Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Political economy in Turkey Regulatory Agencies

Since the start of 1980s, liberalization policies have played a pivotal role in defining how states exercise the control over their economies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Political economy in Turkey: Regulatory Agencies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is important to note that an essential element of the liberalization policies has been the withdrawal of the state from utility (infrastructure) sectors which have been typified by market failures, for example natural monopoly situations that resulted in the reduction of the level of competition in the markets. However, the withdrawal of the state from these sectors have resulted in the introduction of policies that focus on regulating (but not imposing direct control) of the economy activities of the newly liberalized markets at the macroeconomic level. Thus, one of the notable aspects of the changes to regulatory policies has been the formation of speciali zed independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) that are different from standard bureaucratic structures. This paper examines IRAs in Turkey with the aim of analyzing their independent features. IRAs in Turkey are distinguished by organizational attributes that are not the same as the traditional bureaucratic structures in the country and they make up service-based (as opposed to geographical) decentralized governance according to the country’s constitution. Thus, analyzing how they were established and investigating their autonomous attributes is important in knowing the track of liberalization that began in the country in the early 1980s. After experiencing a long period of both economic and political confusion during the better part of the 1970s, Turkey started to institute market-focused changes during the beginning of 1980. This initiative was an important change from the country’s etatist past. One of the main aims of the 1980 reform agenda was to institute changes in the trade regime and it involved introduction of a more flexible exchange rate policy (Zenginobuz, 1). It also involved doing away with stringent import substitution policies. This was achieved by encouraging exports of goods and services and liberalization of imports.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The reform process also aimed at lowering the size of the country’s public sector. This was intended to give opportunity to private initiatives and markets in establishing fair distribution of resources in the economy; thus, the process of privatization of state-owned enterprises and liberalization of financial markets were thought to be imperative aspects of Turkey’s reform agenda. The 1980 economic reforms in Turkey led to remarkable transformations in the way business was done in the country. Export promotion policies resulted in new incentives and financial libe ralization was also realized. The emergence of IRAs in the country started to take place in the aftermath of the new initiatives described above and even though their emergence goes back to the start of the 1980s, their steady growth took place during the 1990s and the 2000s. In the 1980s, Turkey was not focused on instituting an efficient regulatory framework; thus, it was only towards the end of the 1990s that it passed regulations to this effect. The country paid no or little attention to the significance of creating a regulatory framework prior to liberalization and privatization of industries and it only realized this need following years of stagnant economic conditions. More so, after the Southeast Asian and the Russian crises of the late 1990s, essential structural problems in the country’s economic structure were exposed, and this further propelled the need of creating a regulatory framework. External anchors propelled the creation of regulatory agencies in Turkey. As pointed out earlier, the economy of country was stagnating; thus, international agencies such as International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) put an overpowering pressure on the Turkish government to institute reforms and create regulatory agencies. As a result, the policy makers in the country endeavored to create autonomous and credible IRAs so as to ensure that the markets function properly. More so, the establishment of the IRAs was aimed at marketization of public services as much as possible.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Political economy in Turkey: Regulatory Agencies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The efforts to establish regulatory agencies in Turkey served as the prerequisites for making the country eligible to loans that were to be provided by international agencies; therefore, the stand-by agreements that were made with IMF and the proposals of WB to revive the country’s ailing economy played a crucial role in suppressing the opposition of establishment regulatory agencies. For example, in the intention letters submitted to the International Monetary Fund on 9 December 1999 and latter letters, Turkey promised to establish IRAs such as â€Å"BRSA (Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency), EMRA (Energy Markets Regulatory Agency), TTPABMRA (Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Alcoholic Beverages Markets Regulation Agency), and PPA (Public Procurement Agency) to the IMF as a part of the criteria of stabilization† (Sonmez, 133). The European Union (EU) also played a role in the establishment