The Portrait of Medieval Social Classes as Presented in the General Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer’s the Canterbury Tales

The General Prologue fulfils two functions: it tells the story of how the tales came to be told, and it introduces the tellers. There are about thirty pilgrims travelling to Canterbury to pray to the holy blissful martyr- St. Thomas of Becket. These characters can be considered the portrait of the whole Middle English society. All the pilgrims can be divided into particular hierarchic structure of classes. The simplest division of society was into three estates: those who fight, those who pray, and those who labour, typified by the Knight, the Parson and the Plowman.Women were often treated as an estate to themselves. The basic tripartite division of society, for instance, is reflected in Chaucer’s making his Knight, Parson and Plowman the three ideal characters on the pilgrimage- along with the Clerk to stand for those who learn and teach. However, I have to admit that this division is not so obvious, which I explained below. ‘Chaucer starts the introduction of pilgrims with the highest-ranking layman, the Knight, with his entourage, and continues with the highest-ranking ecclesiastics, the Prioress and the Monk.The Merchant, Clerk, Sergeant of Law, and Franklin who follow were regarded more or less as social equals, and various other representatives of the middle classes, most of them keen to push themselves up the social ladder, follow in somewhat haphazard order. The Summoner and Pardoner are social and moral misfits in almost every sense, with no obvious place either in a class hierarchy or in the ‘common weal’, society as a system of mutual support’ (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996).According to Helen Cooper, the basic organization then is by rank, but with some telling exceptions and some haphazardness: society is not an ordered hierarchy, not least because the people who compose it are reluctant to stay in their places. The Knight and Squire represent very diffe rent types, and functions, of chivalry. The Monk is described in terms that make him a different kind of antitype to the Knight, and the attributes that might be expected of each are exchanged: it is the Monk who hunts and loves good food and clothes, while the Knight is ascetic who has devoted his life to service of Christ (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). If there is a certain logic in the order of the pilgrims, however, the content of the individual portraits shows a constant variation. The stress can fall on appearance, past life, the pilgrim’s own voice or self-image, moral probity, or tastes and priorities. The estates structure suggest that the pilgrims will be defined by their work, but while many of the portraits adopt an appropriate language, only few show their subject doing what his or her office requires.In my work I will describe and submit every character and then summary the portrait of the class as a whole, a nd finally, in the summary I will put forward the whole portrait of society as a whole by summing up the features of each social class. Chivalry Chivalry was undoubtedly the most important of social classes in middle ages. They fought for the king, his kingdom and the religion. Chivalry is also nowadays considered as a pattern of behaviour of ideal man: he has to be brave, gentle for ladies and honourable; he also has to be ready to die for his beliefs.There are three characters representing this class in The General Prologue. These are the Knight, the Squire, and the Yeoman. The Knight is described by Chaucer with respect and honour. Chaucer does not use any irony or satire in the description of the Knight; the irony is reserved to those who fall short of the standard of perfection he sets. The function of the Knight was to fight; but throughout Christian history, and increasingly in the late fourteenth century, there was a profound unease at the thought of Christian fighting Chris tian.The wars that were held in the highest esteem were those fought in the cause of God, against the infidel. ‘The knight is not only a fighter: he is that most honoured of warriors, a Crusader’ (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). He participated in many wars against Muslims in Spain, North Africa, and the Near East; and pagans around the Baltic. The Knight’s portrait differs from those of most of the other pilgrims in several respects. He is described rather in terms of moral attributes than physical appearance.It reinforces the sense of his asceticism, his devotion more to God than to things of the world. He is also described in terms of what other people think of him: he is ‘evere honoured for his worthynesse’, set ‘aboven alle nacions’ at the table of honour, ‘everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys’ (op. cit. ‘The General Prologue’, The Canterbury Tale s, Geoffrey Chaucer; lines 50, 53, 67). It is a portrait of ideal Christian knighthood. Almost every pilgrim has some particular object of desire, that the Knight’s should be: ‘Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisie’ (op. it. line 46). The Knight is considered perfect by Chaucer. He is modest as a maid, he is devoted to God more than any of the characters representing clergy. He sometimes fought on the side of Muslims, but only if they fought against other Muslims; he had never fought against Christians. Despite of his valorous deeds, the knight never boasted of his actions, nor bored his listeners. The Squire would be a candidate for knighthood. He is young, probably in his twenties. He is a son of the Knight. When not in battle, he thinks of himself as a quite a lady’s man.He takes meticulous care of his appearance. He could also sing lusty songs, compose melodies, write poetry, and ride a horse with distinction. He also has all the other proper attri butes to go with his being a young lover: a fine figure, a dashing military career, and all the courtly accomplishments considered those times as being appropriate for winning one’s lady. According to Helen Cooper, the Squire is the iconographic image of young love and its month of May (op. cit. line 92), for the month was often presented as fashionable and gaily dressed youth on horseback.Chaucer does not quite offer us the Squire at his own valuation- a total failure to sleep on account of love has an affectionate touch of the ridiculous about it, as well as the hyperbolic, but the ‘fresshe floures’ embroidered on his clothes, and his associations with the spring with sleepless birds make Squire a ‘courtly version of the lifetime of spring’ (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). The Squire is not only young, strong, and in love; he is courteous, eager to server, and in all respects perfect of his type, however different from his father’s type.The Yeoman was a servant of the Knight and Squire. He was known as an expert woodsman and an excellent archer. A knight held a position in society that had to be visibly maintained, by the presence of at least a minimal retinue. The Yeoman is the servant he brings apart from the Squire, a modesty of display that Chaucer comments in lines 100-101 (op. cit. ). One would expect a Yeoman in the company of such a Knight to be a military figure, a longbowman; by the addition of green clothes and the hunting-horn, Chaucer defines him more closely, as a forester.A forester could be anything from a senior administrative official to a gamekeeper: the Yeoman’s knowledge of ‘wodecraft’ shows him to be one of the more practical kind. ‘The Yeoman is not a standard figure in estates literature, but Chaucer creates and iconography for him as effectively as he recreates the conventional images of the Squire. Whether the Yeoman really needs his bow, peacock, arrows, and horn on a pilgrimage is less important than the way they serve to define him.His excellence as a yeoman is summed up in the neologism Chaucer creates for him, yemanly’ (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). To summarize, the chivalry social class representatives are shown as brave men, skilful in battle, famous for their deeds, ready to die for their beliefs; servants of their lords and masters. The chivalry participates in wars and is appreciated by the rest of community for its strength, honour, fame, and modesty. Priesthood The priesthood is in the middle class of medieval social hierarchy.Chaucer uses a lot of satire and irony as he describes members of this estate in The General Prologue. Members of this social class who participate in the pilgrimage are the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar, the Summoner, the Parson, and the Pardoner. Descriptions of these characters are much more abundant in satire and irony than any other. The Prioress was a head of monastery. She was rather well educated, even though her French was not the accepted Parisian French. She was very coy and delicate. When she ate, she took great care for her table manners. She was very courteous and amiable and tried to imitate the manners of the court.She had three small hounds with her which she treated very gently and tenderly. Her dress was very neat and tidy and she wore a gold brooch with the inscription ‘amor vincit omnia’. ‘Chaucer’s description of the Prioress is filled with gentle and subtle irony. Here is a picture of a lady who happens to be a nun, but she never forgets that she is a lady first. Her oath, ‘by Sainte Loy’ implies that she has chosen the most fashionable and handsome saint who was also famous for his great courtesy’ (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992). She emphasis on her appearance.The Monk ’s description simply seems to had been ‘swapped’ with the stereotypical description of a knight. The Knight is described as the man who devoted his life to God, and the Monk is called ‘a manly man’ by Chaucer, which means his portrait is that of a country gentleman. The Monk is interested in women (on the way which he should not be, regarding to his profession), wearing expensive clothes and jewellery, he likes hunting. He is not modest. He does all these things although his monastic orders ban him to behave this way. He is supposed to be a beggar and own no goods.In description of the Monk, According to Helen Cooper, Chaucer introduces the materials of antimonastic satire: the good living, his failure to keep within the cloister, his approval of secular offices for religious (op. cit. line 187), and his hunting. But it is he himself, not a satirist, who relays all the standard texts and aphorisms on the ills of such life; and he then dismisses them by reference to those items of food- oysters (a cheap dish), plucked hens- that fall well below his favourite diet of roast swan (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996).The Monk clearly breaks his vows of poverty, obedience to his rule and ‘stability’, staying within his monastery. The Friar, like the Prioress, is described by Chaucer with a set of epithets and attributes that in other circumstances might be complimentary; he is ‘worthy’ like the Knight, and ‘curteis’ and ‘lowely of servyse’ like the Squire (op. cit. lines 99, 250). But his worthiness shows itself in his refusal to fulfil the basic function of his calling, the relief of the diseased and the outcast. The Friar was hobnobbing with the local franklins and surpassing the Monk in being not just like a ‘prelaat’ but like a pope (op. it. line 261). The Friar is the first of the pilgrims who explicitly sets the mone y above God. Destitute widows are the objects not of his charity but of his greed. ‘Over twenty lines of his portrait are devoted to his skill in extracting money; seven more go to his dubious relationships with young women, fair wives, and the barmaids. ’ (Helen Cooper, Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales) Yet there is no doubt that all such things make the Friar socially attractive: the whole emphasis of the portrait falls on the busyness of his social life, on taverns and love-days, on all the people with whom he is on good terms.The Summoner was a man paid to summon sinners for a trial before a church court. He had a fire-red complexion, pimples and boils, a scaly infection around the eyebrows, and a moth-eaten beard. ‘He treats his sores as leprosy. To make matters worse, he loved to eat garlic, onions, leeks, and drink strong wine. He could quote a few lines of Latin which he was using to impress people. Chaucer calls him a gentil harlot and impli es it would be difficult to find a better fellow, because for a bottle of wine, the Summoner would often turn his back and let sinner to continue living in sin. He was also well acquainted with ladies of questionable reputation’ (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992). According to Bruce Nicoll, the Summoner’s physical appearance fits to his profession well. He