. Numbers of women and girls raped are somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 exact numbers are not known. Children of rape during the genocide numbers are 2,000 to 5,000 children. Most children show trauma and signs of neglect. More than 67% of women raped were infected with HIV/AIDS. Men with HIV/AIDS used it as a weapon to leave their mark on Tutsi women and their families. To sum up the consequence what the presiding judge said after the verdict â€Å"From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out a strong message that rape is no longer a trophy of war†. In the second consequence, I am going to discuss the economic effects. This is an economic consequence and it is immediate because the things that happened during left people with big struggles. The Rwandan government has struggled to rebuild the economy. In the year of the genocide, growth slumped by 50% and inflation reached 64%. Almost two thirds of the 8. million population live below the poverty line. Coffee is Rwandans major export. Rwanda exported 14,000 tonnes in 1986. The positives of the economic problems were the exiled business leaders returning home, since the genocide in 1994 business leaders have been returning home from Burundi, Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. Desire Kamanzi’s father sold his three houses in Burundi to return to Rwanda. This was no unusual. To sum up this consequence a quote from Leon Haguma, acting director of coffee marketing â€Å"All was abandoned, they were dead or had fled the country, there was nobody to work the plantations†. In the third consequence, I am going to discuss remembrance and education. This is a social consequence because most of Rwanda have contributed in some way. It is a long term consequence because it still goes on today and the world can’t see it stopping anytime soon. The focus of remembrance is to teach the history of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and emphasise moral values. There are many memorial sites in Rwanda, which pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands killed. Marimba Technical School, where many victims were killed and still remain as a museum. Other ways of remembrance is art and photos taken in tribute such as people standing in a line with other people laying in front making human words saying END GENOCIDE NOW! There is also a national day of reflection in Rwanda on April 7th. To sum up this consequence a quote from Kofi Annan general of the UN in 1994, â€Å"If the pictures of tens of thousands of human bodies being gnawed on by dogs do not wake us out of our apathy, I do not know what will†. The fourth and final consequence I am going to write about population displacement. This is a political and social consequence because the government feel through and society took over. This is a short term consequence because lots of people started to come back into Rwanda once the genocide was over. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide resulted in massive exodus of refugees to bordering countries. Another one million people remained internally displaced in Rwanda itself. Millions of Hutu and displaced Tutsi had crowded refugee camps beyond the Rwandan boarders. International relief efforts were mobilised to care for refugees, but available supplies were inadequate and outbreaks of disease were widespread. More than 20,000 refugees died in cholera epidemic. During the genocide Tutsi and Hutu moderates fled. From April 1994 Tutsi and Hutu moderate refugees poured out of Rwanda and into neighbouring countries. After the genocide Tutsi refugees returned. In July 1994 when the seize fire was called Tutsis began to return to Rwanda, including refugees who had fled in the 1960’s. Hutu perpetrators fled the country. Genocide only ended when the RPF eventually defeated the Rwandan government’s armies and took control of the country. Retaliatory violence by Tutsis caused thousands of lives. By mid July, and estimated 2 million Hutu perpetrators and bystanders had fled. 850,000 refugees entered the area in just 4 days. During the influx, 15,000 refugees an hour crossed the Rwanda-Zaire boarder. The camps became like countries in exile for the Hutu extremists who used members of the Hutu army to maintain control of the refugee camps. Between July and November 1996 the refugee camps were shut down. One million exiles returned to Rwanda including tens of thousands of perpetrators who had been living side by side with Tutsi in the refugee camps. In November 1996 more than 600,000 Hutu refugees returned to Rwanda from Zaire. In December 500,000 returned from Tanzania. In summery†¦ Ironically, both Hutu perpetrators and Tutsi and Hutu moderate victims ended up in the same camps. In conclusion the causes I have just written about were the ethnic tension as a result of Belgium Colonisation, Propaganda and hate rhetoric, the role of the international community, political problems. The consequences I have just written about were the casualties, the economic effects, remembrance and education, and population displacement. All of these were major events that happened before, during and after the 1994 Rwanda Genocide there were also a number of other causes and consequences, causes are economic problems, and independence problems. The consequences were political effects, apologies from the international community, and justice, responsibility reconciliation. A quote to sum up the 1994 Rwandan Genocide is, â€Å"The Rwandan Genocide is perhaps the most horrible and systematic human massacre we have had to witness since the extermination of the Jews by the Nazis†.

