Impact of the Product Differentiation on Free Trade

Introduction Free trade is the removal of barriers, tariffs, taxes and quotas and any other restrictions by the government on international trade to easily exchange certain commodities (Narlikar 22). Mostly, free trade is considered as a noble idea by many countries because of the removal of barriers, making exportation easy and less expensive.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of the Product Differentiation on Free Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This makes a country to focus more of its resources efficiently and achieve extra real income. Some countries consider this a threat because of product differentiation; they claim that there are countries with an advantage of high technology, which they use in producing quality and cheap products; therefore, going into free trade with them would mean losing market for their products. This is because they do not understand the benefits of free trade with prod uct differentiation, however, once they realize that much of international trade is based on product differentiation, the countries will have more winners than losers; this is because they would experience the benefits of free trade. Benefits of Free Trade with product differentiation Static Gains Product differentiation increases export opportunities; this is because countries specialize in producing goods that they can produce efficiently. For those goods which cannot produce efficiently, they import them (Narlikar 45). Producing the same goods but of different quality, price and customer preferences does not mean that those with high prices, or low quality will lack market; this is because each of these goods come with other advantages which the others do not have, and this makes the goods equally competitive. Consumer Savings Product differentiation would also be beneficial to consumers, through product differentiation, the consumer has many products to choose from, therefore, h e or she is free of what he or she wants according to the ability to buy. Also, because of competition between products of the same quality in the market, the sellers of these products will opt to sell at lower prices: these would be favorable to consumers allowing them to buy more.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the estimates from members of International Economics, American consumers would save about 1.2% of their country’s GNP; Japanese consumers would save about 5% of their country’s GNP, while the Korean consumers save close to 4% of Korean GNP (Cleaver 78). Product differentiation also increases competition in local markets; this weakens anti-competitive practices that intimidate domestic producers. This shows free trading of goods despite the difference in product quality and preferences benefits the buyer more than if there were no trade a t all between countries. Stable employment and higher wages In the United States, jobs associated with exports have risen four times faster compared to the overall jobs created by the private-industry (Narlikar 66). The American now owes this to exports. According to statistics, production and non-production workers in America’s exporting firms collect an average of 14% higher pay compared to non-exporting firms (Cleaver 79). A company which has no market for its products at home because of its quality preference and price can still get market for the same products abroad. This would reduce wastage and increase employment opportunities. Additionally, these companies will have a high tendency of having a more stable employment trends; this ensures that citizens have not only more stable employment, but also higher paying employment. Increase in Factor of Production Countries which engage in free trade despite their difference in the qualities, prices and preferences of their p roducts have access to new managing and production technologies; the technologies promote higher production at the industry level. In the long-run, countries learn how to manage industries effectively and produce products more cheaply from each other. For instance, American automobile firms learnt from Japan how to make cars more cheaply, and at the moment, Tokyo’s financial institutions are learning how to manage banks as well as pension funds from the United States (Cleaver 109). These are long run gains, which a country in free trade stand to gain. Catch-up Benefits Developing countries have always complained that developed countries want them to remove trade barriers for them to exploit them and cause imbalance in their countries, which is meant to create market for goods from the developed and industrialized countries (Narlikar 107).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of the Product Differentiation on Free Trade specifically for you f or only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These countries complain without thinking of the benefits awaiting them in the future, if they open up to trade with the developed and industrialized countries. These benefits include raising their productivity, quality of goods they produce and income to the levels already attained by developed and industrialized countries (Cleaver 103). These countries would have a chance to imitate their quality ways of production, and improve their innovation skills. Conclusion Some protesters might still believe that international trade favor those with high technology and advantages of producing quality and cheap products; particularly, free trade has serious repercussions on people in import-competing industries. However, countries which have ventured in free trade yarn to join more Free Trade Agreements or institutions from populous, largest, smallest as well as, those whose economy is the weakest. This is because they believe that their futu re is in putting down the barriers to trade and product differentiation will help them increase trade with the other counties. Without product differentiation, there would be no international trade because everyone would be satisfied with what they produce. Works Cited Cleaver, Tony. Understanding the World Economy. London: Routledge, 2007. Print. Narlikar, Amrita. The World Trade Organization – A very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. This essay on Impact of the Product Differentiation on Free Trade was written and submitted by user Destiny Odonnell to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Essay on Operations and Strategy of Financial InstitutionsEssay Writing Service

