Chinese New Year Foods

Chinese New Year Foods Introduction Culture can be defined as the way of life of a given people. It entails how people behave and perceive different life issues. It includes aspects like religion, ethnicity, customs, language, beliefs, and food among others that define a people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Chinese New Year Foods specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Culture varies from one place to the other depending on the circumstances surrounding a place, for instance, climate and environment as well as how people perceive different things. Chinese culture is unique in its way and stands out distinctively among other cultures through different cultural aspects such as foods taken on different occasions. This piece of work will give an in depth discussion of Chinese culture with the central focus being on the Chinese New Year Foods and its relationship with the changes that have been experienced in the Chinese Cultures. How the cultural production or cultural producer struggled to change the boundaries and meanings of what can be said or done will also be discussed. To have a clear understanding of the concept in question, it is advisable to give some background information. Chinese New Year is a concept that has received a lot of concern among different people. It has been celebrated for more than 4000 years. In China it was a holiday that was initially meant to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring, which was deemed to be the start of a New Year (Flanagan, Zhurkina, Labbo 7). It is one of the most significant holidays in Chinese traditions that is celebrated all over east and South-East-Asia. A lot of importance is attached to this celebration to an extent of influencing the overall Chinese culture to a large extent. Most things done during this festive are clearly seen in carrying out of different Chinese cultural aspects. What the Chinese New Year Foods reveal about the changing and contested natu re of Chinese cultures and how this cultural production or cultural producer struggled to change the boundaries and meanings of what can be said or doneAdvertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chinese culture is a unique one. It is considered to be one of the world’s complex and oldest cultures. The Chinese culture is portrayed in a relatively large geographical region of eastern Asia. Although there exists some differences in the customs and traditions among different cites, towns, and provinces some cultural aspects are usually maintained. These include traditional food, cultural celebrations, music, martial arts, literature, and visual arts among others (Davis 10). Just like any other aspect, culture is subject to changes with passage of time. Although Chinese culture has been perceived by many to be static, the reality is that no one culture is absolutely static bu t rather undergoes some changes no matter how minor they may be. The modern civilization that emerged from Europe and America is one of the factors that are linked with the changes in the Chinese culture. Modern Chinese culture has been invaded by other external cultures especially from Europe and the United States of America. Over the past 20 years, the Peoples Republic of China has been observed to be adopting western culture and technology in a rapid rate. A good example to support this statement can be seen in their extensive acceptance of a lot of aspects such as cell phones, fast food as well as the American television (Kleinman Tsung-Yi Lin 4). The Chinese New Year’s festival has had a lot of influence on the Chinese culture as a whole. This is more so due to the significance that has been attached to this festival. This can even be seen through the number of days it is given on the lunar calendar as compared to other holidays. Some of the beliefs associated with the Chinese New Year festival have been maintained up to date while others have undergone some changes over the years. The Chinese New Year festival or the spring festival is still the largest celebration in China.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Chinese New Year Foods specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite the fact that Chinese New Year occurs on dates that usually vary from between mid January to mid February, it is strictly observed among different Chinese populations. During this time, people are involved with various activities, for instance, a thorough cleaning of houses to signify a new start and giving of the children money packaged in red envelopes as a sign of good luck and attainment of happiness in the coming year. This occasion is also dedication in honour of the ancestors and activities such as fireworks and parades with dancers who are smartly dressed are common during this function. The Chinese New Yea r festival is considered to be a significant part of China’s culture. As stated earlier, Chinese New Year is the most regarded festival in China and therefore it is highly celebrated not only in China but also in countries and territories with a considerable number of Chinese populations, for instance, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Singapore, and Mainland China among others. Among the reasons behind the aspect being considered to be Chinese and to form a large portion of the overall Chinese culture is the fact that it started in China, that is, it has its roots in china. Despite the fact that the Chinese New Year festival is celebrated in different parts of the world, its origin is in China. Consequently, the festival is practiced mainly by the Chinese populations and it involves China’s cultural aspects including the foods that are prepared and served during this time. To show how important the festival is perceived in China, Ch inese New Year is the longest holiday in the country’s calendar taking a total of 15days. The Chinese New Year Foods is a significant element in the entire festival. Food is given noteworthy importance in the Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese food is prepared way before the beginning of the New Year since according to the Chinese culture, the people are not supposed to prepare and cook food within the first five days of the year.