EProcurement Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EProcurement - Article Example The efficiencies in the processes involved diminish organizational performance. To put this in context, one can consider how a product is sold to a customer. The transaction would appear to be simple, with a store selling the product on the shelf. But the process behind this is actually complex involving vast supply chain especially when the organization involved operates globally. It would mean that several players and variables are involved with products changing hands several times, crossing geographic and even political boundaries. Finally, there are the inefficiencies, which aggravate the system further, complicating them even more. They jack up costs affecting all stakeholders in the process. Suppliers, consumers and retailers each incur losses. One could also turn to the case of interoperability to support this further. It pertains to the capability by which different IT systems of firms and individuals communicate and operate. This has been a problematic issue because IT systems have different technical standards, in addition to the differences in policies in the international system with respect to access and release of information. This issue is critical because it affects the deployment and overall processes of e-commerce infrastructure. For example, a company may encounter difficulties in its e-invoicing system if its technical standards have different semantic characteristics with those of its customers or those other firms it transacts with. The semantic layer of an organizations e-procurement system concerns the analysis of data and their meaning and interpretation (Paunovic et al., 2012). Differences in IT systems would mean varying modes of reading and interpreting data, which could impact the way correct informa tion is communicated and interpreted from both ends. There is, hence, for a global standard that can address the inefficiencies of

America's role in the world Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

America's role in the world - Research Paper Example This was just the beginning; the invasion of the US in other countries did not stop. â€Å"The invasion into Iran was another poor decision by the US personnel, they may have benefitted monetarily but their reputation as a country took a major hit in the eyes of the rest of the world.† (Bamford, James) â€Å"The US has always tried to dictate terms to other nations and this is possibly one reason why Osama chose US as his main target and did the damage that he did. September 9th 2001 is arguably the darkest day in the history of the United States.† (Ahmed, Nafeez) â€Å"The US reacted violently after the 9/11 incident; they declared a War on Terror and in the process invaded several countries.† (Benjamin, Daniel) The 9/11 incident killed several people. Innocent people were killed for no fault of theirs; brutality was unleashed in more ways than one. This was one big attack which caught the attention of the people; there are so many terrorists’ activities which don’t catch the eye of the people living in different parts of the world. Terrorism has become a menace and it hampers development and growth of a country. It is very important take appropriate measures. The World Picture After 1945 â€Å"250000 people were approximately killed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; this still remains the most dreadful massacre of the civilians ever to take place in the history.† (Archick, Kristin) A lot of things changed after the Second World War, the US became a force to reckon with. The US also tested atomic bomb under water and this was first done in the year 1946. The Bikini Islands in the Pacific was the place where these tests of atomic bomb were conducted. â€Å"The United States Representative to the UN Atomic Energy Commission unveiled a plan under which the US would surrender its monopoly of atomic weapons to an international body. The Soviets refused the proposal, and proceeded to develop their own weapons.† (Baruch Plan for Atomic Control) In Germany nine of the most influential people were hung after their trials, these nine people committed malicious crimes such as killing about nine million Jews. The Germans just wanted to ensure that this should not be repeated and hence did justice to these nine people. In the year 1947 the Asian countries also made significant progress, India and Pakistan got independence and formed their own governments, this independence was achieved after a long struggle with the foreign forces. These were some of the most significant events that took place after 1945. The US has an undeniable dominance over the other countries. Even after the recent slump, the US is still one of the most powerful countries in the world. The top-notch technology available in country sets it apart from the rest of the countries. Before 1890 the US officials and the other influential people were very content and satisfied with the position of their country but all of a sudden a wave just swept aside the nation and the people thought that they should start showing their dominance on the world arena. The US started venturing into the never ventured phenomena of conquering other nations. The Caribbean and the Central America were the first destinations that lured the US officials and also set them on a spree of world dominance. The Spanish-American war gave a major boost to the US and made

Morality & differentiate Essay Example for Free

Morality differentiate Essay Morality is defined as the ability to differentiate what is right and what is wrong. While the concept may seem simple enough, in reality however it is much more complex than that. The main question is how does one define right and wrong? If something is deemed as â€Å"right†for one person, does it automatically mean that it is the right one for another? This rather confusing view of morality is exemplified in the current saying that â€Å"one mans terrorist is another mans patriot. † Truly, morality is not that easy to define. Morality however it seems is more often than not defined by the society at large. A society is define as a group of individuals that have common interests as well as have their own culture. This concept of society and morality is highly apparent in the novel by Azar Nafisi title â€Å"Reading Lolita in Tehran, A Memoir in Books. † Nafisi is in Iranian scholar who emigrated in 1997 to the United States. The book mentioned in the title is the novel by Vladimir Nabokov which tells the story of a middle aged man who has sexual obsessions with a pre-teen girl, specifically a twelve-year old girl. Although Nafisis novel isnt just about this particular book, Lolita is however one of those books considered as controversial in Iran. Novels like One Thousand and One Nights, Invitation to a Beheading, The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice, are also included and their similarity to what is happening in Iran. It is Lolita however that gets a rather good exposure in the book. Nafisis novel however goes much deeper that what the title actually says. It gives a rather good view on what happens to the people when a society suddenly changes its view on things. Nafisis book gives a closer look to what happened in Iran when Ayatollah Khomeini gained power after the Islamic revolution. One of this was the decree requiring women of Iran to follow a dress code. Iranian women were now required to wear veils. An issue that Nafisis tackles a lot in her book. This simple decree caused a great deal of change in Iran. Prior to the decree, Iranian women did not wear veils. For most women, the decree was considered as a restriction to their freedom. Women who do not follow this rule are often detained. As a