Essay on Operations and Strategy of Financial InstitutionsEssay Writing Service Essay on Operations and Strategy of Financial Institutions Essay on Operations and Strategy of Financial InstitutionsToday, the idea of the separation of the retail banking from the investment banking grows more and more popular. However, this idea is inspired not just by the common sense of policy makers but rather by effects of the economic recession in the US, followed by the global financial crisis in 2008. The global financial crisis affected many banks, including Northern Rock, the UK-based retail bank, which operated internationally. The global financial crisis had struck especially those banks, which had either poor or risky assets and which policies were ineffective. Northern Bank turned out to be incapable to cope with the crisis strike and now the bank is run by Virgin Money. The idea of the separation of the retail banking and the investment banking may still affect the profitability and performance of Northern Rock Bank because this decision will affect the financial sector at large. However, the seemingly positive impact of the separation may bring doubtful results since the stability of the banking industry and financial markets depends not only on the separation of retail banks from investment banks but also and mainly from policies conducted by banks, because banks conducting risky operations will face the downturn in their business development regardless of whether they are retail, investment or universal banks.Background of the emergence of the idea of separation of the retail banking from investment bankingThe emergence of the idea of the separation of the retail banking from the investment banking dates back to the economic recession in the US that triggered the global financial crisis of 2008. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, which peaked with the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers, there has been a search for ways to increase the stability of the banking system (Gorton, 2012). One of the frequently suggested options is the potential separation of banks into a retail part and an investment banking part, or high-risk part (Haldane, 2009). In such a situation, the idea of the separation of the retail banking from the investment banking was the natural response because this decision was supposed to secure the retail banking and the banking industry at large. The idea of the separation was suggest as the remedy against crises in the banking industry because such separation could allow ‘localising’ the crisis in certain retail banks only or, in the worst case, in the retail banking sector alone, while other banks and the banking industry would maintain the stable performance.Alternatively, experts (Mishkin, 2011) offered other possibilities to manage crises in the banking industry and prevent such problems as occurred in 2008. Other possibilities include a further increase in the buffers to be held by the banks, investment in better risk management, more, and especially more effective, supervision and the removal of incentives in the system that can lead to taking excessive risk (French, et al., 2010).Nevertheless, the separation of the retail banking from the investment banking became the mainstream idea that was supposed to save the banking industry from the possible collapse in the future. In this regard, given the consequences of the collapse of Lehman Brothers for the banking system, the search for measures to reduce the exposure of retail banking to the risks of investment banking is entirely understandable (Hoshi, 2011). As a result, governments of the US, the UK and other countries of the EU have started to consider the possibility of the introduction of the separation of the retail banking from the investment banking.The essence of the separation of the retail banking from the investment bankingTo understand possible effects of the separation on the profitability and performance of the Northern Rock as well as on the banking industry, at large, it is important to understand the essence of this policy. In fact, the â⠂¬Ëœretail banking’ in this context refers to banking that supports the real economy (Hanson, Kashyap, Stein, 2011). An investment bank is a bank engaging in other banking activities, such as proprietary trading (Gorton Metrick, 2011).Under the Volcker Rule applied to the US banking system, a retail bank is restricted with regard to trading for its own account (or ‘proprietary trading’), and may only invest in hedge funds and private equity to a limited extent (Issing, 2009). One serious problem in this approach is how does one distinguish between proprietary trading and market making or operations relating to management of the balance sheet (Issing, 2009)?The Liikanen Committee operating in Europe proposes that banks with more than EUR 100 billion in â€Å"assets for trading activities† or for whom these assets represent at least 15% to 25% of the total assets