Aramco Supply Chain Managment

Table of Contents Page Number Introduction3 Background of the Company8 The Dilemma in Saudi Aramco Supply Chain Management10 Analysis of the operation of the Company’s Supply Chain Management12 Conclusion16 References17 Introduction: Several company managers are continuously searching for the best possible way of reducing cost and utilizing their inventories so that the company can implement cost reduction strategy. With all prices of prime commodities are accelerating for increases to maintain the business, the challenge for manufacturing companies nowadays is to come up with a management strategy that could lessen the burden of imposing additional prices to the consumer’s purchases. Yet seemingly, it seems impossible to achieve due to the domino effect in the market offering. Starting from the raw materials to the manufacturing plant then to the manufacturing plant to its distribution centers and from the distribution centers to the consumers, the process entails expenditures either from the supplier or from the manufacturing plant. Once transporting raw materials is affected by the movement in the prices of gasoline and oil, salary increases of its work force and additional price for the vehicle’s spare parts suppliers cannot but face the reality that they must charge additional cost to their buyers. So goes the trend. The usual thinking about a supply chain is a vertical flow of the entire materials for production that is fully integrated because it is owned by a single firm although its channels are operating independently. Hence, an efficient coordination among the managers of its channels is demanded for the success of the supply chain. However, a supply chain need not only be limited to a single ownership of the entire process. By its definition, according to the paper of B. B. Arntzen, G. G. Brown, T. P. Harrison, and L. Trafton (1993) a supply chain is a network of facilities and distribution alternatives that begins from the procurement of materials, converting the materials into mid-way and finished products, then the distribution of the products to customers. Supply chain is not limited to manufacturing alone but also in the service industry. There may also be expected difficulties along the entire chain due to the varying approaches from industry to industry or from firm to firm but the process proceeds as planned. Company A Company B DistributorCustomers Raw Materials manufacturing plant Finished Product Company This may sound simple but a realistic supply chain actually embraces several finished products with shared components, facilities, and capacities. Materials flow does not come only from one single network but from other networks also. At times, different modes of transportation are considered and usually the bills of materials for the finished products are both costly and enormous. R. H. Ballou, (1992) believes that traditional supply chain still operate along this pattern but on this case the supply chain deviates from the old practice of supply chain and paved the way to another model of creating an effective cost reduction strategy. In the supply chain, according to M. C. Cooper and L. M. Ellram (1993) the main focus lies on the mistake of materials, unnecessary information and unpredictable finances as they move from their supplier, to the respective manufacturer then to the wholesaler passed on the retailer before finally reaching the consumer. However, another view was presented by J. B. Houlihan (1985) because his notion of supply chain is involved in coordinating and integrating these flows for inside the company and its relation with other companies. The ultimate goal of all effective supply chain management is to reduce inventory but available when needed hence, minimize the cost of production. The product flow consists of the progress of goods from supplier to customer. Information flow is the transmittal of orders and keeping posted the status of the delivery. The financial flow covers the credit terms, payment schedules, and consignment title of ownership arrangement. As Cohen, et al. (1989) noted supply chain also consists of strategic decisions and operational decision levels. Strategic decisions usually entail longer time to observe its effect on the company. It requires close monitoring of the corporate strategy, but oftentimes, in many companies, it is already the firm’s business strategy. Setting aside, operational level decisions are shorter period and concentrates mainly on the day to day basis of inventory, production, and packaging. The main objective on this level is maintaining an effective and efficient product flow from the strategically planned supply chain. Houlihan (1985) reiterates that supply chain management operates according to four major decision areas namely; business location, production input and output, materials inventory, and distribution including transportation and channels. It should be noted that on these decision areas the elements of strategic planning and operational procedures are inclusive. It is because strategic decisions include what products to produce, and which plants to produce them in, allocation of suppliers to plants, plants to Distribution Channels, and Distribution Channels to customer markets Business location refers to the place where production facilities, warehouse, and source point are easily accessible both by the suppliers and other stakeholders of the company. Location facilities cover an assurance of resources for a longer period due to the long term plan of the business. Considered also for an effective supply chain location are the size, number, and the possible paths by which the product flows through to the customers. This decision is important because it represents the main strategy for accessing customer markets which definitely have effect on revenue, cost, and level of service. It is determined by employing a routine check on production costs, taxes, duties and duty drawback, tariff, local content, distribution costs, production limitation and many others. Production decision is also a critical concern in supply chain management because it entails the capacity of the manufacturing facilities to handle the production process. It is focused on detailed production scheduling. It includes the construction of the master production plan, time table on the machines, and maintenance of equipments. The elements of workload balancing and quality control that are being measured on this facility are seriously considered. Materials inventory are managed properly in the supply chain management levels of decision. Inventories could either be raw materials, semi-finished or already finished merchandize. These materials may also be in the process between locations or in other place as in the case of outsourcing activity. The purpose of managing the inventories is to safeguard against any uncertainties that might exists in the supply chain. Holding inventories can cost as much as one half of the product’s value. Too much inventories of raw materials means slow return of investment and large inventories of finished products can cause lower prices due to overflowing supplies. The aspect of transportation viewed according to the context of H. L. Lee and C. Billington (1992) is also another element in the supply chain management issues because it is closely associated with the inventory due to its mode of moving the raw materials or the finished products. The best mode of trading off the cost is to transport with the indirect cost of inventory associated with the type of transportation. While using air is fast, reliable, and warrant lesser safety stock, it is very expensive. Shipping by sea or by train may be cheaper but they take longer time and consumed large amount of inventories to buffer against the uncertainties associated with it. Hence, shipment sizes, routing, and scheduling of equipments are the main factors operating in the Supply Chain Management. Another point was raised by J. M. Masters, (1993) as he discussed on the process of supply chain management and the level of decisions that have to be made on these models are enormous and require considerable amount of data. Due to the huge data requirement and the broad scope of decisions, each supply chain decision models provide approximate solutions. The operational decisions, meanwhile, address the day to day operation of the supply chain. Therefore the models that describe them are often very specific in nature. Due to their narrow perspective, these models often consider great detail and provide very good, if not optimal, solutions to the operational decisions. As a solution for successful supply chain management, Saudi Aramco employed a sophisticated software systems, with Web interfaces and has already been in competition with the Web-based Service Application Providers or the SAP, that provide part or all of the SCM service for the company. Saudi Aramco must have been blest to be able to implement supply chain management on its production process and updated it with the use of modern day Information Technology. In spite of the global financial problem that oil producing countries are suffering at present, Saudi Aramco still stands tall amidst financial chaos. Supply chain management is at its best at Saudi Aramco that is why there is less worry even if the prices of oil and crude went down in the global landscape. At Saudi Aramco, the corporate policies guide the supply chain to a particular and specific objective that the firm hopes to achieve (http://www. saudiaramco. com. sa/html/). 11. Background of the Company State-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco) is the king of oil. It is the world's number one oil producer, supplying more than 10% of the world's oil demand. The company controls proved oil reserves of about 259. 8 billion barrels. It extracts 9. 1 million barrels a day, operates refineries, markets oil internationally, and distributes it domestically. Saudi Aramco owns a fleet of oil tankers and invests in refineries and distribution networks in other countries; it also owns 239. 5 trillion cu. ft. of natural gas reserves. The company dates back to 1933, when Saudi Arabia agreed to open up a large area for exploration by Standard Oil of California now known as Chevron. From its headquarters in Dhahran on the eastern shores of the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Aramco manages virtually all of Saudi Arabia's enormous hydrocarbon enterprise. From the giant Ghawar and Safaniya oil fields, the world's largest onshore and offshore fields, to the leading-edge technology at the Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center, and from one of the largest and most modern fleets of supertankers to refining and marketing joint ventures around the globe, Saudi Aramco is positioned to continue to play its leading role in meeting the world's demand for oil. Saudi Aramco revenue is estimated between 150 billion and 350 billion dollars. It varies greatly year to year due to high dependency upon hydrocarbon prices. Saudi Aramco is responsible for 99 percent of the Kingdom's proven crude oil reserves of 259 billion barrels (41. 2 1010m? ) about a quarter of the world's total. That is more than double the total of Iraq, the country with the world's second largest reserves, and nearly 12 times the reserves of the United States. Saudi Aramco produces and exports more crude oil than any other company. Recent production has averaged some 8 million barrels (1,300,000 m? ) per day. That is more than twice the output of the next highest producer and nearly five times greater than the largest U. S. oil company. Saudi Aramco maintains a maximum sustained crude production capacity of 8. 5 million barrels per day. Saudi Aramco ranks among the top ten companies in gas production worldwide. The company is also a leader in both the production and export of natural gas liquids (NGL), and a major producer of refined products. The company produces natural gas in association with crude oil and non associated gas from deep, independent gas fields. This gas is used as fuel and feedstock for the Kingdom's backbone industries and utilities, and for export and domestic consumption as NGL. A vigorous program is currently under way to expand gas production and processing capabilities to meet increasing demand for gas at home to power the Kingdom's robust domestic economic growth. Saudi Aramco's oil operations encompass the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including territorial waters in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Totaling more than 1. 5 million square kilometers, this area is larger than the combined areas of Texas, California, Oklahoma and Utah, or of France, Spain and Germany. Most production comes from fields in the coastal plains of the Eastern Province in an area extending 300 kilometers north and south of Dhahran. Saudi Aramco VP announced Aramco's plans to build projects worth about 487. 5 billion Saudi Riyals (US $130 billion) in the next 5 years. Due to the unprecedented global demand for oil, Aramco announced that the number of its oil rigs will double by the end of 2006 (http://www. saudiaramco. om) Governed with its vision and holistic mission, the company is striving to make perfect its management concept and practices in order to build solid human resource foundation and company culture that would serve its competitive against other banking institutions in the entire Kingdom within the next couple of years (http://www. saudiaramco. com. sa/html/). 