Essay --

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE I am very thankful for providing me this opportunity and it is with sincere sense of gratification that I do pen my brief statement of purpose. I completed under graduation in Computer Science Engineering from VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology affiliated by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. Being an undergraduate student, I stand at a point where I have to decide my future so as to enhance my knowledge and skills. At this point I have to take right choice of university to pursue a graduate degree. Graduate study helps me in sharpening my skills and quest professional exposure. Undergraduate program is a broad based structured course with strong fundamentals but offers limited scope of specialization. Thus, I feel that the graduate course would pave way to acquire specialization in my field of interest. In the following paragraphs I shall explain my interest in pursuing a graduate program in Computer Science. Through under graduate studies I have learnt many concepts and it gave me a firm grounding in number of Computer Science Engineering related concepts. During my schooling, I was introduced to computer basics and I also feel that one should have proficiency in more than one field. I found this computer knowledge coupled with my under-graduation background would be advantageous to pursue a career in Computer Science During my under-graduation, I was introduced to various subjects like Computer Organization, Computer Networks, and Operating Systems and programming languages like C,C++,JAVA. I am acquainted with operating systems like MS-DOS, WINDOWS. I developed interest in the field of networking from the time I started to learn about LAN and I... ...spirations I wish to pursue my education at a school renowned for its good research facilities, eminent faculty and good quality of student life. I feel that advanced graduate study at your university is best kind of education with the environment to achieve my goals because of flexibility in learning systems and sophisticated infrastructure available and the nature of research going on. Attending your prestigious institution would give me an opportunity to receive high-level education under the guidance of prominent professors. I would regard my admission to UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI not only as a great honor but also as a great responsibility and challenge to prove myself. Hence, I request that my application be considered for admission with possible financial aid and assistantship. Thank you for your time and consideration. High Regards, VAMSHI NENAVATH.

Ethics and Cultures Essay

In the article â€Å"American Values and Assumptions† (American Ways: A guide for Foreigners, 2003), Gary Althen discusses about the values and assumptions of American cultures and whether if they are beneficial or harmful to American society. In America, people have strong competition toward others and also they spend time on their privacy. Both American culture’s value and assumption are beneficial to American society. American culture that is having a strong competition is beneficial to American society because having competitions make you compare yourself with others who are better than you and it makes you try to become a better at what you are competing on. â€Å"Competitiveness is less obvious when it is in the minds of people who are consistently comparing themselves with other: who is faster, smarter, richer, better looking;† (Althen 8). For example, in sports, every athlete tries to become a better player than other who is better than them. â€Å"Individualistic Americans naturally see themselves as being in competition with others† (Althen 7). Competition brings the best player for American society and it is beneficial because America will have better athletes and competitors compare to other countries where they don’t have competitions. Privacy is beneficial to American society in American culture because everyone need time to recover their psychological energy that was spent. Also, not having an individual time when you spent your time by yourself is tending to known as a weak person or dependent. â€Å"’need some time to themselves’ or ‘some time alone’ to think about things or recover their spent psychological energy† (Althen 8). Having a time alone is very important and beneficial because people often need a time to think by themselves and having someone next to you all the time won’t get you an independent strength where you need to do something by your own.

Will American Hegemony Produce a Better World for Everybody?