should be obliged to segregate these trading activities in a separate legal entity (the  "trading bank†) (Hoshi, 2011).Specificities of the separation of the retail banking from the investment banking in the US and the EU are important factors for Northern Rock, as the bank that operates internationally. At this point, the different approach to the separation was determined by the difference of the banking system in the US is very different to that in Europe, where there is more bank intermediation (Mishkin, 2011). On the other hand, researchers (Mishkin, 2011) insist that if banks in the EU are somehow forced to divest their investment banking businesses and incorporate them in separate entities, is that these entities will very likely be too small to be able to continue to exist independently.Risks and possible effects associated with the separation of the retail banking from the investment bankingProponents (Hoshi, 2011) of the separation insist that this policy is essential to secure the banking industry from new crises. However, the major reason for this poli cy in the US and the EU was the excessive risk-taking has been behind the problems (Larosiere, 2012). In other words, the problem was not in retail or investment banks’ specialisation. Instead, the problem was their risky policy. In case of the 2008 global financial crisis, retail banks were particularly vulnerable to the negative economic trend and faced a particularly deep crisis, but the problem was not in their specialisation but in their risky assets and policies.In addition, complex financial products, often poorly designed (such as the subprime-based products that emerged in the United States, but became widespread around the world), and their securitisation and trading triggered the crisis (Larosiere, 2012). Banks could not manage those complex financial products, which they had at hand. As a result, they finally slipped to the downturn in their development and faced a profound crisis.Researchers (Larosiere, 2012) point out that banking â€Å"models† have not b een a decisive factor. In fact, specialised institutions (pure retail banks or pure corporate and investment banks) have been among the worst affected (Larosiere, 2012). For instance, this is the case of Northern Rock, which is focused exclusively on retail and whose dramatic fate is well-known (this bank had to be fully nationalised, with costs covered by British taxpayers) (Larosiere, 2012).Essay on Operations and Strategy of Financial Institutions part 2

Student development in higher education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student development in higher education - Essay Example Higher education institutions tend to spend more on students particularly with a good educational profile in order to bring them up as potential faculty members or else, knowledgeable scholars to serve the country at various levels. Students are most ambitious about their professional careers while they are in their higher education. Students tend to do study harder in an attempt to be eligible for various scholarships that are offered by the higher education institutions. This comes as a source of inspiration for the relatively careless students, and they tend to realize the importance of working hard. In turn, they also participate in the race of professional development. Ambitious class fellows serve as a source of inspiration for the usually careless students. Higher education institutions particularly encourage the students to work harder by making them aware of their faculty development programs. Nowadays, many higher education institutions including government and private colleges and universities offer faculty development programs in which they bear their teachers’ tuition and accommodation expenses while they go abroad for to foreign reputable universities for further education. The institutions finance their faculty so that they would be equipped with faculty educated in well-ranked universities across the globe. This causes a good impression of the institution on the prospective students and the institutions get more applications from capable students in the country. The current students who have already been made aware of the faculty development programs tend to work harder in order to secure the minimum GPA required to make them eligible for selection as a faculty member in the future. Many higher education institutions are practically linked with industries and are responsible to ensure a constant supply of scholars and educated personnel to take part in the

Surgery Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Surgery - Case Study Example The patient is physically active and does not have any known allergies. Her height and weight on admission were 70 kg and 178 cm high respectively. She currently presented to the emergency department on the 27th April 2009 with a history of sudden, acute right sided abdominal pain which was associated with nausea. The patient was thus admitted with a diagnosis of acute right sided abdominal pain and her code status was full. History of presenting illness: According to the patient she was in her usual state of health until late this morning when she developed sudden right sided abdominal pain. The pain was colicky in nature and was associated with a feeling of nausea. It was localized in the right lower quadrant and there was no radiation. There were no particular aggravating factors. The pain was slightly reduced in supine position. The intensity of the pain increased gradually throughout the day and by the evening it became unbearable. Thus, the patient was rushed to the ER. Menstrual History: The patient reported having regular menstrual cycles of 4/28 days with normal flow. She has no complains