Essay on Machiavelli’s “The Prince” Essay

Since the beginning of civilization man has continually been faced with the complexity of creating a peaceful and unified existence for all, without resistance or violence. People have been trying to develop a system of how to rule effectively while acting ethically and morally to avoid chaos and destruction. However, as history has shown us this has not been an easy endeavor and very few rulers have been able to accomplish this. â€Å"This leads us to a question that is in dispute: Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa?† (Machiavelli, 51) An effective ruler would be one that relies upon fear without hatred, rather than love, as described by Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince. In a perfect world all people would be good-hearted, all would treat each other equally, and all would follow and respect the rules of society. Machiavelli points out that people tend to focus how the world should be rather than how it is. â€Å"Let us leave to one side, then, all discussion of imaginary rulers and talk about practical realities.† (Machiavelli, 48) It is easier to complain about problems and society than it is to become a leader and produce positive change. All individuals have different perceptions of what it takes to keep order in a world where not all is good and not everyone gets along. It is easy for one to discuss ideals of how things ought to be, and to use reality to form a dream of something different that we believe would be better than the current state of affairs. Dreams though can not be actualized without action, and all the discussion in the world will accomplish nothing if everyone sits idly by. We all want peace, and in order to have peace there must be structure and in order to have structure you must have an effective leader that you trust to design the framework of how things will work. Ideally all would want a leader that is trustworthy, just, intelligent, compassionate, giving, and loyal to the people while at the same time having the ability to protect society from harm. â€Å"Now I know everyone will agree that if a ruler could have all the good qualities I have listed and none of the bad ones, then this would be an excellent state of affairs. But one can not have all the good qualities, nor always act in a praiseworthy fashion, for we do not live in an ideal world.† (Machiavelli, 48) Unfortunately in reality we can not have a leader that stands on a platform of extreme love or extreme hatred, if we expect to  remain safe and unharmed from the rest of the world. You need someone that is tough, and has the ability to enforce and maintain order upon people who are not always good and reliable, people who are selfish and have their own interests above all else. In reality people do not act responsibly out of love and consideration for others, but of fear what will happen if they do not act accordingly. It is important to keep in mind that to be feared is different than being hated. â€Å"But fear restrains men because they are afraid of punishment, and this fear never leaves them. Still, a ruler should make himself feared in such a way that, if he does not inspire love, at least he does not provoke hatred. For it is perfectly possible to be feared and not hated.† (Machiavelli, 52) If there were no consequences for bad behavior, people would have no reason to act any differently. It is not that punishment in itself creates hatred, but it is how the people are punished that will determine the fear or the hatred they have for their ruler. For example if one is caught stealing and then punished by having to serve some time in jail, that would cause them to fear you and to abide by the law. On the other hand if the punishment were death it would cause the people to hate the ruler for being so un-just and immoral. When a ruler becomes hated they lose all respect and control over the people, for they will reach a point that they can no longer endure the cruelty and rise against you. â€Å"Indeed, one of the most effective defenses a ruler has against conspiracies is to make sure he is not generally hated. For conspirators always believe the assassination of the ruler will be approved by the people.† (Machiavelli, 57) When people feel as they have been oppressed and abused for to long they will revolt and not think twice about getting rid of the ruler they are discontented with. For once the people have become determined to over throw their ruler, they have already lost all faith and feel there is nothing else to lose whether they are successful or not. It is not enough for a Ruler to be strictly feared, but to also appear to have some compassion and respect for the people that he oversees. It is imperative that an effective ruler is one that can balance fear, goodness, authority, respect, and compassion if he wishes to maintain harmonious  control. â€Å"So it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge.† (Machiavelli, 48) The point Machiavelli makes here is that it is not enough to be completely good or completely evil, but to know when to do bad things in order to create good. Power is ultimately based on violence, and sometimes in order to preserve sovereignty and authoritative command, a ruler must engage in what society deems as immoral acts such as lying, betrayal, and even murder. So the conclusion is: If you take control of a state, you should make a list of all the crimes you have to commit and do them all at once. That way you will not have to commit new atrocities every day, and you will be able, by not repeating your evil deeds, to reassure your subjects and to win their support by treating them well. He, who acts otherwise, either out of squeamishness or out of bad judgment, has to hold a bloody knife in his hand all the time. A hated, thus unsuccessful ruler would be one that would not know his limits, and continue to use violence to obtain desired results. A wise ruler would be one who could look ahead and see when it is necessary to do harm so that he can know exactly what needs to be done, how to do it, and when to do it. Most importantly the ruler must have the ability to stop once what he has set out to do is accomplished. Violence and evil doing must be used sparingly to prevent the populous from hating you. A powerful leader needs the ability to equally rely upon intelligence and brute force, he must be able to discern when to use the different characteristics and be able to step into the role of either the lion or the fox at any moment. â€Å"Since a ruler, then, needs to know how to make good use of beastly qualities, he should take as his models among the animals both the fox and the lion, for the lion does not know how to avoid traps, and the fox is easily overpowered by wolves. So you must be a fox when it comes to suspecting a trap and a lion when it comes to making the wolves turn tail.† (Machiavelli, 54) Machiavelli is referring to the symbolism of the lion over the monarch power in England. The lion represented courage, strength, and  leadership; it was seen as being the dominant animal that could wipe out smaller animals. A fox on the other hand is timid, reserved, and clever; it thinks before it acts. There are only two ways to obtain power, either lawfully or un-lawfully. To do it lawfully is to be considered human and to do it un-lawfully by inciting violence is to be considered animalistic, so when stepping outside the law a ruler must choose whether to be lion and exercise brute force or to be the fox and exercise the mind. Nevertheless, you should be careful how you assess the situation and should think twice before you act. Do not be afraid of your own shadow. Employ policies that are moderated by prudence and sympathy. Avoid excessive self-confidence, which leads to carelessness, and avoid excessive timidity, which will make you insupportable. Machiavelli is reinforcing the significance of a ruler to have the ability to know when to act like a man and when to act like an animal. A feared but not hated ruler is one that does not act upon impulse but carefully calculates his moves in order to do what is necessary for the people, even if it means acting outside of the law. This essay began with the notion that if one wishes to be a successful ruler he or she must induce fear among the people to gain their respect as opposed to loving and being loved. How a ruler treats the people and how the people treat the ruler is the determining factor of how successful society will be. We have to look at the relationship between the people and the ruler as we would the relationship between a child and a parent. To be an effective parent you can not inflict harm upon your child, but you can inflict fear by imposing consequences to their negative behavior. If a child does something wrong we do not physically abuse him or her, but make them sit in time out or perhaps take away a privilege like playing video games. The child may be upset with you for a short time, but will not hate you and will respect your authority enough to abide by the rules in the future. On the other hand though, if you play the role of the best friend and consequences for negative behavior are non-existent then the child will go about doing what they please without regard for anyone else. Once the child realizes that he  or she will not be punished they have the ability to over power the parent. Religion also uses fear in order to enhance positive behavior and love among the people. No matter which religion one chooses to believe, he or she does not always willingly act with morals and ethics because in their heart they believe its right, but do so because they fear what will happen to their soul if they don’t. People fear negative consequences whether it is timeout, prison, or even hell and will most always act how they are told in order to avoid such punishments. Ruling with fear to create stability and harmony can be used in many everyday situations whether running the country, the household, the office, or the church. Bibliography Wootton, David, ed. The Prince. Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.