111. The Dilemma in Saudi Aramc o Supply Chain Management Saudi Aramco is the world leader in the oil industry and it possesses the huge deposit of oil and mineral resources. It built strong and reliable ties with its market all over the world while continuously harnessing its rogressive communication with its entire supplier from manpower, facilities, equipments, construction, development projects, and community services. At present Saudi Aramco remains stable and assured of the relentless efforts of its entire people in making the company a world leader in the oil industry and a good example to follow. The entire materials and needed machineries for the oil drilling, processing, plant treatment, transportation and distribution of petroleum are provided by the supply chain from all private industrial suppliers around the Kingdom belonging to the Saudi nationals. No imported materials are used aside from those that are not available in the kingdom. The ongoing calls for localization of Aramco’s production materials are contained in the company’s oath to support local industries and private industrial businesses in the Kingdom. One particular project that the company listed on an indefinite postponement is the envisioned 40 hectares plant facilities and accommodations at Rastanura. In the middle of 2008, Saudi Aramco invited bidders and quotations from several constructing firm around the Kingdom and to some well known companies the Gulf. Toward the end of year, the project was awarded to Foster Wheeler Group of Companies Middle East. The said project was divided into four phases and phase one would start by March 2009. However, Foster Wheeler received a notice from the company on mid February 2009 stating that the Rastanura project would be postponed indefinitely. Foster Wheeler through its resources found out that the main reason for the postponement is the company supplier and sub contractors were heavily affected by the global financial crisis (Thajudeen, 2009). Saudi Aramco suppliers of equipments and high quality standard materials could not meet the requirements needed by the company for the construction of its project. The cost of delivering the materials to Saudi Arabia from the place of origin almost tripled. The high price of raw materials plus low supply prompted Aramco suppliers to increase its prices too but since everything was stipulated in the contract, Saudi Aramco would not accept the new price schedule. The problem begins. Due to the company’s adherence to the Saudization program an option to change suppliers and seek foreign assistance cannot be implemented. France and Great Britain are rich suppliers of equipments needed to continue the construction of drilling plants and community accommodations of its people. The prospect of getting from these countries will destroy the supply chain which Aramco have been protecting and preserving all those years. Japan’s Sumimoto Industry’s offered Saudi Aramco well defined and structured supply chain that could even generate a healthy foreign relation between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the people of Japan. The offer was shelved temporarily and for further consideration and study. While the present economic crisis continuously spreading in some major industries in the Kingdom, Saudi Aramco remains financially firm and liquid. There is no question whether the company can provide the necessary funds for the completion of the project. There is also no doubt in the capacity of Foster Wheeler to deliver the project on time. It is only a matter of the availability of supplies that Saudi Aramco encountered some critical problems. 1V. Analysis of the operation of the Company’s Supply Chain Management For the past several years, Saudi Aramco perfectly managed its supply chain and it can be proven by the smooth development and completion of all existing projects the company have ever made. The fact is that starting 2008 up to the present the global financial crunch created havocs and collapsed of several industries in the world. Included in this chaotic situation are some suppliers of Saudi Aramco. The law of supply and demands in Economics is pretty much at work at this time. There seems to be a blank solution to this perennial problem at present. If this is the case, the postponement of Saudi Aramco project in Rastanura would be justified. On the second thought, there could be another better solution that could be worked on without jeopardizing the effort exerted by Foster Wheeler to win the project. An excerpt from the speech of Abdallah S. Jum'ah, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco (2002), he said â€Å"The greatest share of our investments as oil and gas producers goes to assuring that we maintain the ability to supply our products without interruption. While such costs are burdensome, they nevertheless are critical to the sustainability of energy supply. No one can long afford to be without this lifeline. † This was also reiterated in the speech delivered by Ali I. Al-Naimi (2002), Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, in Washington D. C. as he claimed â€Å"we have invested billions of dollars to build production capacity and to construct diverse export routes. The importance of the excess production capacity of Saudi Arabia has been demonstrated in more than one supply crisis in the past two decades such as the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979, the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the supply infrastructure crisis of 2000†. Granted that the chain of supply has a domino effect and a disruption in one unit of the chain may result to the interruption of operation of the entire system, Saudi Aramco with its huge resources could help solve the problem in terms of loan assistance to the ailing unit of the chain. Saudi Aramco management could serve as mediator between suppliers of materials to the members of its supply chain to retain its old price schedule which would be compensated by Saudi Aramco in terms of supply of oil with no extra charges and at its lowest price. The problem is rooted in the availability of funds and not on mismanagement of the supply chain. The remedy to this kind of situation is by capital assistance. Another possible option to maintain the flow of the supply chain is by acquisition of the units in the chain that is experiencing a hard blow from the economic crisis. Aramco could temporarily take over the financing of its production so that the unit may continue to operate and the employee would not lose their jobs. Unemployment would create additional burden to the ongoing financial crisis. Saudi Aramco has the capacity to generate production of its supply chain unless it is willing to suspend indefinitely its project with Foster Wheeler. The movement of Saudi Aramco supply is vital to its operation in distribution and expansion in order to accommodate the growing demand for oil in the world. Saudi Aramco is also part of another supply chain and the disruption on its supply would create stoppage of production to it end user. In the same manner, the stoppage of supply from the company supply chain might also result to a decease or worst, stoppage of the company production in the long run. For as long there is still the chance to save the continuous decline of financially able company in the supply chain of Saudi Aramco, it is the best opportunity for Aramco to show its goodwill to all its allies and to the world in general. The management team of Saudi Aramco is determined to continue to play its role in meeting the world's demand for oil exploration & producing, refining, distribution, shipping, marketing as the leading producer of the energy that powers the world's economies and empowers its people, committed to fulfill the kingdom development goals including developing the Kingdom’s industrial base and diversifying economy, helping creates jobs for Saudi nationals and maximizing the value of the Kingdom’s natural resources. Much more so, the Company cannot afford to create possible problems in its supply chain. Saudi Aramco is a government owned company and it does not depend on any political pressures or compromises from any person in the country except to the King due to the monarchial form of government that Saudi Arabia has. The company structure of Aramco is bureaucratic and hierarchical that is why there is absence of threat coming from the labor sector or any human rights advocates in the international scene. Saudi Arabia law is based on Shari’ a law and its legal implications. In this case, the Company has the power to take control temporarily of its suppliers who are experiencing financial downturn. At Saudi Aramco, there is no other power aside from the monarch and the top management level of the company. Stakeholders are not a major threat nor can they pose any threat at all. Aramco’s investment is more of partnership with other big oil producing countries and not on the individual share of investments. What can be considered to have power over the company is the presence of foreign partners as distributors and international oil producing companies that accepted Aramco’s partnership strategy in producing enough supply of world’s fuel and oil needs. Saudi Aramco also uses Management Information and Decision Support System that delivers information to support many of its day-to-day management’s decision-making needs and supply chain operation processes. Reports, display, and responses produced by such systems provide wide range of information that the Aramco management has specified in advance to meet adequately their information needs. Such predefined information satisfies the need for awareness and updated situation of the organization in relation to its supply chain performance, financial situation and production apabilities (http://www. saudiaramco. com. sa). Saudi Aramco MIDSS provides the needed information to the Aramco’s decision makers at the operational and tactical level of the organization. Based on the data generated from the program Saudi Aramco management can determine how and when to entertain an increase of oil production, price, cost of operation, wages and purchasing ability of the company. The in formation takes the form of periodic, exception, and demand reports and immediate responses to inquiry. Saudi Aramco’s web browsers, application programs, and data-base-management-software provide access to information in the intranet and other operational database of the organization. These databases are maintained by transaction processing system. The data about the business environment are gathered from the Internet or intranet when necessary and when greatly demanded. (http://www. aramco. com) Based on this technological competencies, the company is able to secure all the necessary information its suppliers might be needed at the moment so as to continue their production. V. Conclusion The plight of Saudi Aramco supply chain management definitely lies on the hand of the company. We have learned from Saudi Aramco that the company’s supply chain has been operating perfectly without interruption. The company was able to manage its supplier’s time scheduling, processing, manufacturing, delivering, and stocking. There were minor problems along the way especially in transporting the supplies needed by the company but the problem was resolved immediately before it can cause damage to the company’s oil production. By becoming the world leader in the oil industry the company’s long term plan must not sacrificed due to financial difficulties of its suppliers. Small problem that is left unattended became big and too difficult to solve in the near future. The same occurrence is happening to the supply chain process of the Saudi Aramco high quality materials and equipments for its development and expansionary project at Rastanura. The delay in the start of the project would lead to the extension of its completion, late performance, and finally slow production which would be advantageous to competitors. Supply chain management assures the end ompany an uninterrupted production and a continuous flow of resources from the suppliers’ supplier to the manufacturer to the consumer then back to the supplier’s supplier. The cycle goes on and on for as long as the chain remains consistent and stable. Saudi Aramco with vast resources and technological capabilities can easily detect any di sruptive factor along its supply chain. Now is the time for Saudi Aramco to divert momentarily a portion of its focus to the financial status of its suppliers. V1. References: Al-Naimi, A. I. (2002) Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Washington, D. C. April 22. http://www. saudiaramco. com/html/speeches (access June 5, 2009) Al-Naimi, A. I. (2002) Saudi Arabia's Approach to Oil Market Stability and Energy Security, Expanding Energy Frontiers – The Institute of Energy Economics of Japan, Osaka, Japan http://www. saudiaramco. com/html/speeches (access June 5, 2009) Arntzen, B. C. , G. G. Brown, T. P. Harrison, and L. Trafton (1995) Global Supply Chain Management at Digital Equipment Corporation, Interfaces, Journal of Operation Management, No. 231, p. 112 Ballou, R. H. (1992) Business Logistics Management, 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, p. 1 – 23 Cohen, M. A. and H. L. Lee (1989) Resource Deployment Analysis of Global Manufactu ring and Distribution Networks, Journal of Manufacturing and Operations Management, No. 7, pp. 81-84 Cooper, M. C. , and L. M. Ellram (1993) Characteristics of Supply Chain Management and the Implications for Purchasing and Logistics Strategy. The International Journal of Logistics Management, No. 23 pp. 4, 2, 13-24. Jum'ah, A. S. (2002) President and CEO Saudi Aramco, Calgary, Canada, June 11. http://www. saudiaramco. com/html/speeches (access June 5, 2009) Lee, H. L. , and C. Billington (1992) Supply Chain Management: Pitfalls and Opportunities, Sloan Management Review, No. 33, Spring, pp. 65-73. Lee, H. L. , and C. Billington (1993) Material Management in Decentralized Supply Chains, Operations Research, No. 41 pp. 35-47 Masters, J. M. (1993) Determination of Near-Optimal Stock Levels for Multi-Echelon Distribution Inventories, Journal of Business Logistics, No. 14, pp. 165-195. Thajudeen, S. M. (2009) Foster Wheeler Group of Companies Middle East Region, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, February 15. http://www. saudiaramco. com. sa/homepage/projects (access June 5, 2009)