result, wearing the veil also restricted how people interacted with one another. One reason for this change in interaction is the differences in their reactions to the decree. While some stated that they â€Å"hated†it, others supported it saying it made them feel more â€Å"relaxed. † In general though, women who did not wear veils were considered immoral and even unchaste by the society at large. The decree requiring the veil also allowed for segregation and discrimination. The veil made women have a less status that the men. The veil did not only change the relationships that people had with each other but also on their individual roles and responsibilities. While women were still allowed to go to universities, these were still subjected to suppression by those in power. Segregation was not the only thing that was practiced in the universities but those who were found talking to the opposite sex were punished by the religious authorities. In fact, because the school where Nafisi taught was rather liberal, school officials were often asked if they believed the school was located in Switzerland, the word being connected with all things considered decadent and lax. The wearing of the veil also made women subservient to men who had to follow whatever was said to them. This change in culture actually continued despite Khomeinis death. According to Nafisi, Khomeinis real death would only come when women were not required to wear scarves in public anymore. By interjecting the novel Lolita in her book, Nafisi shows what the society truly is. A country doing its best to live in a fantasy world. In Lolita, the main protagonist Humbert Humbert, wishes to have the perfect Lolita. Implementing the decree on the wearing of the veil in reality reveals Khomeinis dream of having a truly perfect Koranic society. Nafisi argues that much like story, where Humberts pursuit eventually destroys Lolita, Iran may likely experience the same. Living in a fantasy world though may not be that bad. Nafisis book tells us that we all need to create a paradise to escape into. ( 281) She however immediately corrects this and say that â€Å"fiction was not a panacea, but it did not offer us a critical way of appraising and grasping the world not just our world but that other world that had become the object of our desires. † ( 282) Going back to Lolita and its relation with the Iranian society, Iran is much like Humbert who despite molesting the young Lolita, appears normal in other parts of his life. By implementing a standard on morality, the Iranian society was telling people that it was normal to do so in order to run the country better. And like Humbert, the Iranian society does not blame itself but others for what is wrong. Humbert wants Lolita to become what is perfect for him, no different from what the regime wants for its citizens. The Iranian regime blames the â€Å"dissidents† for what has happened to the country hence the imposition of the new rules or codes of morality. The new codes of morality while restricting activities of most of its citizens, have also made their lives more exciting. What was then ordinary activities where now being done as a secret mission. People who wanted to watch foreign films, eat ice cream, or even meet without wearing veils were doing so in secret. Thus while the citizens were openly showing their support for the rules, they were also secretly doing normal things that were now considered as taboo. The imposition of codes of morality this did not totally alter the responsibilities of the citizens and their roles but only on how they performed it. As mentioned earlier, the issue of morality is a very complex one. By imposing a standard on morality, the Iranian regime thus changed the way its citizens behaved. Women now found their freedom curtailed as they were required to wear veils and not allowed to talk to persons of the other sex. Activities that were regularly considered as norm where now being done in secret. While most people were still allowed to hold their jobs, they faced the constant scrutiny of the religious sector. While Iranian women and people around the world viewed these changes as something negative, the regime however defended its actions by stating that the change was needed. Thus even if the propagator, Khomeini, had died, the practice continued. Another effect that the rules had, specifically on Nafisi, was her having to quit the university and teaching a class and discussing books in secret. For Nafisi, the university was no longer a place where students can have honest discussion asking how could one teach when the main concern of university officials was not the quality of ones work but the color of ones lips, the subversive potential of a single strand of hair? (11) This activity leads to Nafisi bonding with her students since most of them feel that they have been made irrelevant by the new regime. The rule requiring women to wear veils becomes more oppressive when Nafisi reveals that when the students that decided to be with her came to the room, their removing the veils and scarves was an act that was not as simple as one imagines. According to Nafisi, â€Å"each one gained an outline and a shape, becoming her own inimitable self. † (5) Because of their continuous gathering, they begin to have hope. The students draw on the parallelism on what they are currently experiencing with what they are reading. Nafisi explicitly states in the book that â€Å"[h]ope for some means its loss for others; when the hopeless regain some hope, those in power the ones who had taken it away become afraid, more protective of their endangered interests, more repressive. † (276) What this tells us is that instead of just living their lives simply, getting jobs and having a family, Nafisi, her students, and maybe some other Iranians, now found a different purpose in life. They know that they have to be strong if they want their society to change. That even if hope is all that they have left, it is better than nothing. On reading the book, Heywoods point that morality is actually concerned with not only the ethical questions but also how right and wrong are different is made clearer. The question that arises is how can an individual survive if that person has a different perception on himself or herself which is different from what society says? The answer is not simply to become political and institute change. Although it can be considered that the personal is political, at the core of the fight for political rights is the desire to protect ourselves, to prevent the political from intruding on our individual lives. (273) Imagination or fantasy is the one that bridges the political and the personal. The regimes first task had been to blur the lines and boundaries between the personal and the political, thereby destroying them both. (273) In summary, we need to keep in mind what a society is. A group of individuals with something in common and that includes moral principles. When a society has different principles on morality, like what happened in Iran, nothing good can come out of it. This is most true when a society that has experienced freedom before is suddenly restricted. Some groups will feel oppressed and will fight it. Those in power meanwhile, will do what they to prevent that from happening. The one good thing about Nafisis novel is that it does not in provide any political analysis on the situation in Iran. Rather it is about what people can do despite the tyranny around them. That students can learn when they apply and feel what they have read. Morality will always be a very tricky issue. The debate on the concept of right and wrong will not end overnight. If there is one thing that Nafisis novel teaches us, it is that setting a standard for morality is not an answer.

