Oedipus Rex Essay Example Essay Example

Oedipus Rex Essay Example Paper Oedipus Rex Essay Introduction Oedipus Rex is one of the group of three plays by Sophocles known as Theban plays, since they all relate to the destinies of the Theban family of Oedipus and his children but Oedipus Rex is not only the greatest play of Sophocles but also the greatest Greek play. It presents the story of Oedipus the king and Jocasta the unfortunate Queen and mother and wife of Oedipus. Teiresias, the blind seer, is another important character who prophesize about Oedipus and his tragic future. Then there is Creon who is a cousin of Oedipus. Despite the presence of all these characters, Oedipus seems distinct and all-pervasive in the play. He is regarded as an exalted tragic figure. Oedipus is a complex character with paradoxical characteristics. An insight into his character demonstrates that he possesses god as well as certain bad qualities but these good qualities also contribute to bring his tragic downfall. He is an intelligent man who is extremely obsessed with his intelligence. He has unsurpass able self-confidence and arrogance yet he possesses an unmatchable quest for truth. So his character is a strange mix different contradictory characteristic. The first quality that we observe in Oedipus is a good quality i.e. his obsession with his own intelligence and this leads him to very unfortunate and uncomfortable situations. This tragic flaw of Oedipus laps over with his pride as he is extremely proud of the fact that he was able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx which had proved too much for any other person. He thinks that Gods has capacitated him with intelligence and wisdom to solve riddle that the Thebes is afflicted with. Oedipus even taunts Tireseas on his inability in solving the Sphinx’s riddle. He says; Oedipus Rex Essay Body Paragraphs And where were you, when the Dog-faced Witch was here?/Have you any word of deliverance then for our people?/There was a riddle too deep for common wits;/A seer should have answered it, but answer there came none/From you.. (12-16) After calling the soothsayer false prophet, Oedipus boasts of his own skill in having solved the puzzled which proved too much for the blind seer; Until I came—I, ignorant Oedipus, came—/ And stopped the riddler’s mouth, guessing he truth/By mother-wit, not bird-lore. (17-19) So he describes Tiresaeas predictive cautions as the whims of a fanatic and opposes his prophecy with arguments of his own. Confidence and pride in his own wisdom is an outstanding feature of his character that also brings his tragedy. Here Oedipus fulfills the traits of Aristotelian tragic hero as he possesses a noble tragic flaw. The man who sets out on his new task by sending first for the venerable seer is not lacking in pious reverence; but we also observe th at Oedipus manifests unrestrained arrogance in his own intellectual achievement. No seer found the solution, this is Oedipus boast; no bird, no god revealed it to him, he â€Å"the utterly ignorant† had to come on his own and hit the mark by his own wit. This is a justified pride but it amounts too much. This pride and self-confidence induce Oedipus to despise prophecy and feel almost superior to the gods. He tell the people who pray for deliverance from pathos and miseries they are afflicted with if they listen to and follow his advice in order to get a remedy. The second characteristics of his personality is also a positive one i.e. his unrelenting pursuit of the truth. This is demonstrated when he believes he is the murderer and that Polybus was not his father, yet he continues with his search with the statement, â€Å"I must pursue this trail to the end,† (p.55).These characteristics are only fuel to the fire and add to the pride created a blaze that consumed him. Bernard Knox eulogizes Oedipus’ â€Å"dedication to truth, whatever the cost† (p.117) Another characteristics of his character that contributes toward his tragedy is Oedipus’ longing for thoroughness. His inquisitive nature is not content with anything which is either half-hearted or incomplete. Nor can he brook any delay. He damns that the direction of the oracle should be given effect at once. As before, Oedipus speaks on the basis of the workings of his own mental faculties that has been tested time and again and have proved their intelligence. It can be said that the tragedy of Oedipus is the result more of his good qualities than his bad ones. It is his love for Thebes which makes him send Creon to Delphi to consult the Oracles. It is the same care for his subjects which makes him proclaim a ban and a curse on the murderer of Laius. It is his absolute honesty which makes him include even himself within the curse and the punishment. He is angry with Tiresaea s because he is unable to tolerate the fact that although the prophet says that he know who the murderer of Laius is , he refuses top give the information to the king. His rage and rashness is due to the fact that the masses are suffering and Tiresaeas does not provide the murderer’s name. Oedipus cannot but regard this as a clear manifestation of the seer’s disloyalty to his city. To Oedipus the discovery of truth is more important than his own good and safety. Even when it seems that the investigation that he is carrying on will not produce any result which will be him, he decides to carry on with it. He is so honest with himself that he inflicts the punishment of self-blinding and banishment from the city of Thebes. So his moral goodness also seems as a tragic flaw that brings his ruin. He replies by saying â€Å"Sick as you are, not one is sick as I, each of you suffers in himself.but my spirit Groans for the city, for myself, for you†.