Effects of Business Cycles - 1731 Words

Introduction In general the economy tends to experience different trends. These trends can be grouped as the business/trade cycle and may contain a boom, recession, depression and recovery. A business/trade cycle (see figure 1) is the periodic but irregular up-and-down movements in economic activity, measured by fluctuations in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other macroeconomic variables. Samuelson and Nordhaus (1998), defined it as ‘a swing in total national input, income and employment, usually lasting for a period of 2 to 10 years, marked by widespread expansion or contraction in most sectors of the economy’. These fluctuations in economic activity usually have implications on employment, consumption, business confidence,†¦show more content†¦USA budget deficit, which for 2006 fell to $247.7 billion, the lowest in four years is of much concern. The September 11 terrorism attacks has aided to the retrenchment of economic activity and this has also affected the leve l of confidence in businesses and consumers. In 2000, consumer debt growth of 8.6% compared with real disposable income growth of 4.8%. During the first quarter of 2006, private household debt grew to 11.6% annually compared with zero real disposable income growth. The thriving technology in the USA led to a large number of investment in information processing equipment and software resulting in high equity values which also resulted in a decline by the second quarter of 2000. In October 2001employment fell by 439,000 jobs, and unemployment rate soared from 4.9% to 5.4%. Over 500,000 jobs were lost in the recession and a further one million jobs were destroyed in the weak â€Å"job-loss† recovery from November 2001 to June 2003. People who lived below the poverty line jumped from 31.06 million to 34.06 million by 2002. This recession could have been avoided, however the argument against government intervention using discretionary fiscal policy to tackle recession accentuates the long time lags involved in altering fiscal policy in USA. There was proof in 2000 that the USA economy was slowing. Congress passed a tax cut in 2001, but it took Congress until March 2002 to pass the Economy Recovery Act to provide further inducement to theShow MoreRelatedEffect Of The Business Cycle Essay983 Words   |  4 PagesThis study uses time-series data from the CPS March data to investigate the effect of the business cycle from 2003 to 2014 on the wage differentials between females and males. The CPS is a monthly sample survey of approximately 60,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which can be considered as the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the United States. 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Managing Human Resources Of Samsung - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Managing Human Resources Of Samsung. Answer: Introduction Background to the report The following report is based on the unfair reward policies observed in the human resource practice of Samsung. Reward management system consists of firms policies, processes as well as practices for rewarding the workers based on their contribution and abilities. As put forward by Doenovi? Dragana (2016) reward management is mainly concerned with the development and implementation of strategies as well as policies that are determined to reward properly, fairly, equitably as well as consistently with the value of the organization. Major objective of the reward management is to support the strategy of the organization, recruit and retain the key employees of the firm and motivate employees. However, the case study provided on Samsung, indicates that organization did not proper and fair policies in its reward management system as there is of disparity with respect to amount of bonus. Scope of the report The report has been conducted on Samsung considering the scenario provided in the case study about the inequality in the reward system. Samsung is certainly a large electronic giant providing electronic goods such as Samsung Mobile, Television, refrigerator, Air Conditioner, etc. The vision of the firm is, Vision 2020, Inspire the world and Create the Future. Samsungs vision is at the cored of its commitment to develop a better world, which would be full of richer digital experience through enhanced technology and products. Figure 1: Samsung (Source: Samsung au, 2018) Aim Primary aim of the report is to identify the issues existing in the reward management system of Samsung and develop suitable reward management strategies. Issues with current practices Fairness Even though Samsung acquires a large share of global electronic market, fairness in the internal structure of the firm requires more attention. Each division of Samsung including Samsung Mobile and battery division is established setting individual targets and goals, which the divisions are supposed to achieve or meet. However, the given case study indicates that employees of Mobile Division of Samsung are provided with 50% bonus of the gross salary, while the battery division received bonus at 3%, consumer electronic division received the bonus of 10% and some other divisions received poor percentage of bonus. This scenario appears to be a significant internal organizational issue. Any additional benefits such as bonus fall under the category of employee rewards, which should be equal to all major production divisions of the firm. Prioritizing any particular department in terms of rewards create the issue of fairness, which should be avoided. Moreover, such issue could be the source of other significant related issues such as lack of employee motivation, lack of organizational coordination (Parvin Kabir, 2011).When particular department is prioritized in terms of benefits, and the employees of other division might feel their efforts will remain unrecognized (Todorova, Mills Welschen, 2012). They might not take additional initiative