Analysis of the Poem “Genesis”

Bruce Dawe, an Australian poet, has written the poem ‘Genesis'. The poem compares the beginning of school to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, hence the title ‘Genesis'. Dawe has put the context of the poem into a modern day theme. Using the comparison of Adam and Eve's loss of innocence, he describes how the innocence of children is lost at school. This correspondence to the story of God expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden because they had eaten fruit from the tree of knowledge. In the poem ‘Genesis', children are expelled from innocence into the harsh realities of the world by partaking of the tree of knowledge – education at school. Dawe has used various techniques to convey his message across. Throughout the poem, there is an underlying criticism of what society does to children by sending them to school, leading us to question the wisdom of â€Å"education† as provided at school. He has achieved this critical commentary by lightly incorporating the technique of gentle satire into the poem to attack the human folly. This satire implies that society has not learnt from Adam and Eve's mistakes and condones the sinful behaviour in the name of â€Å"education†. His idea has been put forward by the interpretations that God created Adam and Eve, of whom lost their innocence from the tree of knowledge, but society created the cause of the loss of innocence through education. In the lines â€Å"Ah, what ink-stained webs we weave†(1.23), Dawe implies that the adults of society have created a trap (that cannot be untangled) for their children, in their desire for their children to know more, almost pushing them into losing their purity of heart. This satire has made possible by the technique of irony because the Garden of Eden is supposed to harmonise paradise, but school is far from paradise; yet is respected and designated as a ‘good' place by society. The predominating mood created by Dawe is quite paradoxical for he has put forward a serious inner meaning, in an informal manner. The tone of the poem is cynical and sarcastic, occasionally using wry humour to express the feelings of entrapment and unwillingness of the children â€Å"Stabbing first flies with new biros† (1.8). In the poem you can almost sense the children's lack of freedom when the poet describes them â€Å"Watching corner-eyed, the sun, No longer at their beck and calling† (1.10-11). The school bell has replaced their freedom of control over the day. Using sarcasm, Dawe describes the different classrooms as prison cells. This implication is made by the words â€Å"Like old ‘lags' to whom all's one!† (1.7). ‘Lag' was the name given to a convict in the early days of Australian's history and refers to the children who are â€Å"imprisoned† in their classrooms. The fact that all cells look the same illustrates their lack of interest in their classrooms. It all symbolises the loss of freedom. The children's loss of freedom innocence is shown throughout the poem and is illustrated by examples of them choosing bad over good. â€Å"Dumping wholesome snacks Mum makes, In the school incinerator† (1.22) and eating â€Å"tooth-rotting cakes† (1.19) and drinking â€Å"Mind-destroying Fizzi-cola† (1.20). With the help of his mindful selection of words such as, ‘mincing' and ‘cocky' he has built up the imagery that incorporates the sense of flirtatiousness and rebelliousness in the students. Other effects of imagery include the use of metaphor where Dawe compares the delay of sound from a jet-plane to the delay of understanding from the school children when faced by the information in their new text-books. â€Å"Like jet ‘planes so far above them, Waiting for the sonic boom† (1.16-17). The use of simile is also closely connected with the metaphor, where Dawe compares the difficulty of schoolwork to the difficulty of reaching a jet-plane. â€Å"Text-book whose right answers loom, Like jet ‘planes so far above them†(1.15-16). By using both techniques, Dawe enables the reader to visualise more clearly the poet's impressions. The words used by Dawe are vivid and image is substantial, yet simplistic. This allows readers of all levels to appreciate and understand his writing even those who do not normally care for poetry. He has accomplished this in ‘Genesis' by using compound words throughout the whole poem, which allow him to describe ideas promptly and concisely, producing a clear image of his intentions: â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦tooth-rotting cakes, Mind-destroying fizzi-cola† Along with these compound adjectives his rhyming pattern and regular rhythm futher enhances ease of reading and permits the poem to become almost harmonious. Dawe's negative connotations of school, aroused emotions of sadness. This is because I believe the poem speaks of truth of that innocence is lost in school, a place that provides one of the most important aspects to life, education. Dawe has created this poem to comment on the tragedy of the human race, that is to say, what children have become since Adam and Eve. However, I find that his negative attitudes are not necessarily accurate. Despite my disagreeing view with Dawes beliefs, he has nevertheless been successful in conveying his intentions – to satirise the human obsession with education and the emphasis placed on school learning. He has achieved by incorporating many techniques into his work.

What is meant by the term ecotourism and what are the major limitations of this type of tourism?

Ecotourism is among the most popular forms of alternative tourism, it involves purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the cultural and natural history of the environment. Ecotourism itself is difficult to define but it consists of three main elements. The primary aim of eco-tourism should be the conservation of the environment, as this is the most likely reason for tourists coming to the area in the first place. Secondly the tourism should encourage learning and encourage understanding about the natural habitat and the environment. Thirdly the tourism should be environmentally, culturally and economically, sustainable, as without this the industry will destroy itself and damage the surrounding area. Its theses three combined factors that define an eco-tourism attraction. The major limitations of this kind of tourism are carrying capacity and the number of visitors. The type of tourist who seeks an authentic allocentric experience tends to be crowd-sensitive and expect small numbers. Furthermore the attractive resources themselves are often fragile and sensitive to impacts (e. . coral reefs), and have a low carrying capacity. Similar characteristics apply to many of the traditional cultures and their environments. The most obvious way to control visitor numbers and impacts and so sustain the quality of both the resource and the experience is through remoteness and inaccessibility. Although this leads to criticism of the industry, implying that it is only for the rich or the privileged and it also means that the industry is very small and doesn't produce a huge income unlike mass tourism. Another problem with eco-tourism is that international companies use the ‘eco' label as a marketing ploy rather than as an indication of a genuine policy of ‘responsible tourism' and sustainability. Eco-tourism is also very difficult to set up, as it requires a great deal of planning to ensure that it will maintain its sustainability throughout its lifespan. It is very difficult and costly to maintain on eco-tourism facility as it is so very fragile and so requires a great deal more effort than mass tourism. It is also very important that the locals are involved in the eco-tourism as without them it is very hard to maintain the facility and the locals also help to improve conservation in the area. Using specific examples examine the role of tourism as a development strategy. The Impact of tourism is very significant in terms of a development strategy. The Gambia is using tourism as a development strategy, and at present 3000 people are directly employed in tourism, which makes up 10% of the wage earners. Unfortunately 50% of all the employment is part time and seasonal so employees are mostly casual workers with no protection such as healthcare or insurance and they only get paid the very minimum wage. The Gambia has a very desirable climate especially in the winter moths, which along with the fact that there is no time difference between there and the UK makes it a very popular tourist destination. The tourism industry in the Gambia consists mainly of foreign owned resorts, these are encouraged by tax-free imports, no tax on first five years profit and the expansion of the Yundun airport, to provide international trade and visitors. These foreign companies help the tourism industry to prosper yet don't put much back into the local economy or local culture. In fact only 23% of all the profits from tourism in The Gambia go to the destination country due to leakage of wealth. Also due to the large numbers of tourists and facilities with a relatively small local population means that The Gambia has to import agricultural and specialised foodstuffs and spend $105 million a year on these foods. Tourism in the Gambia is heavily concentrated in the Banjul area on the western coast, this means that this area gets much better services and resources than the surrounding area. This creates a poorer periphery area and growing disparities of wealth and opportunity. The high level of development in the tourist areas has lead to rural to urban migration to these particular areas leaving the rural areas impoverished and without a young workforce. This kind of dependency on tourism has created a lot of debt, which the country may be unable to pay back unless the tourism industry is sustainable and keeps producing profits. The tourism industry in the Gambia is very vulnerable to outside impacts. For example there is social damage to the existing culture because of the impact of tourists, particularly due to the conflicts of the strict Muslim religion and the tourists. Also children now see begging as an easy source of income and so become less interested in education and their traditional culture. Overall Tourism is helping the development of The Gambia although it must be kept sustainable or it will destroy the environment and destroy the industry. Belize also uses tourism as a development strategy. Belize is located within Central America just south of Mexico on the east coast. Belize gained independence in 1981 and has a relatively small population of only 180,000. There is very little pressure for development due to the low population and huge areas of natural and unspoilt rainforest, mangroves and barrier reefs. Belize is the American equivalent of what Spain is to the British relatively close and provides tropical conditions. There are two types of tourism used in Belize, mass tourism and eco-tourism. The main example of mass tourism is the Cancun Resort, which was a purpose built tourist enclave, constructed on an island out in the lagoon. This resort offered an entirely psychocentric experience with little contact with the indigenous population and an almost entirely internationalised resort. This resort resulted in a very high level of economic leakage as most of the profits went to he foreign international chains who owned the hotels. This development offered very little stimulus to economic growth and didn't really help the country to develop. This type of mass tourism has tended to create more problems than financial gains and isn't really sustainable. It has created mass rural to urban migration, which has lead to the construction of a shantytown with no clean water or sewage. Within 30 years much of what the tourists originally wanted to see will be destroyed and is already under serious threat. This is all because the resort wasn't properly planned and wasn't designed to be sustainable. The other type of tourism prominent in Belize is eco-tourism. This tourism involves the conservation of the environment with an educational element while being sustainable. However these schemes are not as economically profitable to the host country as they require more planning resources and maintenance than mass tourism. Yet eco-tourism is used to help countries develop as it is sustainable and can be a long-term economic aid. In Belize there are numerous up and coming resorts. There is a community baboon reserve, the barrier reef and numerous areas of tropical rainforest and mangrove. All of these schemes are involved with the local population and are very allocentric. Although because the carrying capacity of the natural environments is very low, numbers have to be kept down so the facilities are carefully planned. These schemes are much more profitable for the locals as there is n leakage form international companies, and it gives the host country a better understanding of their natural resources and how to conserve and protect it.

Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt - Essay Example hin the book entitled â€Å"Devil Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three.† In the first half of the book, readers are given an in depth look at Jesse Miskelley’s trial specifically, and from the evidence provided, the verdict returned by the jury does not appear to be correct. Although some elements of the crime remain shrouded in mystery, there are certain aspects that all parties regard as factual. The murders of three eight year old boys—Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch—occurred on May 5, 1993(Leveritt, 6). The details of the crime were particularly gruesome as the boys were found naked, beaten, hogtied with shoelaces, and floating in a bank within the Robin Hood Hills(Leveritt, 11-12). One of the boys was missing parts of their genitals, and it appeared that the primary cause of death was drowning. The murder shocked the close-knit, largely religious community, and there was a lot of pressure on the local police to find the murderers as quickly as possible. After a few leads that did not go very far, the police began to focus on the idea of a gang or cult perhaps having committed or been involved with the murder. This idea quickly took shape due to the disturbing nature of the crime. Additionally, in 1993, there was a certain kind of satanic panic spreading across the United States. Leveritt states, â€Å"By the late 1980s, interest in the suspected prevalence of satanic ritual abuse, or SRA, as it became known, had grown so intense in the United States†(Leveritt, 44). Basically, anyone who dressed in black, listened to heavy metal music, or was in any other way an outsider, was seen as someone who could potentially be involved with satanism. Ultimately, it was a combination of the crime and the satanic panic that pointed the police in the direction of three teenagers: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jesse Miskelley. Although these boys were initially suspected due to their odd behavior and dress, there was not really

Review of a live jazz performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of a live jazz performance - Essay Example Three shows that put the event on the going emerged as predominantly remarkable. The jazz-laden cookers spearheaded the event, Jonathan Batiste together with his band, as well as the Trio of Aaron Parks. Opening the event in Cape May on the stage were the Cookers. The Cookers presented themselves in a return act with a lot of strength in every position they stood (Ephland). At the forefront of the four performers, there was Billy Harper handling the saxophone of tenor, Donald Harrison handling the alto saxophone, the founder of the group David Weiss, and Eddie Henderson with the trumpet. They were supported by the naturally powerful section of rhythm of McBee Cecil on bass, George Cables on the piano and Billy Hart on the drums. In the combined sounds, there were many voices, although Hart particularly was very surprising, and brought menace. Hart was everywhere in his set, very effervescent and flamboyant than this assessor has ever seen in the many years of his presence in the indu stry (Ephland). Arrays of tunes were played, several of them as an ensemble in voicings that were out-styled. From the look of things and how everything was happening, some of the voicings required deep listening. You could see the horns moving from the front of the stage towards the wings; the soloing persons were as well involved in the performance. They went on playing a little of tunes from their recent CD known as â€Å"Time And Time Again†. The tunes included very interesting charts that held two-chord frames; with a melody that was dirge-like that slow-cooked in explosive singles from Harper, Cables and Weiss. "Croquet Ballet," by Harper was a slow cooker, along with driving singles from Cables and Harrison. Cables verse to Mulgrew Miller, known as "Farewell Mulgrew," got played in tribute to a good talent and friend. With blazing singles that came from Harper and

HUMAN TOXIC THREAT RISK ASSESSMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HUMAN TOXIC THREAT RISK ASSESSMENT - Essay Example Food additives are used for purposes of food preservation and the improvement of their test. Manufacturers also use food additives for purposes of imparting color as well as improving the appearance of the food. A significant number of manufacturers cannot ignore using food additives because of the fact that they guarantee long shelf life. It is no wonder that almost every food products contain additives. I recent years, there has been an increase in the use of additives which eventually has led to an increase in the number of its negative effects among consumers. Consequently, there has been a debate on whether food additives are more harmful than healthy. Tests carried out on animals that exhibit molecular structures similar to that of humans have shown that most additives in foods and drinks have the long term effect of causing diseases in the consumer. According to the website peopleforethicalliving.com, most people consume harmful substances in their foods without their knowledg e of it or due to plain ignorance. The website gives examples of such to include aspartame and most types of fluorides. On the contrary, the website answers.com has an argument that food and drink additives have many advantages which include improving its natural color and nutritional value, adding flavor to the food or drink, increasing its shelf life and, by keeping the food or drink in question fresh, reduces the risk of food poisoning (Monosson 42). Consumer Exposure The chemical threat from food and beverage additives is both acute and chronic in nature. While most additives could be harmless to most consumers, many lead to allergic reactions among them coughs and rashes on the skin. The chronic diseases set off by food and drink additives include many types of diseases including Type 2 diabetes, obesity and weight gain in general. The chemical threat from food and drink additives is a target organ threat besides being a carcinogenic and developmental threat too. As a target or gan threat, research using mice has shown that some chemicals used as additives cause brain tumors in consumers. These chemicals include excitotoxin food additives which enter the brain due to the porosity of the brain-blood barrier (BBB). Since the brain is very sensitive to foreign chemicals, many diseases such as brain tumors, head trauma and Alzheimer’s disease are a most likely occurrence. The carcinogenic properties of most food and drink additives such as cyclamates and saccharin have been proven beyond reasonable doubt by researchers. These chemicals cause brain tumors in rats and since rats share many genetic characteristics with humans, the effect on human consumers should be more or less the same. The two artificial sweeteners are found in most manufactured foods and drinks and were mostly used in the United States during the two world wars (Miller and Spoolman 11). These findings lead to the banning of cyclamates due to its adverse effects. As a developmental toxi c threat, food and drink additives have been proven to cause hyperactivity in children. Personally, the chemical threat from the use of additives found in foods and drinks shall affect me only in the normal way since no family history increases my vulnerability to their effects. My preference for the energy drink Red Bull though could put me at a great risk of being affected by the preservatives used in this drink. Risk

Internatinal Marketing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Internatinal Marketing Strategy - Assignment Example Mulberry was established in 1971 specifically to provide fashionable items that would create a formula for its success in the market (Reuters, 2012). Mulberry is a fashionable and luxury brand that people aspire to own. Mulberry is recognized for its wide variety of women leather bags which includes shoulder bags, satchels, totes, clutches, briefcases etc. Due to its classic design and wide variety, it is seen on world’s famous celebrities and models’ arm such as Daisy Lowe, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Claudia Schiffer. The company not only provides readymade handbags but also gives its customers a chance to design their own handbags according to their requirements making the English luxury easily accessible. The brand is just not limited for women but also provides handbags and other accessories for men. The collection for men is also eye-catching due to which it is purchased frequently by men. The men’s accessories include wallets, cufflinks, bags, gloves, sc arves and belts (Mulberry, 2012). The company core values remains indistinguishable even after 4 decades which is the main reason for the company’s success. ... Despite the recessionary period the company remains focused on the long-term success and growth (Wood, 2010a). Even after the economic situation the performance of the company was extra-ordinary in 2010 as more than ?40m worth Mulberry’s brand were sold in Britain alone (Wood, 2010b). Global expansion was company’s key success and provided the company with positive news. The international revenues boosted to 61 percent providing high growth opportunities for the company. With the economy in disastrous situation it was important for the company to look for internationalization rather to face economic downturn due to which the sales were expected to fall. The major reason for Mulberry’s internationalization was based on the sharp decline in 2008 for the first time after 2003 which affected the domestic demand for handbags in US and Europe (PRWeb, 2012). The rising demand for international high quality leather handbags in other regions of the world was another reaso n for expanding the business into other geographic regions (Business Wire, 2010). Due to such conditions the best way to hedge against risk was to set foot in such market that was growing influx of foreign brand. One such country includes India where the handbag market is estimated at Rs. 20 billion and projected to grow at an increasing rate of 15 percent annually (Technopak Advisors, 2011). The market for luxury product all over the globe is increasing at a surprising rate and Asia is being targeted as the main market for such products after Europe; due to which India would be the best country to cater (Image 1 and 2). Another advantage to expand in this Asian country will be its low cost in terms of labour and raw material. Figure 1: Worldwide Luxury Goods Market

