Thursday, October 31, 2019

Artificial nutrition and hydration and end of life decision making Term Paper

Artificial nutrition and hydration and end of life decision making - Term Paper Example The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) emphasized that ANH was originally described as a means to effectively â€Å"provide short-term support for patients who were acutely ill and are often used to provide a bridge to recovery, or to meet therapeutic goals of prolonging life† (Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association (HPNA), 2011, p. 1). The current discourse hereby aims to present crucial ethical concerns or dilemma pertaining to AHN, especially during end of life (EOL) situations using support from evidence based sources. Ethical Concerns In an article written by Brody, et al. (2011), the authors explored controversial issues ranging from allegedly prolonging or sustaining unconscious human life, particularly that which was apparently categorized as patients in permanent vegetative state (PVS); also in terms of determining conformity to patients’ or relatives’ wishes in contrast to health care practitioners’ professional guidelines (Sampso n, Candy, & Jones, 2009). Other ethical issues ensue from the religious beliefs and practices, specifically that which were defined under the early doctrines of the Roman Catholic church, to wit: â€Å"to value above all the ability of medical technology to extend life indefinitely was interpreted by the Church as idolatry† (Drane, 2006; cited in Brody, et al.: The 1950s, 2011, par. 2). This original belief apparently seemed to stem from the perspective that life and death is governed by the Supreme Being or God and that any intervention not considered within the natural course of life was therefore considered not within the Will of God. This belief was apparently changed in recent Catholic teachings which reportedly supported that â€Å"the position currently endorsed by the Church hierarchy stresses life prolongation based on fundamental human dignity. The two most recent Popes have each stated that administration of food and water, artificially or not, constitutes ordinar y care â€Å"in principle;† ANH is to be considered not a medical technology, but rather a â€Å"natural means of preserving life.† Removing ANH is â€Å"euthanasia by omission† because the cause of death would be lack of sustenance rather than the underlying disease† (Brody, et al.:Recent Roman Catholic Teaching, 2011, par. 1). The new teachings support the belief that life should be preseved by all means, as a consistent paradigm towards provision of all methods and possible resources available and accessible to the family members and to the medical practitioners governing the patients’ lives. Concurrently, as expounded by Brody, et al. (2011), a transition in bioethics that acknowledged patients rights to refuse life extending medical care, consistent with patients’ rights and the obligation to allegedly respect patient autonomy has elevated application of ANH to face the following ethical concerns: â€Å"Bioethicists who supported mandat ory ANH offered several arguments: terminating food or fluids made the physician causally responsible for death; the burdens of ANH seemed minor compared to the overriding good of life prolongation; food and fluids represented â€Å"care† at a basic, symbolic level; and in an environment dominated by cost containment, forgoing ANH might lead to the selective elimination of vulnerable patients†

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Should the Government Intervent Tax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Should the Government Intervent Tax - Essay Example Hence the government, in my view, should intervene through tax rates to keep the economy and society controlled. Government intervention through tax rates is of paramount importance when negative externalities are to be dealt with. The market consists of two types of goods, public and private. Private goods are associated to the concept of excludability, referring to the exclusion of people from the benefits of a product or service that do not pay for it. On the other hand, public good is non-excludable and benefits the entire population regardless of their non-payment. Free-riding issue arises in this situation leading to chaos and dissatisfaction toward those counterparts of the society who are not contributing enough to the society compared to the benefits they are receiving (for instance healthcare and security/defense facilities for tax-evaders or undocumented immigrants in some cases). Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) has contributed to the knowledge by revealing that undocumented immigrants can be a major source of tax earnings if they are permitted legally to work in th e US and would end up increasing the tax contribution by about $2 billion per year (ITEP, 2015). Government must intervene by changing tax rates to control consumer demands. By increasing tax rates, the government may reduce the disposable income and hence reduce the consumer demand. Similarly, if it wants to increase consumer demand, generally or specifically for certain goods and services, subsidies can be provided and/or tax on that particular product/service can be reduced. Hence, tax rates on specific products, services or industries as well as taxes on individuals and specific population groups can both help governments to keep harmony in the economy. The government calls funds from the local economy by taxing general public and businesses. These funds are then

