Civil Disobedience makes governments more accountable for...

Civil Disobedience makes governments more accountable for their actions and has been an important catalyst for overcoming unpopular government policies. To voice his disgust with slavery, in 1849 Henry David Thoreau published his essay, Civil Disobedience, arguing that citizens must not allow their government to override their principles and have a civic duty to prevent their government from using unjust means to ends. The basis for Thoreau’s monumental essay was his refusal to pay a poll tax, which subsequently landed him a night in county jail. In his passage: â€Å"If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth—certainly the machine will wear†¦show more content†¦The Moral March on Raleigh brought an additional 70,000 to North Carolina in 2014, opposed to the mere 15,000 who previously showed in 2013. The goal of the peaceful movement was to hold the North Carolina Republi can legislature accountable for their decisions that have proven to have a detrimental affect on their constituents. Lastly, at the Suffrage Parade on March 3, 1913, lawyer Inez Milholland Boissevain led a parade of more than 5,000 marchers down Washington D.C.s Pennsylvania Avenue. With more than $14,000 raised, the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) became one of the most important events in the struggle to grant women natural born the right to vote. During the protest, many angry misogynists hurled cigarette butts, shouted insults and even threw punches at the marchers. Although the parade planners had obtained the necessary police permits for the event, the police did little to protect the marchers from the aggressive resistance. Two hundred marchers were beaten, but consistent with their commitment to peaceful protest, none of them fought back; they were catalysts for peaceful change. The NAWSA’s protest was designed to bring awareness to women’s need forShow MoreRelatedLessons in Civil Disobedience828 Words   |  4 Pagesdoes not have a black and white answer because no one is exactly alike. Everyone has their own opinion and right to voice that opinion, and there are numerous ways of doing so. As a citizen with my own beliefs, I believe I have the right to violate laws if I feel morally obligated to. The amount of progress that America has made in such a short amount of time is astonishing. In some ways it seems as if the only way to make any headway is to speak up. If I was morally opposed to a policy or law I wouldRead MorePersuasive Essay On Civil Disobedience992 Words   |  4 Pages the most important Civil Rights leader, once said â€Å"One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.† Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential individuals in United States history, and is still recognized today for his peaceful approach on change. He believed that it was the peoples’ job to point o ut the flaws of society, and hold the government accountable for them. Many say that it is not the peoples’ responsibility to take this kind of action; however, no one has the leverageRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail986 Words   |  4 PagesDaniela Reynoso October 26, 2014 Government I Iverson Fall 2014 Midterm Throughout history, there have been many significant documents and speeches that enlighten and inform us on what is and was happening during those times. Abraham Lincoln’s speech, The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail are two important pieces of history. In Lincoln’s speech he speaks about the dangers of slavery in the United States and warned everybody thatRead MoreRacism And The World s Greatest Issues Today Essay1270 Words   |  6 Pagespast but it sure has not disappeared. Racism very much exists everywhere and it is about time that individuals start thinking about solutions to this problem. Many people assume that it depends on if an individual was brought into the world as a racist or not but that is not the case at all. In fact, an individual cannot be born a racist but only learn to become one as they develop from child to adulthood. Basic causes for this problem include mainstream ideas, institutions, government standings, andRead MoreTerrorism Is Motivated By Fear1599 Words   |  7 PagesHumanity is motivated by fear. Through its unpredictably and the trauma of its aftermath, terrorism is the ultimate threat to a nation’s sense of security. It has the capacity to alter a nation’s psyche, to cause leaders to create and enforce a nation’s strictest laws, and to spawn debates over the measures needed to ensure peace. Governments frequently devise legislation to prevent terrorism, yet the question always remains: should citizens’ rights and freedoms be compromised to fight terrorism, andRead MoreMany Countries That Claim To Be A Democracy Are Quasi Democracies1960 Words   |  8 Pagesdemocracy because it takes away the people’s right to vote and pick proper representation. The media either promote subject or participant mindset depending on if it is government controlled or influenced. A controlled media is a red flag because it prevents the citizens from getting multiple perspectives on government issues and makes it easier to create mindless subjects using propaganda. When the power of the executive is not limited or checked to prevent executive dominance, then this is a majorRead MoreJonathan Roghubir. Ethics Of Engagment. Professor Genzale...2085 Words   |  9 Pagesethical manner allows people to make decisions based on position of self and society. People all over transpire from many different ethnic backgrounds leaving the world very diverse. What people fail to realize is that not everyone can be the same. If that was the case it would be unusual to see different races, gender, and language. The things that make up our community is what makes us unique and stand out as a nation. People must not become blind to the things that make our country free, just