of dysmenorrhea or intermenstrual bleeding. Her last menstrual period (LMP) was on the 20th of December 2008 and currently she is 18 weeks pregnant with twins. Sexual History: The patient lives with her steady boyfriend of 10 years. The couple report having regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. The frequency of intercourse is at least twice a week. There are no complains of dysparunea, post coital bleeding or any other problems. Past Obstetric History: The woman has had two previous deliveries, seven years and three years back. Both were normal vaginal deliveries. Both pregnancies followed an uncomplicated course and there were no issues like pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Social History: The woman did not have any addictions or allergies. She works as a full time employ in an education center and lives with her two children, a boy and a girl, aged seven years and three years, respectively. The patient is physically active and likes to engage in sports such as netball. Moreover, she also reports going to the gym five days a week. Findings on Examination: On inspection, there were no visible signs of any abnormalities. On palpation, the abdomen was soft, but significant guarding was present. There was localized tenderness in the right lower quadrant. No palpable masses were found. The gut sounds were present. Shifting dullness and fluid thrill were absent. Pain score on arrival: 7 out of 10 Investigations ordered and their results: On arrival in the ward and abdominal ultrasound was ordered to elucidate the cause of the abdominal pain and it revealed a right sided ovarian cyst which was 16 cm in diameter. Nursing Assessment: A young female patient, 18 weeks pregnant with twins, presenting with right sided abdominal pain, tender on palpation, feeling nauseated on arrival and has a pain score 7 out of 10. Nursing Diagnosis: Acute right side abdominal pain Management Plan: On the basis of the ultrasound, it was decided

Levi Strauss Signature Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Levi Strauss Signature - Case Study Example Levi’s brand is not as elastic as he put it because it has only been targeting a certain group in the market, for example, it could not design women jeans and younger people. The elasticity is low and this has overstretched the name of the brand with the introduction of the signature line (Levis Strauss & Co, 2011). 4. Develop the â€Å"brand schema† that you think existed for the overall Levis brand before and after the introduction of the Signature line (i.e., an associative network map of links and nodes). What are the marketing implications of the differences? The Levi’s Eco is a new product launched in 2006 and the difference with the rest is that it is made of organic cotton and sells at 30-68 dollars. The six environmental activism segments attracted to this type of jeans would be women in blue collar jobs, young children below 10 years, men aged above 55, I do not think that Levi’s Eco helps the brand with younger customers because young people do not prefer organic cotton clothes. They also feel that they are too warm for their bodies and are for old people. I think that Levi’s Strauss Signature may survive in the market as it is of a lower priced and designed in a way that taps the mass market. The Signature line also has styles for the entire family. The other advantage is selling at mass merchandisers, for example, in Wal-Mart where most people shop, therefore, easier access.  

Evaluating The Banality Of Evil Thesis

Evaluating The Banality Of Evil Thesis The word evil exists in many cultures universally around the world. The word evil was previously, on the whole, limited to religious and secular beliefs. However, although the word exists around the world, the meaning of evil is not collective. James Waller (2002:12) argues that part of the reason for this is because the word has been overused. Waller explains that people replace wrong or shocking with the term evil. Waller notes two types of evil: human evil and natural evil. Natural evil occurs due to natural processes of changes and is not due to human involvement. An example is an earthquake resulting in loss of lives. Human evil occurs as a result of conscious intentions and decisions made by humans. Introduction to Arendt and the book The origin of the term the banality of evil is the caption from the American philosopher, Hannah Arendts book published in 1963 called Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. In 1961, Arendt was present at the Adolf Eichmann trial in Jerusalem whilst working as a reporter for The New Yorker newspaper. She held an interest in the trial as she wished to understand what led an ordinary person to become involved in the mass murder of Jewish citizens during the Holocaust. Arendt examines the actual trial and other issues related to the trial such as; the personality of Eichmann, nature of evil and she also wrote a considerable amount regarding the flaws of the trial. Arendt stated the trial is show trial where the trial was just a formality as Eichmann was already convicted. Arendt mentions throughout the book that Eichmann was not appropriately defended nor was he allowed adequate access to his lawyer. Eichmann was hanged on May 31, 1962 after being found guilty by the I sraeli courts on fifteen counts of crime against the Jewish people and humanity. About BON Evil takes place due to excessive thoughtlessness by those who are not evil as a nature. Eichmann did not possess the ability to think independently therefore he did not question the moral activities of the state (Arendt, 1961). Eichmanns weakness was that he was extremely shallow and therefore he was unable to think from another individuals