The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Insource And Outsource Essay

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Insource And Outsource - Essay Example As a small insurance company, there are pertinent functions that the business needs which are not core to either its growth or for gaining competitive advantage. These functions include human resource, payroll, IT and partly financed. Outsourcing here would offer a better choice than insourcing because the company would be able to save on employee compensation, office expenses, and other associated costs. Outsourcing essentially converts fixed costs into variable costs, which will enable the small business to use these resources for investment elsewhere in the business (AllBusiness.com 3). On the flip side, small companies must be very careful when negotiating the terms of service with an outsourcing firm. Knowing the challenge that small businesses face with regards to weighing their cost options, an outsourcing company could trap the small company in terms of service that have numerous hidden charges. However, unless the outsourced services provider has numerous ridiculous charges when it comes to managing costs for a small insurance company, outsourcing offers a better solution than insourcing. On the outset, insourcing does seem like a cost-effective strategy for a company to use because it will simply rely on resources that it already has. This may be true for large organizations that have numerous departments and employees. Small companies are already constrained in terms of staffing, and to manage costs they tend to have employees with flexible role profiles.  

Benefits of Yoga Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Yoga Essay In chapter 15, The Cauliflower Robbery, Yogananda has harvested 6 cauliflowers that he is proud to share with Sri Yukteswar. As the disciples are called out to go march, Sri Yukteswar questions Yogananda about whether he locked the door to the Ashram or not. Yogananda carelessly replies that he thinks so. In teaching a lesson, Sri Yukteswar relates thoughts with a peasant and has him steal one of Yoganandas cauliflowers. Much like the way a radio operates, Sri Yukteswars thoughts vibrate in radio waves and he receives signals from other people then carries their thoughts out. A couple days later Yoganandas lamp had been missing so he assumed the master would know where it is. The master read Yoganandas thoughts and directed him directly to where another pupil said he took it to. The lamp was not where the pupil said it was and Yogananda realized Sri Yukteswar was only mocking his expectations because he wouldnt display his powers when challenged. Weeks passed, and one day the master asked the narrator to lead his disciples on a procession walk across the beach. Yogananda was worried the sun would make the sand too hot to bare but Sri Yukteswar assured him that with faith in the Omnipresent God his problems will be resolved. The master had faith that God would protect him and his disciples as long as he was faithful in him and indeed God provided clouds to make shade for the sand trail. The lesson learned in this chapter is that God is impartial and will listen to everyone that has faith in him. He will fulfill anything one strongly desires with the right heart and faith. As a christian, this chapter strongly relates and is a recurring message in my life. Like Yogananda, I constantly forget to keep my strong faith and to trust that God will provide in the end. Many times in my life I have forgotten about God as I try to resolve all of my own issues. Things dont end up my way but usually they end up better because Gods plan is always best. Especially in the chapter of my life where I need guidance, Im searching the internet, career sources, and the counselors for answers, but what this chapter of the book reminds me is that I need to meditate or pray to God to seek answers. This class has helped me spend my time more positively. Its helped me to find my way back to my faith and has given me the ability to focus and pray deeply. Although it is only a slight change, Ive learned to spend more time  outdoors rather than indoors during my spare time. Before this class I mightve spent hours watching episodes of Gossip Girl on Netflix to relieve my stress after my last class of the week, but now I go to the beach on Fridays after class to calm my mind and body. In doing this Ive been able to spend more time reflecting on who I am as an individual and the kind of person I aspire to be. After learning basic pranayamas or breathing techniques Ive been practicing it at the beach where the repetition of the waves crash in sync to my breath. This act of going to the beach with just my towel and myself has become a favorite routine. It serves as a time for me to delve deeper into my soul and really see the person I wish to portray to the world. Through these beach meditations I have also been able to realize and expand my potential as a human being. On the other hand, the asana practice has challenged my every muscle. Having taken yoga classes for a while and being a dancer, I figured this class would just be like before or easier (I apologize for the underestimation). Instead I found myself challenged each day because you paid attention to detail to every students form and pushed students to stretch further or contract stronger. The difference with the asana practice I got out of this class and the ones I got at a yoga studio is that you, the teacher, always allowed room for the students to further stretch or strengthen. The other studios had the students placed by level and if you couldnt keep up, well then you should have signed up for an easier class. Whereas here, I felt comfortable that i was able to practice the poses at my own rate. Some were harder and some were easier. Either way I never felt above or below the class, which is very fair for all the students. Because I had such a great experience in this yoga class, Ive applied what I learned to my other classes. I became so intrigued in the lecture at the beginning of the course describing the benefits of yoga that I made a speech about it to present to my Human Communications class. All the benefits listed at the start of the course such as being able to get a better sleep, better digestion, and endurance in exercise has proven true in my life. I walked back to my dorm after every class feeling lighter and fresher. Maybe it was the post exercise endorphins but I assure you that the lightweight  feeling came from releasing my burdens during the affirmations. I was so inspired by this that I knew I had to inform others of this great practice. I also understand that yoga is not simply a physical activity, it is a spiritual trail that helps the mind think better so I stressed that in the speech. Im glad I signed up for this class, because I got both physical and spiritual benefits out of it. In the future I will continue to take yoga classes and suggest yoga classes to others.