Examine how John Reed explains the Mexican revolution Essay

Examine how John Reed explains the Mexican revolution - Essay Example According to John Reed, the majority of the citizens were annoyed with the manner in which the state was handling the affairs of the public. Indeed, the events of the revolution shaped the social, economic and political landscape of Mexico. Hence, the paper is describing the revolution using john reed’s explanation. The Mexican revolution John Reed reports that the revolution began as struggle between the incumbent president and his challenger, Mr. Madero. According to John Reed, Mr. Madero who was challenging the presidents incited his supporters to take part in a revolution (Reed 1). Mr. Madero incited the masses because he felt that the incumbent president had bungled the elections. The rivalry amid the two leaders culminated into war that led to bloodshed. War was at the hallmark of the revolution that begun in 1910. John Reed explains that the revolution begun slowly in 1910, thereafter it escalated to uncontrollable magnitudes in the subsequent years. Lack of communicati on was contributing to the misunderstandings that lead to the escalation of the wars. During the time, the Peons took part engaged themselves in the war with the expectations that their lives will change for the better. They had been promised favors, hence their participation in the war. Moreover, a majority of Mexicans were annoyed with the dictatorial leadership of President Porfirio Diaz. According to John Reed, the fighting that took place in the North affected most of the activities in the entire country. As a result, the economic landscape of the country changed. People began engaging in activities that demanded less capital because war had incapacitated them. Moreover, John Reed states that war halted most of the activities of people of Mexico. There was a decline in farming activities since people spend most of their times on fights. Poverty levels were escalating in the entire country. However, it is perplexing when the john reed states that he is annoyed with the events of the war yet he took part in the war. In some cases, he contradicts himself by supporting and criticizing the war at the same time. From the explanations of John Reed, economic activities played a huge role in shaping the life of individuals in Mexico. For instance, issues of wealth distribution lead to the escalation of war. The poor were angered with the manner in which the wealth owners were mistreating them. Moreover, the farmers received low wages from their employers. As indicated in the works of John Reed, people engaged in wars as a means of ending slavery. Hence, slaves preferred taking part in battles instead of working in the farms (Reed 12). The deplorable conditions in the farm made them hate employment. By taking part in wars, slaves were seeking liberation. They had wanted to have a life of their own to control their lives. Interestingly, during the war, the majority preferred the rebels to occupy their territories. This is because they hated the presence of the feder al authority. Reed reported to the metropolitan magazine Mexicans engaged in agriculture as their major source of live hood. Indeed, it was true that farming was the major economic activity for the people in Mexico. Hence, people supported the revolution because they had desired to own land. In Mexico, property ownership was highly cherished by the people then. Interestingly, this applies to the current situation in Mexico whereby people strive to own properties for their own use. The Peons in Mexico were claiming that the slave owners

The American Cancer Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The American Cancer Society - Essay Example According to the ACS (2015), nearly 1.5 million new incidences of cancer occur in the United States yearly. This rise in cancer cases has been attributed to various causes. ACS states that cancer is caused by exposure to specific chemicals such as lead and asbestos. Exposure to radiation also causes or increases the probability of developing cancer. In addition, genetics plays a vital role in causing cancer. Some cancer types are caused by genetics which are transferred from generation to generation. Poor lifestyle factors can also lead to cancer, for example, poor diet and the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle (Kitahara et al., 2012). Smoking tobacco has also been linked to lung cancer. Cancer policies should focus more on prevention measures. Further, the public should be educated about the significance of regular screening practices. Regular screening practices will help health care professionals to detect the ailment early before it progresses. These practices will minimize the incidence of cancer in the United States. The ACS (2015) funds the palliative care research program to a tune of 26 million dollars. Through this program, ACS will improve the quality of life for patients. Subsequently, the negative side effects from cancer will be minimized. Thus, the program will aid in improving the lives of cancer patients and their families. More than 60% of cancer patients undergo painful treatment procedures leading to a reduction in quality of life.

Sharon Construction Corporation - Case Analysis Essay

Sharon Construction Corporation - Case Analysis - Essay Example The project has been outlined to run for 48weeks with an allowance of 4weeks in case any problems arise. However the company is faced with some unusual problems. There is the prospect of a workers strike to begin on 30th November that will run for eight to twelve weeks on a probability estimate of 70:30 of the period the strike will last. The cold season starting in December presents another major challenge for this project. The concrete cannot be poured during this month therefore amounting to delays. To overcome these problems, suggestions have been put forth that are likely to add to the costs of the whole project or otherwise delay the process till January, when the weather is favorable. Any week delayed will amount to an overhead cost of $500 and any special heating required during concrete pouring will cost up to $500 depending on the temperature conditions. Possible problems An analysis of the project shows that delay issues will cost the company $15,000 per week. The workerâ €™s strike is one of the cited problems likely to set back the company on the time line given. The strike has a fifty: fifty chance of occurring hence cannot be ignored. Furthermore it is likely to last for eight to twelve weeks. ... The pouring of seats process is scheduled in December. The weather has been predicted to be cold and thus may amount to extra costs of $500 per week to bring in a heat system. However, this stage runs for two weeks therefore it can be delayed until the cold weather clears. The work can then be resumed since it is in the final stages of the project. The delay would amount to four weeks delay of $60,000 plus overhead costs of $2000 if the month of December is scrapped in this schedule. Major Problem The major problem posed by this project is the delay issue. The cost amounting from any delay have been analysed by each problem cited. Nonetheless it is important to note that the two problems are highly likely to occur at the same period of time. They are anticipated to begin in December. The weather issues can be resolved but the labourers strike issue has to be resolved. Processes like concrete pouring cannot be highly affected as it takes ample time to dry. The analysis of the project shows the process that require a great amount of labour hence the company can take advantage. It is important to shorten the period of work before December sets in. This can be achieved by adding the number of labourers for work that is labour intensive or expedite the process with highly equipped machinery. The project has to be cut back by at least six to eight weeks in order to sustain the goals of completion on time and/or earn projected profits. Analysis of proposals 1. The first proposal is to expedite pouring of seat galleries at an extra cost of $20,000 and reduce the duration of this activity by six weeks. This is worthwhile since it is in the goal of buying more time for the whole project. 2. Deploying a double shift for field filling will buy five weeks period at an

The effectiveness of SSL and Certification authentication and how can Research Paper

The effectiveness of SSL and Certification authentication and how can the client be better protected - Research Paper Example Clients deserve to know how their personal information is being stored and what it being done to protect their information from getting into the wrong hands. To this end, the SSL and Certificate Authentication processes have been developed and refined over the years to better protect the client and enhance the security of information stored digitally and electronically via the Internet and other mediums (Alnatheer, 2014). The problem is that the Internet is increasingly becoming a place where the transmission of private information, such as credit card data, is a potentially dangerous activity that could result in the data being intercepted by hackers that would seek to do harm. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the concepts of the secure socket layer (SSL) and certificate authentication in order to determine how the client can be better protected. The objective is to determine how this technology is currently being utilized to make the transmission of electronic data via the Internet safer and more secure, while also looking at potential barriers to security that must be addressed moving forward. Failure to address these important issues will undermine the very integrity of the Internet and potentially lead to a general populace that is leery of trusting Web sites with their most private and confidential of information. Research questions are invaluable to the researcher in terms of guiding hi or her in the proper direction, in addition to working to ensure that the project remains focused and relevant to the reader. In consideration of this, this particular study has several main questions that, when answered, will lead to the conclusions that form the basis for chapter 5. This will enable the reader to effectively ascertain the need to keep clients safe when transmitting information online, and how SSL and certificate authentication can help to make this possible. Authentication Certificate - Digital certificate

Christianity and Poverty Essay Example for Free

Christianity and Poverty Essay Christian Aid was founded in 1945. In 1945 the members of the British and Irish churches were very shocked to see how hard life was for European refugees who had lost everything in the Second World War. In response to this, they new that something had to done about it. By making this decision, they managed to raise one million pounds to help these people. This group became known as Christian Aid. Everywhere in the world there are people whose lifes are hardly worth living, people who are in a desperate struggle for the basic needs of life. This is why Christian Aid was founded, to help try and give people a better state of living. Christian Aid helps out in emergencies around the world whenever it can, when people are plunged into terrible situations, as families were in Afghanistan during the war in 2001. Christian Aid usually sends money to local organisations who can then buy food or provide shelter for other communities. Also Christian Aid works on issues from healthcare to human rights, from support to landless peasants in Brazil to ending child labour in India. A project which I think is important is the BBC project. This is a very important project because it enables young people like Bumeh to piece together their lives and start having fun again. Every year, the Burmese Border Consortium brings food and basic education to around 120,000 refugees in 14 different camps along the border and campaigns on their behalf. I find this project very important because it helps a lot of people have a better way of living. This also is a big help for the future generation because more people are being educated and in this way, more people will continue to be educated. Christian Aid does this work in order for Christians who want to put their faith and beliefs into action to do so. Christian Aid is the main relief and development agency in the UK and Ireland. Although it was inspired by the gospel, it is not the case that it is solely for Christians. Christian Aid works with partners and supporters of many different faiths. The most important thing is that Aid is distributed on the basis of need, and regardless of religion, race, faith, creed or nationality. Some of these quotes explain why Christian Aid came into being in the first place, James 2:14-26 Christians believe that faith and beliefs should be demonstrated in practical ways to help people in need. and John 3:23 Christians believe that God loves everyone in the world and that they should show this love too. They believe that Jesus is the role model for living your faith. In all, I think that Christian Aid is a very sucessful organisation which benefits a lot of people all over the world. Christian Aid gives many people the opportunity to live life in a much better way of living. It gives people a chance, who would otherwise have never got the chance to improve their life. Also it allows people like us to help raise money for Christian Aid and lets us feel good about ourselves because we have done something for a very good cause. Therefore, I think Christian Aid is for a very good cause because they believe that we all have the power to make changes and they help to make many peoples lives much happier. After all what may seem to us as not a lot of money, can come out with life changing results for some people in the world. http://www.freebietown.co.uk/ukfreebiessamples.html http://62.169.139.99/eucerin/index.asp# eucerin http://www.freebiesiteuk.co.uk/health.htm