Attitudes towards homosexuality among university students

Attitudes towards homosexuality among university students In 2006, Answers Corporation explained that homosexuality is a term created by 19th century. The meaning of homosexual is, having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex (The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, 2006). Homosexuality includes two groups, which are female homosexuality and male homosexuality. Female homosexuality is described as lesbianism and the male homosexuality is described as gay (Answers Corporation, 2006). At the beginning, some of the psychologists said that homosexuality is a mental illness and put it into the list of mental disorder. However, after some of the studies, they realized that homosexuality is not a mental disorder because it is related to psychological disturbance and is in no sense of mental problem as well. So, homosexuality removed from the list of mental disorders (Tozeland, Loewen, Monteith, n.d.). The factors that lead to homosexuality are critical and discuss by many specialist fields such as psychologists and psychiatrists. View of Psychologists toward Reason of Homosexuality In Robinson study (as cited in Facts about Homosexuality and Mental Health, n.d.), early of the twentieth century, Ellis (1901) argued that homosexuality was inborn and it was not immoral, not a disease, and that many homosexuals made outstanding contributions to society. Sigmund Freud has a different theory of human sexuality from Ellis. He believed that all human beings were innately bisexual. Human beings become heterosexual or homosexual as a result of what they have experiences with other people or environment that surrounding of them. Freud also agreed with Ellis that homosexual orientation should not be viewed as a form of pathology (Facts about Homosexuality and Mental Health, n.d.). He wrote a letter to an American mother in 1935. He said that, people cant get any advantages from their homosexual orientation. But, they were always blamed, discriminated by other people. Actually, homosexuality is not a sin, not an illness as well. He also said that, we need to see it as a sexual function produced by certain sexual development. There are many individuals of ancient and modern times that were respect by us are homosexuality. According to him, it is injustice and cruelty to describe that homosexuality is a crime and sin. He told the American mother that, analysis may let her son feel harmony, peace and full efficiency when her son in the time of unhappy, neurotic, torn by conflicts, and inhibited in the social life whether he remains a homosexual or gets changed (Facts about Homosexuality and Mental Health, n.d.). View of Reincarnation Researchers toward Reason of Homosexuality According to Dr. Ian Stevenson, he concludes that homosexuality is a natural human trait that results from the reincarnation of a person of one gender as a person of the opposite gender. Such people must adjust to their new gender and sexuality at an early age. The difficulty of adjusting relating to the sex change and lead to homosexuality later on in their lives (as cited in Williams, 2006). Reincarnation means the soul occupation a new body after the death of the former body (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2006). The classic form of the reincarnation doctrine was formulated in India, but certainly not earlier than the 9th century BC, when the Brahmana writings were composed. After the Upanishads clearly defined the concept between the 7th and the 5th century BC, it was adopted by the other important Eastern religions which originated in India, Buddhism and Jainism. Due to the spread of Buddhism in Asia, reincarnation was later adopted by Chinese Taoism, but not earlier than the 3rd century BC (Reincarnation, its meaning and consequences, n.d.). Former girls who are reborn as boys may wish to dress as girls or prefer to play with girls rather than boys. Former boys who are reborn as girls may wish to dress as boys or prefer to play with boys rather than girls. Former men who are reborn as women will be attracted to women and will therefore be lesbian. Former women who are reborn as men will be attracted to men and will therefore be gay (as cited in Williams, 2006). Former means past-life or previous life and reborn mean present lifetime. In many cases the person begins talking about his or her life or lives before the present lifetime, about their previous death and about the time between lives including the planning of the present lifetime (as cited in Williams, 2006). So, Dr. Ian Stevenson concludes that, homosexuality is the stem of reincarnation. Beside of the factors to cause homosexuality, the factors that influence people attitudes towards homosexuality are also very controversial. Different people may bring out different of attitudes, thinking, feeling and behaviors towards homosexuality. The differences can be considered contribute to some of the factors such as personal and social factors. Personal Factors that Influence Attitudes towards Homosexual Age. Have a measure of tolerance of homosexual behaviors from attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, such as the nations of Australia, USA, Norway, and others indicated that the higher points of tolerance scored as 100 and the lowest point as 0. The higher the tolerance scored the higher the acceptance of homosexuality. The predicted level of tolerances for young people age 20 would be 53 points. People in middle age have tolerance scores of 43 points by age 40. At age 60, the tolerance scored is about 33 and with 23 points at age 80. It showed that, as the age increasing, the tolerance scored of homosexual was decreasing. The tolerance point of elder was low compare to younger people (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). Beside of the factors of age, the attitudes also influences by religion. Religion background. Different religious will makes a large difference to tolerance of homosexuality. According to a test of measure of homosexual behaviors tolerance, the higher points of tolerance scored as 100 and the lowest point as 0. The higher the tolerance scored the higher acceptance of homosexuality. Ardent believers in a personal