and provideRead MoreDemocracy in China Essay examples3298 Words   |  14 PagesIntroduction The topic of democracy in China is a highly controversial topic. Although China has not democratised, it has done well in the global situation amongst its democratic competitors. Since the path to democracy is different for each country, we cannot expect that China would follow the same path or same model of democracy as the western nations. This essay will look at what democracy is and how it can be placed in a Chinese context as well as looking at the proponents and opponents ofRead MoreEthics3106 Words   |  13 PagesEthics can be defined as a set of principles of right conduct, or a theory or system of moral values. High ethical values are very important to have as individuals, and even more important to have within a corporation. Yet ethics do not always seem to get the focus that they deserve. All one has to do is turn their attention to high-profile scandals [that] cast a shadow, reminding us about the consequences of unethical behavior and shady business practices to reali ze that high moral ethics are notRead MoreA Law Enforcement Officer For The Past 19 Years6925 Words   |  28 Pagesenforcement. Community trust is an extremely important relationship between the agency and its citizens. It is the key to effective policing and law enforcement administrators have the responsibility to their agencies and to their citizens to continuously make this relationship positive. In order to accomplish this administrators must create an environment within their agencies where ethical behavior is expected and where each member of that agency is accountable for reaching those standards. While

Early Christianity Essay examples - 822 Words

The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity. Christianity experienced many pitfalls along the path to fulfillment. As in history, today we find ourselves learning Christ’s lessons†¦show more content†¦Imperial persecution became wholesale throughout the Empire. Initially the Jewish community was the instigators of this persecution of Christians. The book of Acts outlines several incidents involving such persecution. During the decade of 60 A.D., periods of Roman persecution occurred, however this persecution was sporadic. For example, Nero was ruler of the Roman Empire, under his reign Rome was set on fire and burnt to the ground. Christians became the scapegoat for this cowardly act. Tasitus wrote that perhaps Nero himself started the blaze, as an excuse to persecute the Christians. Nero’s acts of persecution were contained within the confines of Rome. In contrast to the persecution experienced by early Christian followers, Christianity today does not experience the level of outward persecution. Christianity is practiced in an atmosphere nearly void of violence. It was not until the reign of Constantine when Christians were authorized to practice their chosen faith. The â€Å"Ediet of Milan†(313 A.D.), gave official recognition to the Christian faith, thus ending persecution within the Roman Empire. Before Constantine’s rule, there were many rulers eager to drive out the Christians. The Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.) established the first official policy relating to Christians and how they should be dealt with. Diocletion and the Apologists were the last of the persecutors in this era before Constantine. This marked the end of open persecutionShow MoreRelatedThe Christianity Of Persecution Of The Early Church2528 Words   |  11 PagesFor Christians, the persecution of the early church is generally accepted as fact. So much so that we rarely seem to consider the possibility that this is not the case. The martyrdom of saints for their faith is taken for granted as historically accurate. Furthermore, we admire them, looking up to the strength of their faith during the most challenging of times. But are we believing in a false history? Are we taking the truth of Christian persecution for granted when it is, in fact, not true at allRead MoreWho Marcion Is Important For The Development Of Early Christianity1220 Words   |  5 PagesNot all would call him a Christian scholar, but he was the most interesting second century Christian and also the most detrimental to the development of early Christianity and his name was Marcion. In this essay I will be explaining who Marcion is and why he was so important for the development of early Christianity. To start off my research paper my first resource was by Peter Head, The Foreign God And The Sudden Christ : Theology And Christology In Marcion s Gospel Redaction, in which he talksRead More The Decline of Womens Roles in Early Christianity Essay2270 Words   |  10 PagesThe Decline of Womens Roles in Early Christianity Suddenly Jesus met them and said, `Greetings! And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. (Matthew 28:9)# Near the end of each of the four Christian gospels, it is women who first discovered that the body of Jesus was missing and who were the first to report seeing him after his death. Certainly then, this is a major indication of the high involvement of women in early Christianity. With such high status undoubtedly mustRead MoreChristianity : The Early Church And The Dawn Of The Reformation1203 Words   |  5 Pages Since its inception, various leaders have contributed to the overall development of the Christian Church, thereby effecting change and defining the trajectory of the Church as it stands today. In The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, Justo Gonzà ¡lez points to two apostles—Peter and Paul, or Saul—as exemplars of such leadership, and the evidence suggests that both of these men had a considerable in fluence on the evolution of the Church. Concerning credentialsRead MoreLoans with Interest in Early Christianity and Islam Essay1075 Words   |  5 PagesRami Ibrahim 0641174 BADM 4370 – History of Business Instructor: Michael Morrone Individual