(62-62) Another strang e mix of qualities is related to his vision and insight. Some critics are of the view that major tragic flaw of Oedipus is his intellectual myopia. He has a limited vision and is unable to assess the situations in a right perspective. Robert L. Kane (1975) puts this preposition in this way; â€Å"He [Oedipus] was the victim of an optical illusion†. (p. 196) He suffers from two types of blindness i.e. physical and intellectual. One is related to physical sight whereas the other, the most pernicious type of blindness, pertains to insight. Teiresias is physically blind but whereas Oedipus is blind intellectually. This intellectual blindness of Oedipus also contributes greatly to lead him to his tragic destination. Oedipus possesses faultless physical vision throughout play except in the end but he remains blind to the reality regarding himself. At one point in the play, he has the ability to see but he is not willing to do so. He intellectual vision comes with his physical loss of sight but he is unable to cast away the psychological â€Å"slings and arrows† and mental sufferings that intellectual blindness has afflicted on him. So his blindness, both intellectual at the start of the play and physical at the end of the day, is the worst. Oedipus can be held guilty due to another tragic flaw—his inability to take appropriate preventive measures. It is said that he fails to take logical steps and precautions which would have saved him from committing the crimes. Oedipus has necessary human failings. One of them is that he rashly jumps into conclusions. Choragos points this out in scene II after a speech by Creon who tries o remove the ill-fed and hastily formed suspicions of Oedipus about Creon. They say, â€Å"Judgments too quickly formed are dangerous† (II, 101) But Oedipus justifies this, arguing that ruler have to take quick decision. He says later on, â€Å"But is he not quick in his duplicity? / And shall I not be quick to parry h im?† (II, 102-103) Later at the conclusion of scene II, Creon indicates the same tragic flaw in his character by saying, â€Å"Ugly in yielding, as you were ugly in rage! / Nature like yours chiefly torments themselves.† (II, 151-152) It is this rashness that makes to not merely suspect Creon but accuse him and even declares that he deserves the sentence of death. The rashness can be observed in his treatment of Tireseas. Oedipus does not lack analytical thinking but his rashness does permit him to weigh up the situation rightly and he makes hasty decision. In retrospect we see that rashness of Oedipus has something to do with the murder Laius at the hands of Oedipus. The self-blinding also is an act of rashness although Oedipus tries t give several arguments in favor of it. Some critics regard this rashness of Oedipus to be his tragic flaw. So another bad quality i.e. his bad temperament is demonstrated in the squabble between Teiresias and himself, where Teiresias utt er the prophetic truth and Oedipus retorts, â€Å"Do you think you can say such things with impunity?† and afterward attributes him as a , â€Å"Shameless and brainless, sightless, senseless sot!†(p.36). His character is further marked with suspicion about Creon to whom he considers as a conspirator. He says with reference his tà ªte-à  -tà ªte with Tiresaeas, â€Å"Creon! Was this trick his, then, if not yours?† So his imagination works together with anger and rashness. All the above-mentioned manifestations of character, their supported arguments and views of the critics clearly proves the thesis that Oedipus’ unavoidable ignorance was the major factor of his tragedy because he was unable to locate that the man whom he assaulted on the crossroads to Thebes was his father. Secondly, if he would not have been occupied by his aspirations, he would have possibly explored the horror of his deed and could have avoided the additional tricky situations by no t marrying his mother. Thirdly, his â€Å"conscious and intentional† act includes his decision to â€Å"bring what is dark to light† (133). Furthermore, as result to revelation of Tiresaeas, he charges Creon with conspiracy and murder and denounces Tiresaeas as an accessory. Although these actions were intentional and bring Oedipus to tragic end but have a clear background that illustrate that these actions were not â€Å"deliberate†. Fourthly, all these errors originate from a hasty and obstinate temperament, unjustified anger and excessive pride that compel him to an energized inquisitiveness. With the development of the plot, all these ascriptions of his character jumps back with amplified force on his head that finally culminates at his tragedy. Knox (1957) sums up in this way; â€Å"the actions of Oedipus that produce the catastrophe stem from all sides of his character; no one particular action is more essential than