God would rate homosexual behavior at 28 points. But, staunch atheists who are totally reject the idea of personal God rate homosexuality at 59 points (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). It obviously showed that, Ardent believers in a personal God was less accepting to homosexuality which rate 28 points compare to staunch atheists who totally reject the idea of personal God which rate 59 points (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). Beside that, church goers are less tolerant of homosexuality than those who are never darken a churchs door. People who are regular going to church rate 32 points, and those who are shunning the church were rating 48 points (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). It is because according to Christians, homosexuality violating some of Gods most basic commandments for humanity. Christians belief in Gods condemnation of homosexuality is claimed to be so important that forcing them to treat gays equally means forcing them to violate their religious beliefs (Cline, n.d.). In nearly all societies throughout human history, religion offers answers to fundamental questions concerning the origin and meaning of things. Religious systems of explanation offer accounts of the creation of the world, as well as specifying the rules for proper behavior-and the consequences for infractions-that have been imposed by the Creator (Gross, 2005). Christianity traditionally forbid sexual relations between people of the same sex and teaches that such behavior is sinful (Gross, 2005). So, religious belief and church attendance have strongly influence on attitudes towards homosexuality in almost 29 nations. Beside of the factors of religion, the attitudes toward homosexuality also influences by faculty of study among students (Societal Attitudes towards Homosexuality, 2006). Faculty of study. Students who studied faculties of Arts or Social Science had more positive attitudes toward gay man compared to Science or Business students. The result revealed that students in the faculties of Arts and Social Science had more positive attitudes towards homosexual compare with students in faculties Business and Science (Schellenberg, Hirt and Sears, 1999). It shows that there are two possible reasons that determined these results. First, students who value traditional sex roles may be the most likely to select programs in faculties of business and sciences where political attitudes are conservative. Second, students with less value traditional sex roles may be the most likely to select programs in faculties of Art and Social Science. It is because they thought the departments are more liberal (Schellenberg, Hirt and Sears, 1999). In academic field, beside the factor of different faculty of study, the educational level also plays a very important role to determine the attitudes towards homosexuality. Educational level. The higher years of education people involve, the higher scored of tolerances people have. The higher points of tolerance scored as 100 and the lowest point as 0. The higher of tolerance scored sign that it is more acceptance of homosexuality (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). The point of tolerances was 34 out of 100 rating by people who with 8 years of education. Those with 10 years of education were rating 38 points and people who have complete 2 years masters degree after 4 year bachelors degree was rating 51 points. So, the gap between the least educated and the most educated is 17 points. (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). This tolerance-enhancing effect of education actually is link to other forces which importantly depend on the independent of age, so the lesser censure of homosexuality among the highly educated cannot be attributed to a changing social climate. The age effects themselves suggest that there is a changing social climate, but the education effects are in addition to that (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). Other than that, gender also likely to have strongly influences on the attitudes towards homosexuality. Many researchers conducted researches that related to gender differences and their attitudes towards gay men and lesbians. Gender. Gender belief system is the pattern of masculine or feminine behavior of an individual that is defined by a particular culture and that is largely determined by a childs upbringing (Answers.com, 2006). Kite and Whitley suggested that men rating the gay men more negative than women, but they were same in the rating of lesbians. Within the male and female, women made approximately equal rating of lesbians and gay men, but mens rating of lesbians were more positive than rating of gay men (as cited in Louiderback Whitley, 1997). According to Kite and Whitley study, it is because people who have strong gender belief system have more negative attitudes towards homosexual because homosexuality violates the norms of that belief system. Also, men held more traditional sex-role attitudes than women. So, in the perspective of men, male should be act more masculine and aggressive. They also strongly hold the traditional sexual orientation which is heterosexuality (as cited in Louiderback Whitley, 1997). Beside that, a study (as cited in Schellenberg, Hirt and Sears 1999.), it also showed that male hold more negative attitudes towards gay men than lesbians, and, they also hold more negative attitudes to homosexual compare with female. Different attitude towards homosexuality is the impact of personal factors. But, the social factors also have certain level of impact on the attitudes towards homosexuality. Social Factors that Influence Attitudes towards Homosexual Media. Dissemination of information about homosexuality in marketing, television shows, and public opinion polls, will affect the attitudes of public toward homosexuals no matter it is accurate or inaccurate. The information of homosexuals will lead to AIDS has strong impact on attitudes towards homosexuality. The perpetuation of homophobic attitudes such as the treatment of people with HIV, moralistic interpretations of people with AIDS, certain conceptions about the methods of HIV transmitted, media representation of AIDS, and even the way in which medicines