Assignment Loans with Interest in Early Christianity and Islam February 7, 2012 When an individual thinks of religion, the first thing that comes to a believer’s mind is the nonnegotiable worship of a supreme being(s) as a source of tranquility whenever he/she is in distress. On the other hand, to a pro-secularization individual, religion only causes pricey conflicts between different cultures andRead MoreRobert Louis Wilken Writes Of Early Christianity From The1961 Words   |  8 PagesRobert Louis Wilken writes of early Christianity from the perspective of Roman historical accounts, focusing on five major critics of the religion, and ultimately drawing the conclusion that these critics were instrumental in helping Christians more clearly define their faith through self-examination and defense of their own beliefs. With the exception of Pliny, whose opinions and actions were of little consequence throughout the Roman Empire, true dialogue began to take place as Christian philosophyRead MoreThe Spread Of Early Christianity917 Words   |  4 PagesAfter close examination of the historical article provided, this document appears to be a letter containing a firsthand account relating the procedures of the interrogation and persecution of Christians during the spread of early Christianity. The author addresses the recipient of the letter by proclaiming, â€Å"my lord† and further referring to his lord as his authority throughout the remaining four paragraphs through the use of second person such as â€Å"you,† â€Å"your name,† and â€Å"your instructions† (1, 3-5)Read MoreChristianity And The Early Stages1468 Words   |  6 PagesHave you ever wondered how Christianity was spread in the early stages? and what influenced it? Rome held a huge part in both of these things. The Roman emperors, culture, and the Roman religion all were things that influenced early Christianity very much. The time period in which Jesus was on earth was probably the best time he could have come. It was a time of Hellenization, right after Rome had taken over Greece. Most of the world was in the Greek empire before it was taken over by Rome, soRead MoreThe Early Disagreements Within Christianity1091 Words   |  5 PagesI believe this is one of the reasons Christianity thrived because people needed some shrivel of hope. 7. Outline some of the early disagreements within Christianity. See (Christianity for the First 3,000 Years) for details. Consider the nature of Jesus, the Gnostic gospels, the Council of Nicaea etc. The resurrection of Jesus himself is a concept that is hard to believe. How can a man come back to life, and why is this the first time this has happened? Jesus was not written about till after hisRead MoreAdam and Eve Essay 31412 Words   |  6 Pageswe are counted sinful because of Adam’s sin, but Adam sinned because he lusted after Eve and because of this all women must be condemned in the churches. â€Å"Seeing women as flesh, as potentially dangerous to men, made easy the incorporation into Christianity of all the older beliefs and practices surrounding women’s bodies and reproduction. Drawing especially on Hebrew traditions of the old testament, Christian writers gradually asserted that women’s bodies had the power to pollute.† (Anderson Zinsser

Social Media Presence and Strategy of Deloitte

Question: Discuss about the Social Media Presence and Strategy of Deloitte. Answer: Introduction Social media has now become an important part of any companys branding and marketing strategy. Social media ends up providing a way to directly interact with consumers, it many times is a face of the company, a great way to understand the consumer sentiments and hire employees, issue important notice, etc. Deloitte is a consulting, auditing company with a significant social media presence online. They are very active and involved with their followers. We would be looking at their social media strategy. Social Media Presence: LinkedIn: Almost all the major companies are present on LinkedIn, since LinkedIn is the world largest professional network website. Even though Deloitte is a country specific partnership model consulting firm, but they maintain a common page for Deloitte as a whole which captures all the service lines. There are more than 200,000 subscribers of Deloitte page and they share informative contents related to auditing, taxation, latest Government Regulation, their consulting approach and technology. They showcase themselves as few of those vendors who believe in end to end suctioning. They are very active on LinkedIn and very prompt in replying to queries as well and hence their page is pretty responsive and famous. Facebook: This is biggest social network that is present in the world. Going by the number of people using Facebook, the stat goes like if Facebook would have been a country then it would have been the third largest populated nation in the world. Deloitte maintains a very responsive Facebook page in which they unleash the potential of connecting with the people. There they share more people centric material and try to showcase their professionalism and ability to connect with the people at large(Semonsu, 2010). The posts are very less related to professional know how but are more inclined towards mannerism and professionalism that they believe is the way professional must like their life like. Twitter: Twitter is microblogging site, which most of the young population uses to connect with their favorite companies and news feeds. They maintain a very busy page on twitter and through that they keep on sharing their success stories and new wins and more importantly whenever they publish any information on the internet, twitter is their Go to website to post and get maximum number of hits(Lee McCabe, 2013). They introduce their leadership and thought leadership through twitter and they have a huge following. They are also very active on forums like World Economic Forums etc. in which they provide their