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is however somehow tricky due to the fact that as opposed to other holidays that have some fixed calendar dates, the date of the Chinese New Year changes each and every year based on the lunar calendar. The Chinese people stay prepared at around this time to avoid any form of inconveniences. Some of the traditional foods include savoury dumplings, nian gao also known as sweet sticky rice cake, turnip cakes, Yusheng, taro cakes, noodles, mandarin oranges, fish and Buddhas’s delight among others. All these foods offered during the Chinese New Year are extremely delicious and deemed crucial to the Chinese people. Each type of food carries along a symbolic significance. For instance, serving a whole chicken during this festival is a sign of family togetherness. For this reason, all family members are expected to come together and celebrate in union. The noodles on the other hand are a sign of long life and should be prepared and served without cutting them. The sweet steamed cakes also have a symbolic meaning. The sticky rice cake, for example, stand for a wealthy sweet life that is full of good things for the coming year. This is represented by its sweetness and layers (Chiu par 12). Back from the early days, a lot of importance has been given to the traditional Chinese New Year food. They are for example taken as a symbol of opulence, good health, long life and good luck in general life for every individual who partake it. Apart from offering physical satisfaction, the food is associated with some old Chinese beliefs that keep the Chinese people going to present moments. For instance, most of the foods are expected to wish the people good things in the coming year. The Chinese cultures are portrayed by the different activities that the people engage in. Research shows that even though some concepts have been maintained to today, there are some cultural changes that are quite evident. This can even be seen through the Chinese New year Foods. These cha nges can be attributed to changes in times and cultural beliefs about some issues due to exposure, for instance, through technological innovations and developments. Gleason (12) asserts that years ago, on the New Year’s eve, Chinese people would take baths with mint leaves in the water with the believe that this practice would make them superfluously clean. It was as well believed that it was not right to wash during the New Year’s Day since by doing so people would wash away their good luck for the coming year. Although some of these beliefs still stand among some individuals, there are some other cultural aspects that have been adopted in today’s world among the Chinese people. For instance, there is a tendency of many people getting their haircut and buying of new clothes before or on the eve of the New Year’s Day as a sign of being fresh and leaving the past. Colour red is preferred by many for the clothing due to the fact that it is associated with h appiness and thus it was believed that putting them on the New Year’s Day would bring happiness to the people throughout the following year. It is also a belief that change of appearance through new haircuts and clothes is a way that is expected to put off the evil spirits that disturbed them in the past year as they would not recognize who they were, after the change. Another issue that is linked with the Chinese New Year festival and culture is the fact that people have believed that they ought to do away with or finish everything that had been started over the past year. For instance, people are expected to pay back any money they owe others as well as settle any form of discrepancies that could exist between their families and friends before the begging of the New Year. The children are also expected to catch up on their schoolwork. In a nutshell, the Chinese culture requires that everything should be in a perfect condition for New Year’s Day in an effort to make t he coming year a success; filled with good things (Gleason 13). Looking at the Chinese New Year ceremony and all the issues that surround it, including the food taken and the significance attached to them, it is clear that it has played a great role in shaping the overall Chinese culture. There are various do’s and don’ts that are stipulated in regard to this ceremony with respect to what ought to bring good luck to the people and what could be a source of bad luck in the coming year. The Chinese New Year celebration stipulates what is supposed to be done and said among the Chinese population all over the world not only during this season but also under normal circumstances, for instance, when doing business. Amazingly, the practices of the Chinese New Year have been seen to influence