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Postmodernism and Hyper-Reality in Architecture

Postmodernism and Hyper-Reality in Architecture Introduction This essay will address architecture’s position in a consumer society. Consumer society can be described as the outcome of modernism where consuming material goods is the paramount feature of its balance and values. It is the result of the escalation in manufacturing and rapid industrial developments. It is also the outcome of the immense pace of diversification and growth of culture, creativity, technology and urbanism as a way of life. I will use the concepts of semiotic philosopher Jean Baudrillard’s as a basis in understanding the implications of this culture on the built environment, urban design and technology. I will also examine the desire for fantasy realms that mirror reality by examining Baudrillard’s three orders of simulacra and the â€Å"hyperreal†. To understand the expression of this phenomenon in our consumerist culture I have chosen to examine its manifestation in the urban context of Montecasiono and also virtual environment of Second Li fe. My aim is to better understand the architects’ position in this current culture and what it could mean for the future of architecture. Postmodernity and Hyper-reality The postmodern condition does not simply replace modernity but it rather opens up a new and complex layer of meaning of the modern by emphasizing its paradoxical aspects. Modernity has become deeply rooted in contemporary societies and thus it is almost impossible to find a condition where it has had no influence. Post-modernity by default cannot be separated from modernity as emancipation and liberation are inherent to the modern. In the post-modern era the electronic picture is the predominant force defining its figurative character. It is saturated with pictures in the degree which was not observed in history. (Asanowicz, 2014) To understand some of the complexities of our image driven culture I will first be exploring the writings of Jean Baudrillard. According to â€Å"Simulacra and Simulation† (Baudrillard, 1994) in our post-modern society, â€Å"It is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real†. Baudrillard suggests that postmodern culture is not merely artificial, because the notion of artificiality still involves some sense of reality against which to identify it. What he conveys is that we cannot recognize the distinction between artifice and nature. Baudrillard then argues that there are three orders of simulacra. Simulacra (Simulacres in French means: stereotype, a pseudo-thing, an empty form, a blank form) is one of the key concepts of postmodern aesthetics. (Asanowicz, 2014). The first order of simulacra is related to the pre-modern period where the image is a clear imitation of the real. Baudrillard associates the second order of simulacra with the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century where mass product ion and the increase of copies break down the differences between the representation and the image. The third order of simulacra is specifically associated with the postmodern age. It suggests that the representation precedes and determines the real. The distinction between reality and its representation is has disappeared and there is only the simulacrum. Baudrillard defined this distortion of the lines between the original and its copy as the ‘hyperreal’ (Baudrillard, 1994). Not only does the simulacrum simulate the original but the simulacrum of truth is truer than true and thus the hyperreal is realer than real. (Horrocks Jevtic, 1999) This kind of simulated image is all around us, nature reserves are constructed to disguise the absence the natural environment in urban areas. Reallity TV programs are edited to romanticize the mundane. Baudrillard uses the example of Disneyland, â€Å"Disneyland is presented as imaginary in order to make us believe that the rest is real, whereas all of Los Angeles and the America that surrounds it are no longer real, but belong to the hyperreal order and to the order of simulation. It is no longer a question of a false representation of reality (ideology) but of concealing the fact that the real is no longer real, and thus of saving the reality principle.† (Baudrillard, 1994). To relate this theory to a South African context I will use the example of Montesasino. While the simulated environment is patently false, guests at Montecasino buy into the â€Å"reality† of fantasy because society will continually absorb simulacra and its preference for it over reality. Offerin g a surplus of services and entertainment options in a Tuscan themed environment, Montecasino disorientates and mesmerises its guests in a world of fantasy where spending money enhances participation in, and enjoyment of the retail and leisure experience. Baudrillard comments on the blurred distinctions between culture, consumerism and identity: â€Å"Work, leisure, nature and culture, all previously dispersed, separate, and all more or less irreducible activities that produced anxiety and complexity in our real life, and in our ‘anarchic and archaic’ cities, have finally become mixed, massaged, climate controlled and domesticated into