is so ugly and gruesome looking that a summons from him is in itself a horrible experience. Thus, Chaucer ironically implies that he is a good fellow. But furthermore, he is a good fellow because sinners could easily bribe him (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992).The Parson is the only one of the churchmen shown by Chaucer that we can call competent and fair. Although he was very poor, he would rather give his own scarce money to his poor parishioners than demand tithes from them. His principle was to live the perfect life first, and then to teach it. His life was a perfect example of true Christian priest, and by his good example, he taught but first followed it himself. Among the other churchmen described in The General Prologue, the Parson stands out as the ideal portrait of what parish priest should be. He is the ideal Christian man.The Pardoner was a church official who had authority from Rome to sell pardons and indulgences to those charged with sins. He had just returned from Rome with bagful of pardons which he planned to sell to the ignorant at great profit to himself. He had a loud, high-pitched voice, yellow, flowing hair. He was beardless. ‘There was no one so good at his profession as was this Pardoner’ (Bruce Nicoll, The Canterbury Tales notes, Coles Notes, 1992). The pardoner seems to be the most corrupted of the churchmen. In the prologue to his tale, he confesses to his hypocrisy.The Priesthood class is widely criticised by Chaucer. The Prioress pays more attention to her manners than to the substance of her calli ng. The Monk cares nothing for the rules of his order, the Friar sets money above God. The Summoner and the Pardoner are corrupted. There is only the Parson to fulfil his duties well. He is that good shepherd to care for his sheep. He is the ideal set in the minority of the clergy. The other churchmen described by Chaucer are focused more on their own ‘business’ than on their mission given by the Catholic church.These characters (excluding the Parson) may be called hypocrites. Higher bourgeoisie Higher bourgeoisie is the class of rich and/or well-educated townsmen and landlords who are not noblemen. The representatives of this class are, as follows: the Merchant, the Clerk, the Sergeant of Law, the Franklin, the Doctor of Physic, and the Reeve. The Merchant is anonymous, ‘I noot how men hym calle’ (op. cit. line 284). He has a forked beard and a beaver hat that reveals his wealth. He talks about his occupation and the risks connected with working as a merch ant.According to Helen Cooper, the merchant, like the Knight and Squire, has his own areas of contemporary campaign (cf. Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). Chaucer has mentioned something about the debt of the Merchant in his description, but we are not sure whether the debt is still unpaid or the Merchant had dealt with it before. The Clerk is a student of what would nowadays be considered philosophy or theology. He is introduced as a diligent person who has a wide connection of books.He is portrayed as a perfect example of a scholar. He has a bachelor degree and is totally devoted to logic. As a subtext to this portrait, there is an opposite description of less ideal clerks: those who would treat education as a pathway to well-paid office, who would prefer expensive clothes and music-making to the books for which the Clerk longs. The Sergeant of Law is a lawyer whose main focus is to make money. His legal knowledge and skill in ‘p urchasying’ land is apparently used primarily for himself as a purchaser.Chaucer uses a lot of law terms in his description of the Sergeant of Law, but no such word as ‘justice’ appears. The Franklin is the only pilgrim to be involved in running the society. He and the Sergeant of Law are partners in graft. He is a landowner, however he is not a noble. He did not inherit his wealth and he is not a ‘nouveau riche’. The Franklin accepts all the duties and responsibilities that go with his position: he has held the office of knight of the shire, sheriff, auditor, and justice of the peace.There is no a single word from Chaucer that would criticise the way that the Franklin fulfils his duties. The Franklin has a white beard. As Helen Cooper noticed, his love differs from the Knight’s chivalry or the Squire’s ladies, the Franklin loves his morning snack of bread in wine; thus the vocabulary used in his description is gastronomic (cf. Oxford G uides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Oxford University Press, 1996). Moreover, the Franklin also shares his food with other people. That makes him a perfect landlord.The Doctor of Physic is trained in medicine, astronomy and astrology. He could quote all the medical authorities, but he knew nothing of the Bible. He had made a lot of money during the plague. He has a special love for gold, since he prescribes this metal for cures. The Reeve managed a large estate. He was skinny and bad-tempered. He had a close cut beard and short haircut. His subordinates were afraid of him because of his unrelenting preservance. Similarly to the mentioned later Manciple, he had reaped profits for himself by being clever at buying.The higher bourgeoisie class representatives are shown by Chaucer as people who are greedy (the Manciple, the Doctor of Physic, the Reeve, the Sergeant of Law, the Merchant, the imperfect clerks described in the description of the ideal Clerk), filled with temptation ( t he Franklin) and devoted to their passion (the Clerk, the Reeve). This social class is not criticised so sharply as the clergy. Most of them are fair in their work, some of them are simply perfect (the Clerk, the Franklin), on the other hand some of them cheat (the Reeve).They all want to gain something that make other people consider them ‘upper class’. Bourgeoisie Bourgeoisie are simply the townsmen who are neither that rich nor that well-educated as the people from the class I named ‘higher bourgeoisie’. They are simple people who live and work in town. They are ordinary people and second most numerous class of the middle ages in Europe. The representatives of this class are, as follows: the Guildsmen, the Wife of Bath, the Manciple, the Cook, the Shipman, the Miller, and the Host.The Guildsmen are five craftsmen (four clothworkers and the Carpenter) who belong to a single parish guild. The portrait of the Guildsmen is largely devoted to their anxiety to impress others by climbing on the social class hierarchy ladder; their knives are decorated with silver chasing, which is inappropriate for their social class, because such ornament was reserved for gentry (lower nobility class members). The Guildsmen sit on dais in a guildhall and fulfil their professional obligations. They want to be aldermen and they are improving their qualifications day by day. They work fairly and hard.Unfortunately, the Guildsmen are being corrupted by their wives, who want them to get promoted and advanced in social hierarchy, or at least pretend so. They wish to be accorded the superior title of ‘madame’. Wives of the Guildsmen want to behave ‘roialliche’ and be treated as higher class members and force them to participate in some kind of what nowadays would refer to as a ‘rat race’. The Wife of Bath was an excellent seamstress and weaver. She has been married five times and been on many outland pilgrimages: to Rome, to Bologna, to Jerusalem, to Galice, and to Cologne.Her special talent was her knowledge of all the remedies of love. She was deaf a little. She always was first at the altar or offering in church. The Manciple was a steward for a law school in London. His duty was to buy the food. He was not as learned as the lawyers, but he was smart enough that he had been able to put aside a little sum for himself from every transaction. The Cook in The General Prologue is only defined by his professional skill. He works for the Guildsmen. He has a notorious running sore on his leg.We do not know much more about him from the description in the prologue. The Shipman was the master of vessel and an expert of navigation who knew all the ports from the Atlantic to the North Sea. He was a huge and uncouth man. He could not ride horse well, but no one was a better sailor. Nevertheless, according to Jill Mann, the Shipman had bad habits of thievery, piracy, and mass murder (Chaucer and Medieval Estates Satire: The Literature of Social Classes and The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Cambridge, 1973). The Miller was a stubborn and strong man.His strength would let him outwrestle any man. He had red beard and a wart on his nose. He played the bagpipes as the pilgrims left the town. He had a tendency for thievery. The Host was the leader of the pilgrimage party and the host of the Tabard Inn. His name is Harry Bailey. He was loud, large and merry, although he possesses a quick temper. He was liked by the pilgrims. Members of the bourgeoisie want to get socially promoted and try to do all the things necessary to achieve this promotion (the best example of this is the behaviour of the Wife of Bath).They focus on making money. Some of them, as the Guildsmen, work hard to improve their social and material status, others, as the Miller and the Manciple, prefer continuous small acts of thievery to enrich. Some of them commit more serious crimes, as does the Shipman. All of them a re working hard in their profession and are determined to achieve their destination, one way or another. Peasants Peasants are the lowest social class of middle ages. They are hard-working and poor. Their professions are connected with agriculture. There is only ne representative of this social class appearing in The General Prologue- the Plowman. The Plowman is a small tenant farmer who lives in a perfect peace and charity. He loves God with all his heart. He is always honest with his neighbours. He regularly pays his tithes to the church. He is a brother of the Parson, and so, they are equally good-hearted. The Plowman, unlike most of the pilgrims, is happy with his position in society. He wears his humble tabard which is appropriate for his rank and never tries to be someone else than he really is.The portrait of the only character of peasant class introduced to us by Chaucer lead us to conclusion that peasants are the poorest and the lowest social class of middle ages, but also the most hard-working and morally good people. In my opinion, the Plowman in his morality can be compared to the Knight, although their material and social statuses completely differ. Summary The division of society portrayed by Chaucer is not obvious. In this work I have introduced the division into social classes by the social position, profession and, wealth and education level of each character.I think that Chaucer demonstrates his audience that class order and moral order are two different things. Members of the chivalry and the peasant class are on top and the bottom of the hierarchy. Despite of this fact, in some aspects the knighthood characters and the Plowman are equal. They are all modest, hard-working, truly devoted to god, fair to other people and proud of their position. If we exclude these two classes from the hierarchy, there appears the conclusion that the higher social class character belongs to, the richer, the more educated, and the morally worse it is.The social class portrayed by Chaucer as the most corrupted is clergy. Those who should prevent people from sin appear to be the biggest sinners. We can see that the more powerful and richer people become, the bigger sinners they are. The classes described as these of best morality are chivalry and peasants. Every class has its exceptional ideal representative: chivalry- the Knight, clergy- the Parson, bourgeoisie (as one class with higher bourgeoisie)- the Clerk. These characters are patterns of ideal behaviour for all the members of their classes.By this phenomena, Chaucer shows that there is no class that is totally corrupted- there is always someone who fulfils his duties perfectly. To sum up, the clergy is shown as a class of people who abuse their position for private profits; the bourgeoisie members are only wishing to make more and more money and advance their social status; the chivalry and peasants are happy with their position, neither the Knight, nor the Plowman can be promoted to upper class. The difference is- the Knight, unlike the Plowman, is socially appreciated and respected.Those days your origin and social class membership was the most important part of social life. So, there is no wonder why people from middle classes wanted to be promoted and were ready to do anything to achieve that, on fair or unfair way. Although the portrait of medieval social classes is a little ironical and satirical (and still may appear a literary fiction), I think that it is very likely that it is possibly a complete description of the actual English community in Middle Ages.