Hegemony is defined as leadership, predominance, especially of one society over another. Encarta dictionary defines it as Control or dominating influence by one person or group especially over society or one nation over others. Referring to America, Stanly D. Brunn pointed out â€Å"the world’s single remaining superpower is the accountable hegemon† (p. 36). Every one would agree that the United States maintains its status as the only remaining superpower in the world though perhaps economically Japan and the rest of the G7 member countries are at par with the US.However many would disagree if one would say, ‘the U. S. remains the world’s police,’ and much more if one would add â€Å"a good policeman indeed. † Thus the question ‘Well American Hegemony Produce a better World for Everybody poses an important analysis of the role of the United States in the global community. But in the realist perspective, they see that the American attitud es towards international order is unstable not because of any special malign characteristic but because of the inherent insecurity that unequal power confers on weaker states.Michael Cox, Timothy Dunne, and Ken Booth pointed out their argument, â€Å"In anarchic orders, weaker states are threatened by extreme concentrations of power and will seek protection in counter-hegemonic groupings† (p. 193). But this has been debated issue as some contends that the American unipolarity is a highly durable political order. Cox, Dunne, and Booth argued that the American order is built on power.They point out â€Å"the extended system of American-led security protection in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, is an essential element of this order and it can only be sustained by dominant military capabilities, which in turn depends on continuing American economic and technological strength† (p. 193). Realism like any other ism such as naturalism and liberalism is a philosophical posit ion, therefore cannot be subjected to the test of falsifibility or cannot be proved or disproved. Benjamin Frankel point out that realism viewed peace as the result of power equilibrium than a cessation of conflicting ambition (p.6). They regard society as basically conflictive and the struggle for power among rival groups is a fundamental condition of human existence (Frankel, p. 6) Frankel cited that there is a differing position within realism. He noted that realist believed that human beings were driven by lust for power, while the rest including him, regarded power as essentially instrumental to and necessary for the achievement of other goals such as security and even liberal ideals (Frankel, p. 6). The American Hegemony American hegemony has been interpreted in some ways.Demetrios Caraley quoting the words of The Economist stated, â€Å"The united states bestrides the globe like a colossus. It dominates business, commerce, and communications; its economy is the world’ s most successful, its military might second to none† (p. 105). Caraley also cited French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine arguing that the United States had gone beyond its superpower status of the twentieth. He said â€Å"U. S. supremacy today extends to the economy, currency, military areas, lifestyle, language and the products of mass culture that inundate the world, forming thought and fascinating even the enemies of the United States† (Frankel, p.105). The American hegemony was also seen in the context of globalization. Caraley noted the statements of two American triumphalists stating, â€Å"Today’s international system is built not around a balance of power but around American hegemony† (p. 105). Globalization is seen simply a disguise for American imperialism. American hegemony has been described as â€Å"hyper power† and is not comparable, in terms of power and influence, to any thing known in modern history. G. John Ikenberry point out tha t hegemony is not just material power capabilities, and hegemonic order cannot be assured simply by a preponderance of such capabilities.He emphasized that a â€Å"leader needs followers and acquiescence of these followers is only achieved if the leader is seen as legitimate† (Ikenberry, p. 18) Quoting Michael Mastanduno, Ikenberry pointed out â€Å"Mastanduno argues that the United States has succeeded in establishing at least a partial hegemonic in East Asia† (Ikenberry, p. 18). The Realist view of Hegemony Realist held that only economically and militarily powerful nation-states qualifies as a hegemon since the use of power or economic sanctions against non-cooperating parties, is regarded as part of the game.Garrit Stratmann points out that this view hold that â€Å"a hegemon has to exercise hegemony over subordinated countries within its sphere of influence† (p. 37). In other words, though hegemony still reflects the preeminent position of a hegemonic actor , but does not necessarily imply dominance rather it is referred to as leadership. Thus, according to Stratmann in the realist view of hegemony, the focus is on the hegemon’s role â€Å"in mitigating collective action problems