for the betterment of the organization, as they are highly unmotivated. Similarly, the managers could observe a lack of coordination among the divisions. For example, the employees of Battery division might not interact with the employees Mobile Division, which certainly implies poor organizational integration. Equity theory exemplifies the inequalities affect employee motivation. This means the employees who observe that they are receiving inequitable treatment would be motivated by emotion to obtain equity (DeNisi, Murphy Chen, 2017). As per the case study given, besides Samsun Mobile and profitable semi-conductor division, other major division do not receive equal bonus. This unfairness could decrease inputs, which they might put less effort to do less work and push for the output from Samsung. In addition, they could become resistant to organizational strategies or objectives. Such outcome could harm an organizations bottom line and when firms turnover comes in place, the loss remains two-fold. When the workers believe that the workplace is unfair towards them, they tend to distrust firms leadership. Likewise, when the employer avoids this distrust, workers morale as well as motivation could suffer. In this context, Le Roy, Bastounis and Minibas-Poussard (2012) commented that as the mo st leaders are operating in good faith based, the treatment just requires better communication. Thereby, the leaders should manage the unrealistic expectation with more open as well as active communication. The case study indicates that there is a state of inequality in the reward system of Samsung, where the employees of some divisions did not receive adequate bonus despite the achievement of divisional goals. Employee retention is directly related to fairness in the reward system as employees who are happy and satisfied with jobs show more dedication towards their work and they put more effort to enhance organizational productivity. However, here employees satisfaction is again dependent on how their employers are rewarding employees effort. When the organizations positively meet the needs of the employees and pay the rewards for their effort in a fair manner- such as providing them a stipulated amount of monetary reward equally throughput the divisions of the organization (Parvin Kabir, 2011). However, in the case of Samsung, it is worth mentioning that the employer did not develop a fair reward system because prioritizing Mobile Division in terms of bonuses would have been effective, had other divisions provided with significant benefits such as extended career development and growth opportunities, if not monetary rewards, along with existing percentage of bonus paid. Bonuses As put forward by Doenovi? Dragana (2016) neither total pay nor hike in salary has any significant impact on employees concern regarding fairness. Apart from these two elements, employees satisfaction also depends on other monetary benefit such as bonus. When it comes to bonus, employees major concern is internal equity, in which employees perceived fairness emerging from fair treatment compared to their fellow workers. On the other side, the concern about external equity comes from the fact of fair treatment compared with the employees of other firms in the sector. Nonetheless, Samsun did not maintain the equity in its bonus policies because compare to other divisions, Mobile and semi-conductor divisions are provided with extended amount of bonuses. Other issues Apart from the above-mentioned issues, some significant related issues such as employee retention practices can be affected if one of the elements such as bonus is not implemented fairly. As discussed above, long-term success of the organization depend upon the retention of key employees and to some extent, satisfaction of customers, increased sales and organizational productivity depends on organizations ability to retain the key employees in the organization. Now, the satisfaction of such key employees is further dependent on fulfillment of the basic needs such as fair amount of bonus and other monetary and non-monetary benefits. Thus, given unfair policies of bonus at Samsung could affect the retention strategies of the organization. An employee could dismiss the contact of employment or leave the job, when his/her good work or effort is not rewarded with bonus. Unfair reward could encourage employee to opt out better opportunity in other organization. Likewise, in the e-commerce industry, due to lack of benefits and poor attention to human resource development, employee turnover is rapidly growing. For example, Amazon.com observed an unexpected employee turnover of 21% from in the last year from 17% in the previous year (Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil et al., 2009). Similarly, Samsung could face same fate if fairness is not maintained in its human resource management policies- reward system. Suitable recommendation to resolve the issues- Fair reward system- Perceived fairness in employee rewards remains as the root or source of why employees leave organizations. As put forward by Younos Vakil Alroaia, and Zahra Najafi (2012), the idea of fairness could determine if a worker makes an additional effort to achieve organizational goals. For this particular reason, it is significant for the firms to ensure that their employee reward system is based on the ground of fairness. Employees perception of fairness as well as equitable treatment remains as the fundamental driver of retention, engagement and performance. Here, Karasz, Bogan and Bosslet (2014) also mentioned that unfair treatment could be corrosive. Therefore, following steps can be followed to develop fair employee reward system. Thus, to resolve the issue, the following strategies have been provided. As put forward by Doenovi? Dragana (2016), every organization needs a strategic reward system for employee that must include the four elements such as compensation, recognition, benefit and appreciation. This