viewpoint. Due to this, he was unable to understand that by following Nazi orders, he became involved in the bloodbath which ultimately led to his death sentence. Eichmann strived for a work promotion and therefore, Arendt summarised that there were no motives at all. Clarke suggests that Arendt planned to contrast with Kants notion of radical evil and to suggest Eichmanns as a thoughtless individual with no satanic or other shockingly evil aims. Arendts study of the Eichmann trial assured her that Eichmann was ordinary and that his banality was apparent in his thoughtlessness. The phrase the banality of evil is mentioned once in the book and this is during the last chapter of the book. Arendt did not elaborate on what she meant by the phrase but readers can understand what she meant due to hints throughout the book. The banality of evil thesis is the notion that ordinary people commit barbaric acts without realisation of what they are doing. About (thoughtlessness) However, it is clear from Arendts report of Eichmann that he had knowledge, and that he was able to rationalise and showed willpower. Eichmann would face difficulties in common social situations if he did not possess these senses. Due to no known difficulties in using his judgement to will and reason, Eichmann had success in the Third Reich. There is theoretical implication in the claim that Eichmann did not think. This is indeed a fundamental element of her analysis of the threats of modern civilisation. Arendt believed that Eichmann was an extreme illustration of the risks of thoughtlessness. Arendt argued that thoughtlessness was a common feature of this time period and she therefore proposes, that it is important to think what we are doing (Arendt, 1958: 5). Arendt deemed the psychology of thinking, willing and judging as independent components and supports Hume with the view that reasoning alone cannot influence the willing (Arendt, 1978: 70). Arendt commonly treated thought and action as separate components which were a key to understanding her political beliefs. Arendt explained that judging is simply reflecting on thoughts and viewing situations to create judgements but this does not tell you how to act. (Arendt, 1978: 58). According to Arendt, although action is always social and collective, it is the will which is the most unique of all the human capabilities. The will is what presents the foundation for characterisation of the person. This characterisation caused by the will then creates problems for the concept of freedom. According to Arendt, freedom without any barriers is frightening (Arendt, 1978: 195-6). Support for BON Historian Dick de Mildts review supported the banality of evil thesis. De Mildt studied individuals on trial for alleged involvement with the Nazis. He explained that the individuals he studied were not killers by conviction but somewhat killers by circumstances. Eichmann was unable to view the consequences of his decisions. It appeared that he could only understand that he was doing his job. During the trial Eichmann asserted that he simply sat in his office and completed his work, Ich sass am Schreibtisch und machte meine Sachen (Papadatos, 1964: 29). Carnahan and McFarland (2007) note that there is a general understand, that evil only prevails because normal and honest human beings become fiends when they are in egregious situations; particularly, when their judgment is sabotaged by compliance to a more authoritative mass. This view is epitomised in the notion of the banality of evil thesis. Lozowick (2002) notes the banality of evil thesis has become a lasting aspect of understanding in the West, and is therefore a gist of what occurs in the present society. At the same time that Eichmann was appearing in court for his crimes, Stanley Milgram (1963, 1974) was carrying out his studies on obedience. In his study, normal and psychologically stable men participated in a false memory test, as the role of teachers. These men were willing to administer electric jolts of increasing level to another person, who acted as learner, whenever the latter answered incorrectly. Every single participant was ready to deliver powerful tremors of 300 volts. Sixty-five per cent complied with all the experimenters requirements, distributing shocks of the highest voltage at 450 volts. Milgrams conclusion therefore supports Arendts argument that ordinary individuals can be responsible for harmful acts, but also, his reasoning reflected hers too. Milgram explained that when people are faced by authoritative individuals, they surrender responsibility for their actions to those in charge. Critics state that the explanations from Arendt and Milgram are merely coinci dental but further evidence suggests otherwise. Blass (2004) noted that Milgram worked without any influence from previous theories during his 1963 study. Further support comes from the field of psychology in the form of the Stanford Prison Experiment. This experiment was conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1973. In this study, participants were randomly allocated to the role of a prisoner or a prison guard. The aim was to monitor the group interactions which developed over a two weeks period. The study had many intricate details, but the main point that is of relevance for this essay is that the guards embraced their positions with violence and therefore the study was discontinued after six days. There were increased fears about the safety of the prisoners, who were restricted by the guards to a continuous cycle of mockery, deprivation, and ill-treatment. As with Milgrams work, the influence of Zimbardos ideas has also been strengthened by their correlation with supports from other academic fields. An example is, Brownings (1992) review of the actions of Reserve Police Battalion (RPB) 101 between 1942 and 1943. Members of the RPB would travel around Poland and gather the groups of people targeted by the Final Solution- predominantly Jews. The battalion was responsible for the murder of at least 38,000 Jews (Browning, 1992). Browning emphasises that the members were not extremist nor anti-Semite who were aware that their action was not obligatory. Browning agrees with Milgram that these ordinary mens moral judgement suspended after entering an agentic state. Browning agrees with Zimbardo that this happened without leadership. Browning uses the Stanford Prison Experiment to suggest that the situation in Poland in the 1940s was adequate to turn ordinary people into mass murderers (Browning, 1992: 168). Against BON Psychologists and medical analysts who examined Eichmann had formerly maintained that he was a man obsessed with a dangerous and insatiable urge to kill who had a dangerous and perverted personality (Arendt, 1963: 21) According to Arendt, Eichmann was merely ignorant of his own evilness. He believed he had neither murdered anyone himself, nor had he instructed anyone to be murdered. Arendt also believed that Eichmann seemed alarmingly normal. Ardent explained that Eichmann was not a serial killer whose intentions were evil but that he was determined to stringently follow rules and obey orders. According to the Israeli investigators who interviewed him, Eichmann showed no dislike for the Jewish people. Although he ordered the death of many, Eichmann did not feel emotionally involved in the incident. Arendt (1963) notes that Eichmann killed people instinctively and obediently. Ardent noted the fact that Eichmann had lost his ability to make moral decisions. Due to a passion with perfecting the practical aspects of the holocaust (e.g. organising vehicles to carry the Jews), Eichmann and his colleagues had no understanding that what they were doing was immoral. Michael Selzer (1977) is an American researcher who sent images drawn by Eichmann to six psychologists. Their job was to analyse the images using personality tests, such as the Bender-Gestalt and the House-Person-Tree Tests. The psychologists were made aware of the age, sex and the importance of the person who drew the pictures. The majority of the psychologists concluded that the subject had a violent and a neurotic personality. Once the psychologists were presented with the name of the person who drew the images, Selzer concluded that the psychologists were not surprised to learn that his name was Adolf Eichmann. Thomas Litwack (1977), however, criticised the study as the researchers may have been aware who they were evaluated. Litwack explained that as Michael Selzer, a renowned psychologist was in charge of the tests, the psychologists who were examining the images may have guessed that the subject may be a figure who is well-known. Furthermore, as a psychometric test was require d, the subject may be mentally unstable or may have committed something inhumane. These hints may have led the psychologists to guess that the subject is Adolf Eichmann. Stephen Whitfield (1981) notes that the results would have been more plausible if the psychologists chose Eichmanns drawing from a selection of other subjects, who may also have also committed atrocities or be alleged to be psychologically unstable. Nevertheless the psychological tests did not create a relationship between his destructiveness and the intolerance towards Jewish people, which the prosecutor ascribed to him (Whitfield., 1981). To challenge the notion that Eichmann was not banal, Cesarani (2004) observes that Arendt only attended the first few days of Eichmanns trial in 1963, in which he gave a statement. Cesarani argues that Eichmann used this opportunity to weaken the claims made by the prosecution team that Eichmann was an evil extremist, thus he purposely appeared ordinary and dull. Due to an early departure from the trial, Arendt did not witness the evidence from victims who indicated that Eichmann was anything but a banal member of the government. Vetlesen (2005: 5) claims that by suggesting that Eichmann was thoughtless, Arendt only believed his portrayal of himself in court. A thorough inspection of evidence from the past also approves the negative image of Eichmann. Haslam (2007: 618) points out that Eichmanns views changed after becoming more involved with the Nazi movement. Above all, his views on how to deal with the Jewish people changed from one of leaving the country voluntarily to one of implementing and organising transportation to the death camps. Haslam argues that Eichmann had more involvement in the deaths of many, instead of merely following orders; that is, Eichmann developed new ways to carry out deportations, to such an extent that he was appraised and acknowledged by his superiors. Haslam provides evidence that on an occasion, Eichmann was involved in a conflict with his superior (by the name of Himmler) due to Himmler adopting a more pacific strategy to the one recommended by Eichmann. Haslam concludes that Eichmann was aware of his actions and in court displayed no repentance not remorse as he was not banal. Rees (1997) notes that the orders issue by superiors in the Nazi movement were vague, in terms of what was expected. Therefore, Eichmann had to use his imagination to impress the FÃ ¼hrer. This explanation is supported by Vetlesen (2005) who reviewed evidence showing that Nazi members were consciously aware of what they were doing, believed in the cause and once the orders were followed, celebrations were held. Vetlesen provides an example in Schutzstaffeln (SS) officers ensuring every member was involved in the ethnic-cleansing at least once; therefore