the overall Chinese culture in many ways. One good example is on the changing culture and etiquette. From the Chinese New Year festivals, a lot of cultural aspects can be learnt most of w hich affect how the Chinese people behave and how they expect those they come across, irrespective of their origin, to behave. The understanding of several key cultural concepts associated with the Chinese culture is helpful in carrying out both individual as well as business related activities in China. It is therefore advisable to have some basic knowledge of the socio-cultural, historical, political, and economic situation in China before entering the country for any purpose. The cultural differences are also essential. They include the verbal and non verbal communication styles and the issues surrounding the Chinese etiquette, for instance, proper banquet behaviour and giving of gifts. All these aspects can be drawn from the Chinese New Year festival and hence its importance in the overall Chinese culture. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that the Chinese New Year food and the entire festival have an extremely critical part to play in the cultures in China. Th is is more so because a lot of importance is attached to this issue and a lot of activities are done in preparation to the big day and it is celebrated for a relatively long period of time (15 days) as compared to other holidays. Over the past decade, there are some cultural traditional concepts that have been maintained year after year while some concepts and beliefs have changed for the best of the communities. All in all, a great percentage of the cultural concepts that were present long before have been maintained up to today; an aspect that contributes much to the value that is attached to the Chinese New Year festival. However, it is clear that no single culture in the world is absolutely static but rather it undergoes some changes no matter how minor they may be. China’s culture is therefore not an exception and it has experienced a revolutionary rate of change. External factors play a great role in facilitating cultural change in different parts of the world, for inst ance, expansion of international trade and mass media as well as massive human population increase. Chiu, Lisa. â€Å"The History of Chinese New Year.† About.com. 2011. 19 Oct. 2011. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-chinese-new-year-687496 Davis, Edward, Lawrence. Encyclopaedia of contemporary Chinese culture. New York: Taylor Francis, 2005. Print Flanagan, Alice., Zhurkina, Svetlana., Labbo Linda. Chinese New Year. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2003. Print Gleason, Carrie. Chinese New Year. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008. Print Kleinman, Arthur., Tsung-Yi Lin. Normal and Abnormal Behaviour in Chinese Culture. New York: Springer, 1981. Print

Britain and the empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Britain and the empire - Essay Example Thompson believes that the concept of the new clock time, came into existence because of capitalistic interests, replaced the earlier perception of time3. These earlier perceptions of time, emanated from the collective wisdom of mankind. These earlier views regarding time were imposed by religious and social authorities, before the emergence of the industrial revolution. This paper analyzes the ideas of Thompson regarding how time was perceived by the traditional society, and how it changed during the industrial revolution. This is in the late 1700s. Furthermore, this paper analyzes who had the ability of telling time, and how the changes and use of time affected the rural laborers during the 1700s, and what is meant by â€Å"Saint Monday†. This paper further analyzes how the discipline of time regulation related to the wages and experiences of the workers during the 18th century. It further analyzes the context of idleness, in the view of Thompson. This paper also contains the independent ideas and insights of the essay by Thompson. Thompson denotes that during the pre-industrial societies, people had different views and believes about time4. This believes and views were imposed by social and religious authorities, and based on collective wisdom of members of a society. These societies viewed time, based on their commercial, social, and religious activities. For example, in societies that practiced hunting, agriculture, and other human interaction activities with the natural world, time discipline was governed by biological, as well as astronomical factors. People knew specific seasons, or times through observations. The Islamic lunar calendar is an example in which people identified time and seasons through religious means. This calendar was developed by the nomadic Arabs, who lived in the deserts. The lunar calendar does not reflect any seasons, because it was not convenient for these Arabs. However, with the arrival of