system must recognize and reward two different sort of employee activity such as behavior and performance. Here, performance is an easiest process to address, as the direct link between initial goals Samsung sets for its employees and the outcome. For instance, Samsun could implement an incentive plan or recognize its top productive employee for achieving periodic goals. However, rewarding a particular behavior making difference to the organization could be more difficult but it could overcome the challenge by setting some questions. The questions for example, What am I compensating my employees for?, What is the significant difference that I want to reward for?. In other way, for example, Samsung could compensate an employee for developing new ideas and innovative ways for comp leting the task more efficiently. Feedback system In order to maintain fairness in the performance management system, Samsung could implement employee feedback system. The organizations need a more enhancing idea of determining how happy and dedicated the employees are. The system should enable the employees to understand the health of their organizational culture. To resolve employee individual issues related to performance and reward, Samsung needs a system for eliciting feedback and tracking satisfaction. This means if an employee perform well and achieves the target within the given deadline, he/she should be appreciated for the performance (Roseman et al., 2011). This feedback system also increases the frequency of interaction between the employees and the leaders. With such feedback system, the leaders can address the issue, implement change and enhance firms employee involvement. In addition to this, Boerner and Catherine (2011) mentioned that on the completion of each project, if the employees are praised for the accomplishm ent, and they feel motivated and observe the fairness in the system. Moreover, if an employee is praised throughout the year for the performance, at the time of review, the leader cannot deny bonus. For example, to identify the issues, as the activity of proposed system feedback system, the following steps have been provided. The manager creates an Employee Assistance Request System (EARS) form. A particular action should be assigned to the system. The action leader should contract the manager on a daily basis. Together, they would fill out the issue form. The team leader and the manager should regularly give the updates to the coordinator, who has the responsibility of updating the EARS log. Likewise, when the issue is resolved, the coordinator must put it a holding file and wait for the follow-up. At the time of follow-up, the coordinator cross check to ensure the problem is resolved and the coordinator signs off the form. However, if the form is not resolved, EARS form should be sent back to the system for resolving it further. After a particular period of time when EARS form is closed, the coordinator should convey the issues to the top executives about how things have been resolved. Learning and development Even though, there is a state of inequality in the bonus system affecting employee motivation, the firm could resolve the issue by providing intangible benefits. The organization could provide proper training and skills develop program for the employees, which must include the element of communication and technological skills. The training program should be provided on a monthly basis. Such program would enhance employees skills, which eventually increase their market value. Here, providing learning and development program is not the only task that Samsung would do for its employees. The firm also needs to provide flexible learning option, where the firm should ask their employees to engage in more learning and development activities (Hollenbeck Jamieson, 2015). However, the employees must be overburdened with work and they do not have time. Hence, HR department of Samsung should respond by implementing an on-demand and mobile solution that makes learning opportunities smoothly acce ssible for the employees. In such process, employees can regularly go through new items such as the corporate and technological skills whenever they check the screen of their mobile. The information comes with a notification. Eventually, skills learning test should be taken in every 3 months to ensure employees enhance their skills through the programs. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be mentioned that even though Samsung developed the reward system to motivate their employees by providing them with annual bonus, but the organization did not pay adequate attention to all its divisions. As the consequence, some divisions have received high amount of rewards, while the employees of some divisions have to walk away with limited amount of benefits, which is not theoretically and morally fair. The issues related to fairness in the reward system have intensively discussed above in the report. Considering the findings, suitable suggestions have been provided that could help Samsung to motivate its employees and increase their dedication towards the organization. Reference list: Boerner Catherine M. (2011). Employee compliance program surveys can be helpful on many fronts: Getting employee feedback is an effective way to find and fix problems.(Electronic Resources)(Survey).Journal of Health Care Compliance,13(2), 29-30. DeNisi, A., Murphy, K., Chen, Gilad. (2017). Performance Appraisal and Performance Management: 100 Years of Progress?Journal of Applied Psychology,102(3), 421-433. Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, C., Kossinets, G., Kleinberg, J., Lee, L. (2009, April). How opinions are received by online communities: a case study on amazon. com helpfulness votes. InProceedings of the 18th international conference on World wide web(pp. 141-150). ACM. Djurdjevic, E., Rosen, Christopher C., Delery, John, Gupta, Nina. (2013).The Effects of Social Contextual Factors on Rater Motivation and Performance Ratings,ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Doenovi? Dragana. (2016). Employee Reward Systems in Organizations.Economics (Bijeljina),4(1), 107-118. Estes, B., Polnick, B. (2012). Examining motivation theory in higher education: An expectancy theory analysis of tenured faculty productivity. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1), 1-7.. Fikret Ate?, Cenk Szen, Okan Yelo?lu. (2014). A Comperative Study on Perceptions and Reactions of Workers: A Resear ch on Blue and White Collar Workers.letme Ara?t?rmalar? Dergisi,6(2), 106-124. Hollenbeck, J., Jamieson, B. (2015). Human capital, social capital, and social network analysis: Implications for strategic human resource management.29(3), 370-385 Karasz, H., Bogan, S., Bosslet, L. (2014). Communicating with the Workforce during Emergencies: Developing an Employee Text Messaging Program in a Local Public Health Setting.Public Health Reports,129(6_suppl4), 61-66. Le Roy, J., Bastounis, M., Minibas-Poussard, J. (2012). INTERACTIONAL JUSTICE AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WORK BEHAVIORS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS.Social Behavior and Personality,40(8), 1341-1355. Ojha, Acharya, Cooper. (2018). Transformational leadership and supply chain ambidexterity: Mediating role of supply chain organizational learning and moderating role of uncertainty.International Journal of Production Economics,197, 215-231. Parvin, M. M., Kabir, M. N. (2011). Factors affecting employee job satisfaction of pharmaceutical sector.Australian journal of business and management research,1(9), 113. Roseman, M.G., Roseman, M., Patrick, J., Valliant, M. (2011). Utilizing Employee Feedback in the Development of a Corporate Wellness Initiative Results in a Customized Program.Journal of the American Dietetic Association,111(9), A86. San Ong, T., Teh, B. H. (2012). Reward system and performance within Malaysian manufacturing companies.World Applied Sciences Journal,19(7), 1009-1017. Samsung au. (2018). Samsung Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2018, from https://www.samsung.com/au/ Todorova, N., Mills, A., Welschen, J. (2012). An Investigation of the Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Organizational Knowledge Sharing.International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM),8(2), 23-42 Wei, Y., Frankwick, G., Nguyen, B. (2012). Should Firms Consider Employee Input in Reward System Design? The Effect of Participation on Market Orientation and New Product Performance.Journal of Product Innovation Management,29(4), 546-558. Younos Vakil Alroaia, Zahra Najafi. (2012). Performance measurement of employee using an integrated 360 feedback system and AHP method: A case study of municipality.Management Science Letters,2(5), 1655-1660.

The Diversity of the Leisure Industry Essay Example

The Diversity of the Leisure Industry Essay This table shows the North of England participate in more reading, singing (13% compared to 10% in E England), dancing (11% compared to 10% in E England) and painting (12% compared to 9% in E England) than the East of England. This shows that the North of England has more creative tendencies. The only activity that is the same for both regions is watching TV at 99%  The East of England has many historical activities to participate in, such as abbeys, monasteries, castles, cathedrals, museums, historic houses, gardens and manors, whereas the North of England has more sport-based activities such as golf-clubs, stadiums, climbing centres, and surf schools. North England also holds the Great North Run. The East of England also holds sporting activities, although these differ from North England sporting activities, for example, horse riding and adventure parks. There is a difference between parts of Britain and their participation in active leisure. 62% of people who live in Scotland participate in active leisure 58% of people who live in England participate in active leisure and 57% of people who live in Wales participate in active leisure.  In the UK, the top five most popular active leisure activities are walking (with over 40% of the population participating), swimming (with over 30% of the population participating), keep-fit/yoga (with over 20% of the population participating), cycling (with over 20% of the population participating) and cue games (with over 18% of the population participating) The top 3 most popular passive activities in the UK are watching TV (with over 99% of the population participating), listening to the radio (with over 88% of the population participating) and reading books (with over 62% of the population participating).  Summary  The UK and Russia have very different climates and cultures, so therefore their leisure activities are also very different. Russia is a keen sporting country, successful in sports such as boxing and ice-skating, a sport which could rarely be done in the UK due to its climate. The UKs most popular sport is football, but also participates in rugby, cricket, tennis and golf. We will write a custom essay sample on The Diversity of the Leisure Industry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Diversity of the Leisure Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Diversity of the Leisure Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Russian residents also enjoy watching the theatre, whereas the UK has been more influential in the cinema.  Russia holds many celebratory events such as Music Spring, an international music festival, White Nights, where the last 10 days of June are celebrated with merriness and staying up late. A film festival is also held in odd-numbered years. A popular event is the Russian Winter Festival, celebrated in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Novgorod, from late December to early January. In the UK, the events are Guy Fawkes Night, Christmas, New Years, Halloween, St. Georges Day, St. Davids Day and various music festivals, such as Glastonbury.