any other; they are all essential and they involve not any one trait of character which might be designated a hamartia but the character of Oedipus as a whole† (31). Above-mentioned arguments and supporting evidence clearly manifest that Oedipus had paradoxical qualities and possessed good as well bad characteristics. Sophocles has masterfully juxtaposed his constant obsession with intelligence and his pursuit of truth with his vain pride and excessive anger. But it is also obvious that his good qualities contribute more toward his tragedy than his bad qualities. nbsp; We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus Rex Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus Rex Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus Rex Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Learn How to Conjugate Sécher (to Dry) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Sà ©cher (to Dry) in French Meaning to dry, the French verb  sà ©cher  will be a good addition to your vocabulary. In order to say she dried or we will dry, however, you will need to study its conjugations. That is the focus of this introductory French lesson. The Basic Conjugations of  Sà ©cher Sà ©cher  is a  stem-changing verb  and that does throw a wrench into the conjugations. However, it is relatively easy to handle when you know what to look for. Pay close attention to the indicative mood forms of  sà ©cher  and youll notice that sometimes the accented  Ãƒ ©Ã‚  changes to  Ãƒ ¨. This happens most often in the present tense and the future gives you an option between the two. Other than that,  sà ©cher  follows the conjugation rules of  any  regular -er  verb. You can use the same endings you know for words like  tomber  (to fall) and apply them here. To study these, simply find the conjugation that corresponds to both the subject pronoun and the tense of your sentence. This results in  je sà ¨che  for I am drying and  nous sà ©chiez  for we dried. Present Future Imperfect je sche scheraischerai schais tu sches scherasscheras schais il sche scheraschera schait nous schons scheronsscherons schions vous schez scherezscherez schiez ils schent scherontscheront schaient The Present Participle of  Sà ©cher The  present participle  of  sà ©cher  does not get the stem change. Instead, you will simply add -ant  to the stem to form  sà ©chant. Sà ©cher  in the Compound Past Tense Passà © composà ©Ã‚  is the French compound past tense. This is where youll use the  past participle  sà ©chà ©Ã‚  along with the help of an auxiliary verb. To form it, begin by conjugating  avoir  into the present tense, then add the past participle. This gives us  jai sà ©chà ©Ã‚  for I dried and  nous avons sà ©chà ©Ã‚  for we dried. More Simple Conjugations of  Sà ©cher You will need to pay attention to the stem change in these forms of  sà ©cher  as well, particularly in  the subjunctive, which calls the act of drying into question.  The conditional  gives you the choice between the two forms because it implies that something will only be dried in the future if certain conditions are met. There is no stem change in either  the passà © simple  or  the imperfect subjunctive, both of which are literary tenses. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je sche scheraisscherais schai schasse tu sches scheraisscherais schas schasses il sche scheraitscherait scha scht nous schions scherionsscherions schmes schassions vous schiez scheriezscheriez schtes schassiez ils schent scheraientscheraient schrent schassent For short sentences, you may use  sà ©cher  in  the imperative.  Beyond the stem change in the  tu  form, youll also need to remember that the subject pronoun is not required here. Imperative (tu)           sà ¨che​​ (nous)  Ã‚  sà ©chons​​ (vous)  Ã‚  sà ©chez

Government business relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Government business relations - Essay Example Journalism traditionally sees itself as having a central role in ensuring accountability in the democracy by revealing the details of debate in the political process. The term fourth estate is used to contrast the press to the legislative, executive and judicial arms of the government (Dr. Stockwell Stephen ). But let us go back in time when the fourth estate was considered an important pillar of society. James Harrison in the first issue of his Geelong Advertiser proclaimed the press to be a "mighty engine for the promulgation of Truth". Engines of Influence shows the links in the newspaper network working to receive and share news, distribute papers and manufacture opinion. "A rich fund for the investigations of future historians", was how the Trustees saw the newspaper collection of the public Library of Victoria in 1883. This has been proved true with the frequency with which newspapers are cited in Australian histories. In fact, Alan Atkinson's history of Australia postulates and explores a relationship between the ubiquity of print and manuscript, the power of writing and development of democracy. (Mighty Engine 24th Jan 2004) The fourth estate in the earlier days carried a certain stature and was vary of transgressing the privacy of individuals. It followed government policies and decisions and debated them vociferously thereby, influencing policy decisions. Its