The Coal Miners in France During the Second Empire Essay -- World Hist

The Coal Miners in France During the Second Empire In this paper I will explain why revolt by the labor against capital in Second Empire France failed. To explain the situation, I will use Marx's theory of capital accumulation as he presents it in {Capital}. Also important in the theoretical description of this phenomena is the role of tradition and the way its restraints deviate from those of the economy in this French society. Based on this description I will discuss how the function of management is enforced by the economy and traditions inherent in a society. From these considerations I will suggest additional elements and relationships necessary for social relations change to transcend the institutional conditions in which they exist. Terminology relevent to a theoretical account of an event is given by Talcott Parsons in {The Structure of Social Action}. Here, action is described as a system that may be divided into unit acts. The unit act consists of four elements. First there is an agent, or actor. Second, the act has an end which is a future state of affairs or goal towards which the action is oriented. Third, there is a situation where the trends of develop- ment differ from the end towards which the action is oriented. The situation is composed of two elements; the conditions are that which the actor cannot manipulate in accordance with his end, and the means are that over which he does not have control. Finally there is a relation between these elements; where a situation allows alterna- tive means to the end, the course is selected from the normative orientation of the actor. (Parsons, 1968: 44) In order to account for the interrelationships in the historical event ... ... change. Events will subsequently no longer happen but attain meaning in the light of the source that the charismatic element advocates. This change in normative orientations relative to the change in other elements of the process must be reflected in the ideology. The ideology of social change may not simply be a reiffication of the old in a reactionary form. The substance of the ideology, in being a response to the divergence caused by the economy and polity, must be such as to transcend that which came before it. This final condition, specifying the relations between elements necessary for revolutionary change, may only be derived in a society which is neither an organic, composite whole nor one of random atomistic ends. Rather, the society must be one where the normative orientation for mediating between conditions and means is one of consensus.

Bioautobiography

I am, Where I’m From: My Socioautobiography Cosme Ramos SOCS185 W5 Socioautobiography Abstract Who am I? Born in a small island, raised in over populated city, now living on the opposite corner of the nation, traveled all over the world, seen cultures and places most only dream off. How where my morals, views, and opinions shaped by my surroundings as child, and how have they changed as I matured? What influenced those changes? These are just a few of questions I look to explore as I write my Socioautobiography. I am, Where I’m From: My SocioautobiographyMy name is Cosme Ramos, Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on the 31st January 1976. Parents are both Puerto Ricans (which in reality means mixed, Indian, Black African, and European). Not until third grade did we migrate to the United States, in search of opportunities and a more stable future. Being of a Hispanic decent made family a very important role, thus it was my primary group the only thing that was constant throughout or moves first from Puerto Rico to New York, and eventually to New Jersey where my immediate family still resides to this day.As a kid the change was drastic, life in Puerto Rico was more of the rural type, big yards, vegetation everywhere, smiling faces and friendly people. In the states, things were a bit different, now we co-inhabited with family we barely knew, in a small condo like apartment with no yard, and the only vegetation we would get to see is that on the highway mediums culture shock does not even begin explain the disorientation felt as a kid under those circumstances. Not to mention the language barrier that was by far the biggest hurdle.If it wasn’t for the strong bond and close knit Hispanic community the adjustments would have been ten times harder. Within months we were settled in Newark, N. J. parents had good luck found stable jobs enrolled in school now my biggest focus was that of going from a straight â€Å"A’s† student, to not even spe aking the language. I had 6 months to learn and master the English language to the level that at the end of the school year I would be proficient enough to not be set back.With the aid of my third grade teacher I was scored on the top 10% of the third graders in the district and graduated third grade as if I was no different than anyone else in my age group. These changes and conflicts that I had to endure were not as big of an impact on my younger brother who was barely starting preschool, and was able to adjust at a more lenient pace and to him English might as well be his first language and my sister the youngest was born years after in New Jersey. (TCO 4 and TCO 6).Let’s fast forward to end of middle school, early high school years, being a teen ager in the inner city of Newark N. J. (Brick city as referred to by many) day to day life was a struggle against the stigma that if you were African American or Hispanic, from Newark, and lived in lower income part of town, then you are, were or will be a criminal. Remember back in Puerto Rico, we lived in an environment where one could leave the house and car open, not worry about thieves, vandalism or anything of that sort.Now I couldn’t walk to bus stop from my house without being hassled by drug dealers trying to add you to their payroll and have you work for them, or addicts trying to see if you were a dealer, not to mention having to dodge stolen cars being chased by the cops, and the ever seldom shoot outs. It is now apparent to me that gender role and ascribed status was what drove the stigma mentioned above. As the women or even the girls were not normally out and about around the neighborhood, they were homebodies per say.Everyone just assumed it was who we were, based on where we lived, and many of those who lived there just accepted such fate and found it easier to conform and fulfill their role in the society they were expected to. (TCO 5 and TCO 6). Now in high school, a very impression able adolescent, (remember this was before the computer age) the mass-media primarily consisted of television and movies, neither of which at the time where attempting to lesser the negative views of the society I was ascribed to.Soon I had a choice to make, do I too conform to the same as my peers, or do I dare attempt to make break the mold as they say by trying to conduct vertical mobility in the stratification system that many felt entrapped within. Being that I had gone thru so much, from seeing the state of poorness that lead my parents to give it all up in Puerto Rico and pursue a better, un-guaranteed and un-certain future, or maybe it the feeling that I could achieve anything I put my mind to (proven to me by my third grade teacher as she thought me not just the English language, but did it by making me learn how to think in English and ot Spanish) these factors and seeing how the economical state of the city I grew up in was deteriorating I decided to be deviant not accept my place in a decaying society and that I would join the military. My decision was sustained with the thought that, if anything, I would at least do it for the college money, and to explore the vast world that intrigued me so much. (TCO 5 and TCO 6).September 6 1994, not 3 months after graduating high