through the provisions of leadership over other donors and the creation of positive incentives to cooperate, e.g. by assuming a larger share of the costs to set up and maintain a cooperative infrastructure† (37). The realist argues that hegemony of one state provides a benefit for all by providing collective goods to all. Realist maintains that domination is always associated with coercion, state power, and indeed force, and hegemony remains consistently identified with equilibrium, persuasion, consolidation, and consent. Stuart Croft and Phil Williams cited Antonio Gramsci’s definition of hegemony whichâ€Å"stresses the explanatory importance of ideas – that this voluntary submission by one party to another is predicated on the b elief, right or wrong, that all parties will benefit from the interaction between the weak and the strong, even though it is important to emphasize that they might not recognize this act as submissive, nor may they recognize that the outcome might indeed be a hegemonic relationship† (68). Will the American Hegemony Produce a Better World in Realist Perspective? There are many factors that lead to a yes answer to the question above.It has been partly discussed above that the United State’s hegemony has been qualified, as the U. S. has succeeded in establishing partial hegemonic in East Asia. Further more, based on the definition and explanation of what hegemony is and the role of the hegemony in the international community of nation, it appears that indeed the American hegemony meets the requirement to produce a better world for everybody. The biggest threat to humanity to be able live a better life in a better world was the threat of communism prior to the collapsed of the Soviet Union.But with fall of Communism, it is now the evil of terrorism that brought real danger and fear worldwide. The political and social condition of life is no longer threatened by oppression but by the evil of terrorism, which only America can control. Michael Byers and Georg Nolte Noted that the concept of a â€Å"community by superpower is very popular in US international relations theory† (64) which promotes relations rather than dominion. In the realist view, state values of traditional international law prevail over community values such as human rights or sustainable development.Chrystalla A. Ellina noted that the â€Å"realist view of states as autonomous entities defined by geographical boundaries and distinctly separating domestic and foreign policy is incongruent with supra national policy† Realist argues that order is a result of the concentration of material power capabilities in a single state, which uses its commanding position to create and m aintain order. In a sense, realist’s view of hegemony is somewhat apprehensive as they tend to be suspicious of the real intention of the hegemonic nation. Paul J.D’Anieri asserts that Realist contends, â€Å"Great powers pursue hegemony in order to create a world order to favorable to themselves, and often exploitative to others† (p. 218) Jonathan Joseph point out that in the realist View, hegemony can only operate under conditions of social and material causality. Joseph cited â€Å"It is necessary to examine the social whole and its different structures and mechanisms, each of which has its own dynamics† (p. 126). However they admit that only militarily and economically strong nation is capable of being a hegemon.Since the only remaining superpower militarily and economically is the United States, it follows that American hegemony is legitimate and is capable to produce a better world for every body to live. The American use of power in the war against Iraq and against the Taliban forces maybe viewed as an attempt of global domination, but it is quite clear that threat of terrorism has been the main object the war. The world will never be safe with the terrorist around. The war on terror, which the US initiated, has put the world in a better and safer condition.Further more the benefit of globalization, democracy, and continues advancement of technology being carried out by the United States continues to make life easier. What the realist wanted to see actually in the American hegemony is that it should be able to provide benefit for weaker nations by providing collective goods to all. The US assistance in rebuilding European economies during the cold war era and its commitment for peace in the Middle East proves that the United States is working towards improving the world’s political and social condition.On the other hand, the problem that could be pointed out in the American hegemony is the concepts of democracy, which is associated with liberalization. It has been viewed that the American export of democracy and economic liberalization is imperialism, Americanizing its subject nations. Nevertheless, American democracies placed more values to human lives and give more protection and respect both for life and the basic rights of the individual.Realist maybe right that the American unipolar status may not last long but it may not be based on the dominant view