of IRAs in Turkey. In the 1990s, Turkey was preparing to join the European Community and this obliged it to make some reforms so as to meet the objectives of the EU (Gul and Zenginobuz, 20). Notably, public sector reforms were enacted; thus, the establishment of the regulatory agencies is a component of these reforms. The reforms were intended to provide liberalization a nd competition in the country’s national markets, which had not been performing as desired. For example, Turkey has prepared a national program to adjust â€Å"its administrative, political, economic and social structures to the EU’ Acquis Communitarie and introduced the Turkey’s ‘National Program for the Adoption of the Acquis’ which was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 19 March 2001† (Sonmez, 133). In the report, the Turkish government has promised to institute a number of reform programs in the country concerning IRAs as well as in the public sector to achieve transparency and competition in the running of its affairs. Some of the reforms Turkey promised to adopt include the establishment of a draft law on public procurement and the establishment of an IRA in that sector. This led to the creation of the PPA on 1 January 2003. Other IRAs subsequently established include TTPABMRA in 2002, which was mandated to regulate tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, and the EMRA in 2001, which was mandated to regulate gas and electricity companies in the country. The EU and other international organizations became efficient in directing the internal policy of Turkey.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, they pressurized the country’s politicians to enact structural reforms, notable was the creation of regulatory agencies that were not subject to political control in several important aspects of the country’s economy. There were remarkable changes over time in Turkey’s attempts to create regulatory agencies. As pointed out earlier, even though there were domestic drivers of regulatory reforms in the country from the 1980s, the process of establishing the reforms was rather slow. The slow implementation of regulatory reforms in the country was brought about by paying more attention on market orientation and liberalization instead of the reforms. Consequently, at the end of the 1990s, there was an urge to create the conditions more favorable for private investors. Such private investment into infrastructure industries, for example, electricity and telecommunication, was ignited due to the increased macroeconomic instability and inadequacy of resources t hat prevented the government from meeting its obligations of establishing the necessary infrastructure facilities. Additionally, several attempts had been made to make a number of public assets in infrastructure industries private. However, these attempts did not succeed because they were hindered by the legal challenges that were brought about by the Constitutional Court and the Council of State, inter alia. In this aspect, the law did not allow the privatization of natural monopolies if it was proved that they could not function to fulfill the bigger public interest. Thus, the hope of making state monopolies private and opening imperfectly competitive enterprises to new entry level evidently necessitated the creation of IRAs in Turkey. Appertaining to financial services, the financial crisis of 1982 sent a message to the policy makers in the country that having a banking sector that was not regulated was a threat to its growing economy. Whereas there was remarkable progress in the creation of IRAs in Turkey, such attempts were not successful up to the end of the 1990s. In addition to the other reasons provided earlier, the majority of the politicians in the country did not want to relinquish their political power because of the fear of losing control over the administrative agencies; thus, this understanding of the need for establishing a regulatory framework was ubiquitous among sections of the bureaucracy. The process of establishing credible IRAs was reinforced by the financial crisis in 2001; it formed an opportune environment for the passage of the necessary regulations on regulatory reforms and enhancing the political and bureaucratic commitment for reforms in the country. The financial crisis threatened the credibility of Turkey internationally to cope with such an emergency. Consequently, it lessened the resistance to prevent the passage of the necessary legislation for instituting regulatory agencies in the country. According to Tamer, the policy ch anges that were meant to establish the IRAs cannot be considered to be successful; there is still substantial exertion of political authority over these agencies, in varying intensities across different sectors of the country’s economy (57). Despite the recognized autonomy together with the complete economic and managerial sovereignty of the majority of Turkish IRAs, in reality, operation swerves from the official structures. In comparison to their counterparts in other countries, the IRAs in Turkey have a seemingly high level of autonomy; however, in some instances, they have served secluded interests of the country’s politicians, bureaucrats, and other private interests. It is important to note that even if the autonomy of the IRAs is perceived to be of essence for good regulatory results, official autonomy itself is not a guarantee to automatic â€Å"good† results; therefore, Turkey is a good example to depict the inconsistency between official structure and actual