point of view on the discussions. The website which is the go to website now when a person wishes to get some information about the company. Ranging from the profiles they have to offer to the interview information and even the salary related information(Jantsch, 2014). Deloitte is pretty active on the website and formally approves majority of information that is shared by people on Glassdoor. This helps them to build a sense of trust among the people and hence people find them a reliable company to join. They even encourage their staff to rate them on Glassdoor, which not many companies do. Deloitte believes that the way it treats its employees, they maintain good feedback overall. Social Media Audience: Professionals: Being a consulting company they always need good pool of consultants to be collaborative with them and social media is the way they try to approach the good pool of professionals. They share some really informative stuffs like reports and point of view on social media that professionals follow them to keep themselves updated in the current happenings in the professional world(IBM, 2012). It is not easy to maintain this contact as there are tons of consulting services sharing loads of material. This way professionals follow them and they have their target audience with them which they can reach out to in case they need a new resource. Prospective Clients: They can show their through leaderships and point of views on various topics by which the companies can see if they have solution to their budding problems or they have found out a problem that is not recognized by the companies yet. This way they are able to showcase their roadshow free of cost and make a solid connect with their prospective clients and ensure to give them a flavor of their knowledge capabilities that they bring on the table. This way they become a huge favorites of the clients and when such a work is desired the companies know whom to approach. CEO Level Collaborations: All the business strategic decisions are taken by the C level executives only and that is the reason they need to collaborate with them. They are through in bringing them in discussions with their proactive pitching towards the areas of interests for the C Level executives and ensuring that they are able to break some conversation with them and hence this is an opportunity for them to present a sales pitch(Sitel, 2012). This way they are able to sell a considerable amount of business. This is a very innovative mode as C Level executives have the budgets for the consulting engagements and hence they are able to thorough insights that are needed. Universities: Deloitte is known for attracting a good pool of people straight from the campuses and that is the reason they wants to maintain a good relation with the universities. They do it by maintaining a brand among the students by sharing stuff that is of relevance to them and again offering internships etc. All this collaboration is easier to form and maintain when done through social media. This is not a straight and direct method of campus hiring. The thing is that in order to attract the best talent, there is a need to maintain an image and that is achieved by Social media. Competitors: Consulting services are offered by more than one thousand companies across the globe and that in order to maintain a differentiation among the competitors, there is a need to showcase the capabilities at which Deloitte is working and hence Social media is a platform for them to show their competitors some insights around the amazing work that they are developing,. This is not just to prove that they are notch ahead, but also to ensure that if there is any collaboration opportunity then the same may be achieved and hence a better solution can be presented in the partnership mode in the market. This is their way of attacking the market. Social Media Marketing: Point of Views: Point of view is a thought paper that is published by the companies in order to show their understanding on the given subject and to ensure that they are able to prove that they have the best understanding on the subject overall. This is the simple and short of letting the world know that Deloitte does maintains a strong capability in the subject and hence the results are bound to be in the positive interest. The thing that must be noticed here is that Point of Views are not the solution but an understanding established towards the problem and how can a good solution be prepared around. White Papers: White papers are another form of though leaderships but in some level of depth and also toward targeting a small, niche and very specific business proposition or solution. Through this the consultants of Deloitte basically showcase their experience and ensure that their knowledge is known to all and they are treated as the SME in the area. The White papers are the approach to tell the world that inside Deloitte some thorough business problems are solved with the most effective solutions that has the ability to make a loss making entity into a profitable engagement and also ensuring that results are achieved quickly. Thought Leaderships: This about proposals and pursuits that they publish online as a part of their success stories. This is more to showcase the companies in the similar genres that they have done some excellent works in the field stated in the thoughts and that the company may be suffering from the similar problems(KPMG, 2010). This way there is a chance to basically fetch the same account in the similar industry and hence expand the business in the right direction. Though leadership is something that all the consulting companies do, but Deloitte is meticulous in their knowledge sharing capabilities and hence the results are also amazing. Reports: They do a lot of reports around some prevailing business or industry and do a thorough analysis around the future of the business and that is what they make public. The