school, I was en-route to boot camp, the Navy was the poison of choice many thought, some including my parents never thought I’d go thru with it, being a shy, quiet, smart, nerdy type I was told after the fact that â€Å"they never thought I’d last†. Growing up in very multi-racial city environment, I grew up with I’d say about 90% African American kids, maybe 5% Hispanic and the rest white or other, racial discrimination to me was as foreign and alien as anything could be.Not long after being in boot camp, did I happen to run into it though. Even took me a while to recognize what was going on around me. Racial inequality has ever since been something that has fascinated me, the fact that some people can be so ignorant and or closed minded that this age and time still feel are better or more privileged than others solely based on race. 18 ? years later, here I am, still in the Navy, to the shock of many.I saw the challenges and glass ceilings imposed on me by my peers, supervisors, coworkers and even at some point my parents, to fuel my motivation. I see now using my sociological imagination that they made a functionalist out of me. To this day, I deal with discrimination, not just race, or gender related, I deal with discrimination in many forms, and stigmatized in just as many also, from being a bike rider, to the rank I wear on my collar or the current job description or being from the east coast to mention a few.But now I view such acts as positive influences that fuel me to achieve that which I’m told, or insinuated I can’t. (TCO 1 and TCO 5). In conclusion, I am, Where I’m From.. I’d like to think eve n though I am no longer the shy, timid, quiet, in-experienced child that once struggled in understanding those around him, or that had to accompany his parents translating for them as they applied for subsidiary assistance . I do remember the strong cohesiveness of my family, and the dedication to each other through times of struggle.Giving up was never something I witness my elders doing, and it’s something I am not well at doing either. Life has, more often than not thought me lessons the hard way, but some say those are the lessons you never forget. I have mostly learned leaving home at 17 years to travel abroad with the Navy, that even those who think they have it bad here in the states, still have it much better than many in other countries. Even if you are held down, or even put down by others, it is only ones’ self that can limit what we can achieve.Do others have it easier than some, yes, but that is life and it’s up to the individuals to either make bes t or worst of the situation they are dealt. As an adult I still strive to be better today than I was yesterday, and even if it’s a small minute difference, it just might be enough for some kid to see, and think I too can become anything I want, I don’t have to live in a 20 mile radius of where I was born, I don’t have to become a criminal just because I’m thought of as one.If all I make is a small impression in someone to fuel their drive, then I’d like to think it was all worth it. As my friends say, â€Å"from the old broken down brick city, the strong survive†. References Schaefer, R. T. (2011). Sociology: A Brief Introduction, 9th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, New York, NY Lewis, P. (2013). Introduction to Sociology and the Study of Culture. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: http://www. devryu. net

Duty of Care Definitions Essay

1.1 Define the meaning â€Å"Duty of Care† A. The term duty of care is the responsibility of caring for another person who may well be vulnerable which includes those who are young or old, ill or unfit mentally to care for themselves and requires another person to assist. This includes looking after the person`s hygiene, cleanliness, safety, meals, transportation, medication or physical needs. Duty of care requires all staff to ensure that all the people we work with are safe and that we abide by relevant legislation and follow care plans, and inform the office of any changes to medication so everyone can keep up the constant care. Duty of care is the legal duty to take reasonable care so that others aren’t harmed and involves identifying risks and taking reasonable care in your response to these risks. Organisations should always ensure that they consult legal and legislative requirements when developing and maintaining their duty of care frameworks and consider working along guidelines. 1.2 How does duty of care affe ct your work role? A. Duty of care is the obligation you have to exercise a level of care towards an individual as in reasonable in all the circumstances to avoid injury to that individual or to his or hers property. 2.1 What dilemmas might arise between duty of care and the rights of your customers? A. Equipment – client’s may refuse to use hoist`s and stand aids at they have had bad experience in the past with using them, which could affect clients hygiene, physical needs and means that staff can`t do their job to a high standard, we would take note of what the clients have said and ring the manager to come up with another solution. All equipment must be in date and checked regularly before use. Training must be up to date and if it isn`t you should not put yourself or clients at risk of danger. All carers should not attempt to do things outside of training or job descriptions, and CRBS needs to be updated every year. Risk assessments and care plans are important and should be followed at all times and updated regularly, all concerns and changes to be reported to manager and documented. Protective clothing is to be worn at all times to reduce the risk of infections and cross contamination. 2.2 Where would you get additional support and advice about resolving the above dilemmas? A. I would get additional support and advice by attending training courses i.e. moving and handling, health and safety, also by speaking to my manager or supervisor, reading books and trying to find out as much information I need. 3.1 How would you respond to complaints? A. I would acknowledge the complaint, and then try to resolve the complaint directly with the complainant, and be aware of differing views of what happened and what was said, also reassure the complainant and have a complaint handling mechanism already in place. Every complaint is different, so the approach to resolving it will differ, depending on the nature of the complaint and the seriousness and the complexity. 3.2 What is the agreed procedure for dealing with complaints? A. The agreed procedure for dealing with complaints is that our company will always deal with any complaints in a professional and positive way and where appropriate will advise the people concerned of any actions and outcomes of any complaint out company will help you in any way they can to advise us of our reasons for dissatisfaction. If I am unwilling or unable to them my manager will have further meetings on how to achieve the best out of you, and if needed further training. CT296 1.1 Identify the standards which influence the way adult social care jobs are carried out? A. The standards that influence the way adult social care job roles are carried out are firstly Codes of practice which set out criteria which providers are assessed by. They also describe the standards of conduct and practice that workers must carry out their activities and ensure that what they do is competent and consistent with the values of their employer. Minimum standards are a set of standards which all care homes must meet and in order to operate and be registered as a care home if working in a care home. National occupational standards (NOS) define the skills, knowledge and understanding needed by individuals to carry out their job. 1.2 Why is it important to reflect on the way you work? How does this help you to develop your knowledge and