operations. For instance, in the telecommunications sector, the autonomy of ICTA (Information Technology and Communication Authority) is comparable to that in the United States, which is a noteworthy progress for a â€Å"latecomer† in the creation of regulatory agencies; nonetheless, there are substantial differences among the IRAs of the two different countries as appertains to real autonomy and performance of their operations. A number of IRAs in Turkey have been reported to be subjected to undue interference by the state. Some of these are ICTA, Sugar Agency (SA), and the Agency for Tobacco and Alcohol Markets (TAMRA). For the case of ICTA, the government employed various tactics to interrupt some of its liberalization measures, for example, the issuing of license to new operators, and for the case of SA and TAMRA, their institutional design has attracted interference by the government, as some of their board members are still employees of the government who serve i ts interests. In conclusion, since the 1980s, Turkey was engaged in market reforms without comprehensive regulatory framework, and it was until the country started experiencing economic crisis in 1999 that it began to adopt elaborate regulatory reforms in its governance. IRAs were established as key agencies of the reform process, which were aimed at creating a sound and competitive framework so as to avoid the major economic problems that the country had been facing. More so, the establishment of the IRAs was meant to exemplify the aspects of good governance. These aspects are, but not limited to, political insulation, transparency in service delivery, responsibility, and involvement. External pressures that were put on the country by international agencies such as the IMF and WB also facilitated the establishment of IRAs in Turkey. Another crucial role was played by the EU, which formulated stringent policies that the country had to adhere to before being accepted as a member of t he European Community. Works Cited Sonmez, Umit. â€Å"Independent Regulatory Agencies: The World Experience and the Turkish Case.† Etd.lib.metu. Middle East Technical University, 2004 Sept. Web. Sosay, Gul, and Zenginobuz, Unal. â€Å"Independent regulatory agencies in emerging economies.† Mpra.ub. Bogazici University, 2005 Sept. Web. Tamer, Cetin. The Political Economy of Regulation in Turkey. New York: Springer   Verlag, 2011. Print. Zenginobuz, Unal. â€Å"On Regulatory Agencies in Turkey and Their Independence.† Bog  Uni. Bogazici University, 2007 June. Web. This essay on Political economy in Turkey: Regulatory Agencies was written and submitted by user Dayton Bruce to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Gross Domestic Product and Consumption Essays

Gross Domestic Product and Consumption Essays Gross Domestic Product and Consumption Essays Tutorial 1 Problem 5 I. Real GDP: $1474680 million Consumption: $789278 million Investment: $357001 million II. Consumption share of GDP: Consumption/Real GDP = $789278/$1474680 = 0.535 Investment share of GDP: Investment/Real GDP= $357001/$1474680 = 0.242 Therefore, consumption is greater than investment. The difference is household conduct consumption while firms hold investment. III. | C | I | Jun-2003 | 1.53 | 1.43 | Sep-2003 | 1.31 | -0.76 | Dec-2003 | 1.82 | 3.65 | Mar-2004 | 1.13 | 4.33 | Jun-2004 | 1.61 | 1.04 | Sep-2004 | 1.18 | -0.43 | Dec-2004 | 0.88 | -0.09 | Mar-2005 | -0.20 | 3.03 | Jun-2005 | 1.48 | -0.07 | Sep-2005 | 0.76 | 4.62 | Dec-2005 | 0.36 | 2.63 | Mar-2006 | 0.70 | 1.74 | Jun-2006 | 1.02 | -0.02 | Sep-2006 | 0.88 | 2.13 | Dec-2006 | 1.24 | -1.52 | Mar-2007 | 2.15 | 1.30 | Jun-2007 | 0.96 | 6.29 | Sep-2007 | 1.28 | 2.09 | Dec-2007 | 1.50 | 1.42 | Mar-2008 | 0.54 | 0.22 | Jun-2008 | -0.50 | 3.31 | Sep-2008 | -0.37 | 1.11 | Dec-2008 | -0.08 | 0.79 | Mar-2009 | 0.14 | -1.34 | Jun-2009 | 0.73 | -1.67 | Sep-2009 | 0.31 | -1.09 | Dec-2009 | 1.00 | -2.06 | Mar-2010 | 0.16 | 3.34 | Jun-2010 | 1.37 | -2.77 | Sep-2010 | 0.94 | 2.56 | Dec-2010 | 0.94 | -0.14 | Mar-2011 | 0.69 | 1.90 | Jun-2011 | 0.87 | 4.42 | Sep-2011 | 0.6 9 | 1.24 | Dec-2011 | 0.50 | 7.37 | Mar-2012 | 1.49 | -0.18 | Jun-2012 | 0.75 | 4.19 | Sep-2012 | 0.29 | 0.98 | Dec-2012 | 0.40 | 3.60

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Australian Legal System

There is a quotation mentioned in the essay which is quoted by Allan Amanyire.   This quote reveals that, there are lack of legal rules and democracy in the society which is an issue for all the people in the society.   The people of the society may be rich-poor, educated- uneducated, employed-unemployed but everyone faces same problem if the proper legal rules and democracy is not maintained in the society.   In this assignment the negative sides of the society is portrayed because in Australia there are lack of constitutional laws followed and because of that the economic stability of people is not maintained (Collins, 2014).There are some plans made to describe the assignment. They are description about equality law, description about Australian legal system, the inequality and scarcity of the society and the solutions which can be applied to solve the problems of the society by legal methods. With the help of English mon law tradition Australian legal system started progressing. Federal regulations of governments state that every country is democratic and the citizen of the countries have right to choose the government of the country through voting system under Human rights act. Under section 41 of constitution of Australia of mon Wealth