amount to effort that goes into making a report of that thorough nature is very high and hence it gives an insight about the companys ability to take a dig at the issues and ensure that some good outcomes are attained. This is made available for free most of the time and hence gives an opportunity to outside stakeholders to see how the people of Deloitte are able to approach the problem. Industrial Insights: This is a very interesting aspect of sharing that Deloitte does. They provide some very thorough industry insights and they are able to capture the essence of the industry as is scenario and also able to see what is going to happen to the industry in some time frame. Through this they propose solution around the problems and hence it is a good opportunity to basically go ahead and convert the sales properly. Industry insights are kind of eye openers for companies as they are able to show the roadmap to the industries and hence industries can take a calculate decision in their project budgeting. Ethics, Privacy Security: Non Sharing of Client related Data: They do share a lot of material and sometimes the information is also about the account that they have won or deployed successfully. But they do manage that they only share some very selective information about the client through social media and they are ethical in non sharing of any data that is a trade secret of the client. They maintain the ethical relation and hence able to manage the relation in a long term format. Client data is always shared in collaboration with the client and they are professional in this regard. Sometime Client is not comfortable in sharing some really confidential data and Deloitte ensures that none of their employees also do not share any data that they are not supposed to share. No forced recommendations: They always maintain a dignified relationship with their followers and in none of their social media touch point have they ever shared any forced recommendation unlike many other consulting companies. The reason for this is that they maintain a single page for all their consulting offerings which they project as an end to end solution offering. However, many companies project it as a different offering and hence if a person has liked their single page they will force them to like their other pages and hence it makes the learning experience very rugged and hence they are good in managing their online accounts. The force recommendation concept was started by mainly IT companies where they have a separate department for each offering. But that is not the case with Deloitte. No newsfeed on subscriptions: They share data in a systematic manner and not in a way that they wish to just share something. Whatever they share they want people to read it and understand it and if needed should also discuss the stuff to expand the knowledge horizons. The news feed is not their way of working, they work on interest group sharing model in which they share stuff with relevant people based on what they want to learn or read and hence that makes the collaboration very effective and ensures that they provide quality input to the business professionals and help them to collaborate in a very defined manner, such that they are able to build a stronger network with the masses in a proper manner. Non Sharing of Details of Subscribers: They have millions of subscribers and they always ensure that they will never share their details with other pages. They maintain the secrecy of the data shared by the people who have subscribed them and always maintain an ethical collaboration with them. This is to prove that ethical working is a way of life for them and that they will not pass on any information to the other companies and share the stuff shared by the subscribers exclusively with them is something that is there to ensure that company is working hard to ensure that there is no loss of trust at any level of understanding, Usually, companies may share the data but then where is the trust that is broken by the company. Social Media Technologies: Search Engine Optimization: This is one of the core technology that is there is use as a part of unleashing the social media capabilities. The Social media is all about maintaining a shorter distance between the target audience and yourself(MCGRATH, 2010). If in that case the company is not being shown in the top of the search charts then there is no way that a company will by any means get the traction that is needed to be achieved. The search results are important and not just for the home page, but also of the shares and thought leadership that is produced by the company. This leads to the development of a pool of followers and based on that all the other demands are fulfilled. Consider a situation in which CEO of the company is seeking possible point of views for a business problem he is facing. Now in case the results of Deloittes capabilities are not shown in the first few results then it is a loss of opportunity for them and hence loss of sales. The account is grown as land and expand strategy and using this feature it is almost a loss game for Deloitte if they ignore the possibilities to grab every opportunity and SEO is their ticket to excel in that manner. Social Media Analytics: Social Media analytics is a very important tool to ensure that the company is actually targeting the right set of people and that is possible only when the data is analyzed thoroughly. The data is available everywhere nowadays and those player who are able to crunch it most efficiently are the ultimate winners of the race(Collin, 2009). This is what Deloitte is doing properly, they analyze it properly that who are the C Level executives who are viewing their reports and what are the kind of shares that are gaining the maximum amount of tractions and also what is the most sensitive and approachable geography for them. In this manner they are able to ensure that they are able to get hold of