Desert Flower by Cathleen Miller and Waris Dirie

Desert Flower by Cathleen Miller and Waris Dirie Last year, I watched the adapted movie of the book, Desert Flower in the cinema. That movie has fascinated, motivated and likewise evoke interest in me. In my opinion it is incredible how people can live under those bad conditions in Africa. For that reason, I wanted to read the book. In the following essay I will focus on the ancient customs and the culture of the nomads. There are several questions to think about when discussing about the role of women in Somalia. In particular, I will find out about the importance, meaning and purpose of the female genital mutilation. After writing my thesis I would like to research in what way the women in Somalia are treated and if they are put under pressure by their men and whether there is egalitarianism in their society. In addition, during those researches, I want to develop my own point of view. Introduction Desert Flower is the true Story based on the life of Waris Dirie. All actions, mentioned in the text are factual. The author of the book, Desert Flower, Waris Dirie, is a very hardworking girl. She is one of the children born into a traditional family of tribal desert nomads of Somalia in East Africa. With her family, she has experienced a very closed and formative culture, whose habits and rituals, in the truest sense of the word, left scars behind. She has a very good relationship with her family. However, Waris Dirie is adversely affected by the practice of the painful female circumcision. Later, she is going to report about the genital mutilation due to her family tradition and to draw attention to what happens with the girls in her home land. Efficient Examination with my topic 1. Characteristic Lives of Nomads in Somalia To begin with, in the extraordinary journey of a desert nomad Dirie speaks from her own daily experiences in a traditional living nomad family during her epitaxial growth. Therefore, the reader gets to know about the parents, teaching their children all the skills they need to survive. They neither learn how to read nor to write because the family cannot afford to pay for their children education. Her mother teaches Dirie to care about her younger siblings and how to provide her family with enough food, whereas her father teaches her how to take care of their animals. Usually nomads are uneducated. They just live very simple and know about things that have been passed on throughout generations. At times, there is not enough food for the whole family. The priority is to feed the smallest children, then the older ones. Waris Dirie cannot remember ever seeing her mother eat. Her mother always has waived her rights. Somalia remains a very deeply troubled country because everyone lives th e way their ancestors had for thousands of years. Like most of Somalis, Diries family lives the lifestyle of herdsman. That means Somali nomads never stay at a place longer than four weeks. They always look for another place where new water resources are available and move there. That is why they do not have a certain habitation. (p. 40- 41) The father of every family is the head and protector. He makes all the decisions which concern the whole family. At many times, Waris Dirie has to feel the brutal beat of her father because he wants to remind her of taking her work seriously. Being nomads, the family of Dirie does not have any material prosperity like automobiles, electricity or telephones. They do not have any artificial time constructions like clocks and calendars. That is why Dirie do not really know how old she is, she can only guess. Dirie (1998) argues that In Africa there was no hurry, no stress. African time is very, very slow, very calm. (p. 42) I believe that nomads have a much different perspective of life. Generally speaking, their routine of the day is incomparable. They decide every morning anew what they have to do and therefore they are living by the seasons and the sun. In particular, Waris talks about children in Somalia who are not allowed to attend to her parents affairs. She just has to obey all the time, regarding her parents with great respect, following their wishes. In addition, it is usual for the man having multiple wives. The man wants to have a lot of children but after a while, the women are either physically not able to carry out children anymore or are mentally against another birth due to pain during pregnancies or for other emotional reasons. As a result, the man leaves and looks for another wife that is willing to carry out children. (p. 41- 43) According to Dirie (1998), The nomads life is a harsh one, but it is also full of beauty- a life so connected to nature that the two are inseparable (page 58). A better way for nomads to put this is that water is a very important but an infrequently and scarce resource in life because they do not have any water- taps. They have a deep respect for water and they love it. Dirie (1998) describes the source of water as such an uninhibited feeling of freedom and joy. (p.322) People have to pray for rain and if there are not any raindrops, they have to go on a long search for it. Simply looking at it gives me great joy. (Dirie, 1998, p. 60) This quotation shows that people in Somalia appreciate the simple things they have in their lives. Furthermore Dirie tells about their celebrations where they thank God for having such a precious and beautiful life where all are praying, singing, dancing and eating together. (p. 43, 47- 61) The infancy of Waris Dirie: Growing up with animals For Waris Dirie, her family, nature and the animals (compare App. p. 12, figure 2) are the main elements of life. We grew up with animals, prospered when they prospered, suffered when they suffered, died when they died (Dirie, 1998, p. 17). Animals are very vital and helpful for nomads and they probably have the first priority, because they keep the tribes alive. (p. 16- 17) People in Somalia have large herds of cattle, sheep, goats and camels. When Dirie was a young girl, she had been responsible for these herds of her family. Every morning she had to get up very early to move the herds to a fresh area. While the animals were grazing, she had to watch for other predators, like hyenas. A loss of the herd meant for Somali nomads the worse. A very important animal for the Somali nomads is the camel. No animal is such as suitable und valuable for living in the wilderness like camels. In addition, the camels have a special significance for the culture of the Somalia-nomads who always write poems and songs about their camels. Even the children know about the value of the protection of the camels. From the time I was a baby, I knew of the great importance of these animals, because theyre absolutely gold in our society. (Dirie, 1998, p. 18) A camel is never killed to be eaten. The qualities of a camel are too valuable, so that the death of these animals would s how only one big loss. The camels are inalienable components and indispensable for the life of the Somali nomads in the desert. They make their lives considerably easier and have a cultural meaning for them. (p. 18- 25) Anyhow, she has not experienced a typical childhood. At the age of four, she is raped by a friend of her father. She just feels something hard pressing into her vagina and she even does not understand what has happened to her in that moment. Later, when she runs away from home she is nearly raped a second time. She asks a trucker if he is able to pick her up. But then, he takes his pants down and Dirie (1998) states that His erect penis bobbed at me as he grabbed my legs and tried to force them apart, (p. 13). Unlike me, he was experienced, no doubt raping many women; I was simply about to become the next one. (Dirie, 1998, p. 13) With all her strength, she jumps off the truck and then, runs away. (p. 11- 14) 2. Nomads rituals: female circumcision in Somalia It belongs to the culture of Somalis that every girl must experience the female genital mutilation (FGM) at the pubescent age which achieve the status of a Somali woman and therefore being able to marry. The curtailment of her sisters and later also her own, were carried out by a gypsy. In the society of the Somali nomads, she takes a high value and a high position, because she belongs to one of the least ones which know how to do the practice. Moreover, she gets a huge pay of the family because of the curtailment. (p. 64- 65) When Waris goes through this practice at the age of five, it has changed her life because she trespasses the boarder of her childhood into her womanhood. Her younger sister and two cousins died fom this procedure. She describes this ancient ritual as very painful, but she is very jealous of her oldest sister because after the circumcision she becomes a women. When I hears the old gypsy was coming to circumcise Aman, I wanted to be circumcised, too. (Dirie, 1998, p. 64) Because of this big desire for the circumcision, she screames: Mama, do both of us at the same time. Come on, Mama, do both of us tomorrow!. (Dirie, 1998, p. 64) Besides, it concerns removing the female genitals. The next thing I felt was my flesh, my genitals, being cut away. (Dirie, 1998, p. 70). During the execution, Waris losts also her consciousness. After removing the female genitals the girls have just one small opening left, in the size of a match head, for urinating and the monthly period. Waris suffered durin g her period always from strong pains, because the blood cannot flow naturally through the tiny hole. The prevailing wisdom in Somalia is that there are bad things between a girls legs, parts of our bodies that were born with, yet are unclean. (Dirie, 1998, p. 63). Also she had problems while urinating what mostly lasted several minutes. Moreover, this is a sign for the future man that she is still purely, so a virgin. (p. 62- 72) After the execution of the genital mutilation, it is the traditional custom of