Hate Crimes toward Sexual Orientation

We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. † – Dry. Martin Luther King Jar. Every day, somewhere in the world, men, women and children are tortured and even killed because of their beliefs, their race, the way they look, or the way they live. And this will go on until the rest of the world stops being quiet and takes a stand against the hatred that causes these crimes. Hate crimes are well known issue in today's society.According to Joseph Healed, â€Å"One possible explanation for at least some hate rimes is that they are fueled by perceived threats, frustration and fear, and anger and scapegoat† is one reason behind the cause (2011). All humanity possesses a voice to the injustice of violence. Inclusion of sexual orientation in the federal hate crime law was rejected by the U. S. Senate in the late asses, even while hate crimes targeting specifically gays and lesbians increased during the same period (Kamala & Nolan, 1999). Sp rees of violence are always directed to one another, especially towards the weak and defenseless.The racial spree killer Benjamin Smith, the ragging death of James Byrd, and the humiliating murder of Matthew Sheppard, all stand as reminders that the bigotry that kills is much more than the few unfortunate reminders of the United States history (Perry, 2001). There is a significant relationship between hate crimes and psychological impact to the victim and the victim's community where a priority response is actually needed. The consequences caused and done by hate crimes cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury or dollars and cents.Intimidation of other members of the victim's community, leaving hem feeling isolated, vulnerable and unprotected by the law is effected immediately with the presence of hate crimes. By making members of minority communities fearful, angry and suspicious of other groups and of the power structure that is supposed to protect them. These inciden ts can damage the fabric of our society and fragment communities. There was a blob has been found where there lots of victim experienced hate crimes based on sexual orientation.One of them which attracted me the most was from James, who was gay black male (2010), he described how he as assaulted in a public place by someone that he did not even know: [l] was attacked at a bar by a complete stranger! This has been the worst chapter in my journey. As a result of the attack, my right hummers was broken at the surgical neck. The incident occurred at a bar in the city's largest entertainment district. The district's name is Power and Light. It is common knowledge to residents of our area, the district has experienced many problems with issues of discrimination.I work across the street from the district and never experienced any problems until this. The attack occurred inside the bar. It was after a huge football game for our local team. At a certain point, this really drunk guy starting yelling and calling me names! Not one of the bouncers or servers asked him to leave. The whole thing happened very quickly. One minute he was calling me â€Å"Fagged†, the next minute I was being â€Å"attacked†. As he tried to hit me in the face, he lost his footing and fell on top of me in the process. As a result of his weight and mine, my hummers immediately broke.I could feel the bar start, almost instantly! At that point, the wait staff helped Him up and asked him to leave. I was in so much pain at that point, and embarrassed. Not once did any of the bar personnel or district security ask me if I was okay. In that moment, all I could do was leave out of pure disbelief and shame. Once I arrived home, the pain was completely unbearable. I sent a text to one of the team member's from the bar asking her to send emergency personnel to my home. The experience, for me, has been life-changing. I'm now unable to drive. I'm now unable to work. It even has affected my schoo ling.I am right-handed, and this whole situation has given me a whole new understanding of how the world can react to others. According to Barbara Perry, â€Å"Hate crime often referred to as â€Å"ethnocentric† is much more than the act of mean-spirited bigots and it is embedded in the structural and cultural context within which groups interact† (2001). The benefit of criminal offense, a violation of an existing criminal code were assumed by the term hate crime and it may be applied only where a predicate offense, or underlying crime, is committed as a result of bias or prejudiced (Healed, 2005).Such restriction may fulfill the concept within the law enforcement community, but it is not particularly satisfying from a sociological perspective. Although in National Coalition of anti-violence Programs said that documented cases of antigen violence remained relatively stable in recent years, social advocacy group estimate that countless cases of antigen intimidation, ver bal harassment, and physical assault occur every day but go unreported (2005).What is perceived as hate crimes today, in another time or place, may be standard operating procedure which means hate crimes are acceptable in some countries and it is common thing to do which is believed will not give an impact in harmful way toward others. Based on what Perry said, â€Å"Oppressive violence is nested within the complex of exploitation, normalization, powerlessness, and cultural imperialism. It is the processes and imagery associated with cultural imperialism that supports these practices ideologically.Together structural exclusions and cultural imaging leave minority members vulnerable to systemic violence and especially hate crimes† (2001). Therefore, it is difficult to construct a complete definition of the term. Perspective of LIGHT-Q Great minds such as the president, humanitarians, theorists, behaviorist's have tried o mold the concept of hate crimes and each defining it in their own term. However, humanity still failed to grasp the concept by only reading between the lines.For some Christian Right leader's points of view, the leading causes of the destruction of American society and culture are due to the gay rights movement and its so-called homosexual agenda. In his own words, Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson says, â€Å"The battle against gay rights is essentially a second civil war to put control of the U. S. Government in the right hands, meaning those who reject gay rights† (2010). There are lots of religious leaders who are most likely misunderstand and misconstrue are often cowering behind the First Amendment or Justifying their actions by perverting Holy Scriptures.Throughout the years, religious right in America has adopted and retained variety of strategies such as defamation. Its leaders have involved in the crudest type of name-calling, claiming that homosexuality is a choice, dehumidifying or describing them by creating pr ominent myths and instilling fears upon others. â€Å"Myths such as gay people molest children at far higher rate than heterosexuals†, by portraying gay men as a threat to children loud be the most â€Å"efficacious weapon† for stimulating public fears about homosexuality (Escalates, E. & Steinbeck, R. , 2010). According to American Psychological Association (PAP), â€Å"Homosexual men are not more likely to sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are† (2010). Followed by a professor at the University of California, Davis, Gregory Here said, â€Å"One of the top researchers on prejudice against homosexuality, reviewed a series of studies and found no connecting evidence between gay men molesting children at higher rate than a heterosexual male† (cited in Escalates, E. & Steinbeck, R, 2010).Due to instilled fears from communities of faith, it created another path for homophobia to take on such as antigen aggression. Need to understand the concept of how sexual stigma is expressed towards sexual minorities in order to extend how antigen aggression is enabled. The idea that hate crimes involve scapegoat is also supported by the spontaneous, unplanned, and highly emotional nature of this crime. It provides a Justification for expressing anger and hostility towards sexual minorities. In order to understand how sexual stigma is expressed, we need to understand owe antigen aggression is expressed.Sexual stigma refers to â€Å"the negative regard, inferior status, and relative powerlessness that society collectively accords to any non-heterosexual behavior, identity, relationship, or community' (Here, in press; p 2). According to Parrot and Peterson, â€Å"To this day, contemporary theorist still believe that antigen aggression is motivated by the convergence of several different mechanisms, specifically three complimentary theoretical models that explain the motives for antigen aggression have garnered the most attention: sexual pr ejudice, ere dynamics and thrill seeking† (2008).While sexual prejudice, peer dynamics, or thrill seeking may be the sole motivating factor for a particular act of antigen aggression, it is posited that antigen aggression may also be facilitated by various combinations of these motives. Understanding LIGHT-Q (Victim) In order to create a better empathy or perspectives on hate crimes, one of the first steps is to understand them. One of the most difficult challenges of developmental milestones for gay youth is having the courage to reveal their sexual orientation to parents (Savings-Williams, 2001).The disclosure of sexual orientation by a family member clearly fits the description of a stresses because family values may be called into question, such as beliefs about sex, sexuality, and religion. A child's coming out is a salient event that often distorts several aspects of the family system such as family values, roles, expectations and boundaries (Crosier-Burnett et all, 1996 ). Every parent's dream and expectations for a son, who was expected to marry a woman, have children, and carry the family name, may be shattered.The brutality of hate crimes also has consequences for the entire gay community. It is not an exaggeration to conclude that bias-motivated attacks function as a form of terrorism, sending a message to all lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals that they are not safe if they are visible. An aggression based on sexual orientation such as physical aggression, verbal aggression, property damage, etc. , comes with a psychological impact to victims. Risks range from anxiety to depression, fear to post-traumatic stress and possibly, suicide or death (Here, Gillis, & Conga, 1999).The varieties of hate crime factorization can be seen such as in gay-identified settings, public spaces, at home, in schools, in the workplace and by friends and family members. Even when one does not personally know the victim, hate crimes can threaten the illusion of invulner ability that is so important in one's daily life Nonfat-Pullman & Parker, 2012). To top it all, the existence of hate crimes might make even minor instances of harassment more frightening for the victim. Consequently, an incident that appears minor in retrospect might nevertheless have considerable psychological impact on the victim.One type of agency particularly well suited for groups of victims of hate rimes is a local human rights or human relations agency that traditionally deals with cases of inequality such as hate crimes toward sexual orientation. Some human- relations commissions have a community relations component that specializes in interrupt conflict in the community. Not-for-profit registered charity safe houses like Pink Triangle offer services such as providing peer support, educational, research and advocacy services for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, two-spirit and queer (GLOTTAL) persons in the National Capital Region (2012).Certain school systems, those seed to dealing with interrupt tension, can also provide the official context for such groups, particularly when Juveniles are involved, either as victims or perpetrators. Mental health associations or interfaith organizations often have programs designed to promote positive interrupt relations and can provide a setting for groups of hate crime victims. Documentaries such as For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) directed and produced by Daniel G.Karakas, provide the viewer or society with homosexuality and its perceived conflict with religion, as well as various interpretations of what the Bible says about name-sex sexuality. It also includes lengthy interview segments with several sets of religious parents regarding their personal experiences raising homosexual children and also interview with those children. Hate crimes on sexual orientation are crimes fueled by perceived threats, frustration and fear, and anger and scapegoat through the practices of sexual prejudice.Sexual orientation comm only conveys a wrong belief that gay people are more likely to molest children at higher rates than heterosexuals. This appears to have more serious psychological effects on gay men and lesbians, including oppression, stress, anger and even, death than do other crimes. The government should take a decisive action toward hate crimes which makes a minority group's life worst. They are also human beings who have a right to live a normal life like any other without having any scorn from any other people surround them.