skills? A. Reflecting on work activities is an important way to develop knowledge and skill because is allow you to identify anything that needs to be developed, you are also able to evaluate on the things that went wrong and what went ri ght, and able to learn lessons from that also to enable you to be a better carer. It also helps your fellow colleagues as they are able to learn from your mistakes and then the same thing will not happen to them also and vice versa. When you have evaluated you are then able to know the things which are needed in order to make your home care a much safer and nice place to stay. 1.3 How can you ensure your own attitudes and belief do not obstruct the quality of your work? A. There are many ways to ensure that personal attitudes or beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work, firstly you have training which is updated every 3 months which will clearly outline what is accepted and what is not. You may also have supervision which you will be given by a manager or supervisor to assess your performance. Also the code of practice describes the acceptable behaviour. Policies are also a great way I which providers are outlined how to and not to allow attitudes and behaviours to obstruct the quality of work and what will happen if provider allows this to happen. 2.1 Think of a recent learning activity you have completed, how did it improve your knowledge, skills and understanding? A. I recently attended an up to date learning activity for moving and handling. It improved my knowledge, skills and understanding. There are so many different ways of moving people, by using different equipment, which I was put into a hoist myself just to see and feel how an elderly person would feel, and how easily they can become distressed. It gave me a very clear understanding and knowledge of how things can be done differently and I could also share my knowledge to other team members. 2.2 How does reflecting a situation assisted you to improve your knowledge skill and understanding? A. Reflecting on situations is a stage where I can identify my learning and development needs. To reflect and think about what I have done, and how I did it, and how I could possibly do it better or differently for the future. 2.3 How has gaining feedback from others developed your knowledge, skills and understanding? A. My manager has received feedback from other colleagues who have â€Å"shadowed† me on service users visits. She has given me feedback on my performance and highlighted future training events that I may find beneficial. I have received compliments from service users on the standard of care I deliver, and my polite attitude. I have received verbal feedback from my manager on my willingness to undertake extra shifts, and how I am an effective member of the team. 3.1 What is meant by â€Å"Personal Development Plan† ? A. A personal development plan is set out by an individual for them to follow in order to better themselves whether it be to gain more qualifications or progress in their work i.e. promotion etc. 3.2 Who might be involved in the personal development plan progress? A. Anyone you feel could help you with your person development i.e. your manager, colleagues, tutors, family and friends, mainly anyone you feel you can rely on for support and guidance. 3.3 Where can you get support for your learning and development? A. There are many people and places where you can get support for learning and development, i.e. attending courses, speaking to colleagues, your manager or supervisor, reading books and using the internet, and also friends and family members. 3.4 What are the benefits of using a personal development plan to identify on going improvements in own knowledge and understanding? A. The benefits of using a personal development plan is to gain a clearer focus to my learning. Helping to keep myself motivated, also gives me a better understanding of how I learn and how to improve my performance, also more enjoyment and less stress from learning as I become consciously skilled, make more aware of how to apply your learning of new problems, also reflective thinking skills that can strengthen my performance. 1.1 What is meant by Diversity A. Is an understanding that every person is unique and treating people as individuals? Equality A. Means treating everyone equally regardless of their colour, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, etc. It is different to treating people the same different people have different needs, so individuality should be taken into account. Inclusion A. Full of active participation, feeling respected, feeling a sense of belonging, being valued for who you are. Discrimination A. Unfair or unequal treatment of an individual or group on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion, belief’s or sexual orientation, being treated less favourable that someone else in the same situation, being treated unfairly. 1.2 How can direct and indirect discrimination occur in the workplace? A. Direct discrimination can occur in the workplace because they may be being treated less favourable or treated differently because of their gender, age, race disability, sexuality or religion. Indirect discrimination can or may take place when a rule or policy that applies equally to everybody is more restrictive for people from a certain group, i.e. if a company give information about its policies and procedures only in English. 1.3 How can practices that support equality, diversity and inclusion reduce the risk of discrimination? A. By supporting a person`s equality you are treating them as equal and including them in all activities, you will be reducing the likelihood of discrimination. 2.1 List key legislation and codes of practice relating to diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination in adult social care settings? A. Equality Act, Human rights Act, GSCC = The General Social Care Council. These are some to the rules that apply to all care workers. 2.2 How can you interact with someone in an inclusive way? A. You can interact with someone in an inclusive way, by respect for their beliefs, and preferences of the individual receiving the care. Promoting independence involvement of the individual, receiving care produce a written report of the activity which, is based on the plan this should be completed prior to the activity taking place. Is verified by the supervisor/manager as an authentic record of what actually took place, and demonstrates ability to manage the materials and resources to carry out the fulfilment of the aims and objectives as specified in a plan. 2.3 How might discrimination be challenged in a adult social care settings? A. This depends if the carer or service user who discriminates. If the carer then as an employee I’d raise the issue with my supervisor without waiting for a supervision meeting. They would be duty bound to take the issue on, however if you’re on good terms with the employee you could speak on friendly terms asking if they knew they were discriminating. Give them a chance to see the problem. 3.1 Identify source of information, advice and support about diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination? A. There are a variety of different methods of getting information on diversity, equality, inclusion, you can access web sites that list all of the current legations in place to protect the right of individuals, you can also obtain leaflets to give to service user, to inform them of their rights, also your line manager, your organisations, policies and procedures, your colleagues, books, articles, and care quality commission, skills for care. 3.2 How and when would you access support on the above? A. I would access support on the above when a service user feels that they need as much information as they require it at that time, and get help with all difficulties the may come across.