cell division :: essays research papers

Cell Division   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why must cells divide? To start it off, cells can’t keep growing forever, so when they reach a certain size they will have to divide. Cells divide for four important reasons; reproduction, growth, repair, and replacement of damaged or worn out cells. Most cells divide at least once during their life cycle and some divide divide dozens of time times before they die. There are three types of cell division. They are binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis. When cell division is in the form of mitosis it is usually associated with cell growth, replacement, and repair. When the cell goes through meisosis it usually involves asexual reproduction. Both the process of mitosis and meiosis involve the duplication of the DNA and the splitting of the nucleus. Mitosis is a type of cell division that produces two genteically identical cells from a single cell. Mitosis is basically a process that cells goes through to to form two new nuclei, with each nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes. Mitosis is used by many unicellular eukaryotic organisms for reproduction. Multicellular organisms use mitosis for growth, repair, and the cell replacement. An example of a multicelluar organism using mitosis for cell replacement is in the human body, the human body have about twenty-five million mitotic cell divisions occur every second to replace the cells that have finished their life cycles. There are five phases in the mitosis process. The phases are interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. In every living things there are cells. But each living thing only begin life with one cell. The single cell soons begin to take in materials it needs to grow. While the cell is taking in the important materials it is also growing. When the cell is dividing, multiplying, and building it is going through growth. The cell continues with the process of multiplying, dividing, and building until it is fully developed. As the cell grow it changes in its form and what it does.

Justification of Humanities Essay

The humanities have been studied since ancient Grecian times as an academic discipline, examining human condition and including the arts, literature, philosophy, history and some social sciences. In 2008, nationally recognized and respected literary theorist Stanley Fish wrote a New York Times article in response to a New York State Commission on Higher Education report in which people posted complaints that the humanities are always the last to be financially funded. Fish sums up his argument with an insulting conclusive statement: â€Å"To the question ‘of what use are humanities? ’, the only honest answer is none whatsoever†. He backs up this claim by pointing out the lack of tangible evidence that is produced by humanities compared to science and other fields. I assert that Fish underestimates the power of the intangible benefits that the humanities have to offer. His overall argument against the value of humanities presents a point-of-view that is extreme, reductive, and insulting to anyone associated with the humanities and the study of them. An education involving the study of humanities enables readers with skills that are applicable in understanding and comprehending contemporary media and literature. Literature, for that matter, effects people morally and possibly behaviorally and that effect, positive or negative, is ‘of use’. Narrative literature and historical texts also allow readers to build a bridge and connect with the past and its people. The media has become an inevitable part of our society today and, unfortunately, media manipulation has as well. Public relations companies and the government have hidden agendas that the journalists blindly incorporate into their stories and columns. People are paid to make the American public perceive pictures and articles in a deceitful, false way in order to sell a war or downplay a disaster. In 1996 John Rendon, the founder of The Rendon Group, a public relations firm, admitted to U. S. Air Force cadets that the Gulf War in Iraq had been a big project for his company. He even talked about generating deceiving photographs! Looking back in history through other conflicts (i. e. , Vietnam, Iraq), or political issues or even stories of famous individuals, we can observe many situations similar to what Rendon explained that supports a recurring complaint in our culture, whether provable or not, that the press will print stories without evidence if they make more money in the process. Specifically, the media coverage after the 911 attacks were constant and focused on Osama bin Laden as the mastermind behind the attacks and on Iraq having ‘weapons of mass destruction’ as they were told by authorities. Pro-war sources were disproportionately focused on over anti-war sources which helped build misguided public support for our war on terrorism and on Iraq. But we now know WMDs were not in existence there, but this shows the power of media stories, no matter whether based on fact, and its ability to influence society and the power it can take away from us by eliminating fully-informed decision-making. By being exposed to manipulating and deceiving narrators such as Lolita’s Humbert Humbert and Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In the Rye, students gain experience in detecting this fraudulence or bias. Also, through involvement with this type of reading and writing, the ability to sense when they are being propagandized or manipulated. An education that includes humanities provides tools for people to consciously