A brief analysis of Robert frosts poem the Gift Outright

A brief analysis of Robert frost's poem the Gift Outright The Gift Outright: Analysis of Robert Frost’s Poem Robert Frost’s poem The Gift Outright renders its readers with many interpretive options as to what analogies he is hiding behind his words. I think in Frost’s The Gift Outright, he is trying to emphasize that triumph, surrender, and sacrifice are what led to the outright gift that is America. For years, what is now America was a colony under the reign of the British; American’s identities were not solely in themselves but partially based in the British traditions that had been heavily emphasized- because of this many struggled to become one with the land. Colonials slowly fought for independence in each of the states; Frost uses this to exemplify when the Americans began to triumph over England’s rule and make the land thine own: â€Å"†¦She was ours/ In Massachusetts, in Virginia, / But we were England’s† (3-5). The author uses these lines to show that they do have small victories towards the progression of their own nation/land. But they are still England’s and are failing to be apart of the change that will shape and solidify their nation state; they posses the land, but the land does not posses them- they took over the land without taking over the responsibilities she came with. Triumph can only come if there is once a trial, and at times humanity surrenders to the trials they face. The gift of land came at a personal expense, a sacrifice; because they would not receive without first giving: â€Å"Such as we were we gave ourselves outright†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Such as she was, such as she will bec ome.† (12,16). In these lines Frost is demonstrating that the imperfect citizens gave themselves to the imperfect land to build something much greater; the dedication of the people will help America to achieve its full potential by enhancing her with art and stories. Surrendering parts of themselves to the development of America is not the only sacrifice Frost exemplifies in his poem. The decolonization of America and the personalization of her land was the cause for the passing of many lives. The sacrifice and demise of many souls was subtly mentioned by Frost: â€Å"(The deed of the gift was many deeds of war)† (13). I think Frost is trying to prove that although the gift was outright, it was merely the opposite. The land was not entirely the peoples; it was fought for- a lot of conflict and oppression was ensued to create a free nation. Frost adopts the use of brackets; this allows for war to be mentioned indirectly but insists that the wages of war that resulted in victory, not be forgotten. Frost’s poem captivates the readers, making them feel the responsibilities and duties of the land that the Americans once felt as their own. Such allowed construal as the poem progressed and the meaning behind The Outright Gift became increasingly complex, and intimate. Frost depicted the American’s identity in an uncontemporary way through the triumph, surrender, and sacrifice that had been endured.

Colombian perspective Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Colombian perspective - Term Paper Example Political scientists have pointed out that economic inequality and political turbulence go hand in hand in order to create unequal prosperity. It is axiomatic that economical inequality gives birth of dissatisfaction among people of a particular country (Rapley 3). Inequality is multidimensional disease because research shows that inequalities may arise within the same country between various regions. For example, in China economic inequalities lies between urban region and coastal terrain due to difference in per capita income. Nobel laureate such as Amartya Sen has indicated that inequalities should be calculated in terms in terms of economic and geographic scale (Galbraith 160). Impact of economic inequalities is far less for developed countries like USA, UK and Germany in contrast to developing nations such as Brazil, India and other south Asian countries. The world has undergone various contingency period over the last 30 years due to various reasons such as Cold War between USA and Russia, currency crisis in Asia during 1997/98, terrorism, economic recession and recent euro zone crisis. According to financial analysts the meaning of instability has changed after economic recession of 2008. In now days instability means mankind could face period of adjustment in order to avoid situations like great depression (Smith 4-6). Political restructuring is a continuous process to resolve issues having importance in context of particular country. Political restructuring of Soviet Union had impacted the world severely in terms of creating new states and altering the economic dynamics of Russian Federation. Quintessentially economic hegemony of USA has impacted the direction of global stability for last 50 years while political instability of Middle East has disrupted stability of Asian countries (Ritchie, and Crouch 4). Giuseppe Sfligiotti has argued that price of clean

Socrates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Socrates - Essay Example society must ensure the practice of religion should not endanger the lives of other individuals, including keeping peace and order among its inhabitant (Quinodoz 235). Likewise, Socrates adheres to Freud’s concept of man’s nature (Quinodoz 235). Man’s nature includes the primary desire to kill. Preventing the person from killing the enemy soldier during war will make the person very sad. The person is sad because a living enemy will have a chance to kill the person. With a dead enemy, the person has more chances for survival. However, society will not grant man the authority to kill anyone except for self defense reasons as law enforcers or soldiers. Sometimes, drivers want to kill another driver for bumping and damaging the car during busy traffic situations (Drassinower 156). Socrates’ inquiry method makes each inquisitive person understand why society is preventing man’s nature from being freely implemented. Further, Socrates adheres to the Freud’s concept of man’s nature primary desire to have sex. A person who has sex with another person, especially of the opposite gender, makes the person happy. Preventing such person from having sex will make the person unhappy. Socrates’ inquiry method makes each inquisitive person understand why society is preventing man’s normal desire to have sex (Quinodoz 235). Furthermore, Socrates will adhere to Freud’s espousing society institutes laws to prevent people from becoming happy. The states’ instituting laws that prevent the person from killing one’s enemies, the society is directly making the person unhappy. Society institutes laws in order to keep order in society. The laws institute a justice system. The law requires that all criminals shall be brought to justice. Consequently, justice courts will try the cases. Both accusers and the suspected criminals will present their evidences to the court jury and judge. The courts will decide whether the suspect is guilty of the crime of not. When

A Police Misconduct Case On Rodney King Assignment

A Police Misconduct Case On Rodney King - Assignment Example In addition, this paper focuses on the negative effects of unethical decision making while evaluating the effects violence caused acts of police brutality. Moreover, this research focuses on various moral and ethical concepts that are utilized in explaining how ethical dilemmas affected decision-making in this incidence. Introduction In the process of enforcing the law, various moral and ethical concepts determine an individual’s decision-making tendency. However, in some cases interpretation of moral and ethical concepts involved poses a challenge hence resulting to poor application of these concepts. Misinterpretation of these concepts introduces various unwanted results in the society. In this study, focus is placed on various moral and ethical concepts involved in the case of Rodney King. Question one Moral and ethical concepts play a crucial role in determining suitable decision-making (Zerbe, Ha?rtel and Ashkanasy, 2008).However, in some cases poor interpretation of the code of ethics results to its violation. For instance, in 1991 some traffic police officers brutally attacked an individual named Rodney king for violating traffic regulation in a Los Angeles suburb. Evidence in this case reveals that police officers used buttons to beat the complainant after the shocks they had used failed to incapacitate the individual. According to the defendants, the use of force was meant to ease the arrest of Rodney King who was drunk at the time he violated the traffic rules (Pollock, 2012). The acquittal of these officers in court worsened this case by causing the eruption of violence in the streets of Los Angeles where a large number of people were injured and property worth a lot of money was destroyed. In this case, a number of ethical dilemmas faced the parties that were involved. First, in the process of law enforcement officers are supposed to abide by the ethical code of conduct. However, in case of danger the officers were required to utilize conside rable force hence protecting themselves from injuries. In the case on Rodney king, the officers faced the dilemma of whether to abide by the code of conduct for the police officers or to protect each other from the probable injuries that might have been caused by Rodney (Kleinig, 2006).According to utilitarian ethics a decision is ethical if it results to a higher number of positive outcomes. In this case, concepts in utilitarian ethics would have required that the police officers to protect themselves from an attack by Rodney. However, virtue ethics requires that an individual’s actions should be judged based on the extent to which they employ suitable characters in decision-making. In this instance, the police officers ought to have employed virtues such as mercy and compassion thus using minimal force in arresting the culprit (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2013).According to virtue ethics the actions taken by police officers in this case were unethical since they showed the use of force for selfish reasons. These selfish reasons may have included punishing individuals of the black American race or relieving stress among the officers. The ethical dilemma posed by the two concepts may have resulted to the violation of Rodney King’s rights. According to Zerbe, Ha?rtel and Ashkanasy (2008), ethical dilemmas in this case also emerged in the courtroom. In the process of determining whether the defendants were guilty or