objectivity reinforces a moral view inimical to gay men, lesbians and bisexuals (Anderson, Fakhfakh, Kondylis, 1999). Many of the researches have approved that some of the factors influence attitudes towards homosexuality. There are also some of the researches conducted by researchers to approve whether the stereotypes of people towards homosexuality is correct or not. Social differences. Social differences in the tolerance of homosexuality are quite large. This can help to explain why people living in different social circles have different perceptions of what the average Australian thinks. For example, 70 years old had left school at the end of year 10, and who holds strong religious beliefs and attends church regularly would rate homosexual behaviors at just 1 point out of 100 or always wrong (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). Stereotypes towards Homosexuality Characteristics. Normally, people would like to believe that gay men are effeminate and lesbians are tomboys while there are some homosexual people who fit these stereotypes. But, actually they are not representative of all homosexual people. So, the stereotypes of characteristics of homosexual people are not correct at all (Tozeland, Loewen, Monteith, n.d.). Duration of relationship. Studies indicate that people would have the stereotypes that homosexual person will not involve in long-term, stable and close relationship with their partners. But, it is not unusual to find homosexuality couples who had been together for over twenty years (Tozeland, Loewen, Monteith, n.d.). Homosexual parents. Some people believe that children of gay or lesbian people are more likely to grow up to be homosexual as their parents. Beside that, people also believe that these children will grow up without appropriate ethical values. In fact, homosexual parents would like to teach their children the values of kindness and charity because they are the victims of hate and discrimination in society (Tozeland, Loewen, Monteith, n.d.). According to Family Research Report (2001), children who have homosexual parents would be expected to do less well than kids in general in school, on the job, in marriage, raising their own kids, and others. Normally, children of homosexual parents cannot do well in sex identity, language skills and mathematics fields compare to children of heterosexual parents. But, children of homosexual parents hold strongly social study than children of heterosexual parents. However, they have tries to be successful in life. So not every child with homosexual parents would be expected to be a failure, nor would every child raised by a homosexual parent be expected to fail. Likewise, not every child rose by a married mother and father would be expected to succeed (Family Research Report, 2001). Religion. The vast majority of the worlds churches take the stance that homosexual acts are a sin. To cite an example of a religious viewpoint, the Roman Catholic Church in a passage from its Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, states, As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents ones own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. Homosexuality is labeled as a moral disorder; it is not regular or acceptable (The Scientific Debate on Homosexuality, n.d.). People believe that Christians are disagreeing homosexuality. Some religious groups interpret certain biblical passages as injunctions against homosexuality, while others view these passages in the light of historical context, much like slavery. Actually, many Christians were condemning discrimination and prejudice. They welcome and affirm homosexual Christians into the body of Christ, with unique gifts to offer (Tozeland, Loewen, Monteith, n.d.). Beside to conduct researches to reveal the stereotypes of people towards homosexuality is correct or not, there also a research on how the public opinion towards homosexuality among different nations. Public Opinion toward Homosexual among Different Nations In study of Societal Attitudes towards Homosexuality (2006), it showed that the result of acceptance homosexuality in Africa and the Middle East are tend to strongly disagree. But, major Latin American countries such as Mexico and Brazil accept homosexuality. At Australia 1999, the result showed that 28% of people think that sexual relations between two adults of the same sex are not wrong at all, 15 % think that it is wrong only sometimes, 9 % think that it is almost always wrong, and 48% think that it is always wrong (Attitude towards homosexuality in 29 nations, n.d.). According to Robinson (2003), Apoll by the Gallup Organization from United State has conducted a research of acceptable of homosexuality in the public. The result showed the percentage of the survey result: do you personally believe that it is acceptable or not acceptable for gays and lesbians to engage in same-sex behavior? as in 1982-JUN, there was 34% people accept homosexuality and by 1992-JUN, there was an increasing percentage which is 38%. In 1992-MAR, there was 44% and by 1997-APR, there was 42%. In 1999-FEB, there was 50 % and by 2001-MAY, there was 52%. There was 51% in 2002-MAY and 54% in 2003-MAY. It showed that the percentage of acceptable towards homosexuality in the United State is increasing by year of 1982 to 2003. The Pew Research Centers 2003 Global Attitudes Survey found that, people in Africa and the Middle East strongly object to societal acceptance of homosexuality. But there is far greater tolerance for homosexuality in major Latin American countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Opinion in Europe is split between West and East. Majorities in every Western European nation surveyed say homosexuality should be accepted by society, while most Russians, Poles and Ukrainians disagree. 