the simple activity of perpetual shopping. All these activities have finally become desexed into a single hermaphroditic ambience of style† (Baudrillard, 2001). Another example of hyperreality is that of Multià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ User Virtual Environments. This has fascinated me since I engaged my first multi-player role-playing computer game and recognized the addictive qualities it stirred. Today these virtual environments are much more sophisticated with virtual worlds like World of Warcraft and Second Life simulating not only of our physical world but also of our social, political and economic condition. Second Life has an active socialist party, an opposing Marxist party and even an anarchist group. Prostitution, gambling and consumerism are central to the simulation. Users of these environments create avatars which they define as the most accurate reflection of theirrealself. Aside from hyperreality, many of the concepts Baudrillard postulates in Simulacra and Simulation are present. It is a semiological perfect world, where the users are deprived of the ability to move, eat and drink. The avatars have nothing else to consume but â€Å"sign s† of the real. Avatars can rent prostitutes to have sex which is devoid of human contact or experience consequently consuming the â€Å"sign† of having sex. The avatars buy expensive virtual clothes to express the distinction against the avatars wearing free clothes. No actual clothes have changed hands, but people spend real that they have actually earned to consume â€Å"signs† of goods. From a modernist this would seem irrational but Baudrillards states that, â€Å"Nothing resembles itself, and holographic reproduction, like all fantasies of the exact synthesis or resurrection of the real (this also goes for scientific experimentation), is already no longer real, is already hyperreal† (Baudrillard, 1994) , therefore it could be argued that there is no difference in consuming something â€Å"real† or a â€Å"sign of the real†. The newest phase of consumer society is accordingly concerned with the effect of digital consumption. This is intensified by globalisation, new information technologies and real-time communication. In the next section I will discuss the implications of society’s preoccupation with consumption and hyperreality on Architecture. Post-Modern Architecture in a consumer society Frederic Jameson suggests that Postmodernism replicates or reproduces and reinforces the logic of consumer capitalism. Thus when we study a consumer society we should focus on the seductive and alluring as this is inherit to the consumer lifestyle. In architecture terms such as image, ambience and enchantment of appearance are more important than modern notions of individualism, rationalism, naturalism and functionalism (Jameson, 2002). Few contemporary architects have consciously thought of their works with consideration to our image driven culture. In â€Å"Visions’ Unfolding: Architecture in the Age of Electronical Media†, Peter Eisenman postulates that by using computer programs which randomly fold surfaces and connect the building and landscape into one continuous whole, the architecture does not surrender to any particular explanation, but continuously disrupts what is defined as architecture (Eisenman, 1999). This does address the idea of surface being the most important aspect of design but the problem is that the works is possibly not seductive enough, rather the work is merely fascinating. On the other hand the work of Jean Nouvel is shrouded in the enchantment of appearance. In Jean Nouvel in Conversation: Tomorrow Can Take Care of Itself, he says that â€Å"image is the matter of architecture and thus the future of architecture is not architectural in the tectonic senseâ€Å". Nouvel emphasises that his architecture is not composed of space but of communicative surfaces, which he calls interfaces. He is not interested in details but only in images. Koolhaas and Tschumi are two other architects that have based their works on a conscious study of atmosphere rather than functions or meanings in architecture. Lastly one cannot forget to mention Bernard Tshumi. After the vertical, modern, in La Villette we have the horizontal, minimal, conceptual and postmodern hyperrealism. The â€Å"cinematic† adaptations in the architecture enable â€Å"events† and are said to provide new freedom for the visitor when choosing routes and viewpoints. Lastly the famous â€Å"congestion† in Koolhaas’ works can be recognised as an atmospheric effect created by â€Å"programming†. Koolhaas tries to create architecture congested with the masses in diverse actions. These actions have typically not been assigned a specific place. Rational individualism must be abandoned when interpreting mass society. Conclusion In its most recent forms, architecture is already becoming transparent, mobile, flexible and interactive. It almost tries to disappear in order to let a hypothetical mass creativity show through. It replaces the immaterial with floating rules of the game, a screen of deconstruction which leaves the subjects quite free to invent their own game rules. Besides, architecture is not the only thing to give way to this interactive utopia of exchange and playful recreation: all art, politics and virtual technology is going in this direction. These tendencies manifest themselves in contemporary architecture