The Choice Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Choice Program - Essay Example It was to be provided to both the public and private schools of the choice of the students. The eligibility of the students entailed the students being dwellers of Douglas County School District (DCSD). In addition, they were to be current students of DCSD schools and must have been within the district within a year. The management keeps a partnership with the students of Douglas community, the schools the students go to, and their parents as well. They are responsible for all the students in Douglas. Choice scholarship program seeks to provide the ideal learning environment for children, world class education so that the children can compete with anybody in the world, and system performance. The intention of system performance is to measure the potential outcomes that are provided for the students (DCSD Para 2). They have strategies or plans with three major priorities such as choice which have more than twenty different techniques or strategies for improving parents’ capability of marching the schools they desire for their children. Choice Scholarship Programs funding does not emanate from the district funding though on legal basis they have a right to access these funds. The board privately raises the funds for the program and tax payers’ cash has not been used in the legal processes or operation of the program. They are paid for by funds that are donated (DCSD Para 3). The establishment of the program entailed obtaining views from parents and developing some sense of quality control. The schools that the program partnered with had to meet the requisite requirements that had been stipulated by the environment. The private schools were task with the responsibility of treating all the students equally irrespective of the student obtaining scholarship from the Choice program or not. The program was to be within the standard statue and they created a charted school that allowed them to work with the students better. The charter school has

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 40

Personal statement - Essay Example A Master’s Degree in Cass business school for Supply Chain Management or Investment Management will not only widen my professional horizon but will also increase my change for professional advancement by being more effective in the business organization. My name is Talal Alajou and I graduated with honors from University of Westminster with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Management. The key areas of study in the University of Westminster involved International Business, Entrepreneurship Theory to Practice, Marketing Management, Operation and Project Management among others. I also took International Foundation Programme in Humanities and Social Science in Kings College where I polished my academic English and engaged myself with international culture. My preparatory high school was spent in Saudi Arabia where I graduated valedictorian at The Kingdom Schools, Riyadh with an almost perfect grade of 98.30% or 3.93 GPA. In addition to my academic undertakings, I also enjoy doing volunteer work. Back home in Saudi Arabia, I am heavily engaged with charity work that looks after the orphans and I intend to continue this fulfilling undertaking for as long as I can do it. I am also culturally agile and bilingual. I have an international background and took formal study about culture at Kings College and this unique background put me in a better situation to easily understand and adjust to different kind of people coming. I believe this is an essential skill in a globalized working place where we have to work with people from different cultural and social background. I chose to pursue my graduate school in UK because of its welcoming attitude towards diversity. UK might have a deep European history but its inclusive environment welcomes people from different nationality particularly those students with Middle Eastern background. I chose to pursue my Master’s Degree in Cass business school in

Case Project Assignemnt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Project Assignemnt - Assignment Example In this case, Kaspersky Antivirus can prevent up to 99% of malware from affecting files or applications in a computer (Dennis Technology Labs, 2013). Despite the good functionality, Kaspersky Antivirus has some major weaknesses. For example, it reduces the performance of a computer once it is installed. The antivirus runs automatically when the computer is turned on. The antivirus software is designed in such a way that it monitors any changes on all installed programs in a computer. If the user opens any applications, the antivirus scans them before they can run. In the process, it compares the performance of the application from the time it was updated with its present state. Thus, the background scan significantly reduces the processing speed of the device (Dennis Technology Labs). In addition, Kaspersky Antivirus is unable to block certain content from the web (Dennis Technology Labs, 2013). Kaspersky Antivirus is also among the most expensive antimalware software. For example, in Amazon, one-year subscription for three computers costs $34.23. The cost is significantly high compared to BullGuard, which sells at $18.81. The Windows, ZoneAlarm Pro, and Comodo firewalls are some of the common firewalls available to individuals. They all filter outgoing traffics. Once they are integrated into the operating system, they monitor networks without the configurations of the user. They also have streamlined updating features (Khoeid & Redd, n.d.). The Windows firewall monitors incoming connection requests that initiate the computer to connect to outbound networks. Whenever an outbound network prompts UDP or TCP communication that the user has not initiated, the firewall blocks the connection automatically. Comodo firewall blocks unwanted connections or content from accessing a clean device in a similar way. It works by monitoring application signatures and comparing them with previous versions. If there are changes, Comodo firewall can detect

Historical Analysis of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Research Paper

Historical Analysis of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - Research Paper Example This led to Queen Elizabeth's attempts towards religious tolerance which failed. The end result was a deep dissatisfaction amongst Catholics in England which culminated in the Gunpowder Plot to assassinate King James. Supremacy and Uniformity Act & Penal Law in the 1500s England encountered the reformation in the era of Henry VIII who passed the Act of Supremacy of 1534 which made the Crown take over the English Church from Pope1. This was due to some fundamental disagreement concerning monogamy and his desire to divorce his wife which was unapproved by the Pope. Due to this, the Church was deeply divided. The Uniformity Act of 1534 required all priests in England to swear an oath to the King of England and not to the pope. Notable bishops and priests refused to do this and they were executed. This included John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester who refused to swear allegiance to the King of England. The society was therefore divided between the Catholics, who were influenced by the need t o remain loyal to the Pope and Rome and the Anglicans who had decided to swear allegiance to the King of England. Also, the wind of Protestantism was blowing in Britain because many breakaway groups like the Calvinists and other such groups were fully operational in the country. The Protestants demanded a total breakaway from the Catholic Church and full derecognition of the Pope. However, the Anglicans maintained some of the traditions of the Catholic Church. Since the King had supreme power and authority, he managed to make important changes and reforms to the Anglican Church. He went further and married several women and had different children who were all capable of taking over from him. After his death in 1547, Henry VIII was replaced by Edward VI who reigned in 1553. Edward VI's mother was Jane Seymour and was a Protestant. He repealed six articles of the Uniformity Act and integrated some elements of Calvinism. Queen Mary took over in 1553 after the death of Edward VI. Mary's mother was Catherine of Aragon. She was a Roman Catholic and she promoted Catholicism in England during her reign. She defied all odds and married her cousin, Philip from Spain and this really angered many leaders in England who saw this as a major return to Catholicism. Mary's reign was said to be very bloody because she took so many steps to suppress Protestants and other views. In her reign, she burnt 300 people at the stake and this furthered her effort to return the country to its Catholic roots2. When Elizabeth I took over from Mary in 1558, there had been two important transitions ahead of her reign. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and was the last Tudor to reign. At this point, the different religious had emerged. This included the Catholics, Protestants, and Anglicans. Within these sects, there were extreme groups and ideologies that sought to control affairs of the state in a more holistic manner. In order to prevent tensions in her reign, Eliza beth II passed the Act of Supremacy3. This was a kind of religious settlement that was meant to prevent further violence and promote national unity/stability. This Act canceled the pro-Catholic laws of Mary and the King/Queen of England was to become the head of the Anglican Church. People taking high public office were required to swear to the Queen.  