Engaged Buddhist response to Consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Engaged Buddhist response to Consumerism - Essay Example In the twenty-first century, people live in a technologically-advanced world. Everything is done with a touch of a button. Perhaps, the saying that â€Å"an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,† is true because the more free time man has, the more time he spends on whining about how miserable life is and how only a new gadget or material possession could make him feel better. Conspicuous consumption is the name of the game. And consumerism is the rule. This paper shall discuss the concepts of consumerism from the perspective of Engaged Buddhism and their interaction in society, how Engaged Buddhism responds to tide of consumerism. More specifically, Engaged Buddhism responds to consumerism with meditation and mindful living coupled with acts of compassion and generosity. ENGAGED BUDDHISM Engaged Buddhism is a movement within the Buddhist religion. It follows all the teachings of Buddha, the Enlightened One; it practices all the traditions and rites of the Buddhist religion. But what makes it different is the fact that it puts a premium on the value of active compassion, that is, meditation coupled with action. However, when the founder himself is asked, he contends that â€Å"Engaged Buddhism is just Buddhism† (Malkin 1). This movement was established in the middle of the 20th century by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk who, surrounded with pain and desperation during the Vietnam War, realized and decided that, â€Å"Buddhism has to do with your daily life, with your suffering and with the suffering of the people around you† (Malkin 1). ... Meditation is about the awareness of what is going on—not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you,† (Malkin 1). Thus, Engaged Buddhism was born. Inspired by the deep desire to serve the community, Thich Nhat Hanh founded the School of Youth for Social Services where the students learned not only religion but most importantly compassion. They were taught to put their beliefs into actions by working to help ease the suffering of the people (Queen 38). As the group grew larger, Engaged Buddhism became not just a religious movement but also a social force – a flicker of light that beacons all those who are in the darkness of pain, despair and uncertainty. Armed with pure courage and determination to share the values of love and compassion to his fellowmen, Thich Nhat Hanh planted the seeds of Engaged Buddhism on the unforgiving and hostile bloodstained soil of his motherland. True enough, as an affirmation to his extraordinary efforts, religious and layman communities had soon adapted to the art of mindful living and mindfulness to the Buddhist principles that gives to every individual the respect and dignity he deserves as a human being (Queen 54). The Zen monk’s extraordinary courage and compassion sent ripples of hope across the country and even to the other side of the Pacific Ocean. In recognition, no less than Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him to the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 (Malkin 1). Consumerism In the society that we know today, there is always the need to have more and to possess the latest, best and coolest. Mass media makes sure of that. The advertising sector has mastered the art of deception – making every consumer think that he needs whatever is pushed in his mind through

Comparison of Maslows and Herzbergs Theories

Comparison of Maslows and Herzbergs Theories In the modern era, it is essential to have a successful business that is able to compete with other companies, not only in all its departments but also all employees should perform good co-ordination in order to achieve the companys goals and create international competitiveness. Therefore, how to motivate employees should be a real concern to the leader/manager. What is motivation? Krech, Crutchfied and Ballachey states that: â€Å"Motivation is concerned with why people choose a particular course of action in preference to others, and why they continue a chosen course of action, often over a long period, and in the face of difficulties and problems†. In other words, motivation at work has been playing an essential role in a company in terms of trying to encourage people to work more productively and effectively and in a dependable, loyal manner (Bunchanan and Huczynski. 1985). In organizational behaviour, there are two main motivational theories, content theories and process theories. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two content theories; Maslows hierarchy of needs and Herzbergs two-factor theories. I have chosen these theories because they are well-respected and both Maslow and Herzberg are viewed as forerunners in motivational theories; I am going to compare and contrast these theories and then analyse how managers could apply thes e theories effectively in the modern workplace. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) is viewed as the father of human psychology by creating his first hierarchy of needs in 1943. He believed that people have nine innate needs or motives in their lives at all times which are: 1. Biological requirements e.g. the basic need for survival such as sunlight, food, air, water, sleep, sexual expressions; 2. Safety; the need for security, protection, comfort, shelter, freedom from the fear and threat from the environment; 3. Affiliation, the need for love and relationships; 4. Esteem, the need for recognition, attention, strength and self-esteem; 5. Knowing and understanding, the need for curiosity and exploring; 6. Aesthetics, needs for order and beauty; 7. Transcendence; 8. Freedom of enquiry and expression; 9. Self-actualization, needs for the development of our full potential.( A.Huczynski and A.bunchanan. 