the Somalis to built a hut for the girls until her physical scars left accured. This hut which is built out of staves and branches is placed far away from the trunk. Because of this expended distance the tribes could not hear the yelling of the pain. For the same reason, the curtailment is curried out in the early morning if still the other members of the family sleep. Because of the painful procedure, girls are lying helpless and unable to run. After the curtailment, merely food is brought to her in the lodging. Furthermore there is always danger of dying after the practice due to infections. If the woman has entered then into marriage, her husband either has the possibility to use a sharp object or just press his genitals into the women until it bursts again. As tools for the operation of this genital mutilation mostly arbitrary, filthy- sharp objects are used because the possibilities of suitable equipm ent are impossible in such regions and also no medical institutions exist. The disastrous results with themselves which end in many cases with the death bring the use such of immoderate utensils. The Somalis look at this tradition as an inalienable one, because girls with unscathed genitals are considered as inexpedient about the marriage, dirtily, repellent and slovenly. (p. 73- 78) There are also a lot of unforgettable consequences which are closely connected with acute pain. In the conditions under which female circumcision is generally performed in Africa, even the less extensive types of genital cutting can lead to potentially fatal complications, such as hemorrhage, infection and shock à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(compare App. p. 11, figure 1)(Althaus, 1997) Becoming a women-the Marriage contract If a girl is cut, she is ready to be married. She must remain a virgin up to her wedding which her father always predicts her: Youre supposed to be a virgin when you marry. Girls know they will marry as a virgin, and will marry only one man, and thats it. Thats your life. (Dirie, 1998, p. 81) She would marry even once in her life and spend her whole life with her husband. However, men have the right to have several women at the same time. The choice of the future husband is always made by the father and often against the will of the daughter. Besides, the choice mostly falls on that man which offers most camels. However, the wedding is one of the least and most important holidays in the life of the Somali nomads which is celebrated also accordingly traditional like Dirie (1998) reports in her journey that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾When a girl marries, the women from her tribe go out into the desert and collect these flowers. They dry them, then add water to them and make a paste to spread on th e brides face that gives her a golden glow. (p. 58) Dirie (1998) also reports that In my culture, a woman earns a badge of respect when she becomes a mother. (p. 347) For a girl or a woman the wedding means the beginning of a new life, regardless and independent of her family and the foundation of an own family. (p. 81- 89) A few years after her curtailment, at the age of about twelve years, Waris should be also married. It is hard for her father to found a man who advertises around them or offers an adequate price of the hand of his daughter. He is sixty years old but her father arranges his daughter a marriage. He offers five camels for Dirie. This is a high price for the marriage with this little girl. She denies and do not want to marry him. Dirie (1998) defends the argument that As a girl in Somalia, I never thought about marriage or sex. In my family- in our culture- nobody ever talked about any of that. It never, ever, came to mind. (p. 80) However, she defends herself not to marry this old man and to spend the rest of her life with this man. Dirie has always her own will and objections. This behavior pattern is not typically for a properly traditional educated Somali nomad. Somali men estimate women who obey and do not contradict. She has only two possibilities, either she would obey and marry t he old man or to run away. She decides to leave her family, like her sister Aman did before and so she flees in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. (p. 90- 95) 3. Flashback to her childhood and aims for the future In spite of criticising the practice of the female genital mutilation, Waris Dirie reports very positvie about her culture and she is still completely proud to be a nomad, born in Africa. From Diries point of view, her mothercountry probably is not comparable to other countries because the families have a strong solidarity like nowhere else. From the beginning, I had the instinct for survival; I learned joy and pain at the same time. I learned that happiness is not what you have, because I never had anything, and I was so happy. (Dirie, W. 1998, p.363) The growing up has changed the personality of Dirie (1998), because she reports that Today, I cherish the value of the simple things. (p. 364) On account of the horrible circumcision, Dirie is very angry, feels sad and often much pain. She cannot imagine that anybody would accept the practice and just because at the thought of the mutilation to other girls who all have to accept their fates. (p. 239- 242) As Dirie (1998) has grown older, she realizes that Well, these are my legs, and theyre a result of who I am and where Im from (p. 286). That means she is very proud of her legs and her traditional past because they are the symbol for her origin and her family background. And everywhere she goes in the world, Dirie can remember the days with her family and her culture. At the end of the journey, Waris Dirie (1998) comes to the conclusion that the most important priorities in the world are nature, personal goodness, family, and friendship. (p.294) Dirie wants to do something for all the women, which have to be circumcised. Apparently, there are millions of girls who also plague health problem because of the violent practice. Dirie (1998) is of the opinion that Because of a ritual ignorance, most of the women on the continent of Africa live their lives in pain. (p.349) On account of have been born female, Dirie is very worried and saw herself responsible to speak up about the female circumcision and to help the women in Africa. For all the women in her country who are silence, Dirie arranges the Waris Dirie Foundation which organizes a lot of worldwide projects and they are about to fight against the FGM. (Dirie, W. 2001) I have started the Desert Dawn Foundation to raise money for schools and clinics in Somali. They want to protect the women in Somalia and to stop the ignorant selfish men who demand their wives be circumcised. And the legacy of pain, suffering, and death that results from it is more than enough reason for it to stop. (Dirie, W. 1998, p. 360) That is the reason why Waris Dirie fights for the restraining order of the female genital mutilation. (p. 362- 369) 4. Conclusion Waris Dirie who shows an amazing strength, experienced an inconceivably heavy life with difficult circumstances, customs, traditions and cultures depending on animals, the nature and the vegetation in the desert of Somalia. She suffered from dry weathers, famines, illnesses and at the age of about five years the curtailment. These are all situations which are foreign for the most of our society. Only because of her traditional culture she got a very strong and self- confident ability. That is why she got her life under control. Dirie persuades me with showing her lifelong strong will power. The development and the discussion with the life of the nomads in the desert of Somalia, has shown me other sides of life by illustrating to me another culture. During further researches, I found out that even after the time of the clarification, there are tribes that still practice this FGM. I recommend her untiring fight against the genital curtailment (compare App. p. 13, figure 4). In my opinion, Waris Dirie has succeeded delivering her message with help of the book à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Desert of Flower. She had drawn the attention and the interest of many people towards her homeland, their cultures, traditions and especially on the female genital mutilation or the compulsive marriage. She has also visualized under which circumstances the Somali nomads must live and how they master this life in a very unique way. I can definitely agree with Mire (2002) that Women in Somalia are hard workers, and keep themselves engaged in a variety of roles from morning to night. The womans role is very important and when not fulfilled, the whole family suffers. While writing my essay, I realized that women in Somalia are very much oppressed by their men in the everyday life. I am convinced that women in Somalia have no rights and they are not allowed in any decision making. They have to do everything their man tells them. I want to emphasize that they have neither influence on their agonizing circumcision nor on their marriage. Let me end by saying that the role of women in Somalia is not comparable with the relation between women and men in our society. References Books Dirie,W. (1998). Desert Flower, New York, NY Web- sources Althaus, F. (1997) Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage or Violation of Rights. Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html (21/02/2010) Dirie, W. (2001) What is the Waris Dirie Foundation? Waris Dirie Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/en/network/wp-content/myphotos/wuestenblume-szenenbilder-ii/Szenenbild_02jpeg_1400x937.jpg (02/03/2010) Gibson, H. (2002) Somalias Desert Flower. Time in partnership with CNN. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901020715-300618,00.html (03/03/2010) Mire, A. (2002) A Look at Women in Somalia. Taking it global. Retrieved from http://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=865 (03/03/2010)