administrators working in offices were also involved in the crimes. In this way, previous views of Eichmann, the banality of evil and the holocaust are challenged with evidence suggesting that these incidents are not normal and do not occur due to thoughtlessness. Rather Haslam points out that sheer determination and planning is needed. Further support discrediting the banality of evil is from Lozowick, (2002: 279) who states that, Eichamnn and his fellow bureaucrats worked hard and thought hard, over a lengthy period of time, over how they would carry out their crimes. Goldhagen (1996) questions Brownings (1992) attempts to make the Reserve Police Battalion (RPB) 101 appear banal. Goldhagen (1996: 168) categorises battalion members into three groups: enthusiastic killers, shooters and ghetto clearers and refusers and evaders. Goldhagen notes that the enthusiastic killers were actively looking for ways to receive more involvement in their tasks. Although their acts are not entirely due to the civilisation and group contexts in which they took place, neither Hitlers agents, members of the battalion, Milgrams participants, nor Zimbardos guards became insensitive machines. Therefore, the true shock is not that those involved in the holocaust were unaware of the nature of what they were doing. It is actually that they genuinely believe what they are doing is right. Rees (1977) argues that their actions occurred not due to a mechanical compliance but due to ingenious and fanatical reasons. By arguing that Nazi criminals were not banal, means that there are attempts to disregard Milgrams research on obedience. It is unclear whether the participants in Milgrams obedience and Zimbardos prison study entered in an agentic state due to the presence of an authority. This explanation does not explain why the participants in Milgram study experienced chronic doubts and showed conflicts in their moral judgement as a result of their role as a teacher. Self-categorization theory states that what people learn about particular groups, before deciding to join them, leads them to understand more about themselves. Turner Oakes (1986) use this theory to explain that groups play a role in transforming its members by changing the personality of their members and the way they express particular moods. Therefore when members behave according to group norms, they are less likely to speak out and express their true beliefs. Therefore Eichmann held authoritarian views before being involved with the Nazis but as involvement increased, his views became extreme and to a different depth. However, it is not enough for effective tyrants to be more violent, they need to hold a certain degree of social influence so that individuals holding similar but less radical views do not attempt to interfere or oppose them. As social circumstance change, individuals who were insignificant previously, begin to be seen as symbolising group values. This leads them to take a position where they order other group members on what is right and what (Turner, 1987). From this, they become leaders who achieve the authority to manipulate activities through their control over others (Turner, 2005). Moreover, leaders do not just take advantage of the transformed social context; they actively try to change the social context in order to suit their needs (Reicher et al., 2005). This demonstrates the expansion and the success of the Nazis. Nazi members in the early days made various attempts to weaken the Weimar Republic and to create a civil unrest. Later, they were also able to claim power by providing a solution to a problem created by them. The Nazi regime offered authoritarian solutions promising that such solutions would bring back traditional german values. As Nazism was accepted as the way forward, the political system and the legislative system changed according the Nazism requirements. Ardent initially attempted to explain the banality of evil through the concept of radical evil; this was the highest form of evil. She believed that radical evil was the reason for concentration camps; the victims were treated as valueless not as human beings. Criticism of Zimbardo The key feature from Zimbardos study was that, the acts of aggression by the guards occurred, as a consequence of constantly dressing in the attire of a guard and delivering the authority which is intrinsic to this job. (Haney et al., 1973: 62) note that people do not essentially need the pressure of strong leaders (as Milgram previously stated) in order to stop using their sense of moral judgement and commit atrocities. Alessandra Stanley (2006) agreed with Haney et al. because the participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment were instructed to play the role of a guard not to be abusive. Therefore by being abusive, the participants conformed to their own ideas of how a prison guard should behave and of how to hold authority. Similar criticisms have been made of Zimbardos study. It was found that Zimbardo instructed the guards that the prisoners must sense fear and must be under constant surveillance. By doing so, Zimbardo gave ideas to his guards on how he would like them to torment the prisoners. This does not show Zimbardo as a neutral experimenter (Haslam, 2007: 620). Carnahan and McFarlands (2007) conducted a study to understand which types of people are attracted to tyrannical groups. They studied the Stanford Prison Experiment and noted that those participants who volunteered to participate in this study were not necessarily ordinary individuals. These individuals tended to be aggressive and egotistical by nature, than the individuals who volunteered for controlled and safer experiments. This explanation fits in with Vetlesens (2005) understanding