2007). Maslows model of motivation is depicted as a five-step hierarchy of human needs in the form of a triangle â€Å"as we can see in the g raph below†. The lower-order needs or deficiency needs in other word are belongingness, safety and physiological needs. The higher-order needs are esteem needs and self-actualisation. If the lower-order needs are not satisfied, we cannot move on to any of the higher levels (Robin Fincham and Peter Rhodes). While Maslow is known as father of human psychology, Frederick Herzberg (1923-2000) is known as the â€Å"Father of Job Enrichment† with his well-known work, the two-factor theory which was written in 1943. Herzbergs theory is called the two-factor theory because the theory is two sets of incidents; one is about achievement, promotion, recognition, autonomy, personal growth and responsibility which Herzberg named motivators. The other set involved salary, job security, working condition, company policy and interpersonal relations with supervisors and peers called hygiene factors (Robin Fincham and Peter Rhodes). There are several similarities between Maslow and Herzbergs theories. It is noticeable that Herzberg wrote his two-factor theory about twenty-three years after Maslows hierarchy of needs. This is proof that Herzbergs theory was written almost based on Maslows theory. We can see that motivator factors and hygiene factors in Herzbergs theory are a collection of higher and lower order needs respectively in Maslows theory. Lower order needs such as needs for friendship, job security, water, food, etc. could be seen as hygiene factors. Similarly, needs for recognition, promotion, responsibility, etc. could be seen as motivators of Herzbergs two-factor theory (Fincham and Rhodes. 2005). From this evidence, we can infer that both Maslow and Herzberg had the same point of view about which factors were important and needed for people to be motivated in work as well as all other aspects of general life. Due to this we can say that Herzberg used Maslows theory as the basis for his Two Factor Th eory and merely changed Maslows hierarchy to suit his own beliefs and make the theory more applicable to a work environment. DIFFERENCES: Although Maslow and Herzbergs theories are both content theories and very similar, there are some differences. One is the fact that Maslows theory applies to life in general whereas Herzberg geared his specifically towards the work environment and how to motivate employees rather than people in general (Montana and Charnov, 2008). Further evidence is that Herzberg wrote his theory based on interviews with 200 employees while Maslows hierarchy was written with 3,000 unemployed people involved e.g. college students (Fincham and Rhodes, 2005). For the reason that Herzbergs theory is merely focused and relevant to the workplace therefore the theory is more suitable and recommended for managers to use to motivate their employees. However, this theory has now become slightly incorrect; the reason is people can be satisfied and motivated by all the aspects of life not only at work. As mentioned at the beginning, Herzbergs theory states that motivation is divided into two dimensional (e.g. Motivators and hygiene); each dimensional is consisted of different factors (Thompson, 1996). While, Maslow separated motivation into five different levels of needs. This can be understood that Maslow took into account Herzbergs hygiene factors and other factors not associated with work such as food, shelter and social needs. MANAGERS: As mentioned early, there are five distinct levels of need on Maslows hierarchy of need and each level must be satisfied in order before moving on to higher levers. Thus, how might managers apply this theory in the workplace? Firstly, the lowest order- Physiological needs of Maslows hierarchy have to be satisfied (e.g. needs for foods, shelter, etc.) by paying employees decent salary. After the first order has been satisfied, employees are motivated to work toward to the next level e.g. Safety or security needs. To be able to fulfil this level, employees should be given health insurance or guaranteed with their job for instant, contract. Managers could create a good relationship between them and their staffs or between each staff, team and group for examples, managers might have one-to-one talk with their staffs if necessary, correct them if there is any problems or praise them in person when they have done well; this might make the staffs feel valued and are motivated to work harder and productively. However, not every people in the same levels are motivated in the same way. Reference List â€Å"motivation is concerned† Krech, D., Crutchfield, R. S. and Ballachey, E.L (1962). Cited in Mullins, L., 1993, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 3rd edition Pitman Publishing, 443. â€Å"motivation is an organisational context is a social process† (Bunchana, D. And Huczynski, A., 1985 Organizational Behaviour, Prentice- Hall international p.62) â€Å"what needs people attempt to satisfy and the needs which motivate† ( Motivating others, David P. Thompson, p.9) â€Å"argues that we have nine innate needs† (Organizational Behaviour, 6th Edition, Andrzej A. Huczynski and Davia A. Bunchana, 2007, pg 242) â€Å"If the lower- orders needs† (Robin Fincham. Peter Rhodes, pg 195) â€Å"Herzberg took a somewhat different approach† ( Management- Patrick J.Montana and Bruce H.Charnov, Fourth Edition, pg 239) Further evidence is that Herzberg wrote his theory based on interviews with 200 employees while Maslows hierarchy was written with 3,000 unemployed people involved e.g. college students (Fincham and Rhodes, 2005) â€Å"two-dimensional† David Thompson, 1996, pg 13. Motivating Others.