in the new possibilities for pluralism, â€Å"open† architecture, the flexible interrelationship between producers and consumers, interactivity, and â€Å"the innovative consumers†. Moralism against consumer society and commercial architecture does not work because it is characteristic of consumer society itself that it spreads moralities concerning how people should live and which kind of buildings they should have. These moralities concerning consumers are disguised in the form of â€Å"choices†. Neither building without architects nor pragmatist architecture can make the position of architects better in society, because these phenomena are already included in the mythologies of consumer society. As concerns the relevance of Baudrillard’s theory in architecture, it has become apparent through my theoretical work that this makes impossible such traditional architectural concepts in general as creativity, the fulfilling of needs and functionality. Architects can only speed up or slow down interpersonal socio-economic processes and in this way increase social reciprocity and cohesion. According to Baudrillard’s analysis of the present socio-economic patterns in society, it has become almost impossible to make truly seductive and reciprocal architecture. Baudrillard’s theory does not leave very much for architects to lean on, up to the question of asking whether architecture can at all be designed under Baudrillard’s terms, however believable he is in pointing out the crucial problematics of culture in consumer society. Source List HILDE HEYNEN, 2000, Architecture and Modernity: A Critique, Massachusetts, MIT Press, 8-24 JEAN BAUDRILLARD, 1994. The precession of simulacra, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1-42. JEAN BAUDRILLARD, 1982, Modernità ©,† in La modernità © ou l’esprit du temps, Biennale de Paris, Section Architecture, Paris, L’Equerre, 27-28. PETER EISENMAN, 1994, Visions’ Unfolding: Architecture in the Age of Electronical Media, Michigan, A+U Publishers, 2-5. REM KOOLHAAS SANFORD KWINTER, 1996, Conversations with Students, New York, Princeton Architect ural Press, p 5-6.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Lewis and Lewis, P.C. :: Accounting Firms Business Analysis Essays

Lewis and Lewis, P.C.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lewis & Lewis, P.C. is a small, Jackson-based accounting firm that employs thirty-five people and was founded by Phil Willis in 1968. It exhibits many interesting aspects of organizational behavior, which we will examine below from several perspectives. After examining the company's current policies and practices, we will evaluate its status in the transition from the "old" to the "new" model of organization, and recommend some changes that may improve the way Lewis & Lewis operates. From a Strategic Perspective Physical Description   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lewis & Lewis, P.C. is located in a quiet suburb of Jackson, Michigan. It is a forty-five minute drive from Lansing. The two-storied building is built on a slightly elevated hill with spacious parking lots in the back and to one side. The outer walls are of a pleasant beige brick which is in keeping with the calm atmosphere of the community and of the landscape. Right in front of the building there are columns and the large main entrance is toward the rear off the parking lot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The appearance of the building is well harmonized with the surroundings. However, it gives guests the impression of dignity and openness. Directly inside the main entrance to Lewis & Lewis is a small but welcoming lobby, with a natural stone floor, stylish but difficult to walk on in heels. There is a narrow open closet for guests to hang their coats, and several chairs arranged around a table on which are placed the company newsletter and other publications. The receptionist's desk is facing the entrance door, and behind it sits a friendly young woman. The partners' offices are found against the two farthest external walls, noticeably removed from the rest of office. The other external walls are lined with the offices of the professionals, with large windows overlooking the pleasant exterior. The remainder of the office space is segmented with partitioning walls, forming a sort of cubicle labyrinth. In the center of this maze is a small kitchen where employees gather and converse informally. Adjacent to the kitchen is a small work area with copy machines and office supplies. In a corner of this floor is a set of uninviting sta irs leading to the ground level, where the conference room is located. The conference room itself is spacious and handsomely decorated, with a large table and comfortable chairs, a video center with television and VCR. The seating is limited to fourteen people. Task and Job Description   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tasks are distributed on the basis of specialization: auditing, tax, government and consulting. Very few tasks are performed by routine; each day may include new procedures for each employee.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How to reflate France’s economy Essay