that it is unstable and cannot but in time produce competition for the mantle of hegemon. John A. Agnew, Stuart Cordbridge admits that â€Å"there are a number of candidates for international ‘primacy’ available to replace the United States as Number One unless it acts decisively to prevent this† (130). Realist is not at all against hegemony or the American hegemony but just believe that society is basically conflictive.It means that they also recognize American hegemony as no one can dispute that the US is the only remainin g superpower. The realist assertion that hegemony means equilibrium or the balance of power does not certainly mean equal benefit or equal strength. They perhaps simply mean equal opportunity or equal protection, which is guaranteed in the American democracy. Andreas Hasenclever, Peter Mayer, and Volker Rittberger stated, â€Å"Realist theories of regimes emphasize relative power capabilities as a central explanatory variable and stress states sensitivity to distributional aspects of cooperation and regimes† (84).Hasenclever , Mayer, and Rittberger emphasized the realist teaches that the states are the most important actors on the world scene which act out of self -interest in an anarchical environment, without needing to renounce the liberal insights that state are able to realize common interests through cooperation and use international institutions to this ends† (83) Regardless of this statement, T. V. Paul James J. Wirtz, and Michael Fortmann pointed out that †Å"all realism agree on several fundamental assumptions about the nature of international politics† (104) It means that realist recognized some action by the state as a legitimate.Paul, Wirtz, and Fortmann noted that realist also believes that international politics are state centric, because politics are about relations between organized social groups and states are the primary organized groups in the modern world. Therefore the move to rid the world of international terrorist maybe state centric as it is triggered by the 7/11 terrorist attacked but it can also be in the realm of international politics as it was later joined by many other countries in an effort to subdue the international terrorist. Furthermore, based on the realist doctrines above, the U. S.led crusade against systematic mass extinction of people under a tyrannical rule that led to war against Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein can still be viewed as part of the international politics, which aim to pro duce a better world for everybody to live. With all the effort of the United States to bring economic rehabilitation in Europe under the Truman Doctrine, the effort to bring peace in the Middle East by trying to mediate in Palestinian conflict, and the US effort to rid the world of the threat of terrorism; I can definitely say the American hegemony was able to produce a better world for everybody.Though the realist view seems to run counter on the concept of hegemony yet there are some areas that realist agrees to the hegemonic ideas. It is in this agreement therefore that the discussion in this paper was based. Realism maybe extreme in their doctrine about hegemony, power, and the community but they provided a political mirror by which the hegemonic states can be judge whether their actions are still within incongruent with hegemony. Work Cited Agnew, John and Corbridge. Mastering Space: Hegemony, Territory and International Political Economy.London: Routledge, 1995. Brunn, Stanley D. 11 September and Its Aftermath: The Geopolitics of Terror. London: Routledge, 2004 Byers, Michael and Nolte, Georg. United States Hegemony and the Foundations of International Law. UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Caraley, Demetrios. American Hegemony: Preventive War, Iraq, and Imposing Democracy. New York: Academy of Political Science, 2004. Cox, Michael, et. al. Empires, Systems and States: Great Transformations in International Politics.UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Croft, Stuart and Williams, Phil. European Security Without the Soviet Union. Great Britain: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. , 1992. D’Anieri, Paul J. Economic Interdependence in Ukrainian – Russian Relations. New York: State University of New York Press, 1999. Ellina, Chystalla. Promoting Women’s Rights:The Politics of Gender in the European Union. London: Routledge, 2003 Frankel, Benjamin. Realism: Restatement and Renewal. Great Britain: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. , 1996. Hasenclever, Andres, et.al. Theoris of International Regimes. UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Ikenberry, John. American Unrivaled: The Future of the Balance of Power. USA: Cornell University Press, 2002. Joseph, Jonathan. Hegemony a Realist Analysis. London: Routledge, 2003. Paul, T. V. , et. al. Balance of Power: Theory and Practice in the 21st Century. California, USA: Stanford University Press, 2004. Stratmann, Gerrit. Donor Coordination of Economic Assistance to Eastern Europe. London: Transaction Publishers, 2000.