Solubility Factors essays

Solubility Factors essays I. Fill a beaker with 50ml of water II. Heat the water on the hot plate to about 35-40C IV. Drop a sugar cube into the water and stir until the cube completely dissolves V. Repeat until the water becomes so saturated with sugar that the granules stop dissolving and sink to the bottom of the beaker VI. Repeat steps IV and V for 50ml of room temperature water(about 20C) and ice water VII. Record the difference of how quickly the sugar cubes dissolved between temperatures into a data table After performing the lab and studying the results of the data table, we can conclude that the warmer the solvent is (in this case, water), the higher amount of solute the solvent will be able to dissolve. From the data table you can see that as the temperature decreases, so does the number of sugar cubes dissolved without granules remaining at the bottom of the beaker. To improve this lab, some things we could have done were to time the rate the sugar cubes dissolved more accurately. We could do this by immediately starting the timer when the sugar cube was dropped in and immediately pressing the stop button when all traces of sugar were dissolved. Throughout the lab, there were some discrepancies between the start and stop times. Another thing we could have improved on was how much we stirred each sugar cube after it was dropped in. The differences between the kinetic energies of the solvents could have affected the rate the sugar cubes dissolved. ...

Culture on Polygyny Sociology Essay Sample

Culture on Polygyny Sociology Essay Sample The Effect of Culture on Polygyny in Africa, Thailand and North America The Effect of Culture on Polygyny in Africa, Thailand and North America We live in a globalizing world that creates changes in society. These changes are geared towards understanding culture. Culture is shared patterns of interaction through generations of people. In societies around the world, culture is constantly impacting people’s marriage and relationship patterns. Between; Africa, Thailand and North America they all practice different levels of polygyny and understanding ones culture gives us the explanation to why these differences happen. Polygyny is when a man has more than one wife. Polygyny is the most common form of Polygamy. In most places polygyny is an adaptive practice that provides a man with many children and therefore creating more workers which later equals to more wealth. Polygyny is more common in less educated areas. Timeous (1998) found that well-educated women in polygynous societies tend to be in monogamous relationships where as the men who are more educated become financially successful and are more willing to take a second or third wife. In some cases polygyny usually has a price, a man must be wealthy enough to buy his wife or any other wives. Polygyny is a sign of wealth and having a wife who farms adds to their wealth. In Africa the culture is very polygynous marriage heavy. African men choose polygyny because having another wife or wives will contribute to the farming in the family and bring in more cash. Therefore, the wife encourages bringing in another wife so she can share the workload. Because co-wives can share and divide tasks like cooking, farming, childcare: it can free women for economic productivity therefore bringing more money into the household. A man may choose polygyny because it allows other to applaud the man for being able to pay and support more than one woman and manage a large household. Some cultures in Africa prohibit women from having intercourse for several months to several years after giving birth so in order for a man to have a large household he must engage in a polygynous marriage to make more children in between the woman’s abstinence period. In this culture women are still being objectified. Having more women signifies greater wealth. This also defers from the value of marriage because the man can’t wait for the woman’s abstinence period to end. Polygyny reflects a lot about the culture in these areas. It reflects how men care mostly about wealth and how they want mainly what’s best for themselves, whether its having the pride of being able to care for a big family or whether its being able to have many wives to do whatever he wants as he pleases. In Africa many women have come to the conclusion that they’d rather be unmarried and participate in something called â€Å"man sharing† which is having a relationship with a man who already has a wife and a job. While they participate in their man sharing they watch as their white counterparts put on a show for them, as they are repeatedly getting married and then divorced. The men who participate in this claim paternity of the child but do not help raise or support the child or their mothers. Many women choose this way of life because they see monogamy as unattainable. Marriage is important because it encourages reproduction, which ensures survival through procreation. This kind of survival is an adaptive practice. Another form of practice is maladaptive practices, which are people who choose celibacy and choose not to reproduce. No procreation threatens survival. Statistics show that more African American women are not getting married but are having children. Many are choosing adoption, which affects the rate of reproduction that is not growing significantly. In the next 20 years, if these trends continue we may see a decline in the African American population. In the past, African parents played a huge role in the selection of their children’s partners because parents wanted their children to have successful marriages. Both boys and girls had to be able to handle certain roles and responsibilities pertaining to their gender before they could marry. The children never objected to the choices that were made because they had to be obedient and their parents tried to find the best suitable match for their child. After negotiations were made and bride-wealth paid off the girl and she was free to go with her husband. The current status of marriage is different. People are free to marry whomever they choose but many marriages don’t last long anymore and some people do not even get married at all. The times have changed because of the spreading of AIDS because it has â€Å"poured cold water† on the institution of marriage. People have been more conscious whom they pick to wed their daughters too and people are scared to be with multiple partners. Even in polygynous families co-wives co-operate in spying on their spouses to make sure he is not having sexual relations with other women, because another woman may have HIV/AIDS. Some say the spreading of this disease has made relationships and marriages stronger. Because people are so scared of contracting the disease they are more serious about their marriages and less likely to cheat and step out of line. People are less likely to divorce because they don’t want to fall in love with someone who has may have AIDS. People don’t want to take unnecessary chances. In Thailand, the family dynamics incorporates home and workspace into one, which crosses the boundary between production and reproduction, mixing family/business, husband/wives, boss/employees, and money/sex. Both ethnic Thai and Chinese talk about mans need for sex and having more than wife, they consider it part of a man’s nature. To families the wife was the most desirable laborer in a family business because she was so reliable. She was structurally bound to the family business by her interests but mostly by her obligations to her family and commitment to her husband. A polygynyst’s masculine identity conflicts but forces both the wife and husband to keep the family and business doing well by compromising and making sure both parties are happy. But in such situations business and sex intertwine which blur the lines of production