Dunlap V. Tennessee Valley Authority Essay

What were the legal issues in this case? In the case of Dunlap VS Tennessee Valley Authority, the legal issue that was presented was discrimination, disparate treatment and disparate impact. According to the EEOC, race discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair texture, skin color, or certain facial features). Color discrimination involves treating someone unfavorably because of skin color complexion. The Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects workers from discrimination, and when it comes to the case, discrimination was seen in many ways. For starters, when it came to the interviewing process, there were 5 white officials and 1 black which showed that the room was not balance. Next, when it came to the scoring, he received lower scores than the whites. The next issue that showed discrimination was when it came to the attendance record of the workers. Two of the workers who were Caucasian, had the same attendance as Dunlap, and they received a better ranking. Also, Dunlap had a perfect safety record and received a score of a 4; while a white applicant who was at the job for eleven, had 2 accidents within those years and received a score of 6. Dunlap was not the only African American to have problems with TVA when it came to discrimination as well. The suit that was brought against TVA was for discrimination under disparate impact and treatment. Disparate impact theory requires the plaintiff to demonstrate that the facility falls harshly on one group than another; disparate treatment requires the plaintiff to demonstrate that an employer has treated some people badly because of the race, age, gender or any other discrimination factor (Walsh, 2010). The district court found many filings along with the fact that Dunlap had been subjected to discrimination under both disparate treatment, concluding that TVA’s subjective hiring processes permitted racial bias against both Dunlap and other black applicants (Walsh, 2010). According to the text subjective criteria is assessing candidates that are not uniform and clearly specified, and when it came to Dunlap and the facts that were presented subjective hiring was conducted. The Appeals Court affirmed the disparate treatment claim, reversed the disparate impact claim, and affirmed the district court’s award of damages and fees to Mr. Dunlap (Walsh, 2010) Explain why the plaintiff’s disparate (adverse) impact claim fail? The reason that disparate impact failed is because when it comes discriminatory actions in this theory, proof is not required. The disparate impact theory requires a plaintiff to demonstrate that an apparently neutral employment practice affects one group more harshly than another and that the practice is not justified by business necessity. A prima face case is established when the plaintiff identifies a specific employment practice to be challenged; and through relevant statistical analysis proves that the challenged practice has an adverse impact on a protected group. When it comes to the case, discrimination was seen, but never affects more than one class. Glass ceiling in the book is referred to artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing in there organization to upper management. The reason that glass ceiling is seen is because when it comes to the interviewing process, there was only 1 black interviewer. Then when it came to the recruits, even if there work effort was poor and they were white, there scores was higher than the African Americans. But because discrimination is a fact that is null and void in this theory and because discrimination doesn’t matter, that’s why it failed. The only criteria Mr. Dunlap could prove was that the interview process had been manipulated to exclude African-American candidates, and how the scoring was different for blacks and whites. So in the essence in this theory, it was a challenge to prove it because Dunlap only had his interview Explain why the plaintiff’s disparate treatment claim succeed? The reason disparate treatment was successful was because it requires a plaintiff to demonstrate that an employer has treated some people less favorably than others because of their race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The first fact was the manipulating of the score. In this case, Dunlap was able to prove that the matrix process was pretext for discrimination. After the district court did some investigation, they found that some of sheets had been changed more than 70 times, and there was no reason what so ever for the change. Dunlap said the matrix score was manipulated to keep him out of the top ten applicants. Another reason it was a success was because William Parchman, an African-American with thirty years of experience as a boilermaker that was also rejected. He played a vital role in the suit because of the problems he encountered to become employed with TVA. He provided testimony hat he had a history of being rejected for jobs and promotions at the company. He also stated that the only reason got the boilermaker position was after he filed a complaint with the EEOC. Other facts that showed discrimination was evidence before the district court when it came to the weight given to the interview and how it was changed, questions in the interv iew was not evaluated objectively, and the scores were altered to produce a racially biased result. Bottom line is that when it comes to discrimination, it was proven in several ways, and the district court committed no error in finding disparate treatment. The court saw how discrimination was seen from different people, and Dunlap was not the only worker that felt that way. What should the TVA have done differently with regard to interviewing and selecting candidates for these jobs? When it comes to interviewing candidates, what’s should of been done differently is looking at the applicants work history thoroughly. The first thing that should have been looked at first is education. When workers have education, they are better qualified because they will know how to think outside if the box. If an applicant didn’t have the education, then TVP sould look at experience as well as work performance. When looking at experience, factors that should  be viewed are supervisory experience along with performance and safety in the workplace. In the interviewing process, things that could have been different is interviewing with one interviewer at a time. Also the questions could have been different for each interviewer so that everyone was not following the same pattern. All of the scores would be the same, but the questions would be different and give the best candidates for the job. Another thing that could have been different is having a manager present in the room to grab and check the papers when the interview is finish. By a manager being there to verifying the score, there is not chance that manipulating could happen with the scoring. If this type of approach would have been used, the selecting process would have been different because no interviewer or candidate would have the same response. But the scores would show the real qualified applicants, and they would deserve the promotion. Nothing would be bias and scores could not be altered.