bipartisan discussions and views were taken seriously and could definitely be counted as a force in the public domain. Commercial compulsions did not hold sway and nor did political affiliations. Journalist commanded a certain stature in society which unfortunately today is being diluted. Till the seventies and eighties the fourth estate could be considered to be the government watchdog, but with the challenges of the present day times and the government regulations coming into place, it seems to have lost some of its sheen. Globalisation, technology and media ownership have played an important role in the effectiveness of the fourth estate. Let us take a closer look at how each one of them has an impact on the fourth estate. Globalisation In this age of globalisation, the relationship of the media and the government cannot be ignored. Globalisation has provided the media with a bigger and more diverse audience. The whole world is suddenly open to it. With the advent of the internet and satellite transmission, the viewer ship for the media has largely increased. Ironically though, the media instead of being free has been bound in shackles with the acceleration of globalisation. The acceleration of globalisation has led to the fourth estate being stripped of its potential and thus making it a miniscule counter power. This new geo-economic framework has made all the activities in the mass culture, communication and information merge where it difficult to distinguish between their individual elements. (Ramonet Ignacio, October 2003) Earlier the three were clearly divided and the news was considered a priority with entertainment having a separate identity of its own. But today commercial compulsions and technology make it necessary to merge all the three thereby

Fundamentals of Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fundamentals of Nursing - Essay Example This final example shows another difference between belief and knowledge, choice; a person can choose what to believe but has no choice over what to know (Edwards 2001, pp. 25-38). 2. What are the main differences between practical knowledge and propositional knowledge described by Edwards? Give an example of each of these from your nursing practice. The main differences between practical and propositional knowledge lie in the mode of expression of the knowledge, its extent, and limitations. Propositional knowledge is mainly expressed in speech whereby an individual uses statements that indicate his or her knowledge on the subject matter. On the other hand, practical knowledge is expressed in one’s work, where a person knows what to do now, or what one might do when posed with a problem of a certain nature. Propositional knowledge tends to be general, such that it does not major on one aspect of the subject whereas practical knowledge is job specific, and is useful in one job area and can be applied to solve problems in that field exclusively. While propositional knowledge comes mainly from literature that one reads, practical knowledge is acquired as one does his or her duties, and the latter incorporates more senses than the former. An example of practical knowledge is using a needle and syringe on a patient such that it inflicts minimal pain and damage. Books may give the procedures for use in a medical setting, but practise gives a person the practical knowledge of how to do the procedures right. Propositional knowledge is evident where a person knows the various disease cycles and patterns, but the knowledge is not applicable directly in practice (Edwards 2001, pp. 25-38). 3. Critically analyse the kinds of knowledge nurses use in practice. Support your answer... This paper approves that nursing professionals possess knowledge in its various forms, which they should use in their line of duty such that it is for the benefit of a patient. However, a nurse must have all levels of knowing including personal, empirical, ethical, and aesthetic. This enables not only effective care of patients, but assures quality and adherence to acceptable levels of standards and ethics. Consequently, a nurse becomes more effective and efficient in his or her work, which in turn increases the ability of the nurse to be more effective due to a high self-esteem and a feeling of achievement. A nurse should be capable of differentiating between knowledge and belief, only then can one apply these two aspects in practice for optimal results. Nursing professionals should use a carefully balanced amalgamation of these knowledge types to ensure that their patients get the best service the profession has to offer. This essay makes a conclusion that an aspect of the nursing profession facing stiff criticism is evidence-based practice, which aims to ensure that all decisions and actions by nurses use chosen studies as a basis. This does not auger well with critics, who purport that evidence based practice is limiting and denies nurses and other scientists from having a different opinion from the given ones. In this regard, evidence based practice hinders innovation and prevents nurses from reaching their full potential in their profession. Though standards should be used for quality assurance purposes, they should be flexible enough to allow for personal choice and innovation.