World Religion Report Hinduism Essay Example

World Religion Report Hinduism Essay Example World Religion Report Hinduism Paper World Religion Report Hinduism Paper Hinduism; organized religion or compilation of smaller belief systems? Some would argue that Hinduism is a combination of both of those terms and much more. What encompasses the Hindu religion? Why do people of today, even in modern America still practice a faith that some may even consider paganism? In comparison to the dominant monotheistic religion of Christianity, where does the Hindu religion rank? Although Hinduism is not the world’s leading religion, there are still large numbers of followers today. Hinduism is ranked as the number four world religion with approximately 900 million followers (Adherents. om, 2007). According to the Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance (2006), â€Å"Hinduism is generally regarded as the worlds oldest organized religion†. Hinduism does not have a particular founder, no Hindu orthodoxy, dogma, or even a distinct system of morality. Hinduism is actually a set of beliefs and practices that have developed gradually over time. Hin duism the beginning The traditional theory as to the genesis of Hinduism traces the root of the religion to the Indus Valley. The development of Hinduism has been influenced by numerous invasions over the years. The greatest influence is said to have been the nomadic Aryan indo European tribes invaded North India approximately 1500BCE (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, 2006). According to the Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance (2006), â€Å"These beliefs mingled with the more advanced, indigenous Indian native beliefs, often called the Indus valley culture†. Never the less numerous archeologist and religious historians now reject this theory, because the origin of the theory was based on the prior belief about the age of the earth and the biblical story of Noah’s Ark (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, 2006). It is believed that the book of Genesis places the creation of earth at 4,000BCE and the Noah’s flood at 2,500 BCE, which contradicts the date of the Aryan invasion (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, 2006). Despite the original and emerging theories as to the origin of the Hindu religion, Hinduism has developed into a religion of its own rites. Hinduism, monotheistic, polytheistic, or something else? Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma is a henotheistic religion; it can also be viewed as polytheistic and monotheistic. It all depends on one’s view and perspective about how the Hindus worship their god. Hinduism recognizes a single deity and views other deities as a manifestation of that supreme god. This is a part of the central theme or fundamental of Hinduism belief in the Absolute, Supreme Reality, called Brahman and its identification with Aatman (individual soul). It is said that Brahman, which is formless, infinite, and impersonal in nature, can manifest in many forms, thus the worship of many gods/goddesses, some are even human. For the sake of making the worship more personal, the gods/goddesses had been personified and given different attributes. However, of all the deities that are worshipped by Hindu’s, the most worshipped are Shiva, Vishnu and Shakthi (Fisher, 2005). Hinduism is sometimes believed as the Trinitarian because Brahman is often seem as a triad- one god with three persons (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, 2007). The Trinitarian includes Brahman who is the creator; Vishnu is the preserver or the one who sustains, and Shiva the destroyer who can also be seen as compassionate. Hindu belief about life and death Hindus believe that all creatures go through the cycle of birth and rebirth called reincarnation. The principle of karma, which means action, and the consequences of action, follow from lifetime to lifetime, determines the status of each being’s birth. To escape from the cycle of birth, death, or rebirth (samsara) lead by karma is to achieve moksha. According to Fisher (2005), â€Å"To escape from samsara is to achieve moksha, or liberation from the limitations of space, time, and matter through realization of the immortal Absolute. Many lifetimes of upward-striving incarnations are required to reach this transcendence of earthly miseries† (p. 75). Hindu sacred and religious text There are many scripts and text in the Hindu religion; among the most sacred are the Vedas and Upanishad, which is often referred to as the foundation of the Sanatana Dharma. In Hindu Philosophy, there are six orthodox schools. They are Nyaya, Vaishseshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa, Vedanta (Fisher, 2005). Hindu ethics and religious practices Hindus organize their lives around the Four Aims of Hinduism often referred to as the â€Å"doctrine of the fourfold end of life† (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, 2006). The first is dharma, which is righteousness in their religious life. The second is Artha, which means success in their economic life. The third is Kama, which is the gratification of the senses to include sexual, sensual, and pleasure. The fourth is Moksha, which is the liberation from samsara and the ultimate goal for humanity (Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, 2006). Hindus practice yoga, which is a part of meditation. Included in their daily lives is the practice of puja, which is the ceremonial act of showing reverence to a god or goddess through prayer, devotion, rituals (Padmini Light, 2007). Hinduism versus Christianity Christianity is the World’s leading religion with 2. 1 billion followers (Adherents. com, 2007). With so many followers, one would think that there is very little in common with the Hindu religion. However, there are similarities along with many differences. Hinduism has no specific founder, nor is it based on the life or teachings of anyone (Fisher, 2005). Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (Fisher, 2005). According to All About Religion. org (2002-2007), â€Å"Hinduism is not exclusive and accepts all religions as valid. Christianity, however, teaches that Christ is the only way to God†. Christianity has an uncompromising view towards other religions when it comes to the infallibility of the bible and Jesus Christ. According to Hindu belief, the path to god are many and in whatever way we worship him, he will respond sincerely (Jayaram, 2000-2006). The Hindu religion advocates many forms of worship. In Christianity, any form of worship that is not approved by the bible is an anathema to Christianity In Christianity, the main source of principles and morals is the bible. In Hinduism, there are many to include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Agamas, and the Bhagavad-Gita (Jayaram, 2000-2006). Hindus organize their lives around the Four Aims of Hinduism and Christians organize their lives around the Ten Commandments. However, though different, both the Four Aims and Ten Commandments serve as a moral guide on how to live life. Hinduism and Christianity have played significant roles, one in the Eastern world and one in the Western world. Hinduism has played a significant role in East in the emergence of other religions to include Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism (Jayaram, 2000-2006). Christianity has played a significant role in the West, helping to shape Judaism and Islam. Both religions view their God in the form of a trinity. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, which is God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit, three â€Å"persons† within the one divine being. Hindus believe in the Trinitarian, which is Brahman the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Christians and Hindus have very different beliefs about life and death. Hindus believe one can have many lives, and they believe in the cycle of birth and rebirth. The only way to escape from the cycle of birth, death, or rebirth is to obtain moksha. Christians do not believe in reincarnation. Christians are taught that individuals have only one life on earth and after death, an everlasting life waits in either heaven or hell depending on how one lived one’s life. Conclusion Hinduism has been viewed as the world’s oldest religion; however, it continues to evolve. For a religion that has existed so long, its sustainability is remarkable even by today’s standards. Even in a small town of Mount Holly, New Jersey, there are still devoted followers of this old religion. This brings up the poignant reminder that religion is like a tree. From a small seed many branches are formed. However, the root remains the same. So, what is the root of religion? The root of religion is hope, and it is the collected beliefs in a higher being who addresses the human need to seek divine guidance. References Adherents. com (2007, April 19). Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number. Retrieved July 18, 2007, from adherents. com/Religions_BY_Adherents. html All About Religion. org (2002-2007). Comparison Christianity and Hinduism. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from allaboutreligion. org/comparison-christianity-and-hinduism-faq. htm Fisher, M. P. 2005). Living religions (6th ed. ). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc. Jayaram, V. (2000-2006). Hinduism and Christianity. Retrieved July 26, 2007, from http://hinduwebsite. com/hinduism/h_christianity. asp Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance (2006, November 21). Hinduism. Retrieved July 23, 2007, from religioustolerance. org/hinduism. htm Padmini Light (2007). What is Puja. Retrieved July 26, 2007, from padminilight. com/puja/wha t_ispuja. htm Thakur, R. (2007). Aarti. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from htt://www. dalsabzi. com/Mantras/jagdeesh_aarti. htm

A Study on the Cultural Connotation of Chinese Dishes and Their Translation

China is renowned for its unique dishes. Nowadays tasting Chinese dishes has become an important element for foreigners to know better about China. Although a lot of restaurants have their English versions of menus today, those translations are not so satisfying. It occurs too often that many foreigners feel confused while they are looking through the menus. Why is it so difficult to translate Chinese dishes into English and how is it translated into sound English versions to fit the fine Chinese dishes? To find the answers is the main purpose of this paper which focuses on the cultural connotation of Chinese dishes and their translation. In our study of translating Chinese dishes, we should first know well about what the criteria for translation are. In Guo Junxia’s ( ) article, I get the information as the following: the three characters, faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance formulated by Yan Fu in his Introductory Remarks are thought of and supported as the one and only maxim all translators must absorb (qtd. In Guo Junxia,258). So when we translate Chinese dishes into English, we should take these three criteria into consideration. When I search for the materials on this study, I find that many people have been engaged in this study and have brought forward many strategies on it. Literal translation is a strategy frequently used in translating Chinese dish names. When the target reader understands the information in the source text easily and clearly, the dish names maybe translated literally. However, the Chinese strive for elegance when they name the dishes, so a word-for-word translation may lead to misunderstanding, puzzlement or even embarrassment. The best way to avoid invalid translation is to paraphrase (namely, free translation) it. Transliteration is involved in the strategies as well, making the local characteristic of the dish and its connection with a certain person more prominent( ). Many experts have referred to the strategies of translating Chinese dishes like above, and some gave more details or other different opinions. In Feng Qinghua ( ) and Mu Lei’s ( ) book, they gave details on how to translate Chinese dishes by using the strategies of literal translation and free translation. 