the people of the country has legal right to choose president and ministers of the country, who can work for the sake of the county. As per Human Rights of Australia (1949), the people of the country have to live their life in a democratic nation where monopolistic views are not followed. There is certain rights of mon man of the country. That freedom does not restrict people to convey their speech; to live a proper life with equality without discrimination; to vote; to get employment and to get all the facilities and enjoy rights of the country. The quotation in the question states that, Australian government is not following the democratic rules and making the country corrupted by indulging lots of discrimination between rich and poor, man and women and etc. For that reason, the rules of Equality act of 2010 are needed to be followed by the government and the citizen of the government. This act should be equal for rich or poor, employed or unemployed and educated or uneducated. Everyone should be same in the eye of the law (Collins, 2014). The mon man suffers a lot because they b e the victim of inequality. If democracy is not maintained in the society, then the citizen of the country loses their freedom and they are deprived by equality and political facilities (Humphreys, 2010). According to equality act, there should be no discrimination in terms of race, gender, age, sex, caste, creed, religion, class etc. These legal rules are not followed in Australia and that is the reason that people are in problem. They are victim of discrimination which is harming them. Even employment is also not available in the country because of lack of regulations. All these loopholes in the system is creating main problem to all the people in the society whether they are rich or poor. As the legal system of the country is improper, so the economic system and the corporation system are also lacking various resources. In this quote this things are tried to be mentioned. Several critics have criticized the legal and political system of Australia. It is said that, if there is lack of democracy in a country then people cannot lead a free life. If it is followed by the business perspectives that people cannot set up their corporate world and business because the rules of the business will not be followed properly in this type of country where proper rules and regulations are not followed.   If any methods of business are not followed properly then the corporation system would not follow properly (Gleeson, 2000). So it is plicated to form vital business in a country where there is lack of following the rules and regulations. On the perspective of the quotes mention in the question many authors said several lines such as: John Maynard Keynes said, â€Å"The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent†. Allan Amanyrire said, â€Å"The rule of law bakes no bread, it is unable to distribute loaves or fishes, and it cannot protect itself against external assault, but it remains the most civilized and least burdensome conception of a state yet to be devised† Both the quotations reveal the negative part of the rules of the law and democracy which is affecting the society in adverse way. People are in burden under uneconomic condition. There is lack of employment in the country because of less democracy. Business also cannot be flourished properly because the legal rules of business is not followed which is adversely affecting the merchants or business man in the country. According to Razz (2002) in a book â€Å"A Basic Themes in Rule of Law Theory†, there are some rules made by government, which should be followed by the citizen of the country. There are some general principles. Those principles are certainty, and according to this principle stable, open and clear autonomy should be given to individual in democratic way (Gustafson, 2001). There is another principle that is generality, and according to it control of conduct of several citizen of various classes and in this case the legal rules should be followed where non-particularised and impersonal law is necessary to be implied. The final principle is equality, according to this principle, the law should be subjected equally and it should be followed by all class peoples in the munity. According to rule of law the democracy and freedom from interference should be given where human rights are not interfered (Raz, 2007). The liberties of the citizen should be saved and they should be treated with dignity by giving respect and rights to the citizens by the government of Australia (Ohnesorge, 2007). There is the journal, â€Å"Rule-book and Rights based Theories of Rule of Law†, (2003). There are various rules and regulations described in the journal and particular formulation of rule of law is stated by Lon Fuller. The morality and law is discussed in the contradiction of law. Argument is done by HLA Hart and Joseph Razz that the concept of equality in sexual inequality, racial segregation and religious intolerance is i patible which does not match which the concept of democracy following the legal rules. The standard of statues of law has failed here. Ronald Dworkin said there are some rights which are based on the rule of law which are demand of the citizens, where rights based theories are followed (Criddle, 2012). There is an integrity model made by Dworkin which is based on right based theory. According to the journal, the â€Å"The Current Debate: mon Law Constitutionalism†, (2009) argument was made on Anglo Australian legal tradition following