and reproduction. In Thai society, from childhood, men temporarily serve as monks, which is said to transform a â€Å"raw man† into a mature man and a complete person. For woman marriage is what makes them a complete person. After serving as a monk and when a man becomes a complete person an older man takes the younger man to a brothel for his first sexual experience. A man’s skill at charming women is defined by his acts as a womanizer. Which blurs the boundaries between prostitution, marriage and the monastery and allows the man to move in and out of them as they please. The Family Code of 1361 legitimized the practice of polygyny, this code classified the different wives of a noble man into four different categories, those given by the king, by parental approval and ceremonially wedded, those who married through personal choice, and slave wives. Women would constantly have conflicts with the other wives when fighting for the affection of their husband. Minor wives were from lower origin and had no power to support their positions or take any stake in the political arena. They were forced to be content with their â€Å"destiny†. In the 1920’s a few western-educated nobles suggested that polygyny be put to an end so that westerners would have a better perception of Thailand. In the mid-thirteenth century until 1932, women were considered part of a mans assets just like land, domestic animals, slaves, servants, children and the elderly. A husband or father could sell his daughter or wife without her consent and were entitled to kill his wife if she committed adultery. The opposite didn’t apply for men because women were not legal entities and had no rights. But when law banned polygyny it didn’t actually change the problem. In 1935, it was abolished not for the good of the people but for the reputation of the country. In 1949, children of immigrants from rural southern China came to Thailand called, Lukchin. A Lukchin man is strongly encouraged to become a businessman. Business is key when it comes to Chinese masculinity. Lukchin men mix their money-oriented masculinity with the Thai ways of womanizing masculinity. To show off their economic capital they show off their masculinity with business and sex and most importantly polygyny. Many in Thailand concluded that as long as one marriage was registered they were still following the law. Most people only cared about the ceremonies anyways so being registered didn’t matter to many, which allowed behind the scenes polygyny. Others avoided marriage registration to avoid taxes or retain more freedom when managing their businesses, which also allowed people to cheat the system. In 2003, it was suggested that parliament be screened to ensure the law was being followed. Many members of parliament opposed the idea and claimed that if faithfulness were a requirement there would only be about 30 of the 200 members cleared to hold their positions. In Thai society, they practice Thai Buddhism. In Buddhism men claim superiority over women. They focus on monkhood as high fields of merit for the men and as for the women they are considered to be â€Å"polluting agents† to the field of merit. That being said women are prohibited from entering the monastic order. During childhood the son is excused from household chores while the daughter is expected to start her responsibility as a domestic woman. The son is treated with greater consideration and the daughter is served to serve elders and males. From an early age the daughters know that becoming a wife and caretaker isn’t much of a choice it is their destiny. Since women are lesser than men, they were deprived of literacy and banned from education and knowledge. Women were allowed to serve as Mae chiis, which is lesser than a monk, and they were required to shave their heads and eyebrows and wear a white robe as opposed to a red one. A man could leave his wife and become a monk without her permission and he had the freedom to remarry as he pleased. A wife did not have that freedom, a wife could only remarry if she had her husband’s permission, and even with that permission she still remained his possession. If she decided to end being a Mae chii she still couldn’t remarry without breaking her marriage bond or else she would be punished by law for committing adultery. In America, Members called Mormons organized the church known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York. The church consists of statues, which forbade polygamy. The church flourished in New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois for 14 years. Under the legal enactments which recognized monogamy as the American ideal of the domestic relation. The church stated that marriage was sacred and there is no acceptance of polygyny. At that time Missouri was a slave state and anything that was opposed to the principal of slavery was looked badly upon. It was assumed that whoever was opposed to slavery would not make a good democratic citizen and form religious hatred and political dislike. This conflict brought people to conflict with their church belief and church relationship. The founding prophet Joseph Smith was reluctant to take additional wives. He claims his reluctance was overcome when he was threatened by an angel threatened him if he didn’t obey the commandmen t. Polygynous relationships were very similar to monogamous ones. Some succeeded, some failed. Some were happy, some were not. They had the same influences, like finances, health, education, living conditions, religious commitment, etc. The early LDS Church members entered polygynous relationships because they considered it a sacred duty. There weren’t many people who denied the preaching of Joseph Smith until there was an â€Å"Article on Marriage† was printed in The Doctrine and Covenants as Section 101. It contained a paragraph that said Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again. After this was published people started to persecute Joseph Smith. They thought he was wrong and making up his revelation with the angel. It was not long until the Joseph Smith was arrested. But his arrest did not destroy the church or its doctrines and polygamy continued in secret. Until 1852, when Brigham Young said those who denied the plurality of wives doctrine would be â€Å"damned†. Many people continued to live polygynously, because they claimed that is what God had commanded them to do and if they stopped without his consent they would be rejecting God. After the expulsion from Jackson County, Missouri, the church broke up their enemies drove Mormons away from four states and people realized they couldn’t physically destroy the church. So they attempted to destroy it through legislation. Congress persisted in treating polygamy as a religious tenet and within the meaning of the constitution. Which means the congress could not do anything regarding a person’s practice of religion. This caused people to lose trust in their government. Which lead to an uproar in polygyny, especially in political leaders. Over the past two hundred years, serial polygyny among politicians has declined. The focus is on politicians because across cultures, heads of political hierarchies consistently have had more mates than anybody else. Data was collected on men from all three braches of the US Government: executive, judicial and legislative. From George Washington’s first through Ronald Reagans last administration. The highest point was the marriage boom after World War II, the marriage rate gradually increased. The average number of marriages rose from around 60 per 1000 men in 1900, to close to 100 per 1000 men in 1950. American politicians may have been able to collect more wives than average men because, 1. Powerful men may have been divorced or widowed more often. Assuming that higher status correlates with lower mortality. Divorce has become more frequent between