Planning for Project Implementation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Planning for Project Implementation - Term Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the upgrading project of Bayshore community hospital could be faced by numerous challenges which could hinder the success of the project. These barriers could be identified as discussed below. Financing – the project shall be fully financed by the hospital. Though a provisional budget with estimations has been drawn, the years following the beginning of the project shall be financed from cash generated from the project. The projected cash inflow might fail to reach the projected levels; hence financial constraints. The hospital shall undertake intensive marketing for the project to ensure generation of enough capital for the project. The hospital shall also consider borrowing from the financial institution to avoid project failure. Staffing – the intended project might face staff shortage because of the activities involved. During the early stages, the project management team shall undertake training of several hospital sta ff to ensure conformity with the project. This will ensure that the employees remain informed about the project and its details. During implementation, other staff shall be hired for the project to ensure full staffing requirements for the project. Schedule – another barrier which could present surmountable challenge would be the schedule. The time allocated for numerous activities might become limited if problems occur midway. Though this might become inevitable, the project management team shall utilize the developed time budget for the project. During implementation, continuous monitoring shall occur to ensure conformity with the provided time deadlines and schedules. Evaluation of procedures shall be conducted throughout the project life to establish conformity with a schedule.

Company Innovation Process Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Company Innovation Process - Case Study Example Motorola Inc has always strived to be a company which, to a great extent, succeeded in bringing these new products steadily and quickly to the market. Motorola has global customer sectors which trust the company for its innovative attempts to bring out the best of software enhanced wireless phones, two way radios and Internet access products. Lately, due to the cut throat competition in the industry, Motorola, for some reasons, has been pushed back to reconsider and strengthen the innovation process of the organization to keep up the consistency of its performance as a world class producers of electronic communication devices. Analyzing the situation as the president of Motorola the need of an aggressive innovation process is strikingly inevitable. The development step in the existing process seems to be inadequate for today's need of the industry to deliver timely results in the existing and growing market. Developing, in fact, could be bringing the idea in the paper defined comprehensively into a solid reality. Though, the regular innovation process in Motorola involves five steps such as inventing, developing, diffusing, integrating and monitoring. The ideas that are worth developing into a successful commercialization seem to be the failure in the innovation process. ... dically increase the chances of success for any manufacturer and thus, the best performance will depend significantly on a defined innovation process (Griffin 429-458). So the successful innovation will require a series of tasks and decision points. Developing is a significant step once the idea is conceived; there is an essential task of turning this idea into a profitable concept. An Idea will only be thought in the mind or expressed; this most of the time comes out of a creative mind representing a new product, service or remedy. The first in the series of developing would be creating a visible concept of this idea comprehensively written down on the paper. It gives a solid foundation on which the further development becomes viable. All the economical financial and schedule factors will clearly be evident with a close analysis of this concept. This concept development will function as a criterion to guide the entire work force and crew to developing true value for the customers. Setting up Development Team and Project Timeline Second phase on the developing step could be to set up the team formidable in the given situations. The first step on this would be determining project specifications on cost time and deliverables. Then, it would be the adequate technological training for the work force, as the major challenge in developing an innovative concept could be the number of trained technologically skilled personals. The product specification session will be of creating an operation conditions for the concept to become physical and live. One must utilize here the ability, knowledge, experience and talent of not only the project managers but also, as much as possible, of every individual in the unit, to the maximum. This exploitation of human talent would be