that the individuals who were drawn to the Nazism or similar extremist groups do so as they feel a connection with the groups principles and believe this will give them an identity. Vetlesen also highlights the importance of tactical issues and career enhancement when analysing individuals who were linked with the Nazis. This explains why doctors and engineers were amongst the Nazi members as they believed it gave them unlimited opportunities to follow their aspirations. Hence he argues that for organised evil to work there needs to be a mergence between individual and institutional factors to work towards a similar goal. Radical Evil Arendt argues that radical evil is perpetrated through a three step process. Firstly, all of the individuals legal right are taken away. Concentrations camps fulfilled these criteria as the inmates held there were not recognised as individuals who hold legal rights. The ability to make moral judgements is the second criteria, which is also taken away. As the person lacks a moral self, he is unable to choose good over bad. The final step to the radicalisation process is spontaneity. According to Arendt the concentration camps depicts how human spontaneity can be destabilised by the occurrence of dictatorship. Conclusion: Arendt suggests that evil is not limited to callous individuals. Cesarani (2004) notes that although on one hand there was nothing from Eichmanns life before the Nazi, which could suggest his reasons for committing crimes, but he was nevertheless different. It was his personal background which attracted him to Nazism; the more involved he became, the more callous his actions were. According to Cesarani this meant he had more role in the Nazis than Arendt understands; he was involved on a creative dictatorial level which demands deeper level of thinking. Looking at tyrarny and group dynamics it can be argued that evil can appear banal in these situations. However, the developments of the groups and their motives are a complex process. Therefore, Haslam argues that the normalisation of evil is not banal. The phrase banality of evil is left to interpretation due to a lack of clarity by Arendt. This has rendered the phrase open to interpretation and attacks by critic. This theory has instilled the view that every human is capable of committing evil. This means that those who commit evil acts are not different from normal human beings. From Arendts work, it is possible to understand that ordinary individuals can commit evil acts depending on the correct circumstances. From this insight it is learnt that the ability to commit evil lies in everyone. However, it does not explain how so people commit evil. Browning (1992) thus assumes that as the members of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were capable to commit mass murders; all other men are also capable to do this under the right circumstances. This theory has powerful and convincing support from multiple disciples (eg., Haney et al., 1973; Zimbaro et al., 1973; Milgram, 1963). To understand the Banality of evil thesis, its important to acknowledge that when humans are banal it does not mean that they are simple. As previous examples (e.g. Milgram; Zimbardo) have demonstrated, humans do not act decidedly and mechanically. For those who do act in an evil way, they are consciously aware and are involved in a moral conflict.

The Art of Coffee :: essays research papers

The Art of Coffee When I began my job as a Barista at Mainline Coffee I knew next to nothing about this art. I enjoyed hanging out at coffee shops with friends, and appreciated the energy boost drinking a cup could give me; however, the sum of my knowledge appeared to be only that I knew how to brew coffee at home. I didn’t know the differences between espresso and drip brew coffee, or the differences between a cappuccino and a latte. I was ignorant of how much more went into the process of creating good quality coffee. During my first few months there I strove to learn as much about this trade as possible. Similar to any other job that I have worked at, I felt that it was my duty as a paid employee to become as fully qualified for the position as possible. An emphatic enthusiast about coffee, my manager Josh took me under his wing and began to impart his vast sum of knowledge to me. Every day I worked with him he would teach me more and more about roasting techniques, different origins of coff ee and their complex tastes, the best way to foam milk, and the correct names for specialty drinks. He worked on developing my palate for coffee by requiring me to taste each new origin we ordered and then, using coffee vernacular, describing it to the best of my ability. We would also have competitions between ourselves as to who could create the best micro-foam when frothing milk. As my knowledge of this art increased, I was excited by the potential that I was finding in coffee. I was able to experience excellent coffee and espresso, and it opened my eyes up to the fact that there was much more to coffee than the â€Å"traditional† Maxwell House, Folgers, or instant coffee could ever offer. Once roasted, coffee beans begin to oxidize, and they rapidly turn stale and bitter. Packing and refrigeration is able to slow down this process, however, it can never be prevented. Maxwell House, Folgers, and similar brands come already ground, and who knows how long they have been sitting on the shelf in the grocery store. The flavors brought out of these coffees can’t compare to the rich, smooth, and full-bodied flavors of coffee that is recently roasted and ground immediately before brewing. I had discovered something that was good, and I wanted to share my new wealth of information with other coffee drinkers like myself.