Organizational Behavior Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Essay The paper would discuss about a case study of a departmental store called, Macy’s, where the problem statement would be elaborated, comprehensive analysis would be done regarding the problems and circumstances, and finally recommendations would be given as a solution which would be followed by a conclusion. So let’s have a quick overview of what the case study talks about. Macy’s, which is a departmental store organization, has recently decided to reshape the organizational structure where more emphasis would be laid on the local districts and stores as compared to the central stores. Moreover, they would be given more autonomy and authority to operate, conduct research, order merchandise, and market those products in a suitable manner depending on the type of the target market, social norms, and customers’ needs. This strategy is designed in order to keep the customers close to the business, understand what actually they want, how they want, and at what prices they want; therefore, doing every such thing in order to fulfill their needs and wants and keeping them satisfied. Macy’s has around 20 districts that operate in different regions, and the managers or staff working there would now be handling with less stores than previously. This would be done to make them focused on the areas where they are working, penetrate in there, grab the market share, and bring in more profits. Not only this, Macy’s several retail outlets were named differently, which all are rebranded and named as Macy’s. This is all done because previous mergers and expansion of the business did not provide lucrative results due to the improper formulation and implementation of the strategies. Problem Statement The problem in reshaping the organizational structure is that many of the employees, around 2000, would be laid off in just a blink of an eye, which would of course create some retaliation on part of the employees and unions. Another problem would be the decision-making, as in, who should be appointed as a manager or supervisor of a given district so that he enjoys his autonomy and own decisions. It would create conflicts among the employees because everyone would be willing to be a manager or supervisor. Read more:Â  Essay on Organizational Behavior Furthermore, the restructuring would take time and most importantly, the costs of operating separately would increase because each store in a different district would be ordering different types of products with different features and variants. Not only this, marketers would have to conduct research extensively to find out the consumer’s needs, wants, preferences, and purchasing power. Case Study Analysis Now let’s highlight each problem and analyze it in great detail. Starting from the first problem where 2000 thousand employees would be laid off, it would not be pointless to say that the employees would retaliate over the uncertainty of their jobs as in, whom the company would be layoff and why. This would instigate a sense of demotivation, dejection, and a feeling among the employees where they would no longer see them as part of the organization; therefore, the performance would drastically decline before the implementation of the new plan – reshaping the organizational structure. Instead of moving on forward and implement the plan, the company would entangle itself in another problem and hence would waste the time in dealing with it. Talking about the second problem, of course the employees would be glad that finally they would get a chance to think, plan, and implement their own ideas and strategies since they would be held responsible for their separate stores and given autonomy. But on the other hand, the big question mark that would be lying in the minds of the employees would be to whom the autonomy would be given be given and why, because almost every one of them would love to have such autonomy. Conflicts after conflicts would occur because once the employees are given their charge and autonomy, each of them would face confrontations from those who were neglected and not selected as a manger. This would create a ripple effect in the whole process and would eventually undermine the organizational performance. Not only this, the demands of each of those managers or supervisors regarding the resources and funds would be different, since each of them would want to spend as much money and resources as required in order to get fruitful results. This of course, would lead to the lavish spending and waste of resources that might lead to the incurring of loss for the company due to the increase of unnecessary costs. The reshaping of any organization’s structure is not an easy task; in fact, it takes time and resources to take it to the next level. Currently Macy’s has a tall or mechanistic structure, where there lies several hierarchies and the power or autonomy is central; and the new strategy is designed to eliminate some hierarchical levels and distribute the powers to separate districts in order to have an organic or flat structure (Robbins Judge, 2007). The problem related to this restructuring would be manifold because the company would have to be ready to face the ever-increasing costs of operating separately and customizing the product lines. First of all, the costs related to the payrolls would increase as the responsibility of the employees would increase. Not only this, the managers would have to be trained for acquiring the skills to handle the whole district and the stores, so this would require considerable amount of investment too. When it comes to gathering the information about the locality to know the market trends, customers’ needs and wants, in order to sell customized products; therefore, the managers would have to be provided with sufficient funds and resources to conduct market research surveys through several tools including questionnaires, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and informal interviews (Zikmund, 2006). Increased costs would not stop here, in fact the tailoring of products with respect to their types, sizes, colors, and features would require the manufacturer and supplier costs to increase. In addition to these problems, there is no surety that the new strategies would work the way they are expected to and give favorable outcomes. If they get flop, the result would be quite disastrous for the company and all of its district stores. Till now we discussed the problems that are there and might arise when the new plan would be implemented; now let’s shed some light over the recommendations for overcoming these problems. Recommendations Macy’s departmental store management team should consider the dark sides of its plan and prepare contingency plans that can be implemented to overcome the loss. First of all, in order to deal with the retaliation problem from the side of employees due to layoff, Macy’s should introduce a plan where those employees who are to be laid off, would be informed well before the time and would be offered three month salaries in advance so that they do no face any problem until they stay unemployed. This would somewhat cool them down and would not force them to retaliate. As far as the second problem is concerned, Macy’s should consider appointing the senior employees as managers of separate district and local stores, who are there at Macy’s for many years and have considerable experience. Not only this, another strategy that should be introduced and implemented throughout the Macy’s stores chain is the compensation plan called Performance-based compensation, where the employees who perform well and have better productivity level are rewarded by monetary rewards or promotion to be a manager or supervisor. This will create the need and sense of responsibility among the employees to reduce unnecessary costs, improve productivity in terms of sales, and gain overall efficiency; therefore, the issue of wastage of resources would automatically diminish. Furthermore, the conflicts would be eliminated since all the employees would be working diligently so that he or she can be promoted and rewarded more. Since Macy’s departmental organization has an extensive chain of stores, so implementing such a big change of organizational restructuring would not be easy and would require the services of specialists and consultants. Therefore, Macy’s must hire some change agents and consultants who would then study each and every aspect of the organization, the needs and requirements, and would form an effective plan for bringing on the change. They usually adopt the method including three major steps – freezing, changing, and refreezing (Daft, 1997). The whole process of change would go systematically and the chances of occurring of blunders would be very minimal, since these change agents are master in their jobs. Conclusion After analyzing the whole case study, we found out several problems that the company might face when the new plan of organizational restructuring takes place. Those problems include retaliation from the side of employees due to layoff, conflicts among the employees over getting more autonomy and job status, and swelling costs due to the separate demands and needs of the stores operating under distinct cultural and social settings. Then we highlighted some of the recommendations that if implemented, can overcome these issues effectively. Employees must be told in advance about their being layoff and granted with three months of advance salaries. Secondly, Macy’s should appoint experienced and senior employees as the mangers and supervisors of the chain stores; moreover, performance-based compensation plan must be implemented. And finally, the services of change agents and consultants should be taken for implementing the new plan of restructuring, who would implement it in a systematic way by first freezing the company, changing it, and then refreezing it. Consequently, the task of restructuring is a hectic and difficult one that requires ample amount of time, but it is not impossible and can be made to meet its end meet by devising effective strategies to carry on with it. References Daft. R. L. (1997). Management. Fourth Edition. U. S. A. The Dryden Press Robbins. S. P, and Judge. T. A. 2007. Organizational Behavior. India. Dorling Kindersley Pvt. Ltd. Zikmund. W. G. (2003). Business Research Methods. Seventh edition. Singapore. Thomson Asia pte. Ltd.

Brand Management Across Geographic Boundaries and Market Segments Essay Example for Free

Brand Management Across Geographic Boundaries and Market Segments Essay Apples encouragement of differentiation between product designs and its promotion of secrecy around new product launches heightens the Apple mystique. These create the Apple halo effect, where a buyer of one Apple product has a high probability of returning to Apple for other products as well. Apples has emphasized its unique retail stores through design for several of its flagship locations as well as tailoring the retail experience to include product test drives, classes and workshops geared teaching users about its products. With relatively light presence in lower-margin, higher-growth geographic areas, Apple will experience less of its halo effect and reduced product/brand recognition, lowering sales potential. With China and India estimated to make up about 66% of PC market growth through 2010, this could be a significant challenge for Apple. Competition Against the Mac: Apples position is improving in the worldwide PC market; the Mac still represents a small fraction of the overall PC market. Apple enjoys a unique advantage of having something of a niche market without needing to compete directly with Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) and Dell (DELL) and Microsoft (MSFT) operating systems for enterprise endorsement. Against the iPod: Although Apple remains the industry leader in PMPs, the competition is making significant gains. The popularity of flash-based PMPs is problematic for Apple, which has much stronger market presence in hard-drive based (HDD) players. To combat this, Apple may release a new flash-based line of players. Apple in the Living Room Apple’s iPod and iTunes are a powerful combination that fosters a network style of increasing returns. By selling iPods, Apple increases the consumer demand for music from iTunes. By placing more musical choices on iTunes there is more demand for iPods. Apple is shooting for the digital living room of the future. For example, Apple just released a â€Å"boom box† portable version of the iPod. This comes with a remote control. Apple is clearly trying to develop a stronger core competency in the entertainment area. Style at a Premium Apple’s products are trendy and stylish. After Jobs returned in 1997, Apple retained a special designer called Jonathan Ive to differentiate their computers. Ive’s design of the iMac included clear colorful cases that distinguished Apple computers. Apple positions its Macintosh computers as higher quality and higher price. HP, Dell, and other PC manufacturers are pricing many systems. Although the Mac Mini is a base model with few features, it comes in a very small and distinctive package. Apple portrays this computer as â€Å"Small is Beautiful†. (Apple) Likewise, the iPod Shuffle was Apple’s first entry of flash-memory-based portable music players. Apple and the Digital Lifestyle Apple not only dominates the music player market, its iLife suite provides consumers with easy-to-use software for music and video composition. With â€Å"podcast† a household word, Apple’s Garage Band application makes the recording of podcasts and music very easy. Operating Segments Apple breaks its sales into five â€Å"operating segments†. The chart below shows the sales by segment for each year 2002-2005. On a percentage basis, only the retail segment appears to be outperforming the others. Differentiation Apple pioneered the PDA market by introducing the Newton in 1993. Later, Apple introduced the easy-to-use iMac in 1998, and updates following 1998. In 2001, Apple hit another important historical point by launching iTunes. This marked the beginning of Apple’s new strategy of making the Mac the hub for the â€Å"digital lifestyle†. Apple then opened its own stores, in spite of protests by independent. Then Apple introduced the iPod, central to the â€Å"digital lifestyle† strategy. Philip W. Schiller, VP of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apple, stated, â€Å"iPod is going to change the way people listen to music.† He was right. Apple continued their innovative streak with advancements in flat-panel LCDs for desktops in 2002 and improved notebooks in 2003. In 2003, Apple released the iLife package, containing improved versions of iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, and iTunes. Apple continued its digital lifestyle strategy by launching iTunes Music Store online in 2003, In 2003, Apple released the world’s fastest PC (Mac G5).