Individual skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual skills - Essay Example (Cantor and Blanton, 1996) Currently, I am undertaking a Bachelor degree and I am in my second year undertaking a degree program is geared towards applied business sector and equips students with necessary skills and knowledge that will enable them to work in the business and industry sector. The program is a four year course and I m thus reaming with two more years. School is easy for me; I am naturally a smart kid. Even though, I have many assignments and homework to do I rarely seek assistance from my friends. Luckily, for me I am very independent and capable of doing them myself. I got straight A's throughout my first year in college. In the second year where I am currently have continued to get good grades in all my subjects. Severally reasons have continued to contribute to my current success in education; some of them are underlined below; I understand how important education is. I was raised to be respectful to adults and follow direction of teachers. I have very good conduct in school, very good grades and I always try to please my teachers. I have formed a strong belief in following rules and laws of the school. I balance my work with playing various games such as basket ball and hockey I attribute my current status in life to how I develop as a child as far as being independent and carrying forward a strong sense of self esteem. I also remember that in order for an individual to be successful in any field one has to be disciplined and respective. Thus I have continued to be disciplined in school by avoiding behaviours and company which may mislead me. Discipline has helped me in achieving my school targets and also ensuring that I remain focused on education. Good communication and interpersonal skills Communication in any field remains the most important aspect in achieving a good relationship with various groups. In a college situation good and effective communication leads to a student being able to understand and be understood by both his/her teachers and also his/her fellow students. I have been able to cultivate good communication skills and interpersonal skills to be able to get the maximum from my teachers and my fellow students. This has also enabled me to create health relations with my lecturers and also fellow students. Thus being able to understand and be assisted by the lecturers in any area that I need assistance. This has highly contributed to my good performance both in class and outside class. I intend to improve my communication skills in order to enhance my understanding of subjects and people. This will of course improve my overall education performance. Time management Proper management of any resources will greatly ensure the success of the manager. For me, time is the biggest resource I have in school. I realize that if I managed well the time I have then I will definitely succeed in my education to this end I ensure that I do my assignments in the specified time and that I also attend my lectures without being late. This time management skills are also utilized when I am doing an exam, I ensure that I answer all my questions in the specified time. Certainly this is one sure way of any student to succeed. Short term educational objective My

QUESTION SET Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

QUESTION SET - Movie Review Example a. The Powhatan people were Native Americans living in the present day Virginia. These people lived in villages which could be made up of up to one hundred homes. Some of their villages were separated and protected by wooden palisades and had carefully guarded gardens. They were farmers and they sowed corn, peas, beans and sunflowers. The Powhatan lived in confederacy to protect themselves from intrusions. This did not change with the arrival of the English people. b. Among the Powhatan people, it was the tradition for the chief to bow down during the coronation ceremony (500 Nations). This did not happen with Wahusenaka who refused to bow down because of his hatred for the English intruders. This heavily contrasts with Smith’s adoption ceremony where bowing was witnessed. Wahusenaka’s refusal to bow made the ceremony to end on a bad note. a. The Squanto story matters today as it explores the origin of the collaboration between the Native Americans and the English people. When the English people arrived in their Mayflower ship, it was Squanto who welcomed them and taught them how to survive in the land. Sammoset and Massasoit fit into the story because of the contribution they made towards ensuring the peace and the long standing collaboration between the two groups (500 Nations). In the story thanksgiving came about when Squanto taught the foreigners the need to feast together after harvest was gathered. a. Wampanoag treated the English people differently compared to the Powhatans. Massasoit’s Wampanoag had a treaty with the foreigners in which they were not to engage in any kind of activities which would harm one another. This created a spirit of peace and collaboration. b. The English people expected and were confident that Wampanoag would adhere to the English rules and customs due to the treaty which was in place (500 Nations). The leaders were also full of wisdom and prudence and thus they would strive to ensure