keep from falling for the bias and hidden slander that is involved, especially with politics. This awareness can cause better decision-making (voting especially) and affect a person’s opinion very greatly. Exposure to humanities can cause people to be less egocentric and can arm them with a point-of-view that will help them see through narrow-minded opinions and statements, like Fish’s, and develop their own sound, fact-based and well-rounded opinions. Fish also comments in his article, â€Å"What do they [humanities] do? They don’t do anything, if by ‘do’ is meant bring about effects in the world†. This claim is resting upon the questionable understanding that the ‘do’ is supposed to yield a tangible product, a constant misconception Fish seems to have. I am arguing that an effect on a person, positive or negative, implies that something was ‘done’ to have caused that effect. Fish himself names many examples of literature affecting its readers; he just chooses to discard them and remain skeptical. Countless examples have affected millions of people. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is commonly credited for the launch of the environmental awareness movement. The Bible itself is a form of literature, and I am sure that Stanley Fish cannot argue that The Bible has not affected the world! Dr. Seuss books affect children and adults all over the world with their simple yet effective messages through the creative rhyming. The Food and Drug Administration was founded as a latter result to Sinclair’s The Jungle, and I believe that this would be considered an example of ‘doing’ something, even according to Fish. Books, and all forms of art, can cause people to reflect on the plot, the characters, or the ethical questions being pondered in the story. We can contemplate character attributes we appreciate or reject and watch scenarios unfold in books that can be comparable to situations in our own lives. Fish believes â€Å"it is not the business of the humanities to save us†, but I do believe an education in humanities can help us save us from the â€Å"worst of ourselves† by helping us become more well-rounded citizens with an understanding of the past so we can head effectively and productively into the future. I agree with Kronman who Fish quotes as saying â€Å"a college was above all a place for the training of character†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This completely supports an intelligent quote by Martin Luther King Jr. King said, â€Å"Intelligence plus character—that is the true goal of education. † Without any humanities incorporated in a person’s education, can this goal be fully achieved? The renowned Spanish-American essayist George Santayana said, â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it†, and I cannot agree more with this claim. It highlights the importance of an education in history, another branch of the humanities discipline. Having a connection and understanding with the past allows us to gain appreciation for the world today and learn from the mistakes made through history, so those mistakes are not repeated. For example, the very foundation of America’s government was created through utilizing documentations of various governments implemented through history! The founding fathers sifted through accounts of different governments and how successful they were and used them to form the Constitution. For example, they applied the system of checks and balances in order balance power among the braches and stray from the way that Britain’s monarchy was established. Books and the arts used to be man’s sole form of entertainment and it is amazing to read the thoughts and see the creations of a person from so long ago! Narrative literature, especially from the past, allows us to delve into the mindset of someone from a different time, and that is something that no history book can teach. The readings assigned in humanities classes expand students’ knowledge of life and ethics from a different time period and examines why this ethical mindset existed in the historical context. We reflect and compare the morals of those in the past to our own, making connections with the past yet also seeing the development of ethics and moral behavior through time. Teachings in humanities can be directly applied to the commercial culture that is present in our society today, especially with the deceitful and biased influences in the media. Literature has direct effects on us on an emotional, ethical and logical level and the connection that is made through books with the past is undoubtedly one of the most helpful insights of the past. Fish’s argument was immature and was based merely on tangible products, a close-minded viewpoint that overlooks the power of thought and the mind! My contrasting opinion defends the impalpable and in that sense, suggests humanities can contribute to improving a reader personally and potentially benefit the future of society greatly.

Rumiqolqa - Primary Source of Incan Masonry