the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy and Dicey’s constitutional theory gives vast description about the mercial law of the country which should be followed under legal rules and the theory but Allan argued that those theories are not conceptualised and human rights and democracies are not incorporated in the theories but only the legal rules of business and merce is mentioned without any link to the federal system of the society. The rule of law is criticized because the main points and motives are clearly not mentioned in the principles (Shaw, 2003). According to Farrell and McAllister (2003), if the democracy is needed to be maintained in the constitution of Australia, then it is very necessary that modern and organized way is needed to be applied in the parliamentary system of the constitution where electronic voting system is needed to be followed and secret ballot system is also needed to be arranged. Democracy is very important in a society because if there is monopoly in a rule for a long time, then the single power will be enhanced and addressed and the loopholes of the other parts of the constitutional system create trouble, barriers and boundary for the ordinary people of the country. The democratic system changed on 2004, when various new parliamentary systems are organized and voting board of supervision started thorough which new rules are organized following the federal system of the mon law of Australia. After the development of new applications in parliamentary system, various things are changed (Shaw, 2003). Posit ive changes are noticed; unemployment in the country is less now; poverty is also reduced and as per the quotation mentioned in the question, the tension and the issues of business formation and arrangement of mercial system in the country is also developed where different rules are stated and the needs of the citizens are heard and acts and rules of Australian legal system is motivated through the federal system.   Ã‚   This essay gives the ideas about the requirement of democracy in modern world because if the country follows the rules and regulations properly and democracy is maintained then the citizens can express their needs and their rights are also protected with the rule of law in Australian legislation system (Barber, 2006). There are various acts which are stated in terms of the quotation mentioned in the question. Various arguments, critical analysis and debates are also settled in the assignment which enriched the essence of the project with legal considerations followed properly.   Collins, R. (2014). The Rule of Law and the Quest for Constitutional Substitutes in International Law. Nordic Journal of International Law, 83(2), pp.87-127. Criddle, E. and Fox-Decent, E. (2012). Human Rights, Emergencies, and the Rule of Law. Human Rights Quarterly, 34(1) Gleeson, M. (2000). The rule of law and the constitution. Sydney, NSW: ABC Books. Gustafson, B. (2001). Book Review: Colin James (ed.), Building the Constitution (Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, 2000), pp. 448, $45. Political Science, 53(1) Humphreys, S. (2010). The Equality Act, 2010. Research Ethics, 6(3) Levine, S. (2004). Parliamentary Democracy in New Zealand. Parliamentary Affairs, 57(3), pp.646-665. Barber, N. W. (2006). ‘Sovereignty Re-examined; the Courts, Parliament, and Statutes’, Ronald Dworkin, Law’s Empire Ohnesorge, J. (2007). The Rule of Law. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 3(1), pp.99-114. Raz, J. (2007). The Identity of Legal Systems. California Law Review, 59(3), pp.795.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shaw, J. (2003). The Rule of Law — And a Bill of Rights. AQ: Australian Quarterly, 75(5), p.10.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN EDUCATION and TRAINING Essay

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN EDUCATION and TRAINING - Essay Example On the other hand, people from the supposed low class may not be able to get all the constructive things. Although, they may be interested to access all the constructive things particularly education, because of their economic and social drawbacks, they may not be able to do that. In those cases, the role of government and other governing bodies assumes so much importance. From earlier times, government has been coming up with various policies and steps, to give them a platform or backup to aid them in their endeavours. This is particularly visible in the educational sector. Education plays an important part in the intellectual and mental development of any individual. Education is an imperative part of human life as it directs person particularly young children towards his/her progress. Thus, lack of education could take the lives of people in the negative direction. Although, this is not a norm, as many people without education are shining in various fields, however, the fact is, e ducation provides them the platform to learn a lot of things, and importantly gives them the confidence to go for various optimum targets. To fulfil this motive only, government has been giving free or subsidized education to the needy target group. Although, this government policy and social initiative is aiding a lot of children and providing positive results, some scepticism has arisen due to the new studies, which show that social background determines pupils' success. That is, even if the economically and thereby socially disadvantaged people are given free education in the form of Free Schools and City Academies, it does not guarantee