A Study Of The Ghaf Tree

A Study Of The Ghaf Tree The Ghaf tree also known as Prosopis cineraria has been an essential part of the UAEs distinctive desert environment and the civilization that have emerged here in the Emirates. Ghaf tree culturally and traditionally is as valuable and precious as it is ecologically. Groves of ghaf grow naturally in the desert sands and wide wadis in all emirates, but unfortunately they are becoming extinct. In this project we will discuss the causes of extinction of the Ghaf tree, why it is threatened and the impacts that could lead to the extinction of the Ghaf tree. Forests are fabulous places, were you can see different types of Insects, mammals and birds. They are also places that embrace various flowers, trees and grasses. Actually, this sight maybe a good explanation that illustrates the term Biodiversity. Biodiversity is a vague word that has many definitions among researchers and scientists. In fact, researchers have different definitions according to their different goals, perspectives and values. Takacs (1996) defined the biodiversity as a full variety of life on Earth, while Chadwick (1993) thinks that this word is simply defined as nature or wilderness. However, the general idea among all the researchers is that the biodiversity is the study of the process that makes and sustains the variation of the species on the earth (redpath-museum, 2010). It illustrates the idea of the relationship between the individual and the population, and the population with the community. Moreover, biodiversity is considered as a part of nature because it plays a big role in affecting animals and plants in both terrestrial and aquatic biomes (Ecosystem, 2008). Due to researches, there are three main types of biodiversity. The first type is the ecological or ecosystem diversity. An ecosystem is a structure which includes living organisms and non living organisms functioning together to maintain the life cycle (Ecosystem, 2008). The ecological diversity refers to the total of different types of ecosystems with the different species within them. The diversity of species within an ecosystem is affected by the ecosystem itself. That is because each species need a different habitat that it is suitable to live and reproduce within it. The second type is the species diversity. It means the number of plants and animals that exist in an area. Essentially, some regions are richer of species than other regions. For example, the tropical forests have much more species than other regions like the poles. The third type is the genetic diversity. This type explains that each member or individual within a species is different from the other members from the same species (BIODIVERSITY, 2010). The differences are in the genetic structure that gives each member his own characteristics. A clear example for the genetic biodiversity is the human beings. Each person has different characteristics than the others because of the genetic building in each one of them. In fact, the genetic diversity is crucial for the species health and diversity because it keeps the diversity among individuals and therefore protects the species from being extinct. In this project, we are concerning on one species from the allover species on the earth which is the the Ghaf tree. The Ghaf trees classification is as follows: kingdom: plantae, Phylum: Magnoliophyta, Class: Magnoliopsida, Family: Fabaceae, Genus: Prosopis, Species: cineraria(ARkive, 2010). Thus, we can point that the scientific name of that tree is Prosopis cineraria. There are many local names for this tree. For example, it is known as Ghaf for Arabian, jandior khejri for Indian, and jand for Pakistani. (Agroforestry Database 4.0, 2009). Since the species is considered as a plant, it is a producer. That means that the species stands in the first trophic level (uaehoverfly, 2010). The Prosopis cineraria is a moderate sized evergreen thorny tree (experiencefestival, 2010) of 3-5 m high (Agroforestry Database 4.0, 2009). It is considered as a rapid growing tree that resists the dryness and the arid conditions because of the variability of the trees growth (Asian Agri-History, 2004). Moreover, it resists the hot weather and the dry and hot winds. Thus, it is considered as one of the most species that withstood the difficult conditions of environment. It has also a dense shade that kills the seedling (experiencefestival, 2010). Its roots are fast growing even more than the upper part of it. They are long enough that it can use the water in the deep soil layers. As reports say, the Ghaf tree roots may reach to a depth of 35 meters (experience festival, 2010). The leaves are glabrous which are mostly green but seems to be gray when it gets dry (Agroforestry Database 4.0, 2009). It produces a yellow flowers near the summer between March to May, in the time which most of the plants are leafless. Actually this occurs at an early age when the tree is five years old. The Ghaf tree is planted and grown in arid places were the climate is dry and the maximum temperatures varies from 48 deg C to 52 deg C while the annual rainfall is 120 mm to 250 mm(Agroforestry Database 4.0, 2009). It is mostly grown on sandy soils where the lower part is moisture to help its roots to get water. The relational position (sciencedaily, 2010) of the Ghaf tree among the ecosystem is high and strong. It has a historical story with the people who lived in rural places were this species actually grow. The reason is that this tree is a legume that helps to fertile the soil. Moreover, it has a big role in stabling the sand dunes and the agriculture harvests because of the deep roots it owns, the ability of fixing the nitrogen and the ability of providing the soil with important organic substances (Asian Agri-History, 2004). Also, this tree is a main source of getting fuel wood, fodder and medicines. In fact, this tree plays an important role in sustaining the delicate and the dry ecosystems. Researchers insure by the datas support that the Prosopis cineraria has the priority in the improvement that contains fragile areas (Asian Agri-History, 2004). Figure 1: The Species Distribution In The World. Figure (1) below shows the world map pointed with the countries in which the Ghaf tree is planted. According to the figure, the species is planted in such specific countries like Afghanistan, dry areas of Central and Southern India, West Iran and Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (Agroforestry Database 4.0, 2009). However, the species can be planted in other countries science the environmental and climatic conditions mentioned above are available in them. The evidence of that is it that the species is invasive to other countries like the United Arab Emirates. In other words, this species cannot be planted in anywhere except those which are pointed in the figure, but it can be invasive to some parts of the world where the conditions are suitable. Student 2: Status An endangered species is a group of living organisms which face a significant risk of being extinct in the near future or disappearance from earth if a solution is not discovered . Extinction happens for a number of different reasons such as change of climate , natural disasters, drop in the number of species ,oil spills by humans, acid rains, water pollution, and last but not least over-hunting by humans. Al Ghaf tree or Prosopis cineraria as a scientific name, is one of the most famous and spread trees in the UAE. It has a very important national status , it was composed for a long time apart from the desert nature of UAE, so it has a very historical status, Ghaf tree grows in UAE deserts and valleys as a natural tree, especially in the eastern part of UAE. It belongs to the dry region plants as a thorny tree. It is an evergreen tree with slender branches armed with conical thorns and with light bluish-green foliage; its height is more than 7 meters. This tree has been around for centuries , and it is considered to be one of the most important trees for the natural balance , it increases the vitality of the soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen (Saving the Arabian ghaf tree, 2006). The ghaf tree is considered to be endangered for reasons such as ignorance of the importance of this tree as it doesnt get the support and care that it should get , Camels have increased lately and camels depends on ghaf tree as a source of food, Cutting its branches as fodder , Lack of groundwater, as experts are always looking for groundwater to use it for everyday life and agriculture needs. The Ghaf tree grows separately or in groups, and it can afford all desert difficulties because of its long and deep roots which extend to more than 30 meters underground (The Prosopis cineraria, 2010 ), It has a massive and nested branches, that is why it is called the umbrella tree or the dunes tree as it grows in deserts dunes. Al Ghaf is one of the most important trees for the natural balance, it increases the vitality of the soil by producing Neutrogen. Ghaf was used in the past in cooking; getting food, wood as a material for building roofs, and for garnishing and decorating (Al Ghaf tree report, 2009). Unfortunately, Ghaf tree is missing real care and support. Reasons for Extinction Ignorance of the importance of this tree as it doesnt get the support and care that it should get . Urban expansion which leads to getting rid of and cutting such trees. Camels have increased lately and they depends on ghaf tree as a source of food. Cutting its branches as fodder. Lack of groundwater, as experts are always looking for groundwater to use it for life and agriculture needs. Sadly , the ghaf tree has fallen a victim to human destruction of the environment all for the selfishness of us human beings and that is what lead to the ghaf tree being endangered. Human impact is one of the most affecting reasons in the ghaf trees disappearance because of urban booming and infrastructure, and whats most important is peoples ignorance as to the importance of this tree. Government and societies should spread knowledge about this tree by creating events held specifically in order to save the ghaf tree . Governments should also try to state laws and punishments in order to save this tree from over cutting and demolishing that could eventually lead to extinction. Many domestic societies are looking forward to adopting the ghaf tree as a symbol for the UAEs natural culture and in different fields as well for its important status (Saving the ghaf tree, 2007). Figure 2 shows the popularity of the ghaf tree over the years. This table shows us that the ghaf tree is not well-known and that explains the ignorance that is associated towards this tree. Figure 2: Popularity of Al-Ghaf Tree Over Time Source: (Popularity of Prosopis Cineraria over time, 2007) Student 3: Causes of Extinction The Ghaf tree is under threat of extinction. The plant has been realized by several environmentalists and social scientists in the United Arab Emirates as a symbol of the natural history of the country and a tree that carries several values. The tree has been under such threat due to several reasons some of which have occurred in past circumstances while others due to current circumstances. Past reasons of extinction include distortions in the ecosystem and lack of natural water resources while present reasons include urbanization and public ignorance. The Ghaf tree has been an essential food source, as well as a source of fuel, shelter and medicine. Its leaves were once used instead of rice, its elongated pods provide fodder for animals which in turn supply milk, butter, cheese and meat (WWF 2008). The tree is well known to provide food for the ecosystem members such as insects, small birds and reptiles and its presence is indeed a signal of underground water. Due to such facts, the rise in number of camels in the region brought by the economic boom of the region has resulted in a distortion of this ecosystem. There are over 250,000 camels in the UAE that graze and coppice over the Ghaf trees (FAOSTAT 2004). Also in the past, when agriculture was a larger sector of the UAE economy ground water was used for irrigation of such plantations this has possessed a greater risk of depriving hydration for the Ghaf trees and has resulted in the death of many of the trees. The current reasons of extinction threat towards the Ghaf tree include the urbanization and fast development of the region along with public ignorance. The UAEs economic boom has brought a large population growth followed by a demand for real estate. Such a demand created the need for urban development including infrastructural foundations such as highways, electric lines, underground water pipelines and more. This has resulted in the removal several fauna and flora from the region including the Ghaf tree. In accordance the ecosystem has also been further affected irreversibly where birds have migrated away that used the Ghaf tree leaves as a source of food. The reproduction rate of the Ghaf is incomparable to the rate of their decease in the region, whereas according to Razan Khalifa, managing director of the Emirates Wildlife Society: given that the ghaf is a slow grower, over-lopping is extremely harmful to its numbers. Land clearance for developmental projects [;] Many ghaf trees among others are ruthlessly chopped down to make way for modern projects in the desert (Al Majaida 2006). Measures Taken The first measures taken in the United Arab Emirates was taken by the former president of the UAE, H.H Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan that was very passionate about conservation and environmental issues. The former president used to keep Ghaf trees that were found in his palace areas encompassed within a circle of bricks in order to prevent its removal. The former UAE president also placed a law that banned the chopping of Ghaf trees in the areas of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. He also provided grants for environmentalists that intended to find solutions for elongating their survival and he provided subsidies to the municipalities of the region to spread the tree in the region. In 2006 the Emirates Wildlife Society along with the Al Fahim Group launched a campaign to save the Al Ghaf tree in which visitors of the web site campaign and vote to elect the tree as the national symbol of historical nature in the United Arab Emirates calling for government support to take actions to prevent the extinction of the tree (De Roy 2006). Furthermore, the web site is titled savetheghaftree.org aims to spread awareness about three by sending out public relation tools such as newsletters and posters in order to educate subscribers about the importance of preserving the heritage and natural culture of the United Arab Emirates. The strategic alliances of this campaign included AMEinfo.com, Al Fahim Group, Emirates Wildlife Society in association with World Wildlife Fund, UAE-based publishing houses such as Ahlan magazine by ITP, UAE nationals and desert lovers from all nationalities within the UAE. The campaign has been designed to target media through mall promotions for a two month period between the end of 2006 and the beginning of the following year. Moreover, the web site includes interactive media that allows subscribers to create their own Ghaf garden and compare their performances with one another. The concept follows on to translate virtual objectivity into reality in which the Emirates Wildlife Society with the sponsorship of the Al Fahim Group will plant an actual Ghaf tree in conserved groves for every ten virtual Ghaf trees grown online. Finally the online portal allows visitors to discuss stories about the Ghaf tree where pictures, designs, thoughts and suggestions can be shared among groups of people. The results of the campaign came as impressive in less than a year where more than a thousand trees have been planted within less than ten weeks online and a hundred trees were planted by Al Fahim Group and the EWS. Email blasts have resulted in the voting for the Ghaf tree as a national symbol to reach more than three thousand votes. The news spread to government entities such as the Abu Dhabi government that have placed efforts to spread such awareness among schools and their own department in terms of seeking the conservation and protection of the Ghaf tree. The media has also followed up on the campaign by adding television interviews. This was also followed by more environmentalists pursuing research on the Ghaf tree and finding appropriate soil conditions to elongate life spans. To further strengthen the campaign the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority provided voting ballot cards from the campaign in their advertisements, flyers and inv itations during the 4th Abu Dhabi Classical Music Festival (De Roy 2006). The Horticulture Department of the Dubai Municipality has also taken deep measures in 2008 to save the Ghaf tree by spreading it all around the parks in the city of Dubai. The Al Mushrif Forest Park in Deira, off Al Khawaneej area, is home to almost sixty thousand trees. Due to the requirement of water for the survival of the Ghaf tree the municipality has placed intensive efforts in planting new Ghaf trees and relocating more than seven thousand trees from areas all over Dubai such Al Barsha to the park in spots that contain more water and are more hydration accessible (Al Khan 2008). This can also be shown in figure 3 where according to environmental researches Ghaf trees in Dubai have lost average radiuses meaning that lack of water is signaling the relocation of the trees to water abundant areas: Figure 3: Size Distribution of Ghaf trees in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve It is important to note here that such an effort is significant due to the nature of the Ghaf tree that grows a long root tap in natural conditions, almost 30 meters, whereas its translocation can sever its roots and these trees may therefore be reliant on artificial irrigation for many years (Gardner Howarth 2009). Call to Action Source: Gallacher Hill (2005) The government of the UAE can spread the awareness of the Ghaf tree by starting such awareness within schools and placing the tree as a national symbol in the UAE society curriculums that students study in schools. The government can also provide incentives for environmental companies and research groups with the UAE and the GCC in order to spread the awareness and provide a long term growth strategy for the clusters of the Ghaf trees in the region. In addition, the government can also provide more campaigns in malls and population-intensive areas to spread the awareness. A great example would be placing a plastic model of the tree in the middle of mall or using the ghaf tree on the national day along with the UAE cultural identity to enhance its importance and vitality to ensuring the natural heritage of the nation. Finally the government can provide shuttle buses for the public in order to visit Ghaf tree areas and give them a tour of the place. Another suggestion starts from the individual point of view. The ghaf tree is being in threat of extinction due to other factors as well such as pollution and the over usage of water. In order to start that individual incentive it is important to fulfill self-conscience satisfaction when an individual saves a Ghaf tree. This can be done by saving water and looking at the difference consumption levels of water and hence using some of the saved water to visit ghaf trees and place water at these sites. The media is one of the strongest tools for changing opinions and driving trends in a society. It can play a strong role in saving the Ghaf tree and idolizing it as the UAE environmental symbol. The media is divided according to the mediums of channeling a communicatory message, that is, by radio, television or public relations. Television campaigns suggested can include environmental game shows that ask audience questions about the environment in which the ghaf tree can be used. As for radio campaigns, competitions in early morning shows during high peak times can be broadcasted in order to spread the message about the Ghaf tree. As for public relations, holding press conferences and events for environmentalists that show results of the previous campaign in the UAE can be very important to show how the tree has changed the environment and how opinions in the region have changed as a result of such campaigns. Public relations are a strong tool to alter readers opinion on the long run as compared to advertising. Finally, merchandising that are used in such media campaigns can be themed by designing them according to the Ghaf tree themes. Conclusion All in all it is quite significant to save the Ghaf tree from its extinction due to the importance of the tree from an environmental benefit point of view and from a preservation of culture and heritage point of view. From a global point of view several nations have used their own flora as a symbol of their geographical presence and as the UAE enters the international arena as a major economic and multicultural hub in the region it is vital to use one of the oldest and most appreciated plants as a representation of the nations vegetation. Furthermore, the culture of the UAE is based on Islamic values and learning which as mentioned in the holy Quran mention the need to respect all the living creatures that lurk on this planet. The fact that this foundation is the basis of many aspects in the UAE has made the idea of placing efforts and further education ethically and morally corrects to respect one of the most foregone trees that has always been present even before the economic uproa r makes the Ghaf tree a preservation of the culture of the UAE. In the future when new generations are to come, the Ghaf trees that have been standing tall during our times will maintain their sturdy places and remind the unborn that these trees are the symbol of UAE culture and what has made the UAE and its leaders thrive to make the country what it really is.