Rumiqolqa (spelled variously Rumiqullqa, Rumi Qullqa or Rumicolca) is the name of the major stone quarry used by the Inca Empire to construct its buildings, roads, plazas and towers. Located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of the Inca capital of Cusco in the Rio Huatanay valley of Peru, the quarry is on the left bank of the river Vilcanota, off the Inca road leading from Cusco to Qollasuyu. Its elevation is 3,330 meters (11,000 feet), which is slightly below Cusco, at 3,400 m (11,200 ft). Many of the buildings in the royal district of Cusco were constructed of finely cut ashlar stone from Rumiqolqa. The name Rumiqolqa means stone storehouse in the Quechua language, and it was used as a quarry in highland Peru perhaps beginning in the Wari period (~550-900 AD) and up through the latter part of the 20th century. The Inca period Rumiqolqa operation probably spanned an area of between 100 and 200 hectares (250-500 acres). The main stone at Rumiqolqa is bedrock, a dark grey horneblende andesite, made up of plagioclase feldspar, basaltic horneblende and biotite. The rock is flow-banded and sometimes glassy, and it sometimes exhibits conchoidal fractures. Rumiqolqa is the most important of the many quarries used by the Inca for constructing administrative and religious buildings, and they sometimes transported building material thousands of kilometers from the point of origin. Multiple quarries were used for many of the buildings: typically Inca stonemasons would use the closest quarry for a given structure but transport in stone from other, more distant quarries as minor but important pieces. Rumiqolqa Site Features The site of Rumiqolqa is primarily a quarry, and features within its boundaries include access roads, ramps and staircases leading to the different quarrying areas, as well as an impressive gate complex restricting access to the mines. In addition, the site has the ruins of what were likely residences for the quarry workers and, according to local lore, the supervisors or administrators of those workers. One Inca-era quarry at Rumiqolqa was nicknamed the Llama Pit by researcher Jean-Pierre Protzen, who noted two rock art petrogylphs of llamas on the adjacent rock face. This pit measured about 100 m (328 ft) long, 60 m (200 ft) wide and 15-20 m (50-65 ft) deep, and at the time Protzen visited in the 1980s, there were 250 cut stones finished and ready to be shipped still in place. Protzen reported that these stones were hewn and dressed on five of the six sides. At the Llama Pit, Protzen identified 68 simple river cobbles of various sizes which had been used as hammerstones to cut the surfaces and draft and finish the edges. He also conducted experiments and was able to replicate results of the Inca stonemasons using similar river cobbles. Rumiqolqa and Cusco Thousands of andesite ashlars quarried at Rumicolca were used in the construction of palaces and temples in the royal district of Cusco, including the temple of Qoricancha, the Aqllawasi (house of the chosen women) and Pachacutis palace called the Cassana. Massive blocks, some of which weighed over 100 metric tons (about 440,000 pounds), were used in construction at Ollantaytambo and Sacsaywaman, both relatively closer to the quarry than Cusco proper. Guaman Poma de Ayala, a 16th century Quechua chronicler, described a historic legend surrounding the building of the Qoriqancha by Inka Pachacuti [ruled 1438-1471], including the process of bringing extracted and partially worked stones up into Cusco via a series of ramps. Other Sites Dennis Ogburn (2004), a scholar who has dedicated some decades to investigating Inca quarry sites, discovered that carved ashlars of stone from Rumiqolqa were conveyed all the way to Saraguro, Ecuador, some 1,700 km (~1,000 mi) along the Inca Road from the quarry. According to Spanish records, in the final days of the Inca Empire, the Inka Huayna Capac [ruled 1493-1527] was establishing a capital at the center of Tomebamba, close to the modern town of Cuenca, Ecuador, using stone from Rumiqolqa. This claim was upheld by Ogburn, who found that a minimum of 450 cut ashlar stones are currently in Ecuador, although they were removed from Huayna Capacs structures in the 20th century and reused to build a church in Paquishapa. Ogborn reports that the stones are well-shaped parallelepipeds, dressed on five or six sides, each with an estimated mass of between 200-700 kilograms (450-1500 pounds). Their origin from Rumiqolqa was established by comparing the results of XRF geochemical analysis on uncleaned exposed building surfaces to fresh quarry samples (see Ogburn and others 2013). Ogburn cites the Inca-Quechua chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega who noted that by building important structures from the Rumiqolqa quarry in his temples in Tomebamba, Huayna Capac was in effect transferring the power of Cusco to Cuenca, a strong psychological application of Incan propaganda. Sources This article is a part of the About.com guide to Quarry Sites, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Hunt PN. 1990. Inca volcanic stone provenance in the Cuzco province, Peru. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology 1(24-36). Ogburn DE. 2004. Evidence for Long-Distance Transportation of Building Stones in the Inka Empire, from Cuzco, Peru to Saraguro, Ecuador. Latin American Antiquity 15(4):419-439. Ogburn DE. 2004a. Dynamic Display, Propaganda, and the Reinforcement of Provincial Power in the Inca Empire. Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association 14(1):225-239. Ogburn DE. 2013. Variation in Inca Building Stone Quarry Operations in Peru and Ecuador. In: Tripcevich N, and Vaughn KJ, editors. Mining and Quarrying in the Ancient Andes: Springer New York. p 45-64. Ogburn DE, Sillar B, and Sierra JC. 2013. Evaluating effects of chemical weathering and surface contamination on the in situ provenance analysis of building stones in the Cuzco region of Peru with portable XRF. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(4):1823-1837. Pigeon G. 2011. Inca architecture : the function of a building in relation to its form. La Crosse, WI: University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Protzen J-P. 1985. Inca Quarrying and Stonecutting. The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 44(2):161-182.