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Argument - Essay Example Therein exists a dilemma; it is apparent that all we do is determined and controlled by the mind; however, it would require defining features of the psychological condition that are not explicable on the basis of the human physical operations. Descartes argues that the connection between mind and body is a wholly arbitrary without regard to the laws of physics; for instance he demonstrates that a particle striking another will move in a direction that is determined by the angle of the first particle. In contrary, in the human body, there is no connection between the physical sensations and the ensuing mental reaction; he argues that hunger pangs; for instance, have no direct connection to the reaction they provoke (Desire to eat) and can just as well produce a desire to sleep or drink (Descartes 54). In modern day, cognitive scientists are more than ever before curious about the engenderment of the human perception and thought process; unlike in the past, information process in the abstract are no longer seen as conclusive accounts of the mind. Scientists are concerned with the interactions of the body and the environment and how the relationship contributes in shaping human perception and the mind. Thinkers who support this school of thought postulate that by such examination, the Cartesian rift between the body and mind may be bridged so the material and immaterial aspect of human existence can be seen a unified whole. (Robinson). One of the areas expected to provide answers is the examination of non-reflexive actions which are not indication of an individual’s mentality and whose arbitrary connection is to the motor features of the action in question such as pressing a button. In dualism the mind and body are contrasted; however over the years of study different parts of the mind have been the focus of attention; for instance before Descartes in the mediaeval period the intellect was seen as the least likely to be affected by a

The Criticisms Of The Hofstedes Model Business Essay

The Criticisms Of The Hofstedes Model Business Essay Hofstedes model indicates 5 dimensions, which are Power distances, Individualism, Uncertainty avoidance, Masculine and Long-term orientation (Hofetede, 1998), to distinguish culture in different countries. Many organisational managers claimed that Hofstefe model is successfully comparative different culture in different countries. However, some scholars argued that it is risk to apply Hofstede model due to validity and reliably to differentiate culture such as perception of culture, methodology, and his dimensions. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to critic of Hofstedes model and claim how far we agree of his model. 2.0 National Culture vs. Non-Cultural factors Culture is Customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country and group (Hornby, 2009) .However, Hofstede selected only one companys (IBM) staffs as sample to evaluate the countrys cultural measurement. This raises the survey of how far each IBM part can be measured culturally representative of the country in which it is based. (Mcsweeney, 2002) A study infatuated only on a company cannot probably offer depth to a complete countrys culture (Sondergaard 1994) .As William (2002) stated this can be considered to a trait of a company, the particular occupation, or the occupation in the particular company rather than to justify a national culture Trompenaar (1993) agrees with Williamson (2002). His research has successfully reduced Hofstedes evidence, where he has tested important differences among national cultures for the effect of irrelevant factors such as gender and occupation. As a matter of fact, the model is not representative because it is only drawn from one company involving only particular middle-class workers. However, Hofstede (1980) pointed out that the use of a single international employer eliminates the effect of the corporate policy and management practices from different companies influencing behaviour differently, leaving only national culture to explain cultural difference. While Williamson (2002) argues that, national, organisational and work-related cultures are not dependant issues. Hence, based on criticisms from the scholars which show that, even after eliminating corporate policy and management practices, there still exist different levels of cultures in a country. Therefore, Hofstedes assumption of culture differentiation of the country by surveying only IBM Companys stuffs cannot be justifiable. There are a broad variety of factors which affect culture including non cultural factors and human nature which are institutional influences, social structures and economic condition (Williamson, 2002). However, Hofstede tends to neglect the significance of community, and the variation of the community affects (Papamarcos et. al., 2007). For example, Some European countries like Britain, German, Italy and France having common political views and economical development needs formed European Union. As an  economic  and  political union with 27 member states, it has its own council, commission, court and bank which mean these 27 member countries share European Unions culture (Europa, 2009). It is able to be seen that culture is a complex and subjective conception. However, Hofstede only used limited survey to explain the values of the particular group or country. For instance, the rank of tolerance for ambiguity also can partially describe the general risk-taking tendency of businessmen. (Erdem, 2001). Thus, diverse study questions relied on cultural method need to be inquired on huge sample and relative researches. 