Reflection to ANMC Codes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reflection to ANMC Codes - Assignment Example The discomfort was not very unusual because initially all of the patients fed through the tube show some sort of or to some extent their distress. Mr. Luke however frequently moaned or placed his hands on his stomach. His niece Martha came 24hrs after the insertion of the g-tube and she was very displeased at the state of his uncle’s health and pain. She requested for the immediate removal of the tube, she said she presumed it should have been removed after his admitting to the nursing home and he should have been fed by mouth, even though there was no surety that Mr. Luke would be able to take sufficient nutrition by mouth, the physician ordered to remove the tube. However I did not want to proceed to the procedure as it would definitely be damaging for the patient’s health and I am of the opinion that anything possible that can be done to save a human life is necessary and every moment of a human life is necessary so it must be preserved and protected even of those wh o are terminally ill or near death. According to Mr. Luke’s guardian I was just making the dying. process prolong and all of the staff cited the right of the patient to decline the treatment and the nurses should try to reduce the pain of the patient even if that set off a dying process, so the professional ethics side with Mr. Luke and Martha’s decision. ... the satisfactory part for me was just the comforting thought that I was not involved in causing the pain nor was I part of the team that was making a decision which took him to the brim of life. The criticality of the situation is what a nurse ought to do. If treatment is the cause of pain then death or initiation of dying process is a pain itself, so why not safe the life rather then letting one die. Collaborative and Therapeutic Practice I was in the critical care unit in St. Vincent Hospital, Sydney and I received a call from a Mrs. street and she said she was the wife of the patient admitted in the ICU, she asked me whether her husband was still in the unit and what his status was?. Although I was tempted to help the lady so worried about her husband’s condition but according to the competency standards I was not allowed legally to give away patients confidential status or any information so I refused the lady to talk on phone about the condition rather visit in person. I later felt bad about the situation and thought that I did not do the right thing as she might have been in any critical situation but then I was a nurse fulfilling my duties as required. On the other hand I could have gone to Mr. Street and should have asked him his permission to disclose his condition and then tell his wife. Although if necessary as if the patient is unable to permit the disclosure of his condition then a supervisor could be involved in the situation as well because best working relationships require open communication with your supervisor which may become handy at the situations like these. Provision and Coordination of Care Sonia was 50 year old woman admitted to

A brief critical analysis of Asymmetric reactions to work group sex Article

A brief critical analysis of Asymmetric reactions to work group sex diversity among men and women, by Chatman & OReilly (2004), Academy of Management Journal, Vol.47, No.2, 193 208 - Article Example male dominated work environment, while women were more likely to be democratic toward men when the work group was female dominated (Konrad, Winter, and Gutek, 1992). The authors note that previous studies have relied on information that was gathered in environments where there were very few instances of female presence (p. 194). The issue of female underrepresentation in the work groups has also been a concern for feminists and researchers for a number of years (Syed and Murray, 2008) (Francoeur et al. 2008). The authors extend this hypothesis to include environments that are male dominated, female dominated, exclusively male or female, and a balanced number of men and women. By adding these other factors the study has not only separated itself from previous research, but enabled the examination of the issue of group sex diversity from various angles while avoiding a focus on similarity-attraction predictions. Chatman and O’Reilly put forth a study using deductive reasoning and a set of hypotheses that examine the relationship of men and women to the gender proportion of their work groups. The authors begin the study by examining general observations about gender in the work groups and go on to narrow their observations and previous research into a set of hypotheses. The first, hypothesis 1, is concerned with male and female preference for inclusion in higher status work groups and secondly, hypothesis 2a proposes that men and women in groups that are dominated by their own gender will be more committed to the organization. In addition those in groups that are dominated by their own gender will express a higher positive affect as proposed in hypothesis 2b. Lastly hypothesis 2c suggests that those in groups where their own gender is dominate will believe those groups are more cooperating than groups dominated by the opposite sex (p. 196). The authors conducted a quantitative study examining 189 professionals of both genders who were surveyed about their beliefs