51% of Americans believes homosexuality should be accepted, while 42% disagree (as cited in Societal Attitudes towards Homosexuality, 2006). Significant of This Study Based on the above introduction, one can see the important of understanding of students attitude to homosexuality. Firstly, according to Lisa Lamar and Mary Kite (1998), it said that males have more negative attitudes towards gay men and this is due to gender roles factor. However, Schellenberg, Hirt Sears (1999), found that males who study in Arts and Social Sciences have more positive attitudes towards gay men. So, this study want to know UTAR Psychology course students attitudes towards gay men is affected by gender roles or the faculties that they have chose. Second, according to research of Brownell, he found that religions are related to negative attitudes towards lesbian and gay men. Malaysia have many types of religions include Islamic, Buddhist, Indian, and others. This study wants to know are there having differences of attitudes between religions in Malaysia or not. This will make us know more about how the attitudes of different religions people towards lesbian and gay men. This can reduce conflict or make different religions people can communicate easily. Third, Many students have confused or varying opinions on homosexuality. It is important for all students to come to terms with what they currently think and feel about homosexuality (Tozeland, Loewen, Monteith, n.d.). This study want to let them conscious about their attitudes towards homosexual and let them decide they want to change it or not. Beside that, through this study, students of psychology course can more concern about issue of homosexuality and conduct or do further research on it. The further research can help public know about homosexual such as why homosexual, what reason to make them become homosexual, and others. Once public know more about the homosexual group, they might change their attitudes towards homosexual as well as reduce their discrimination perception towards homosexual. This study will determine whether the result of this study same with the result of previous researches or not. For this study, it should make a clear distinction of attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women with divide the homosexual to lesbian and gay men. For example, many of previous research conducted research by using the term homosexual but do not divide the term homosexual into gay men and lesbian women. Research Questions For this study, it will explore the gender influences on attitudes towards homosexuality among university students. We would like to understand more about the gender differences of acceptance of homosexuality among university students. Beside that, this study will determine whether the result is same with the result of previous researches or not. The research questions in this study are as follows. First, are there any gender differences in the attitudes towards lesbian and homosexual? Second, is there any gender difference in their knowledge of homosexual? Third, are there any religion differences in their attitude towards lesbian and homosexual? Fourth, is there any religion difference in their knowledge of homosexual? CHAPTER II METHOD Participants 118 Psychology students from year 1 to year 3 in University Tunku Abdul Rahman were selected as the sample of this study. Simple random method was used in the selection. There are 82 females and 36 females. All of the students who participated in the survey are simple random sampling. Materials Questionnaire. The survey conducted using questionnaire (see Appendix 1). All participants completed a 4 pages questionnaire consisting of two sections. Instructions accompanying the questionnaire guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality. The first part is about the respondents demographic such as gender, age, year, race, and religion. The second part is about respondents attitudes toward lesbian and gay. There are 32 questions in this test. In this test, the first 4 questions are asked about the general attitudes towards homosexuality such as a) I know about homosexuals, and b) Sexual orientation is caused by genes, but not the environment (see appendix 1). Question 5 to 18 is asked about the attitudes towards lesbians such as a) Lesbians just cant fit into our society, b) exual relations between two female is wrong, c) Female homosexuality is a sin and, d) Lesbians are sick (see appendix 1). Question 19 to 32 is asked about the attitudes towards gay men such as a) I think male homosexuals are disgusting, b) Male homosexuality is a perversion, c) Sexual relations between two male is wrong and, d) Homosexual behavior between two men is just plain wrong (see appendix 1). Participants had to rate on the Likert Scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree) according to their attitudes towards homosexual which include lesbian and gay man. Software. SPSS for Windows (12.0) was used for all statistical analyses. Procedures The survey was conducted by using simple random sampling design. A sampling frame, which is the numbered name lists of students from Year One to Year Three Psychology class at UTAR was obtained from the Faculty General Office. All the name of the students were mixed and came out with a new name list (see Appendix 2). A sample size of 118 was selected. The simple random sampling was conducted as follows: A starting point in the table of Random Numbers in the Appendix 4 was chosen using a finger stab. The stab came down at column 6, row 15 at the entry 13916. As the sampling frame ranged from 1 to 301, the left three numbers in each set of five were used when drawing the sample. The number 0 was ignored if that number over 301. The numbers to be included in sampling were been identified by moving across the table from left to right every alternate line started from up and down. The numbers got were highline in yellow color (see Appendix 3). We distributed the questionnaire to the samples that have been selected by simple random method through UTAR lecturers. The survey took between ten to five-teen minutes to complete and then collected back by lecturers after the respondents completed it in the same day. Instructions accompanying the questionnaire guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality. CHAPTER III RESULT Reliability Test There were five dimensions in the questionnaire. First, the dimension of Negative Attitudes toward Lesbians, it consisted by 10 questions which is from question 5 to question 14. The Cronbachs Alpha was 0.81 after questions 5, 7, 9, 13 were deleted (Table 1, pg 16). Therefore, the mean of these 6 items was calculated to represent the respondents