3.0 Critics of Homogeneity of Country Culture On the other hand, Hofstedes research supposes the domestic population as a homogenous whole (Jones, 2007). Hofstedes model gives comparisons between different national cultures to achieve 5 dimensions which are established on data from 50 countries and 3 regions (Mead Andrews, 2009). However, the model ignores nation is consisted of different ethnic units having different cultures. It is not objective to say that one nation has one culture. For example, in China, there are 56 ethnic minorities. Different ethnic minorities have different language, customs and beliefs. It is far-fetched to believe there is one culture in China, because they are all Chinese. (Gov.cn, 2009) In addition, it is also hard to differentiate between the main culture and subcultures. For instance, relations between main cultures and subcultures are shifting by influence of political, economic, or historical factors. (Mead Andrews, 2009) 4.0 Dimension 4.1 Simplicity It is critical that Hofstedes dimension is too simple and few to differentiate the diversity of cultures in a country. For instance, such as training opportunities, satisfactory working conditions and possibility of fully using skills and abilities on the job in collectivism was not sufficient to obtain accurate country scores for a construct. (Papamarcos et. al., 2007). However, Williamson (2002) defended that Hofstedes model has the beauty of parsimony has shown the large part of its appeal and success within the functionalist paradigm. Yet, Mc Sweeneys (2002) objection of Hofstedes simplify model has pointed out the national culture of an appropriate balance between parsimony for powerful communication and power of explanation. 4.2 Bilateral model There are debatable of relevancy in applying a bilateral model used by Hofstedes dimension to a global organisation as a number of cultures are interacting and probably influencing each other (Mead Andrews, 2009). For example, there is only high or low level in power distance dimension of Hofstedes model. Therefore, the ability of the dimension to measure is restricted, which does not response the changes of different culture (Papamarcos et. al., 2007). Baskerville (2003) continued that why the validity of Hofstedes dimensions of culture had not been widely used in sociology and anthropology. In line with McSweeney (2002), the major contention over Hofstedes work is that culture does not equate with nations. Hence, it could not generalise the culture of a wide range of country and it is reasonable only if human societies are isolated from each other. However, people live in societies with intensifying networks of exchange and communication (Baskerwille, 2003). Therefore, it shows t hat the differences of culture are to by measuring of the degrees rather than bilateral results. 4.3 Labelling Issues Labelling issues of the Hofstedes dimension is also being concerned. Based on masculine and feminine dimension does not recommend to the domination of sexual category and the indistinct labelling of the dimension may create confusion (Jones Alony, 2007). It gives the level to which masculine behaviours like power, belligerence and achieve are preferred to feminine features like personal relationships, quality of life and welfare (Williamson, 2002). Hence, it is agreeable with Adler (1997) that these indicators should change the dimension to career success or quality of life rather than using the sexist indicators. 5.0 Methodology From Hofstedes method about data collection, it is shown that the survey he used is only to cultivate the 5 dimensions. This has been argued that Hofstede used one survey method to measure dozens of different national cultures which is unrealistic and not reliable. McSweeney (2002) have also agreed that collecting date from questionnaires is too limited and not reliable to determine and measure cultural discrepancy. Hence, Hofstedes cultural survey fails to meet requirement for nomothetic research where national culture is not identifiable from his questionnaire (Williamson, 2002). For instance, Individualism and collectivism could not be effectively defined by 3 items each. The 3 items associated with Individualism were sufficient time for family life and freedom to adapt to ones own work style, and for Collectivism it was training opportunities, satisfactory working conditions and possibility of fully using skills and abilities on the job. It was not sufficient to rely on these 6 items to obtain accurate country scores for a construct (Voronov, 2002) pointed out that such a procedure merely shows which items belong together but doesnt demonstrate construct validity. However, Hofstede defends that survey was the one but not only method which was used (Hofstede 1998). It also can be proven that Hofstede did all that might be expected of nomothetic cultural research, there are objections to use nomothetic methods for cultural research. This can be seen that Hofstedes model is used widely for cross-cultural research (Jones, 2007). Sondergaard (1994) found that Hofstedes study received 1,036 citations in 1980, while another highly regarded study on strategy by Miles and Snow received only 200 citations. In addition, Sondergaard (1994) made a research which is similar to Hofstedes research and the most outcome of his