Mythological Hero Comparison Essay

Ancient and Modern Super Heroes Hero myths are the best-known mythological stories because they involve colossal characters that are easily recognizable. In ancient Greece heroes such as Homer’s Odysseus, Apollo, and Achilles are â€Å"super heroes.† In modern day literature and pop culture mythological characters like those found in comic books are the equivalent. Super heroes and their stories involve characters that put themselves in harm’s way to protect something or someone else. Whether it is ancient Greek mythology one is studying or modern day comic book characters, the theme, and meaning are the same. In other words, â€Å"the story they tell belongs to us all† (Powell, 1990, p. 8). A modern day super hero who protects his society while maintaining a tremendous persona is Batman, created by Bill Finger in 1940. Batman does not possess the typical deity powers of ancient hero mythological characters, but he does embark on a quest to save Gotham City from crime and corruption whil e exhibiting characteristics common in his mythological hero counterparts. Like Homer’s Odysseus, Batman exudes mythological deity characteristics, including strength, courage, and selflessness. Batman is today what Homer’s Odysseus is to ancient Greece. He embodies what mythological characters stand for during the times of ancient Greece, â€Å"but stand for something more, something that crosses boundaries† (Rohac, n.d., p. 1). He also lives in Gotham City, which is a place any person can see him or herself living in, which helps to reinforce the mythological idea behind the super hero. In afterlife mythology, when Odysseus visits the Land of the Dead, he does so exuding his heroic quality of strength. Like Batman, Odysseus requires strength, not in the physical sense, but the emotional and mental sense because â€Å"the Land of the Dead is a place marked by emptiness and despair† (Powell, 1990, p. 67) that only a heroic man can encounter on his epic journey. Batman has grown up in Gotham City and following his father’s death the city is in the tight grips of crime again and under the control of a powerful gang called ‘the mutants’ (Reynolds, 1992). Gotham City is like that of an afterlife because it is devoid of law and order. Like Odysseus, Batman requires the mental and emotional strength to confront each of the various mutants he takes down. Another common trait that mythological heroes Odysseus and Batman possess is courage. By definition of what these men do, courage runs through their bloodstreams as air and hormones. For Odysseus  there mere fact that he leaves Ithaca for 12 years to fight in Troy is courageous. He leaves behind the heir to the throne and his son, Telemachus, who was born shortly after Odysseus left for the Trojan War (Nelson, 2008). No ordinary man would be able to leave behind his family and people to face war. This is the type of action that commands courage of a brave man. Although Batman may not be fighting a war like the Trojan War that involves daunting voyages at sea for weeks on end, he does face criminals and thugs who are attacking Gotham City. Batman learned to be courageous from his mentor RÄ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Al Ghul who warned Batman, â€Å"you lack the courage to do all that is necessary. If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind him and stab him in the heart† (Nolan & Goyer, 2006, p. 125). Batman decides at the birth of his alter ego to take on the crime in Gotham City without the use of lethal force. He punishes the crooks and gangs by working around legislation. Batman’s decision to avoid lethal force is an act of courage because it is easy to kill the enemy, but it is another to incapacitate temporarily the enemy that may return to face him on his journey to keep Gotham City safe. Finally Batman and Odysseus embark on their quests as selfless acts to accomplish a specific goal. Odysseus sets out to be a part of the Trojan War despite wanting nothing more than to â€Å"achieve his goal of returning home to Ithaca† (Powell, 1990, p. 295). Soldiers who enter battle are brav e and selfless because they put their own lives on the line to protect what belongs to them. In a similar vein, Batman works during the night to rid Gotham City of the thugs who take over the city. Though it can be argued Batman is anything but selfless because his work as Batman is in an attempt to avenge his father’s death by one of the very street gangs he battles, Batman does what he does in attempt to make his city a safer, better place to live, much like the men and women on the frontlines of the battlefield, or a hero like Odysseus. In conclusion, the modern day super hero who protects his society while maintaining an immense persona and the hero from ancient Greece who sets out on an epic quest possess qualities that mark each as strong, courageous, and selfless individuals. These are qualities super heroes possess that society has come to expect from the classic hero. As the hero battles to keep their home territory safe, it is important to bear in mind â€Å"the context of the universal struggle between order and chaos† (Powell, 1990, p. 8) stands to  be a timeless test for society in general. References Leeming, D.A. (1990). The world of myth. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Nelson, M. Odysseus and Aeneas: A classical perspective on leadership, The Leadership Quarterly, Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2008, Pages 469-477, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.05.010. Reynolds, R. (1992). Super heroes: A modern mythology. London, : B.T. Batsford. Rohac, G. (n.d.). More than heroes. An examination of comic book heroes as modern mythologies. Retrieved from http://www.georgerohac.com/docs/comm411.pdf