Slope-Intercept Formula to Determine the Annual Increase Essay Example for Free

Slope-Intercept Formula to Determine the Annual Increase Essay Select an inventory management problem that applies to your work or personal life. Prepare a project proposal in which you: †¢Describe the organization, the inventory problem it faces, and the expected benefits that are motivating the organization to implement a solution. †¢Convert time series data collected in Week Two to seasonal indices. You may choose to use the University of Phoenix Material: Summer Historical Inventory Data or University of Phoenix Material: Winter Historical Inventory Data if the data you collected is insufficient. †¢Use seasonal indices to analyze the inventory data. oUse the slope-intercept formula to determine the annual increase in inventory. oProvide monthly seasonal indices for the given data. oIdentify the busy months of year. oIdentify the slow months of year. †¢Construct a histogram of the inventory data using Microsoft ® Excel ®. †¢Forecast the future inventory costs using time value of money concepts. University of Phoenix Summer Historical Inventory Data The University of Phoenix Summer Historical Inventory Data is the source for developing Team B’s inventory management proposal. Annual trend lines were plotted in Microsoft Excel  © to display the inventory amounts for each year. The trend line in this case is positive, which indicates that the likelihood of inventory levels in the subsequent years will continue to rise without considering any additional factors that may influence the business. Factors  to support the observation include economic instability from stock market volatility, a decline in consumer confidence, severe weather, and acts of terrorism. Table 1 shows the existing data and includes the fifth year projections. Figure 1 displays the trend line.