their success. This implies that the children’s social status is the reason for their lack of success, and the government should reconsider or even stop its free or subsidized education, as it does not lead to success. However, the fact is, various other factors plays a role in the academic success of the children, and their social status is not a major reason. So, this paper will discuss the above assumptions regarding the class differences, and will point out how there are many more factors that play a role in a child’s academic success, than the class differences. â€Å"Class in Classrooms† For a child to become educationally equipped various factors come into play and all these factors have to be fulfilled. Among these, the two key factors are the parents and the school, its teachers. As the child will spent maximum of their childhood years and time in their household and in their schools, these two factors or environments will only play a key role in their development and in their future. Among these two environments, it is always said and assumed that the school environment only play the major role as far as academic success is concerned. With the children spending more productive time in their schools only, than their homes, in their crucial formative years, it is logical to say that the schools and their teachers mainly play the influencing role in the academic success of the children. Although, the role of parents and home environment cannot be totally ignored, the schools are said to decide the pupil’s success. However, recent studies have stated that the children’s parents and their home environment, thereby their social background maximally influences the academic succ

Saturday, February 1, 2020

NORMALIZATION AND SQL DDL STATEMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NORMALIZATION AND SQL DDL STATEMENTS - Essay Example Atomicity ensures that no incomplete transactions are ever executed by the system which ensures the state of data always remains stable despite any hardware/software failures. Consistency ensures that only those transactions will execute that do not violate any of the database consistency rules which ensures data remains valid. Isolation ensures uninterrupted single transaction processing e.g. the concurrent transaction requests are handled serially i.e. one transaction at a time. Durability ensures that transactions are logged and therefore transactions can be rolled back at any time. Database normalization is a set of guidelines that helps in organizing data efficiently which improves the overall performance of a DBMS. It helps remove data redundancy (does not allow duplicate data storage in multiple tables) which in turn reduces the space consumed by database. Furthermore, it improves data consistency by allowing only sensible and logical data dependencies between tables (e.g. a table stores only data that is related). There are five normal forms of database; 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF and 4NF. Mostly, normalization till the third form is enough for most database system applications. 1NF helps eliminate duplicate column from a table and identifies unique column(s) i.e. through primary key. 2NF separates data subsets into separate tables forming foreign keys. And 3NF ensures all columns in a table are dependent only on the primary key. The exercise helped in understanding the concept of ACID model and offered a hands-on approach to designing and optimizing a database design. It helped in practicing the application of the most widely used normalization guidelines on a previously formed database model. Furthermore, it also helped practice the DDL statements involved in the actual creation of a database application in

Friday, January 24, 2020

Exploring Free Will and Decision Making in Albert Camus The Guest Essa

Exploring Free Will and Decision Making in Albert Camus' short story "The Guest," In Albert Camus' short story "The Guest," Camus raises numerous philosophical questions. These are: does man have free will?, are an individual's decisions affected by what society demands, expects, neither, or both?, and finally, how does moral and social obligation affect decision making? Balducci brings the Arab to Daru's door, informing Daru that "I have an order to deliver the prisoner and I'm doing so," (90) thus freeing Balducci of the responsibility over wherever the Arab ultimately ended up. Balducci didn't want the responsibility of the Arab possibly escaping, and by doing only as was expressly required of him (delivering the Arab to Daru's door and giving the orders of the Arab's destination to Daru), he was also setting the story so that any decision Daru later took was an act of Daru's alone and was not directly dependent on any other decision another man had made prior. Balducci avoids the social obligation he's supposed to feel. He should follow through on the prisoner's handling, but he doesn't have to. Balducci knows this, and decides to avoid the effort and instead justifies his leaving the Arab there by simply following his orders and not reading between the lines of the order. Daru ended up accepting the Arab, both because the prisoner was delivered to him, and because he had a sense of responsibility to the French government (or society) to at least accept him, if not deliver him to the police in Tinguit (social obligation to not let him go free, justice must be served because if it wasn't, society would turn to chaos). Daru's orders were escort the Arab there for he was "expected at police