powerful men. 2. Powerful men may have been less likely to never marry. And 3. Powerful men may have had the option to remarry more often. In all societies reproduction is the most important. The greatest potential for male reproduction is in a society where marriage is monogamous with polygynous mating. When mating authorities on American slavery had agreed that slaves were sometimes the objects of sexual exploitation. Although there are only a few Presidents that have openly admitted to having had sexual relations with their slaves, it does not mean it did not happen. According to the African culture, a man is allowed to marry more than one wife. An African man, who has more than one wife, is respected in the society. The African society appreciates a man who is capable to feed a big family. Culture is learned from the previous generation, meaning that people do what their parents were doing. A man who was born in a polygamous family is likely to have several wives and follow his father’s example (Fortunato 45). Children always copy the behaviors of their parents. The African child found a home that had many women, many children, and one man. Therefore, the boy grows up knowing that a man should have more than one wife to be a complete man. Similarly, an African girl has no problem being one of the many women in a man’s home. A girl can get married as a fourth or fifth wife. It is normal and absolutely acceptable in the society. The society believes that a complete man should have many wives to bear him many children (Lampert 211). A woman is supposed to agree to get married to any man who can feed her, and give names to her children. Women in Africa want to get married to a man who has a good name. The man mostly has several wives, and women are comfortable to be among the few wives. They do not only want a companion, but a man who carries a good name. They want a name that will make their children respected in the society. In Africa, being a son or a daughter of a famous man means a lot. Therefore, every woman struggles to be married to such a man, even if he already has other wives (Nettle 612). According to Zeitzen Miriam, in Thailand, the traditions allow girls to share a husband. It is acceptable for a man to marry the first wife, who is mostly â€Å"acquired by his parents†. The man can a look for wealth with his first wife and marry a second wife. From the third wife, Thai man can get slave wives, who are referred to as minor wives. According to Thailand traditions and the law, the man has a right to own as many wives as he can feed (Zeitzen 9). However, only one wife is registered under the law as the legal wife. Other wives are not recognized by the law, but the traditions recognize them. A man pays the dowry for all of them to be given the right to sleep with them. There are communities in North America that still hold the polygyny culture. In America, only 1.4% of the population practices polygyny (Loue 81). American law prohibits marriage between more than two partners. A person can only marry another spouse if a legal divorce procedure has been completed. P olygyny is illegal, and its victims are prosecuted. A person can go to jail or pay fines for marrying a partner when he still has a wife. However, polygyny still exists in North America. George Monger points out that there are Native American communities that still practice polygyny secretly. They marry one legal wife, while marrying secondary wives secretly. The ceremonies are done in secret, using the traditional setup. In the society, a secondary wife should not be seen with a man. They should pretend to be single mothers with children from a particular man. However, they cannot reveal that they are wives to a man (Monger 32). African women have been oppressed for many years. In most African societies, a woman does not have a say. She should obey the voice of her man without questioning it. In fact, a woman is not allowed to participate in decisions, even those regarding her personal life. It is the responsibility of the elders and fathers to decide what happens in her life. Therefore, any man who desires to marry her can do that with the approval of their parents and clan leaders (Lampert 212). According to the Masaai community of Kenya, a woman cannot refuse to be married, even as the tenth wife, in case the man has proved to the elders that he has enough cows to pay the bride price and feed the woman and her children. Therefore, the man is a slave in the society. She is supposed to follow the rules that man set on her behalf. She accepts to share a man with many women. She has to obey the societal rules, since she has to live in the society (Loue 80). A woman, who rejected to share her husband, could be punished or thrown out of the society (Zeitzen 11). Thus, the African woman had to obey. In a case of the first wife, she had to allow her husband marry as many women as he liked. The woman is supposed to welcome the wives to the home and show the way ahead (Nettle 614). Thailand women are also discriminated. They are seen as objects, belonging to men. After the second wife, the other wives are referred to as slave wives. They are minor wives who are not recognized by the law. They are sex objects and workers. A man uses them to acquire children and wealth. In North American communities that participate in polygyny, women are also oppressed. The part from the first wife, who is legal in the law, others act like concubines. They are only associated with the man sexually. They work to earn their living and have to obey him. They cannot look for other partners or male friends. According to Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a man has the right to have wives and concubines, just like the Old Testament heroes had (Lampert 213). According to Tracy Kathleen, polygyny is mostly practiced by men who are wealthy. In most cases, a poor man only stays with one wife. He cannot afford to feed many children and several wives. In the African context, men that had big farms are the ones who marry more than one wife. A man should be in a capacity to cater for the needs of his family. Therefore, only the wealthy can afford to do so. In Thailand, the culture is the same. Men who have the money to pay the dowry to the second and third wives are the ones who could marry more than one woman (Tracy 93). However, in North America, polygyny was not so much associated with wealth, but it was rather a religious activity. Even if in most instances, men had to consider their capacity to feed the family, the poor men even considered that decision. They could marry with an aim of getting wealthy. Wealth in the African culture is determined by the number of children one owns. It is not possible for one woman to give a man more than 20 children (Fortunato 46). Therefore, it requires a man who wants to be in the list of wealthy people to increase the number of lives. The more wives a man has, the more the number of children is. Traditionally, every woman is expected to give her husband as many children as she can bore. The aim is to make a man wealthy. Children, wives, livestock, and farms are all put in one basket, known as a property. Therefore, a man in the community has to do everything possible to increase his wealth (Zeitzen 13). Loue, Sana argues that religion also contributes to polygyny. In North America, followers of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints practice polygyny. Despite the fact that other Christians believe that polygyny is against their beliefs, members of this church believe otherwise. They claim that the most respected persons in the Old Testament had more than one wife. David had many wives and concubines (Loue 77). He even killed Uriah to marry his life. However, God still says that David is the only man after his heart. Abraham was a man of faith and the father of faith to all