Introduction There are two different ways to help France’s economy get back on track. They are austerity and growth. Austerity programs consist in a set of policies established by governments in financial debt difficulties. These policies aim to reduce spending for public goods and services. (Example in France, with president Sarkozy, approximately 150.000 civil servants were fired, this decreased the amount of money used to pay civil servants in France, which in turn, made it possible to run the country without having to borrow as much money). Growth programs consist in increasing the GDP and spending money, to reflate the economy. Of course this money has to come from somewhere, so growth programs often include imposing a lot of taxes. (Example in France, with president Hollande, taxes were imposed on bank profits, and taxes on the richest part of the population were increased). Economists are very divided on this subject, and both of theoretically work; it depends of the situation we are in. Economic Program Austerity is a short term solution only; a country’s economy cannot rely on it forever. This is why as a president; it would be good to start by making the debt of France smaller, then using this to our advantage, and Firstly, we have to make France more competitive. To do this, we will change the work time of the French, and their minimum age of retirement. Today, the French work on a minimum basis of 35 hours per week, and retire at a minimum age of 60. To make France more competitive, we will change these to 40 hours, and an age of 64. The average life span keeps on rising thanks to better health care; it would only go well for the economy if people were to work a few years more, because there would be less to pay for people who work. The 40 hours will be payed the same, because if there were the same amount of workers in a company but all of them had to be payed more, the company in question would either lose money in paying them, or fire a part of them. To increase competitivity, we have to make the price of production in France lower, so that fewer companies send their production in China for example. To do so, we have to lower the national insurance contribution payed by the employer to pay his workers in France. Products that are made in France will therefore be more expensive because the workers are payed in France than in China for example. To counter this, we will add a tax on products (depending on the price of the product) made in countries that have very cheap labor. (China, Vietnam, Turkey, Thailand, etc†¦) This will bring part of the production back to France, and the loss of money in the lowering of the national insurance contribution will be compensated by the tax. Next, we will reduce the salaries of the ministers and the president. The salaries of the ministers is now of 9940 euros (Under president Hollande), which will be reduced by 30%, leaving them with 6660 euros per month. The salary of the president is now of 14 910 euros (Under president Hollande); it will be reduced by 40%, leaving the president with 8950 euros per month. We would also stop having mayors in every single city, and do like in the U.S.A, which is to instate a governor for each department. This governor would be in charge of all the cities in his department, and when a decision is to be made, 20 inhabitants of the department will be called, to hold a â€Å"committee† and make the decision. It will be a duty, which means the inhabitants will have to go. This will help the economy, as there will be only one person to pay per department, and not dozens of mayors, it also gives a â€Å"voice† to the citizens in decision making. There are many people who are unemployed in France (10%) and receive unemployment benefit for a very long time, without trying to find work. As this does not motivate them to find one because they receive money without doing anything, we will keep on giving this unemployment benefit, but only for 2 months, the time for them to find work. This reform will motivate them to find work, this way they will be productive, therefore helping a company or industry to grow, and money will not be wasted. This change will of course also make unemployment decrease. Small companies are very important to the economy, as they might end up as the next multinationals, but they are heavily taxed, which makes them very hard for them to grow. If we make these taxes smaller, people would be encouraged to start their own companies, and this will create employment. Small companies that are already created will grow faster, and will create jobs, which will make the company itself more productive. These jobs will be there for the population receiving unemployment benefit. There will be a loss if we just relieve taxes on small companies, so we will compensate this by taxing bigger companies, which have already emerged, because they will not be affected by a tax as much as a small company. (The tax in question will not be too strong; it will just be enough to compensate for the loss in the tax relief on smaller companies) Education is a very important part of the French economy. Schools are here to â€Å"train† the future generations of workers. Access to education is free today in France, but the quality of this education is sometimes questionable. Firstly, there are not enough professors in the schools. It is logical that if there were to be one professor for 25 students, the quality of the education they would receive would be better than today, where we have in average one professor for 30 students. To compensate this lack of professors in schools, we