headquarters" ... ...ome men think about decisions and some just react to their environment like a glorified plant? Do all men know they have free will and understand what that means? Daru gave a choice to the Arab, was that fair for the Arab (and society) or was it an egotistical action based on what Daru thought was right, fair or just? Why did the Arab's ultimate choice depress Daru, and why did neither Balducci or Daru want to be responsible for another man? In the end the Arab really is 'the dog' of society. No decision was ever his (from the perspective of the reader and Daru), but still, how do we know if Daru is different? By answering some philosophical questions through use of characters in a vacuum, Camus raises many more questions, which is the modus opernadi of the philosopher: not to find answers, but to ask questions that will eventually have the answers inherent in them.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Interpersonal Communication Essay

In the healthiest of environments, people advance from ‘relationship’ to ‘engaged’ status because two people have mutually acknowledged each other, have common understandings, and act with the other person’s concerns in mind. A relationship, be it for marriage, friends or business, requires a domain of actions and an assessment that your partner is worth trust because they act with the intention to take care and not betray shared concerns. One of those elements is the interpersonal communication between the people in the relationship. When communicating effectively, there is a behavioral coordination that results from the coupling between two people in such a way that the relationship can limit the drift of day-to-day life, and move with effective communication practices that will address fundamental concerns. The bedrock of effective interpersonal communication is to first know who ‘you’ are. Review and understanding of your self-concept, self-image, self-esteem, and personality will allow for greater spaces for possibility to understand the same elements of your partner. Interpersonal communication involves both verbal and nonverbal communication and both of these communication types can be expressed in a variety of different ways. One aspect to clearly understand is that communication is complex because it involves two or more people to be in a dance of coordinated action that will take care of concerns and/or fulfill the narrative of the future. Communication is also continuous; to be most effective in the domain of interpersonal communication there is a requirement of recurrence, recursion  and reciprocation. Communication is also dynamic in that the action requires the embodiment of practices that allow you to transform between public, private and behavioral queues with your significant other. Equally important to remember is the misconception that communication cannot transform interpretation. Languaging is a linguistic coordination of linguistic coordination’s, a domain of descriptions of descriptions that refer back to themselves for meaning. Our classroom text asserts that we cannot exactly repeat something we have said in the past. Even if our words are the same – the tome of voice and other characteristics such as posturing and tone will differ- and the listener will also have a different impression (sole, K. 2011). Communication is also irreversible in that we cannot take back our words once spoken. This is why it is very important to be conscious of what you are saying in moments of anger when you might say something that you may later regret. The harmonious combination of two different points of view can certainly be viewed as a barrier to effective interpersonal communication because balance between the two is not always achieved. Common communication problems in relationships are assessed as: 1) Silence or refusal to speak; 2) giving into the other person at a cost of self or the relationship (also known as placating); and 3) psychological requests or reports – which is essentially the announcement of a feeling, emotion, or state of being without any commitment to act from the assessment produced an/or speaking without regard for the truth to fulfill a concealed agenda. Let’s face it – the silent treatment is more often than not a way of inflicting pain on the other person, or to get them as angry or disappointed as you are. Either way, there are no good outcomes possible for effectiveness to be achieved. Giving in to your significant others demands can defuse a negative situation, however, over the long term you can loose who your ‘self’ is and the foundation of the relationship can begin to become eroded. Visions of virtues, what is a good life, beliefs, and what is important for being taken care of can be lost subconsciously without you even knowing it when you give into placating. The last of the three barriers mentioned is psychological warfare. This could be sabotage born out of feelings of resignation, despair, boredom, resentment, distrust, confusion, being overwhelmed, and skepticism. It is important to try and be a third party observer of your moods because they color your outlook about your relationship and the world over extended periods of time. Moments of perturbation should be discussed with your partner in the moment or soon after so that bottled up aggression does not have the opportunity to morph into something much worse in the future such as ‘playing games’. As reviewed in chapter three of our classroom text, what you perceive in the world depends on what you pay attention to (Sole, K. 