negative attitudes toward lesbians. Second, for the dimension of Positive Attitudes toward Lesbians, it consisted by 4 questions which is from question 15 to question 18. There were 0.49 alphas when question 16 was deleted (Table 1, pg 16). For the dimension of Negative Attitudes toward Gay Men, it consisted by 10 questions which is from question 19 to question 28. There were 0.87 alphas when question 20 was deleted (Table 1, pg 16). For the dimension of Positive Attitudes toward Gay Men, it consisted by 4 questions which is from question 29 to question 32. There were 0.64 alphas and none of the questions being deleted (Table 1, pg 16). The reliability alpha of the question 1 to 4 was 0.01 alphas. So, these 4 questions cannot compute as one dimension and will be analyzed individually (see Table 1, pg 16). Table 1 Reliability test Dimension Cronbachs Alpha N of Items Items Negative Attitudes toward Lesbians 0.81 6 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 Positive Attitudes toward Lesbians 0.49 3 15, 17, 18 Negative Attitudes toward Gay Men 0.87 9 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Positive Attitudes toward Gay Men 0.64 4 29, 30, 31, 32 I know about homosexual Sexual orientation is caused by genes, but not the environment I have ever thought to myself when I found that an attractive person of the sex was homosexual-what a waste 0.01 4 1, 2, 3, 4 I have ever said, I dont mind homosexuals, as long as I dont have to see it or something similar Gender Differences toward Homosexual Negative attitudes toward lesbians. The results of Independent t- Tests showed that there was no significant difference between gender negative attitudes towards the lesbian, t (118) = 0.08, n.s. , where the mean for the negative attitudes toward lesbian for male students is 2.60 ( SD = 0.81), and 2.59 (SD = 0.71) for female students (Table 2, pg 19). Positive attitudes toward lesbians. The results of Independent t- Tests showed that there was no significant difference between gender positive attitudes toward the lesbians, t (118) = 0.31, n.s., where the mean for the positive attitudes toward lesbians for male students is 3.29 (SD = 0.66), and 3.32 (SD = 0.54) for female students (Table 2, pg 19). Negative attitudes toward gay men. The results of Independent t- Tests showed that there was a significant difference between gender negative attitudes toward gay men, t (118) = 2.24, p Positive attitudes toward gay men. The results of Independent t- Tests showed that there was no significant difference between gender positive attitudes toward gay men, t (118) = -1.520, n.s., where the mean for the positive attitudes toward gay men for male students is 3.11 (SD = 0.80), and 3.30 (SD = 0.52) for female students (Table 2, pg 19). Knowledge towards homosexuality. The results of Independent t- revealed that there was no significant difference between genders in their knowledge towards homosexuality. For the I know about homosexual, t (118) = 0.82, n.s., where the mean for the knowledge towards homosexuality for male students is 2.31 (SD=0.82), and 2.17 (SD=0.83) for female students. For the Sexual orientation is caused by genes, but not the environment, t (118) = -0.890, n.s., where the mean for the knowledge towards homosexuality for male students is 3.28 (SD=1.19), and 4.85 (SD=10.57) for female students. For the I have ever thought to myself when I found that an attractive person of the sex was homosexual-what a waste , t (118) = 0.921, n.s., where the mean for the knowledge towards homosexuality for male students is 2.83 (SD=0.97), and 2.65 (SD=1.03) for female students. For the I have ever said, I dont mind homosexuals, as long as I dont have to see it or something similar, t (118) = 0.403, n.s., where the mean for the knowledge towards homosexuality for male students is 3.97 (SD=0.61), and 3.92 (SD=0.76) for female students (see Table 2, pg 19). Table 2 Gender differences Dimension Mean t-Value p-Value Males Females Negative Attitudes toward Lesbians 2.60 (SD=0.81) 2.59 (SD=0.71) 0.080 0.94 Positive Attitudes toward Lesbians 3.29 (SD=0.66) 3.32 (SD=0.54) -0.31 0.76 Negative Attitudes toward Gay Men 3.03 (SD=0.83) 2.72 (SD=0.63) 2.24 0.027* Positive Attitudes toward Gay Men 3.11 (SD=0.80) 3.30 (SD=0.52) -1.520 0.13 I know about homosexual Sexual orientation is caused by genes, but not the environment I have ever thought to myself when I found that an attractive person of the sex was homosexual-what a waste I have ever said, I dont mind homosexuals, as long as I dont have to see it or something similar 2.31 (SD=0.82) 3.28 (SD=1.19) 2.83 (SD=0.97) 3.97 (SD=0.61) 2.17 (SD=0.83) 4.85 (SD=10.57) 2.65 (SD=1.03) 3.91 (SD=0.76) 0.82 -0.89 0.92 0.403 0.42 0.38 0.36 0.69 Note: * p Religion Differences toward Homosexual Negative attitudes toward lesbians. The results of Independent t- Tests showed that there was no significant difference between religions have negative attitudes towards lesbian, t (118) = 1.46, n.s., where the mean for negative attitudes toward lesbian for Buddhist is 2.65 (SD=0.76), and 2.42 (SD=0.67) for Chris

William Shakespeares Sonnet #55 Essay -- English Literature Shakespea

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet #55 is a Shakespearian sonnet. It contains three quatrains, or four line stanzas, and ends with a couplet. The poem is written in iambic pentameter William Shakespeare’s Sonnet #55 is a Shakespearian sonnet. It contains three quatrains, or four line stanzas, and ends with a couplet. The poem is written in iambic pentameter. The speaker is the older man. This is the same speaker in many of Shakespeare’s sonnets. In this sonnet the speaker is telling the young man, beautiful, male addressee that he is not sharing his beauty with the world, but is selfishly keeping it all to himself. He’s explaining to the addressee that he needs to have children to spread his beauty and share it with the world. In the first quatrain the speaker is telling the addressee about how he will live eternally in the poem. Shakespeare writes, â€Å"Not marble nor the gilded monuments/ of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme† (Shakespeare lines 1-2). He uses a metaphor comparing the beauty of the young man to â€Å"upswept stone besmeared with sluttish time† (Shake...