will create 12000 jobs for professors in school; this will make the student/professor ratio smaller, which will increase the quality of the education received. To become a professor, you have to be â€Å"trained† two years in a university. This is not enough, considering the disciplinary problems in some schools. Professors should have 3 years of complete training, which would include a deeper disciplinary course, teaching methods, etc†¦ The principal sectors of production of France are agriculture, energy, tourism, trade and industry (France is one of the first industrial powers worldwide). Mass market retailing is choking the sector of trade, as it attracts the clients of little traders and makes mass profit out of it; it also allows itself to buy products at very low prices from producers (Farmers in the case of a supermarket). To resolve this problem, we would add a tax on products bought in mass market retailing services, which would bring clients back to the little traders, so that they don’t die out. Little trades do not buy products as low priced as supermarkets do, which would make money for producers. In the case of a supermarket, the trade and agriculture sector would both benefit from this tax. A French household produces in average 16.4 tons of Co2 every year; this is far too much. To avoid this, and preserve the environment, a tax will be imposed on households that end the year with more than 16 tons; of course this number will decrease every year to improve the given results. Renewable energies provide 13% of the electricity needed in France, nuclear energy provides 76% and fossil fuels provide 11%. We would invest in research for renewable energies (Hydro-energy, wind energy, solar energy), and close down the most risky nuclear reactors. (For example the 4 reactors in Blayais, Braud-et-Saint-Louis, which are not very productive and are very old and unsafe). Conclusion As a president, I would go towards austerity first, to reduce the debt of France, and to have more possibilities in my actions later. France is already in a dangerous situation, and going into a politic of growth would be spending too much money that we don’t have (Which is why I chose austerity as a short term solution), and it would be too much, France would go into a recession. After a period of austerity (Which means: after having reduced the debt), I would have gone in a politic of growth, which would have thrown France’s economy back on track.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Different cultures Essay

In the past, different cultures have been developing in various ways and in different parts of the world. These cultures have been influencing the living styles of various nations in the world. It is now very important that different countries be grouped according to their cultural beliefs and civilization e. g. European communities will share those cultures which will differentiate them from those people who are coming from China or Africa. It is believed that those cultural differences of people in the world will clash based on where and how an individual was civilized. This is mainly the ‘clash of civilization’, the concept of Harvard professor Samuel Huntington. This is because people from different parts have ways on which they were civilized and they have different views on the way they view about life,the way they relate to one another and on their various religious beliefs. †We have moved into a world in which ‘civilisation’, some seven or eight of them, and defined much as Arnold Toynbee and some other scholars defined them in the first half of this century,are the building blocks of the new world order† Huntington added. Also most people these days are traveling a lot and therefore the interaction between people from different parts of the world and of different civilization is increasing. These interactions of different people from different civilizations has increased the awareness that this kind of difference in culture exists all over the world, Africa immigration will generate hostility when they settle on European or Asian nations. This is typically due to the clash in their culture. A country whose culture is completely different from another has a problem in investing in a foreign land as compared to those other rivals in the same land. This is because most countries fear to give investment license or such countries due to different ways in their cultural beliefs. The process of economic development and socialization has also resulted in the clash on the ways people live. Samuel Huntington once said†,Pattern of trade will be decisively influnced by pattern of culture†. The different religious beliefs in most of the different cultures is an example of this. We find that there are various types of religions in the world today. These are Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Another reason which brought about the clash in different culture was the way in which people in different parts of the world viewed about civilization. Many communities found civilization rather hard to adopt because it had other believes and cultures which clashed with their original beliefs. This made different communities to quit the idea of civilization of adopting the western culture and replacing it with their original beliefs. De-westernization has therefore been seen in many non-western