Christian religion Essay Example for Free

Christian religion Essay Many aspects of our Christian religion today have developed because of these early religious beliefs and culture of the Romans. At the beginning, the Roman Empire was able to develop more than any other country because of its acceptance of some areas of culture and religion of its conquered enemies and allowing them to keep their religion and culture, blending the old ways with the new. How little was known, that the paganism belief system of the Roman Empire would eventually lead the way to the new Christianity religion of the world. Paganism, with its gods and goddesses, answered humanity’s problems and provided answers at the whim of these supernatural beings. In the early stages of Greek and Roman culture, mythology answered all questions regarding the origin of the world and of man. (Case, 1929, p. 12) In the early days of Greece and Rome, everything under the sun was explained by the gods and goddesses humanity was at their whim along depending on their whims, just as today everything we do is explained through the Christian belief of God and Jesus, instead of the Roman gods and goddesses. In Rome, mythology answered all questions while today Christianity answers all of ours in regard to the world and mankind’s problems, all being subject to superhuman beings who have a lot to do with the affairs of mankind. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire under the Emperor Constantine in AD 324 (the Emperor Julian, known to Christians as the Apostate, failed to bring about a pagan revival a few years later), and pagan forms of worship were finally made illegal in 390 by Theodosius. The myths of the pagan gods were particularly vulnerable to Christian attack, as can be seen in Lactantius Divine Institutes I 9-22 and Augustines City of God. (Rivers, 1994, p. 22) According to Barry Banning’s article entitled, â€Å"The Irony of Faith†, which is part of the research done for his book The Unspoken Power of Rome, he refers to the fact most world religions expect people to believe in something that cannot be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. Researching the fact that Rome had a serious influence on early Christian’s beginning and formation, he also says that people are expected to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proved in normal human experiences. In most of the world religions, people are asked to believe in something that can not be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. They are asked to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proven in normal human experience. And when confronted with numerous, obvious discrepancies, the normal response is â€Å"faith†. Faith is the key to understanding. Faith is the key to believing in concepts that cannot be explained. (Banning, 2001, 1) Over the last several years, most Christians have accepted blindly this philosophy of faith, not realizing how much influence that Rome had on Christianity and how we perceive it today, in its early beginnings. Very little credit was ever historically given to Rome for having any influence on Christianity and how we look at it presently – many Christians refusing to believe that many aspects of Christianity had its origins in the pagan arena of Rome, and in the development of our present social orders. However, most of this credit was because of the way Christians hid inside the Roman Empire, to avoid persecution or death by the Romans. The hardest thing possible was to believe in one God instead of many gods and goddesses, remaining anonymous, while still living as Christians in brutal Rome. Early Christians, facing scorn at best and persecution at worst, depending on Emperor and the era, were forced to blend in with their Pagan counterparts. In order to celebrate the holidays of their religion, the Christians used pre-existing holidays and festivals to blend in. Christmas, for example, was originally part of the great festival of the Winter Solstice, or the Saturnalia. By adopting this grand event as the celebration of Christs birth, Christian revelry was allowed to take place, largely unnoticed. The Church too manipulated customs and traditions of the Pagan Empire to make their faith more adaptable. (Kousoulas, 2006,1) Christianity had been the official religion of Rome since 392, before Rome’s official fall in 476 when its last ruler, Romulus Augustus, fell under Alaric and the Visigoths in 410 and later destroyed by the Vandals in 455. According to Professor Richard Baldwin at the Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, this fall of Rome would later influence the Middle Ages and its civilizations in classical Greek and Roman cultures, Christianity, and the Germanic culture. With modern science and intellectual knowledge today slowly replacing the word of God and Christian beliefs, public and society religious dedication has become a thing of the past unwelcome in schools and sports, government buildings, and bringing down the morals of society. We need to look at Rome’s influence on the world accompanied with many other civilizations that were also influential on the world that led to Christianity. The development of human societies was not continuous. It was started several times anewin India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, and in Western Europe, beginning each time with the primitive tribe and then the village community. But if we consider each of these lines separately, we certainly find in each of them, and especially in the development of Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, a continual widening of the conception of mutual support and mutual protection, from the clan to the tribe, the nation, and finally to the international union of nations. (Kropotkin, 1934, p. 17) Christianity today is going through another revival such as in Rome, with many Christians now looking deeply inside – philosophizing and asking inner questions concerning what they have always been told – such as, is Christianity a pure religion in itself, or is it a combination of other religions. As Barry Banning said, previous Christian philosophies and hierarchical leaders told us to never question anything about our churches or what we have been taught. Christians are individuals who have unique mindsets, they are going to grow and change in their perception of the world around them, and this is a time when humanity is asking questions, seeking to find out truths. We are beginning to observe what Christianity is really about, not blindly accepting what we have been told by our superiors. The Roman imprints left from the early Christian development have simply extended an age-old religious philosophy that has long been past due for a change and maybe a needed updated version. Over the centuries, Christianity has not only changed in an intellectual theory but also with the philosophy regarding its impact by Rome. People change and learn in different ways, with continuously changing perceptions that cross many barriers – age, education, beliefs, or culture. Nevertheless, the bottom line is, without Rome we would never have had Christianity. Moreover, today Christianity as a single religion is ranked as the world’s largest religion, with sub-groups being included in this statistic. For the purpose of statistics, Christians refer to varying degrees of religious activity within Christianity – including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, African Indigenous Churches, and others. All of this is very different from the early days of Rome, with terrified Christians being persecuted for speaking and attempting to practice their religion. Yet, no matter where we look regarding Christianity, we find ourself looking also at the Roman Empire and its early heritage and culture, still breathing today inside our churches and religious cultures. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS: Banning, B. (2001). The Unspoken Power of Rome. 1st Edition. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Wellspring Books. Case, S. C. (1929). Experience with the Supernatural in Early Christian Times. New York: The Century Company. Laistner, M. L. (1951). Christianity and Pagan Culture in the Later Roman Empire. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Kropotkin, P. P. A. (1934). The Present Need of Determining the Bases of Morality. New York: Dial Press. Potter, D. S. (2004). The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180-395. New York: Routledge. Rivers, I. (1994). Classical and Christian Ideas in English Renaissance Poetry: A Student’s Guide. New York: Routledge.