1. Literal translation: cooking method(s)+ major ingredient(s) 2. Literal translation + explanations 3. Free translation: 1. Major ingredient(s)+ with+ sauce 2. Sauce+ major ingredient(s) 4. Transliteration+ explanation(s) They also said sometimes we can translate Chinese dishes by using the names with which Westerners are very familiar, making the translation more real and understandable (241). Although their strategies are very detailed, the examples they gave may make us frustrated. In their book, one dish is taken for example to explain one strategy, but then the same dish will be also mentioned in another strategy. Lu Hongmei ( has put forward a similar opinion, but she added one point: how to translate the pharmaceutical dishes. When translate this kind of dishes, the translators should translate both the ingredients and cooking methods, as well as the explanations on its functions (128). Sometimes when the translators translate the Chinese dishes by using literal translation, the beauty of original version will get lost. What should we do to deal with this problem? As Li Zubing’s ( ) has states in his essay, when translate Chinese dishes, translators should integrate the â€Å"format† with â€Å"meaning† very well, but it is not always that easy. Nevertheless, the translator should always gain an idea that the content is invariably superior to the format. To translate the principal ingredients, subsidiary or auxiliary ingredients, ways of cutting and ways of cooking always rank as the priority in the list, just as Westerns do, letting the dinning people know what taste these dishes are (65). I prefer his idea because I believe that until others understand what the meaning you convey is, then it is possible that they can get the further information behind the words. In Zhu Chunlin’s ( essay, he has explained the strategies from another standpoint. He said there are two strategies of translating Chinese dishes, namely, the first one is perfect translation, and the other one is adequate translation. The perfect translation means the translated version is only to convey the original information, regardless of the story or history hidden behind it. When translate Chinese dishes, the translator only needs to translate the pr incipal ingredients, subsidiary or auxiliary ingredients, ways of cutting, and ways of cooking, etc. By contrast, the adequate translation, as Li Zubing explained, requires the translator to yield up the format, but instead, to keep the content (187). As to the Chinese dishes with cultural connotation, which are connected with history, legend, fairy tales, and so on, many scholars have presented different opinions on the strategies of translation. Yang Qunyan ( ) has explained that if the Chinese dished are translated literally or paraphrased, the cultural connotations embedded in them will be lost. So the translator should provide some background information as well (66). Although it is reasonable to give more information to better understand the dishes, the room of the menu does not permit to admit too many words. When we are in this kind of dilemma, we should add the background information selectively according to different dishes. Just as Xie Xianze ( ), Pan Yanqiang ( ), and Du Li (? ?)have stated in their essay, the primary thing of translating Chinese dishes is the conciseness. When translate the Chinese dishes with cultural connotation, the translator needs to provide some explanations on them. However, different explanations should be given according to their different names, and the co-authors have classified them into two categories. For the dishes of requiring little explanations, the translator should only translate the principal ingredients, subsidiary or auxiliary ingredients, ways of cutting, and ways of cooking, etc, and then add their pinyin and literal meaning in parenthesis. As for the dishes requiring more explanations, the stories of the dishes should be added after the names, or, the waiters can explain to the dinning persons when they are looking through the menu (72). Zheng Jinhuai ( )has given more details on the strategies of translating Chinese dishes. He offered his analysis on the characteristics of naming Chinese dishes with cultural connotation, and gave three main strategies to translate them, and the translator can use them accordingly. Firstly, when the dishes involve the historical persons, stories, legend, etc, the literal translation can be used and further explanations should be added. Then, when the dishes involve the places, the translator had better choose the strategy of literal translation. Lastly, when the dishes relate to figures, shape, color, culinary jargon, best wishes and expectations, and imagination, etc, the free translation is the best choice (90). My essay will put forward to my strategies after analyzing the characteristics of naming Chinese dishes. Additionally, we should take account of the cultural differences. As Li Yuqing ( ) said in her essay, the translated versions can sometime arises a cross-language and cross-cultural problem. We should take into consideration whether the translations ate culturally acceptable to foreigner or not. After all, it is suggested that we should follow the principles of stability and consistency in cuisine naming and its translation, trying our best to translate the refined and graceful cuisine names in the foreign language by keeping their original cultural connotation (98). For this paper, many strategies will be put forward, including the literal translation and free translation; especially the Chinese dishes with cultural connotation. This paper will pick up many typical Chinese dishes to exam the strategies from various aspects. Where can I get the English versions of Chinese dishes?