countries. ( http://www. bintjbeil. com/articles/en/d-huntington. html). The cultural beliefs of people originating from different parts of the world are very hard to adopt to the same culture unlike other things such as economic and political ones. This is because cultural beliefs of more than two nations are not compatible, rather they are clashing. For example a political system of one country can be adopted by another country but the religious issues are far more complex to be adopted form one country to anothere. g. Muslims are very hard to change and start believing in Christianity but they will be very easily convinced to accept to change and adopt other country’s leadership styles. People of the same civilization have also been known to spur economic growth. This has mostly been witnessed in Europe, East Asia and North America. The development of the nations living in this regions usually is because these people have the same civilization and almost the same beliefs in terms of their culture and their social lifestyles. A country like Japan on the other hand who entirely have different civilization has faced a lot of hurdles in their economic development. Their lifestyles and its cultural beliefs have been known to be clashing with that of its neighbors and therefore making it hard for them to get a business partner with the same interests and beliefs. Thus reducing the rate of their growth. (Ghost, 2003) Yes Huntington’s point of view is supported. This is because there are numerous conflicting issues on people living in different parts of the world today. Huntington described an era in which people everywhere define themselves in cultural terms, ‘ a world in which cultural identities are central’. There is a pre-dominant clash of ideas between the religious communities. This is because there is a split between the western Christianity, Orthodox and the Muslims. These difference are traced to have occurred in the year 1500. There were cultural lines which were traced to have been the source to the different cultural belief of these communities. The people who were living to the west and the north of the line were protestant and others were Catholics. They were economically well of than those who were living to the East. The differences and the conflict of various issues between western and Islamic civilization has been going on for almost 140 years. This was mainly due to the attempt by the westerners to introduce Christianity in the Islamic region which faced a lot of oppositions mainly because various issues regarding the beliefs and norms of Muslims culture were conflicting with those of the Christians. The relationships existing between Japan and America has of late worsened so much. This is mainly due to the culture differences which will result to economic conflicts. The attitudes, and the way people relate to each other between the two societies are very mush different. As compared to the European nations, the economic issue between United States and Japan are very serious. This is because the economic difference in culture between United States and the European nations is far much less as compared to those of Japan civilization. Japanese civilization is very much different because their geographical location is far away as compared to the geographical location dividing America from European nations. This has resulted to a very different type of culture being developed in Japan which on the other hand conflict with that of Americans. ( Edwards, & Glover, 2001). According to Huntington, ‘East Asian economic success has its source in East Asian culture’. Culture and civilization have also influenced economies of various countries. Chinese economy ha been enormously growing within the last 15 years than that of Japan. These growth in the China’s economy has been a result of almost the same culture and civilization china enjoyed with its immediate neighbors. Unlike Japan who did not have some cultural resemblance with other nations, china had almost the same cultural beliefs with most of the developing nations in Asia. These countries include Taiwan-which are very much advanced in technological issues, Hong Kong – which is known for the creativity and marketing strategies, Singapore –which is very rich in communication technology. All these three have the same civilization as that of China and therefore they can understand each other in terms of being trading partners, carrying out investment and also respecting each others religious beliefs. (Murshed, 2002) The increase in population among the various countries in the world has resulted to the migration of people. This has mainly occurred in countries particular those living in the Northern part of Africa. The communities living in these parts are then forced to move to western Europe. This movement has resulted to development of other cultures in these countries. These then leads to instability in the normal social life of the citizens in the country both religiously and culturally. The results might be emergence of racism which might cause violence in the country. Reference: Edwards, Rusalind & Glover Judith. Risk and Citizenship: key issues in welfare. New York. Routledge, 2001. Ghost, B. N. Contemporary issues in Development Economics. New York. Routledge, 2003 The clash of civilizations. Samuel Huntington. September 1993. Bint Jbeil. 22/10/2007.http://www.bintjbeil.com/articles/en/d-huntington.html