Cyberlaundering: Anonymous Digital Cash and Money Laundering :: essays research papers

Cyberlaundering: Anonymous Digital Cash and Money Laundering Copyright 1996 R. Mark Bortner The author hereby grants the right to copy this article in its entirety or any portion thereof by any means possible and to distribute such copies freely and without charge. The author simply requests that when a portion of this article or its entirety is included within another work, that such copied material be clearly and correctly cited to. Presented as final paper requirement for Law & the Internet (LAW 745). A seminar at the University of Miami School of Law. Introduction This article will explore the latest technique in money laundering: Cyberlaundering by means of anonymous digital cash. Part I is a brief race through laundering history. Part II discusses how anonymous Ecash may facilitate money laundering on the Intenet. Part III examines the relationship between current money laundering law and cyberlaundering. Part IV addresses the underlying policy debate surrounding anonymous digital currency. Essentially, the balance between individual financial privacy rights and legitimate law enforcement interests. In conclusion, Part V raises a few unanswered societal questions and attempts to predict the future. Disclaimer: Although the author discusses this subject in a casual, rather than rigidly formal tone, money laundering is a serious issue which should not be taken lightly. As this article will show, fear of money laundering only serves to increase banking regulations which, in turn, affect everyone's ability to conduct convenient, efficient and relatively private financial transactions. Part I Humble Beginnings In the beginning, laundering money was a physical effort. The art of concealing the existence, the illegal source, or illegal application of income, and then disguising that income to make it appear legitimate 1 required that the launderer have the means to physically transport the hard cash.2 The trick was, and still is, to avoid attracting unwanted attention, thus alerting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other government agencies 3 involved in searching out ill-gotten gains.4 In what could be described as the "lo-tech" world of money laundering, the process of cleaning "dirty money" was limited by the creative ability to manipulate the physical world. Other than flying cash out of one country and depositing it in a foreign bank with less stringent banking laws,5 bribing a bank teller, or discretely purchasing real or personal property, the classic approach was for a "smurf"6 to deposit cash at a bank. Essentially, platoons of couriers assaulted the lobbies of banks throughout the United States with deposits under the $10,000 reporting limit as required under the Bank Secrecy Act.