Argumentative paper on depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Argumentative paper on depression - Essay Example These feelings may be directed towards people or things they once enjoyed or liked. Now the real question comes up; how can depression be treated? Currently, many experts question how precisely can depression be treated, and they have come up with many different ideologies and theories. The most commonly used kinds of treatment of depression are psychotherapy, administration of anti-depressants and hospitalization. Depression comes in many forms and shapes hence implying different modes of treatment according to the shape and form of the disorder. The different types of depressions have distinctive symptoms, causes, and effects. Being aware of what type of depression is affecting a patient can help to manage these symptoms and get the most effectual treatment. Moods or emotions of the patient change with the environment and experience, sometimes reflecting happiness and in other times reflecting sadness. In emotionally healthy people, moods are controllable, but people with mental depression get controlled by the mood itself in both thoughts and body. Mental depression involves mood disarray characterized by specific symptoms that characteristically occur due to chemical variations in normal brain operation. The most common and enthusiastically identifiable symptom of a depressed individual is sadness, melancholy, or desolation; however, an individual with clinical depression encounter more th an transitory sadness. Oftentimes it is logic of exhaustion or short of any energy at all that indicates the inception of mental depression (Roy 3). Other common symptoms comprise persisting sadness, emptiness or anxiety that may be convoyed by thoughts of victimization, hopelessness, worthlessness and/or helplessness. The person might lose concern in activities that were once traditional or complain of insufficient energy or inability to focus. Physical symptoms that do not resolve despite treatment, feelings and ideations of death or suicide,

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Essay

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Essay Example Arthur dent, the main character of this book has one lucky instance happening to him on a bad day. As he wakes up in the morning with a drunken hangover, Arthur finds a bulldozer outside preparing to demolish his house for making a new by-pass. While he thinks this day to be his worst, his alien friend Ford Prefect comes with the news that earth is being demolished by a Vogon construction fleet that is orbiting the earth to construct a new galactic bypass in the space. Arthur is lucky, as he along with Ford hitchhikes a lift aboard a Vogon spaceship. However, the good luck ends there as they find themselves in torturous condition, while they are finally thrown out into the open space debris. They are not perishing, as a spaceship piloted by the galaxy president Zaphod Beeblebrox along with his co-pilot Trillion spots them and picks them up into their ship. All the four along with a mentally unstable robot Marvin are now on a long search to find the lost planet, Magrathea. The meaningful chapter of the book stats next, when Arthur comes to know, in Magrathea, that the planet Earth had a purpose, to solve the riddle of life and universe. Accordingly, Earth served as a gigantic super computer, meant to find answers to these questions. As per the set calculations, the life of Earth was ten million years. However, the vogon construction fleet destroyed it 5 minutes before this. Since Arthur has survived as the only earthling, he gets a proposal to being a part of project to be named as â€Å"Earth Mark-II†. Arthur is not keen to join this research, as it requires the extraction of his brain. The question remains, as the novel has posed, about the existence of life and universe. Looking at the different adaptations of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the question does not get the serious attention that it deserves. Instead, the audience seems to laugh it away, taking the sudden destruction of Earth as a dream only. However, Author’s