Christians. However, he Married Hagar and gave birth to a son, Ishmael (Nettle 615). God did not reject his people who were polygamous. In this case, members of this church claim that the Bible supports polygyny. They argue that Jesus came to strengthen the commandment and the rule of Moses. In this case, polygyny is right and should not be condemned. The government tried to fight with this fai th, but some people still practice polygyny in the name of religion (Lampert 215). The Islam religion allows a man to marry up to four wives. A man should have the capacity to feed all the wives and treat them in a similar manner. Thailand, Africa, and North America have Muslims, who practice polygyny because their religion allows it. They follow the Sharia Law, thus, cannot be prosecuted under other laws. The African traditional religion puts the man at the top. He is God’s creation and has the right to rule over a woman. Therefore, a woman should obey what the man believes is right because he has the hand of God (Tracy 95). According to Loue Sana, most people who practice polygyny are illiterate. They follow what their great grandparents did. They are conservative and want to be primitive. In fact, most of the communities in Africa that still embrace polygyny, are against formal education (Loue 83). They force girls to drop schools and marry old men. In their mind, a woman should be in the kitchen and at home. She should not get education or be a public person (Nettle 617). A woman has a private life, and should not be public. To be able to maintain this perspective, they fight against education for women. They do not take their girls to school because they do not want them to see the light. In Thailand, it is only the illiterate girls that agree to share husbands. Literate girls have rejected this oppressive tradition. They want to be free from the practices that oppress them (Zeitzen 14). In North America, the Native communities that have not been fully educated are the ones that marry more than one s pouse. Learned people are concerned with making a modern family that has freedom, friendship, and companionship. It is impossible to create a partnership with four wives and thirty children. Therefore, people avoid such families that cause a lot of harm to the modern family (Lampert 216). According to Nettle, as a result of polygyny, girls are forced to drop out of educational institutions to get married (617). In Africa, most of the communities that practice polygyny do not take their girls to school. Girls are seen as property and a means of wealth. In this case, they should be â€Å"sold† to a man who wants them. The girls are denied basic education to become wives. Their fathers and other clan members wait for the girl to start maturing, and then declare her as a grown up. Among the Somali community, girls as young as nine years can get married. They are not allowed to choose a man to marry. Instead, their father is the one who agrees or disagrees on matters of his daughter’s suitors (Nettle 615). In most cases, polygyny is the main reason behind female genital mutilation. The girls are young and not mature to become wives. Therefore, communities come up with an event that will make the girls mature. They circumcise the young girls to prepare them to become women. FGM has a lot of negative consequences in lives of women. It can cause death and other complications in life of a victim. Unfortunately, they have to undergo the cutting procedure for them to be mature enough to be wives (Fortunato 46). Fortunato points out that HIV and AIDs is a common cause of polygyny. When a man has one wife and remains faithful to her, the two are likely to satisfy each other sexually. They are committed to each other, thus, can get satisfaction. In a polygyny family, a man has several wives. A man is likely to get satisfied because he can have a woman every time he wants. However, a woman sees her husband once per week or even after two weeks (Fortunato 40). It can take longer time if a man has a favorite woman that he desires more than others. If a man spends more nights with a particular woman, the rest are likely to suffer loneliness and sexual dissatisfaction. Therefore, women might be tempted to look for other man to satisfy them. Consequently, they can get HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. The diseases will be transmitted from one woman to a man, and to other women in the family. As a man continues to marry new wives, he puts his family at risk. The new wife can have a disease that the family did not have. Through her intercourse with the shared husband, the family acquires diseases that a woman brings (Monger 34). Tracy Kathleen argues that polygyny causes a lot of poverty in Africa, Thailand, and North America. It is hard for a man to bring up more than thirty children. As a result of polygyny, women give a man many children who are seen as his wealth. Unfortunately, this wealth turns into poverty. There is no free land in the world that the traditional families used for framing. There are many challenges in the current world (Tracy 97). The children born in a polygamous family cannot get a comfortable life. They are too many to feed with the amount of resources available today. Consequently, the children born, are at a risk of high poverty. The girls are married at a young age to old men or as third and fourth wives to a wealthy man to earn the family a living. The family is usually eager and ready to do anything that can give them money. As a result, the girls are exposed to another lineage, just like their mother. They give birth to other poor children, born in a polygamous family. The tre nd continues, and this is one of the reasons Africa and Thailand are still underdeveloped countries (Nettle 616). As a result of poverty because of polygyny, crime rates increase. In Africa, there are high rates of insecurity. Children do not get the education because the parents cannot afford it. Hence, they cannot get employment (Zeitzen 15). The parents do not have the money to give them, so that they can start some kind of business. The poor youths require surviving. They end up joining gangs to rob and participate in other crimes to get money. Most of the young people who have joined terrorist groups come from polygamous families. In fact, most of the youths in terrorist groups are believed to come from Islam religion. They are brought up without good care from their father (Lampert 217). They lack a father figure and a man’s authority when growing up. The fathers are busy trying to work for their family. They have many children and they cannot concentrate on all of them. They cannot understand when the children need them or require attention. Thus, they become deviate from the norms of the society. They want to do what other people are not doing. Crime rates increase because the children brought up in polygamous families are poor and have poor parental education (Fortunato 50). According to Nettle David, polygyny families cause conflicts and disagreements in the society. According to polygamous communities in Thailand, only a first wife is legally married, according to the law. The other wives are secondary and cannot claim any inheritance. In North America, the case is the same. A man should only marry one wife (Nettle 618). The secondary wives are secretly married. It is only the family that knows they are wives. They should never claim to be wives to a man who have a first wife. It becomes very hard for a family to share resources. Children are entitled to inheritance. In case a man dies, the family is left in a dispute. The wives and the children fight for the wealth that a man leaves. The conflicts escalate because the family is too big to be united. In some cases, these family conflicts led to murder and planned revenge that can take a long time to resolve (Zeitzen 16).