Cognitive Artifacts & Windows 95 :: essays research papers

Cognitive Artifacts & Windows 95 The article on Cognitive Artifacts by David A. Norman deals with the theories and principles of artifacts as they relate to the user during execution and completion of tasks. These principles and theories that Norman speaks about may be applied to any graphical user interface, however I have chosen to relate the article to the interface known as Windows 95. Within Windows 95, Microsoft has included a little tool called the wizard that guides us through the steps involved in setting up certain applications. This wizard is a very helpful tool to the non experienced computer user, in the way that it acts like a to-do list. The wizard takes a complex task and breaks it into discrete pieces by asking questions and responding to those questions based on the answers. Using Norman's theories on system view and the personal view of artifacts, we see that the system views the wizard as an enhancement. For example, we wanted to set up the Internet explorer, you click on the icon answer the wizard's questions and the computer performs the work. Making sure everything is setup properly without the errors that could occur in configuring the task yourself. The wizard performs all the functions on its little to-do list without having the user worrying about whether he/she remembered to include all the commands. On the side of personal views the user may see the wizard as a new task to learn but in general it is simpler than having to configure the application yourself and making an error, that could cause disaster to your system. The wizard also prevents the user from having to deal with all the internal representation of the application like typing in command lines in the system editor. Within Windows 95 most of the representation is internal therefore we need a way to transform it to surface representation so it is accessible to the user. According to Norman's article there are "three essential ingredients in representational systems. These being the world which is to be represented, the set of symbols representing the world, and an interpreter." This is done in Windows by icons on the desktop and on the start menu. The world we are trying to represent to the user is the application, which can be represented by a symbol which is the icon. These icons on the desktop and on the start menu are the surface representations the user sees when he goes to access the application not all the files used to create it or used in conjunction with the applications

Online Ordering System Essay

Nowadays, Information Technology is continuously evolving and it’s getting more advanced. Technological evolution and advancement makes the world become more highly modernized as different creations, innovations and inventions are made. Adapting these technological advances, contributes a lot of benefits in different fields and one of those fields is the business particularly the hospitals. Hospital is an institution which provides care to people who has illnesses. It plays a vital role in the community where people run to it whenever they have health problems. Hospitals promote improvement of community health service by providing high quality health care services and help those people who need good and effective service. Different hospitals in the world aims at giving the best medical services that they need to satisfy their clientele and through the use of technology they are able to make it possible. In Tanzania, the Health Management Information System was set up in 2006 to be use in hospitals of the Evangelica Lutheran Church Tanzania (ELCT). By using the Health Management Information System software, hospitals can easily collect, store and analyze the data of patients. (IICD. (2010, June 29). Development of Management System for Health facility – Tanzania. Retrieved February 8, 2011, from http://www.iicd.org/projects/tanzania-health-management-system) In Cotabato, the provincial health officer Dr. Edgardo R. Sandig introduced a computerized Hospital Operation Management Information System, to monitor the outbreak of disease in a certain area in the province and those people who are admitted in the hospital will be given immediate attention and solution. (dela Cruz, E, B. ( 2006, October 6). South Cotabato IPHO intensifies campaign on dengue. Philippine Information Agency. LOCAL STUDY Online Ordering System Abstract/Complied Abstracts The influx of an online ordering system greatly affected what tends to be done in a matter of the blink of an eye. An online ordering system permits a customer to submit online orders for items and/or services from a store that serves both walk-in customers and online customers. The online shopping system presents an online display of an order cutoff time and an associated delivery window for items selected by the customer. The system accepts the customer’s submission of a purchase order for the item. This section deals with the summary of the thesis. This thesis is about Online Ordering for Blue Magic its include the item name, price and design. In this thesis also include how to order it. 2012, 12). Local Related Literature Online Ordering System. LOCAL STUDY Ordering Online System Technology is the making, usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purpose. Nowadays, people introduce new technologies that facilitate them in every aspect in life, making life easier. Compared to technologies we had before, it is really convenient to utilize new ones for they have endless features. Like the way of teaching before and nowadays, teachers use manila papers, cartolina, etc. The even use chalks or board markers for teachings but when the experts discovered that both of the said tools for teaching are hazardous because of the chemical content, the experts warned people to find alternative ways of teaching. Since we are in the age of new technologies, they found the best way of teaching by accompanying computers in education.