research confirmed Hofstedes predictions. For example, it acknowledges that Hofstedes findings in the power distance dimension are useful and reliable. A significant aspect of journalistic culture is related to journalists position towards power (Hanusch, 2008). In most Western democracies, journalists, the competitor of the press, are represented as the fourth estate and watchdogs. They believe that they are an independent critic power. While in eastern countries, such as in Asian countries, an opponent position may conflict with values of harmony, yet criticism is possible in a covert form. Journalists see themselves as loyal to those in power, acting as a mouthpiece for the government (Hanusch, 2008). In short, its undoubtedly true that only used questionnaire survey method is not reliable however Hofstede also used homothetic cultural research method which means survey questionnaire is only one of the methods that Hofstede used to build his model. Therefore, using homothetic culture research method has shown the robust of his model. 5.1 Language The problem of survey questions is the limitation of language translation which has different meaning in each culture. Cultural beliefs changed in languages which influence managerial practice directly. Graham (1998) indicated that language and cultural beliefs are correlated because of cross-cultural interaction which means similarity in cultural beliefs also produces linguistic similarity. In addition, there are many different language systems in some countries such as Belgium, Canada, and Singapore. It is unrealistic to consider a multi-lingual society having one national culture. Language is an important component to measure of cultural differences. However, Hofstede only translated survey questions directly without considering the affect from languages which were likely to cause misunderstanding and ambiguity. Another opinion is that simple translation from other languages is not sufficient considering that patterns of communication behaviour are deeply rooted in language culture complexities (Ulijin and Campbell, 2001). Different languages have different patterns of discourse (Fletcher, 2006). For example, in one language, the key point of communication may be at the beginning of the sentence and the qualifiers follow. In other languages like Korean, the main point comes at the end of the sentence. If the translation does not include underlying concepts, the meaning will easily become distorted, and the emphasis of the message will be diminished. 5.2 Bias and reliability of Questionnaire Firstly, it is common that people do not know themselves. It is evident that one persons unconscious is much more sensitive than conscious mind. Therefore, unconscious minded are easily affect peoples psychology deeply (Woodside, 2006). Sometimes, people cannot give real responses because the truth is not known. For instance, if people do not know their life and work value, it is impossible to get real answers about their values through analyzing information from questionnaires. Moreover, Mc Sweeney (2002) argues that the administration of the survey and the ownership of its results were IBMs, some of the questionnaires were completed within groups and not individually. It means the information collected from questionnaire cannot reflect individuals real mentality. In addition, some employees had predicted companys policies would be revised which based on the result of this survey, so they didnt give real responses (Mead Andrews, 2009). Therefore, the result of the survey questionna ire has been doubtable. 6.0 Critical of Inconsistence of Research Outcome According to Hofstedes research (1998), he stated that his style of cross sectional analysis was apropos because he wasnt producing an absolute touchstone but was merely reckoning cultural differences. For example, He mentioned that wealth and individualism are connected. The wealthier countries tend to be more individualist, like UK and USA both are wealthier and individualist than Panama and Guatemala. According to his study Japan which is a wealthy country should fall in individualist category but it falls under collectivist category (Mead Andrews, 2009). Besides, according to Hofstede (1980), Japan also has a high power distance; however some Japanese firms, which bases on equality, often focus on the development of individual employees. Therefore, it is inappropriate that using these attributes at opposite ends of a continuum may reflect a western bias to research in the East (Papamarcos, et. al., 2007). This shown that there is faulty assumption of his study. He had a belief that a change in economic circumstances could bring shift in the culture and as a country develops, it shifts toward individualism. However time has changed, and Japan, as an example, which proves his study has ambiguity. However, due to the political sensitivity at that time, arguably has huge bearing accuracy and usefulness of the survey because the memories of the world war two and old war has impacted everything, and peoples feelings run high. There was district lack of data from third world and socialist countries due to the political situation (Jones, 2007). As a result, political influence is also affected Hosftedes data collection which might alter the reliability of the outcome of his research. 7.0 Time Changing Todays world is an era of globalisation, the technology is modern. There has been a drastic change in the rate of development compared with the rate at Hofstedes time. Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter claimed that globalisation is also a process of creative destruction (Francoise, 2004). People, who use modern technology than ever before, are modern and advanced. Because of E-communication, distances have become very short. When doing business with countries abroad, communication is easy with the use of the fax, e-mail, video conferencing, etc. Technology is responsible for our way of communication and changes in globalisation are through the way we trade. In addition, Hofstede (1980) stated that the cross-cultural outcomes produced in centuries, most researches also supported the fact that culture will not change overnight. He assumes that cultural values are stable over time. However, some researchers also claimed that the study is too old to have any modern value particularly in todays rapidly changing global environment. For instance, based on Hofstedes dimension of uncertainty avoidance, there is a research about the rate of business ownership across 22 OECD countries which shows that in 1976 and 1988 uncertainty avoidance is positively correlated with the prevalence of business ownership, one of the reason for that ,perhaps, is the restrictive structure of large organizations. However, in 2000 this positive correlation is changed, low uncertainty avoidance countries start to compensate their economies (Wennekers, et. al, 2004). Therefore, it is still arguable about his failing to take into account of the malleability of culture over-time. 8.0 Conclusion In conclusion, different scholars have concrete point of view of flaws of hofstedes model particularly reliability and validity such as national, occupational and organisational cultures differentiate by Hofstede, five simple dimensions to differentiate the cultures, labelling issues and bilateral dimensions, out of date and his methodology of his research. However, culture is too complex and it is impossible to draw out a very comprehensive model to differentiate the country difference. In addition, some of the scholar have successfully prove of his homothetic research is valid to differentiate the different cultures. In addition, Hofstedes work helped many business people to develop their business successfully in a new country because of his simple and comparative model during 1980s where there were many businesses entering international market. Therefore, we decipher that Hofstedes model has a strong core useful for further cultural study and research. Though, with changes in time , there are numerous changes occurring in a nationals culture. Globalisation has let to mixing up of cultures and hence, no culture entails its all of its original characteristics. It is suggests time to time amendments need to be made to his model to ensure its suitability with changing time.

How to Treat Prion Diseases Essay -- Medical Disease

How to Treat Prion Diseases Abstract Scientists are stumped as to the development and nature of proteinaceous infectious particles. Neither virus nor bacteria, these prions, are believed to cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), rare diseases said to be 100% fatal, without possessing nucleic acids. Their unhindered growth is thought to be the cause for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or Mad Cow Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD), scrapie and other TSE, diseases characterized by the brain microscopically turning into sponge-like matter. There are no cures or effective treatments available today because drawbacks constantly prevent the development of efficient therapy. Studies continue to slowly progress, hoping to find methods to immunize against more prion diseases. Problem No one presently has a solid understanding as to why TSE, or prion diseases, occur. The simple explanation is that PrP(c), the normal isoform of the prion protein, is forced to fold into PrPSc, the other pathological isoform, causing the misfolded PrP(c) to acquire protease-resistance. As to a physical presentation, a clumped protein consisting primarily of alpha-helices (spirals) is converted into one consisting primarily of beta-sheets (sets of pleated hairpins). In an essence, alpha-helical content decreases while beta-sheet content increases. The newly converted protein then possesses the same characteristics as those of the native PrPSc (Korth, Streit, & Oesch, 1999). PrPSc acquires partial protease resistance upon the transformation and passes this resistance along to the naturally protease-sensitive PrP(c). Protease is an enzyme that breaks down proteins or peptides, deeming the protease-sensitive proteins soluble; so during ... ...r to the fatal TSE. 8 b10 References Bainbridge, J., Jones, N., & Walker, B. (2004, May 12). Multiple antigenic peptides facilitate generation of anti-prion antibodies. Retrieved July 26, 2008, from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1809119# Graham, S. (2002, July 30). Common Antibiotic Saps Prions' Strength. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=common-antibiotic-saps-pr Korth, C., Streit, P., & Oesch, B. (1999). Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for the Native, Disease-Associated Isoform of the Prion Protein. Methods in ENZYMOLOGY: , 309, 106-122 . Soto, C. (2006). Prions: The New Biology of Proteins. Taylor & Francis Group: CRC Press. Wong, K. (2001, August 14). Old Drugs Show New Promise in Combating Prion Diseases. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=old-drugs-show-new-promis