The Franco-Prussian War Essay -- Papers

The Franco-Prussian War During the first half of the nineteenth century, Germany was made up of more than 30 small states, the largest and most dominant of which was Prussia. Prussia had decided that all of the states should all be united to create a bigger and better country, Germany. By the end of 1870 it had forced all of the German states to accept its authority and create the German Empire with the King of Prussia at its head (the Hohenzollen's). Everything was going to plan as Chancellor Prince Otto Von Bismarck (person who was behind the unification of Germany) had anticipated apart from the four large states in southern Germany who remained independent. Bismarck now needed a way to unite these states with the German Empire that he was creating, so he decided that in order to do this he believed that it was necessary to defeat France. The French Emperor Napoleon III was the main obstacle in the way of Bismarck as Napoleon distrusted Bismarck and believed that he was trying to dominate Europe. Luckily Bismarck had already motivated wars against Denmark and Austria (1864 and 1866), managing to provoke his enemies declaring war against Prussia. So in the eyes of other countries Prussia was innocent and Denmark and Austria seemed like the perpetrators. Meanwhile in Spain, 1868, there had been a revolution, the outcome of this was that Queen Isabella had been overthrown and now there was a vacancy for the throne of Spain. They reduced this problem by asking Leopold of Hollenzollern (the King of Prussia's nephew) to step in for them, if Leopold accepted then there would be a link between Spain and Prussia, isolating France. .. ...ellor was secured, the four independent states in the South agreed to join the German Empire, Germany was now the most powerful country in Europe, and the German Army had proved itself invincible and the German Economy began to quickly dominate Europe. But what Bismarck feared the most was the French desire for revenge, and planned to keep France isolated. However the effects of the War and the Treaty on France were completely different. Their pride for their army and country was shattered, and the treaty was treated with disgust and rage. As a consequence of this Napoleon III left the country to live in exile in Britain and a republic was set up. The loss of Alsace and Lorraine ashamed France, and was a national disgrace. The French were seething at the Germans for humiliating them and secretly dreamed of revenge.

Business and Support Systems Essay

The following paper answers questions on three different case studies. The case studies are Reality Gets Better, The Flash Crash: Machines Gone Wild and Piloting Valero with Real-Time Management. Case Study 1: Reality Gets Better The difference between virtual reality and augmented reality is perception. Virtual reality is when a user totally enters a different reality visually. This reality is completely computer generated. Augmented reality users enter a mixed world of computer generated and real life images. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) The reason augmented reality is so appealing to marketers is because it offers them a different way to present their products. The goal of marketers is to present their product in such a way that people will remember it, be impressed with it, and ultimately purchase it. Augmented reality offers this through a series of interactive ads that can be used to impress and involve the consumer. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) The reason augmented reality is useful for real estate shopping applications is it offers the buyer the opportunity to have an interactive view of a property that is up for sale without the hassle of making an appointment with a realty company. The ability to use a phone to get pricing information, and pictures of the interior of a property is a major time savor and very convenient. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) Based on what has been learned by this case study the applications for augmented reality are far reaching. A manufacturing company could use augmented reality to teach employees and to direct employees. Simply have the employee wear a helmet and they would not have to do much thinking on the job as they could be led to every correct decision. Augmented reality such as the real estate application could be used at the humane society to give clear pictures and understandings of the animals they have up for adoption. Case Study 2: The Flash Crash: Machines Gone Wild? The conditions that preceded the flash crash were a market that was already low and moving lower, concerns by investors over the debt in Europe and current worries over the economy. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) Some of the benefits of electronic trading include; far faster trading than a human being could do, ability to analyze the market trends quickly and change what is being traded, lower cost and the ability to have a more liquid market. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) The features that contributed to the crash would be the automated selling put into place to sell regardless of time or price. The other feature would be the high frequency traders designed to purchase what was being sold and then sold when the price was lowered. Finally the automated systems put in low offers that are so low they are not very likely to ever to be accepted. In the conditions created by the electronic trading, those stocks sold. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) Due to the programming of the automated systems this crash could have easily been prevented if humans were in control of the decisions that were made. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) They would have been able to set a better selling time and set the amount being sold. By doing the previous, none of the other events would have taken place. Case Study 3: Piloting Valero with Real-Time Management. When developing the new dashboard the issues that needed to be addressed would be making sure the dashboard was set to measure the appropriate items, making sure the system was able to send real time data and making sure executives, those at the refinery level and those at the individual level could view performance. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) The measures of performance that the dashboards display include; inventory management, safety, plant and equipment reliability and energy consumption. (Laudon & Laudon, 2012) Some of the management decisions that could be made by using these displays would include whether or not to purchase new equipment, whether a plant needs to change its energy consumption, whether or not a plant needs to have more safety training, and whether or not a plant needs more inventories. Valero currently uses a group decision support systems designed to link systems to corporate headquarters and each of the fifteen plants. Valero’s dashboards are very effective in piloting the company. As of 2009 a Valero executive said they were saving an estimated 140 million dollars a year in the seven plants that had the dashboard. He further said that they could estimate a savings of up to 240 million dollars once the dashboard was put into all sixteen of their plants. (Henschen, 2009) There would be no real point in developing a dashboard with information outside the company’s control. You cannot monitor events that you have no control over.