Effect of Parenting Styles on Child Development

Effect of Parenting Styles on Child Development Yielding an ideal child goes beyond having the image of it. The parents’ manner of handling situations like when children accidentally break a glass, ask for concert tickets, or get low grades in the exam, determines if yielding a well-developed child is possible for them. Parents, in hope of making their child closer to what they expect, are continuously making attempts to shape their children and to achieve the version that will please them. These attempts are perceived through parenting styles, and the different styles are the different ways parents think could bring about results that would satisfy them. They vary on the level of freedom, control, warmth, and types of punishment, and affect children differently. Regardless of these variations, most parents believe that being either stern or lenient is the only formula to yield a pleasant, when, in fact, neither works. Every decision parents make for simple situations is a step away or towards yielding a pleasant child. Link between the family and the child’s outcome The family is the principal ground and vital figure for the child’s developments, and parents, as part of the family, are in charge of raising the child (Preethi Rosa, 2012). A child’s confidence, competency, and behaviour are honed and improved through the parenting style imposed by the parents or guardians. Developments results from parenting styles (Kopko, 2007; Kordi Baharudin, 2010). Terry (as cited in Ernst, 2013) said that a child’s outcome including ability to interact, performance in school, psychosocial development, and the way he or she behaves is predicted through the three parenting styles. Kordi and Baharudin (2010) added that parenting styles also predict â€Å"optimism, confidence, motivation, and attention problems† (par. 5). The four parenting styles The different parenting styles are characterized according to their level of demand and control, degree of freedom, degree response, and type of punishment. In terms of the degree of demand and control, freedom, and response, Samuel (2012) described authoritarian parents as someone who offer limits without freedom. According to him, these parents are very dominating and impose too much control. They demand order without freedom and offer no choice, making the decision-making contingent to the parents or guardians. They do not carry out discussion with the child and simply want their children to follow parental directives without question. For them, obedience is the most important aspect in discipline (Dewar, 2010a). They give low response or warmth to the child (Baumrind, 1966, 1991; Samuel, 2012). In terms of punishments, authoritarian parents impose restrictive, punitive, and harsh disciplinary practice. They punish through withdrawal of love or verbal abuse by way of scolding, thr eatening, ridiculing, shaming, or outburst of anger. Physical punishments like spanking and hitting are also used by this type of parents. Another style is the permissive parenting. Samuel (2012) described parents under this style offer freedom but lacks limits to the extent that their children are unrestrained. Permissive parents are not demanding and controlling, and often offer their children unlimited choices. They are passive in improving their child’s deeds because they value their display of affection and love to their child above all. Parents do not exercise obedience and imperatives upon the child. This type of parenting style imposes too high degree of response or warmth that they easily give in to their child’s requests. As a result, parents spoil their children. Permissive parents also hardly punish (Baumrind, 1966, 1991; Samuel, 2012). Children who have been spanked feel that they have paid for their misbehaviour and are free to misbehave again. Uninvolved discipline is also known as rejecting-neglecting discipline. This kind of parenting style is neither demanding nor responsive. They are emotionally detached and uninterested. Because they are disengaged, they do not impose punishments at all (Tiller, Garrison, Block, Cramer, Tiller, n.d.). Rational-authoritative discipline is described as democratic, where parents have high degree of demand and control. They inculcate to their children the importance of maintaining limit and control of their actions. Parents value the opinion of the children, so they allow discussion with them and engage their children in making decisions. Parents have high degree of response or warmth. Children under this style have both demanding and responsive parents who encourage verbal give-and-take (Baumrind, 1966, 1991; Dewar, 2010b). When punishing, parents use logical or natural consequences, grounding, reducing or withholding rewards, and carrying out penalties (Valya, 2009). The presented parenting styles differ from one another as the degree of demand and control, freedom, response, and the type of punishment also vary. The four parenting styles influence children in different ways due to certain factors. Methods of punishment First, the method of punishment has side effects to the child (Baumrind, 1991; Ernst, 2013). Authoritarian’s disciplinary methods punish too much and do not contribute to the child’s development. Valya (2009) and Gurian (2010) both agree that physical punishments do not work. The same mistakes will likely be committed again because the child thinks he or she has already paid for the misconduct committed by accepting these physical punishments. Instead of making the children reflect on their mistakes, the parents’ action of punishing physically instils to the child that problems could be handled through physical force. With the physical force being involved, children become more aggressive. Traumatic experiences and destructive remarks from parents cause depression upon children (Cole et al., 2008 as cited in Ernst, 2013). According to Georgiou et al. (as cited in Dewar, 2010a), self confidence is likely to decline because children under this style often get involved in bullying – both as victims and as offender. The punitive nature of authoritaria n parents who impose verbal abuse and physical punishment is no different than that of a bully’s nature. Harsh and spoken contempt, insults, and ridicule distort the child’s view about himself (Valya, 2009). Higher occurrence of depression and anxiety is due to corporal punishments (Dewar, 2010a), and the main reason for compliance of children is their fear for punishment. An effective discipline is not about being able to make children behave because they are scared of getting reprimanded. It is about teaching them of directing their behaviour in order to suit their deeds in a way that will reflect their distinction of what is right and wrong (Valya, 2009). Instead of a child with improved behaviour, authoritarian parenting yields a traumatized child. On the other hand, the lenient nature of permissive discipline does not punish and does not correct the child because parents overlook misbehaviours. Sears, Maccoby Levin (as cited in Baumrind, 1966) found out that after misbehaving, the child is most likely to commit the same mistake again, thinking that his or her parents approve of it. Uninvolved parents do not care whether their children behave or misbehave. Rational – Authoritative discipline’s nature addresses problem in misconduct. Seth and Ghromode (2013) affirm that through withdrawal of privileges and grounding system, children will not question the parents’ love. Valya (2009) said that the use of natural consequences is also good, although they do not apply to all situations, especially when the child’s health and safety are at risk. In such situations, logical consequences work where children take responsibility of the result of their actions. The outcomes of the actions are experiences that teach the child to be accountable with the conduct he or she shows (Valya, 2009). This makes the child a good decision-maker. In addition, the verbal give-and-take relationship between the parents and children makes authoritative discipline unique. Communication – a unique characteristic that the other styles lack – plays a crucial role. Authoritative parents allow discussion where children explain th eir side or reason for misconduct and, in return, parents point out and correct the children’s mistake to make them understand where they went wrong In this manner, the child is likely to reflect on his or her actions and learn from this or her mistakes after the punishment (Baumrind, 1966; Kopko, 2007; Dewar, 2010b). The differences in the degree of control and setting of limits or standards cause variations on the child’s behaviour. Too much control, limits, and high standards set by authoritarian parents trigger aggression on the part of the children as they feel their urge to break free. For instance, children of very dominating parents have greater chances of getting arrested for the first time (Chamber, Power, Loucks Swanson, 2001 as cited in Wittenborn, 2002). They are usually the delinquents, rebellious children, and drug users (Baumrind, 1991; Dewar, 2010a). Too much control, limits, and high standards may also cause children to become submissive and be dominated by fear. In the study by Lamborn et al. (as cited in Dewar, 2010a) in the United States, children under authoritarian discipline are less self-reliant and dependent with their parents’ decisions. This could be in fear of committing mistakes and getting harshly punished for it. They also found out that a child grows to be inert when the parents regard obedience above all (Valya, 2009). The lack of control, limit, and standards by permissive parents allows the child to be involved in self-detrimental activities. Parents are so lenient that decision-making is left to the child alone, which opens to higher possibility of committing wrong decisions. Children may show impulsive behaviours because there are only few standard set by the parents that the child has to conform with. No one controls them and sets limit that serve as guides for the children. The control, limit, and standards that are mutually consented by both rational-authoritative parents and their children open a higher possibility for the child to follow because the child’s viewpoints and opinions are being considered. When planning, parents apply â€Å"democratic practices† like asking for their child’s views, choice, or opinion (Dewar, 2010b). Discrepancies in some countries of authoritative parents in terms of democratic practices may be observed, but the nature of authoritative discipline lies on the â€Å"reasoning activity† that happens between the child and parent, which is a characteristic shared by all countries involved in the study (Dewar, 2010b). As the children get involve, they learn to participate in arguments, viewing that their opinions are of great importance, a healthy self concept. Third, the degree of freedom provided by the parents is an important factor for developing the child’s competency and assertiveness. The nature of authoritarian parenting makes the children highly dependent (Lamborn et al. and Steinberg et al. as cited in Dewar, 2010a). It does not help in honing the children’s competency because their actions are being restricted. In Turkey, Turkell and Tzer (as cited in Dewar, 2010a) found out that children of authoritarian parents are also less resourceful and less proficient in social skill. Children rely heavily on their parents’ decisions, so they likely to be inexperienced when it comes to decision making. Children also have hard time making friends. They are also often poor in academics (Dornbusch et al., 1987 as cited in Tiller, n.d.; Terry, 2004 as cited in Kordi Baharudin, 2010). This shows how authoritarian parenting poorly improves the competency of children. The lack of restrictions of permissive parents cause egocentric tendencies to occur. The child makes selfish decisions because they are often self-centered because parents easily give in to the child’s request, (Kopko, 2007; Dewar, 2010c). Uninvolved parents put their child to high risks because they are not guided. The â€Å"freedom within limits† nature of Rational-Authoritative discipline makes the child think first before doing something. The high value that parents place upon the child’s opinion (Samuel, 2012) makes them good decision-maker. In terms of moral thinking, the child’s ability to reason out is improved through the inductive discipline imposed in authoritative parenting (Krevans Gibb, 1996; Kerr et al., 2004 as cited in Dewar, 2010b). Lastly, the degree of responsiveness or warmth reflects the degree of support the parents provide their children in achieving individuality and overall development. The little warmth with high demands in authoritarian discipline provides little support on the child’s individuality and development. Authoritarian parents value obedience, not development, above all (Valya, 2009; Dewar, 2010a). The child’s opinion and emotions are often disregarded because the parents oppose discussion (Baumrind, 1991; Kopko, 2007; Valya, 2009; Dewar, 2010a). Too much warmth with low demands in Permissive discipline provides support only. Parents indulge their children too much because they find it hard to decline their child’s request. They believe that giving whatever their children wants is a way to show their love to them, and fear that not doing so would disappoint their children (Kopko, 2007). Uninvolved parents do not give warmth and do not provide developmental support to their children. Rational-Authoritative discipline’s ‘high’ degree of warmth balanced with ‘high’ parental demands gives the necessary ‘high’ degree of support needed to ensure the child’s development. Despite the support provided by the parents, standards mutually agreed by the child and the parents still exist that guide the child throughout the development process. The existence of these standards ensures not only that the child develops, but also that the child develops with high level of confidence, competency, and desirable behaviour (Dewar, 2010b). According to Klein et al. (as cited in Ernst, 2013), â€Å"there is a correlation to positive self-perception and authoritative parenting styles† (par. 10). Proper degree of demand, degree of freedom, degree of response, and the type of punishment result to competent, confident, and well-behaved children. The degree of demand must be high according to their capability. This ensures that children aim for high standards that are possible or within their capability, and encourages them to reach these demands because these standards consented by them. The degree of freedom must be within limits. Children will be engaged in critical thinking before making any decisions, and constant decision making will make them good decision makers. The freedom allows them to explore more, while the limits guide them. Freedom builds up competency and confidence, while the limit ensures proper behaviour. The degree of response must be high yet demanding. High response shows high support. High parental response is a confirmation to the child that parental love exists, and balancing response with demand will remind the child of the parents’ expectation of meeting certain standards. Punishment must be mild in forms of consequences and withdrawal of privileges or grounding system. These punishments neither hinder nor destroy child’s development. In addition, they do not inflict emotional and physical pains. Parents are often bothered by the unpleasant things they notice on their children, and most parents would blame everything except themselves. They seldom ponder where they could have possibly gone wrong in raising their child, when, in the first place, it was them who looked after the child. The characteristic of the rational-authoritative parenting style works because of â€Å"balance.† The ideal combination of the degree of demand, freedom, and response, helps develop confidence, improves competency, and ensures a well-behaved child. When a child gets low grades, stern parents punish at once, lenient parents let it slide, while balanced parents ask why. There is no perfect child, but it is never an excuse to not yield a good one. Some researchers claimed that kids of authoritarian parents are well-behaved, but these are based on self-reports and are subject to skepticism.