2011). With acceptance of this assertion then it is easier to understand how you organize and interpret what you perceive, and the framework of your emotions take place. Always remember that emotions are specific ungrounded assessments that live in our bodies for only a short period of time as feelings and thoughts. The perception of your partner may differ from your own; in fact, it most likely does because you both have had two different journeys throughout life from birth to the present moment. It is important to remember that emotions are the result of perturbations of our nervous system and provide automatic and ungrounded assessments about the world because as reviewed earlier, our individual ‘worlds’ are made up of only what we are paying attention to. Some emotions are inherited genetically and some are learned. Emotions though, only tell us how we ‘feel’; not the ‘truth’. With this in mind we can begin to understand then to be careful to know the difference between stating a ‘truth’ to our partner and making an ‘assertion’. With interpersonal relationships it is important to be aware of our emotions and how they affect the people around us, including our significant others. Non-verbal communication is defined as communication of a message without words, which means that it encompasses a wide range of vocal and visual signs and behaviors (Sole, K. 2011). Throughout your relationship you will  express yourself not only with your voice or with a pen, but also with eyes, facial expressions and body posturing. When listening to your significant other it is recommended to be aware of your body posture; the technical term for this is called kinesics. For example, sometimes there is no greater expression of affection for someone than the embrace of a hug or putting your arm around them (Burgoon, Buller, Woodall, 1996). As time goes on most partners begin to pick up on what the other is thinking without even speaking through non-verbal communication habits. For example, my fiancà ©e figured out that whenever I rub my eye with my index finger by putting pressure in corner of eye, I am in a mood of frustration or anger; and I never realized I did that till she pointed it out to me! Emotional Intelligence, also known as EI, is a reference to the capacity that someone has to understand, communicate, and manage emotions; and further the ability to understand and respond to the feelings of others (Sole, K. 2011). This is an especially powerful element to successful relationships because it expands the different possibilities for thinking and actions that a couple can take throughout a lifetime together. EI is a reference that someone has a background of listening taking place where future possibilities are being listened to, even while declarations for thinking or acting have taken, or are taking place. Take the various moods of yourself and your significant other for example. The understanding of moods can help in managing conflicts with one another. Moods color a persons point of view about life for periods of time and have body postures associated with it. If you see your significant other standing with their arms crossed and eyebrows bent while eyes are starring at you like daggers, then you may not need them to say that they are frustrated because you can interpret that with your level of emotional intelligence. A submission from my own meandering experience on like is to recognize the difference between the things you can, and the things you cannot change in life. Do your best to let go of negative thoughts and change negative interpretations. If your significant other is not able to spend a lot of time with you because of the amount of time you work for example, then  instead of ‘getting down’ on it be thankful that you get to end the day with him or her, and that they are ambitious instead of lazy. Another broad suggestion that does not encompass a specific situation would be to stay away from â€Å"I† statements. Our text for the class uses a great example for this. Instead of â€Å"you make me so angry sometimes† TRY: â€Å"I am so angry with you sometimes†. It shows that you are taking ownership for your own emotions and are describing a behavior instead of simply acting on it without thinking the situation through. CLOSING: The bedrock of effective interpersonal communication is to first know who ‘you’ are. Review and understanding of your self-concept, self-image, self-esteem, and personality will allow for greater spaces for possibility to understand the same elements of your partner. References Bower, B. (2010, November). Shared talking styles herald new and lasting romance. U.S. News & World Report, 1. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global on July 22, 2011. Document ID:2223940991 NARA SCHOENBERG. (2011, February 6). Can we talk? Researcher talks about the role of communication in marriages. Houston Chronicle,p. 7. Retrieved July 28, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2260839481). Nathan Miczo, Chris Segrin, & Lisa E Allspach. (2001). Relationship between nonverbal sensitivity, encoding, and relational satisfaction. Communication Reports, 14(1), 39-48. Retrieved July 25, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 72022836). Preston, P. (2005). Nonverbal communication: Do you reallynsay what you mean? Journal of Healthcare Management, 50(2), 83-6. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global. Document ID: 814698921 Sole, K. (2011). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (https://content.ashford.edu)