Is Foie Gras Particularly Cruel to Animals

Foie gras, French for fatty liver, is the fattened liver of a duck or a goose and is regarded by some as a delicacy.  According to  Farm Sanctuary, France produces and consumes about 75 percent  of the worlds foie gras, involving 24 million ducks and a half a million geese every year. The United States and Canada use 500,000 birds per year in foie gras production.   Animal rights activists oppose all uses of animals and advocate veganism, but many consider foie gras to be particularly cruel. Its viewed in the same category as veal, which even most enlightened carnivores avoid. Why Foie Gras Is Considered Cruel The production of foie gras is considered by some to be unusually cruel because the birds are force-fed a corn mash through a metal tube several times a day  so that they gain weight and their livers become 10 times their natural size. Force-feeding sometimes injures the esophagus of the bird, which may lead to death. Additionally, the fattened ducks and geese may have difficulty walking, vomit undigested food, and/or suffer in extreme confinement. Both genders  of geese are used in foie gras production, but with ducks, only the males are used  while the females are raised for meat. Humane Foie Gras Some farmers now offer humane foie gras, which is produced without force-feeding. These livers may not meet legal definitions of foie gras in some countries, which require a minimum size and/or fat content. Foie Gras Bans In 2004, California enacted a ban on the sale and production foie gras that was to take effect in  2012 but never did. Farm Sanctuary, which had actively and aggressively fought for the passage of the bill, reported:   On January 7, a federal district court judge invalidated California’s ban on the sale of foie gras, a ban that Farm Sanctuary and our supporters actively worked to get passed in 2004. The judge erroneously ruled that an unrelated federal law, the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), preempts the California foie gras ban.In 2006, the city of Chicago banned the production and sale of foie gras, but the ban was overturned in 2008. Several European countries have banned the production of foie gras by explicitly banning the force-feeding of animals for food production, but have not banned the import or sale of foie gras. Several other European countries, as well as Israel and South Africa have, interpreted their animal cruelty laws as banning the force-feeding of animals for foie gras production. Experts on Foie Gras A variety of veterinarians and scientists oppose  foie gras production, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The European Unions Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare investigated the production of foie gras in 1998 and concluded  that force feeding, as currently practiced, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds. The American Veterinary Medical Association has not taken a position for or against foie gras but has stated   There is a clear and pressing need for research that focuses on the condition of ducks during fattening, including the actual incidence and severity of animal welfare risks on the farm[...] The known potential risks associated with foie gras production, are:ï‚ · Potential for injury due to multiple insertions of a long feeding tube, with possibility of secondary infection.ï‚ · Distress from restraint and manipulations associated with force feeding.ï‚ · Compromised health and welfare resulting from obesity, including the potential for impaired locomotion and lethargy.ï‚ · Creation of a vulnerable animal more likely to suffer from otherwise tolerable conditions such as heat and transport. The Animal Rights Position Even birds used in humane foie gras production are bred, confined, and killed. Regardless of whether the animals are force-fed or how well the animals are treated, foie gras can never be acceptable because using an animal in food production violates the animals rights to be free of human use. Updated by  Michelle A. Rivera