Strategic Management of HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic Management of HR - Essay Example This paper will present a short report on this company from theoretical perspectives on SHRM while focusing on external factors based on information available in the company’s website and other literature sources before identifying some key challenges and proposing recommendations to tackle those challenges along with concluding opinions. 2. The Walt Disney Company: As per their website, the Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries group is a world leading international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. Disney’s vision statement is ‘To make people happy’ (Plenert 2002; 77), and this they wish to accomplish through their mission, which states, ‘To be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer produ cts, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world,’ (Erling, 23). ... hile strategic management models strive to address company’s internal and external factors, the external factors stand out even before starting a business and also throughout the life cycle of the business. 3.1 Life cycle model: Considering the life cycle model, put forth by Sisson and Storey (2000 cited Marchington & Wilkinson, 2005), Disney can be categorized in the maturity phase after its rapid growth into locations worldwide during last decade; its standardized policies and procedures have been translated to suit the local needs and obligations. Although Disney continues to acquire and grow, its growth strategies seem to be in saturated markets, considering the evolution of advanced technology and systems, favourable economic conditions and regulations, which in turn are only sufficient to sustain its business. The recent acquisition of Lucasfilm and all of its franchisees, which has not only added greater value to Disney’s brand but also increased its share value in the US market (Cieply, 2012) also indicates that the company still continues to grow and expand while maintaining its standardized policies. The life-cycle perspective shows Disney fluctuating between growth and maturity phases. Resistance to change, adaptability of old strategies to new conditions and employee motivation and commitment are common issues that need to be addressed. 3.2 Harvard model: Gaining an understanding of the external factors is crucial for strategic decisions that can eventually spell the success, or performance of the organisation. The Harvard strategic management model, proposed by Beer and his associates (1984, cited Marchington & Wilkinson, 2005) identifies two critical factors that influence management, namely, situational and stakeholders’ interests, with the former

Discussion question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Discussion question - Essay Example This part of information security is recognized as computer security where professionals try to secure computers from being manipulated in order to obtain ensure that the information that is secured on these computers remain safe (Smith, 2000, p.101). Therefore, the security of computers is a part of the information security and these two terms should not be used interchangeably although they are commonly used to refer to each other. In case of information security, the professionals aim at securing the information of an individual as well as an organization and they do so by securing all the places where information is stored and used. In the case of computer security, professionals try to secure various parts of a particular computer as on these parts the information of individuals and organizations is secured. These parts may include: hard drive, website, USB and CD ROMs. While securing information as well as computers, the professionals try to figure out vulnerabilities in the co mputer system and then they try to cover these gaps to make sure information is not

Business Analytics_Information Systems within your working environment Coursework

Business Analytics_Information Systems within your working environment - Coursework Example The organization is one of the leading employers within the global industry. In addition to this, the organization has adopted and implemented effective global business expansion, business diversification and product differentiation strategy in business operation process in order to gain potential competitive edge and maintain potential competitive advantage over its competitors. The organization has developed and installed several advanced technological applications in business operation process in order to enhance effective business operation practices. This report will discuss several aspects of the use of Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERPS) in PepsiCo including the advantages and disadvantages of the software application. Moreover, the study will determine how this specific software application has helped the management of PepsiCo to enhance effective business performance in global market places. ERPS can be considered as important business management software. It is also considered as a set of integrated software applications, which an organization can use it to source, collect, gather, store, manage, record and interpret data and information from several business activities. These business operation activities may include manufacturing or service delivery, product planning, cost planning, inventory management, marketing and sales, and shipping and payment. The major objective of this specific business management software application is to provide an incorporated view of central business process in real time period by using common databases that are maintained by a particular DBMS or database management system. This ERP system can track several business resources of an organization quite significantly. The business resources include production capacity, raw materials, cash, payroll, purchased orders and status of the business commitments. One of the major objectives of this system is to facilitate