the best business results for themselves and that they are also sure that what are the kind of markets, they must approach and ensure to get good results. These are some of the intruding business problems that are not solved readily in the set up. Analytics is the solution and Deloitte is using it effectively and in a proper manner without much issues. Target Audience Acquisition: This is an extension of the analytics piece that ones they have identified the right set they approach them with the correct business proposition and hence able to attain good results that are complete and recurring. Conclusion As we have seen Deloitte is very active in social media, mainly in LinkedIn as it a social network of professionals. Because of the type of business, it regularly engages with the audience with thought leadership content. Deloitte regularly uses social media advertising to reach their target audience. As social media also reveals important insights as to the number of visitors, their actions, etc. Deloitte is one of those companies that have shifted its offline marketing budget to online and reaping amazing benefits out of it. References: Collin, P. (2009). Benefits of Social Networking Services. New South Whales: University of NSW. IBM. (2012). From social media to Social CRM. Massachusates: IBM Global Business Services. Jantsch, J. (2014). Social Media for Small Business. Paris: DuctTape Marketing. KPMG. (2010). Going Social How businesses are making the most of social media. Boston: KOMG Global. Lee McCabe, S. J. (2013). Social? Thats for consumers. For travel companies, social media means business. London: Deloitte. Mcgrath, S. (2010). The Impact Of New Media Technologies On Social Interaction In The Household. Maynooth : Maynooth University. Semonsu, J. (2010). The case of Social Media in decade ahead. New York: Deloite. Sitel. (2012). Social Media Customer Engagement. Louvre: Sitel.

What Is Technology Assessment Essays - Technology,

What Is Technology Assessment? EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report aims to familiarize and to provide an understanding of Technology Assessment both in its past and present form. Its different viewpoints, approaches, tools and methods, which are all relevant to the engineering decision-maker and analyst alike, are discussed. The four different Technology Assessment paradigms as described by Eijnhoven (1997) along with the views of lecturers in this subject on the question What is Technology Assessment? , is also discussed and analysed. By understanding the roots of technological assessment and its impacts on everyday life, one can recognize and appreciate the importance of its presence in an ever-changing environment. The first part of this report aims to achieve this. The second part of this report describes the increased need for engineers to incorporate Technology Assessment into engineering decision making and its practice. Different engineering disciplines will see Technology Assessment in different perspectives. How they will approach a particular problem through the different environmental, social, technical, economic and political factors is part of the decision making process (Taylor, 2000). THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT Brief History In the post-war era, the necessity of taking into account social costs and benefits as well as private costs and benefits became apparent. At the time, problems relating to forecasting the future consequences of complex technologies became more and more obvious (Freeman 1995). Such an example if the issue of nuclear power. The limitations of a purely economics-based assessment of social and environmental problems had become clear. It was in these circumstances that techniques of 'Technology Assessment' began to be used in an attempt to overcome the short-comings and limitations of cost-benefit analysis. Thus, Technology Assessment was adopted by U.S Congress and governments from around the world and was widely recognised through the need to make publicly available assessment of the potential risks, hazards, costs and benefits of developing new technologies. It also sparked the importance of parliamentary control of assessment procedures and the involvement of diverse disciplines. Reflections An example of developing new technologies would be the resource presentation by Wahidul Biswas on Socio-Technical Design in Mechanical Engineering. In his presentation, Wahidul talks about the consequences of new technologies, that is, social and environmental aspects. New technologies (NT's) centers less on the numbers employed (a social aspect) and leads to incomplete combustion and biomass consumption in developing countries (an environmental aspect). Technology Assessment as described in Eijnhoven readings by the lecture from Bronwyn Holland as a metaphor that 'Technology Assessment illuminates the darkness/opacity of the technology society interface' (Eijnhoven 1997). This is quite true. In a society where nothing is very open, Technology Assessment is necessary to bring technology and society to 'light', so to speak, in order to gain a better understanding. One important purpose of technology assessment, in general, will be continual improvement. By using evaluation results, one will better understand how a technological product or process is working and where it is headed. With this greater understanding, better decisions can be made that will improve/refine the life of the product or process in the long run. Examples would include: ? radiation ? nuclear energy ? fuel emissions Negative effects of the above, in general, are becoming positive effects through the continual implementation of technology assessment. Another good example would be in the area of Health Technologies. The resource presentation by Hung Nguyen on Design issues in Electrical Engineering talks about the need to design a non-invasive hypoglycaemia monitor capable of monitoring hypoglycaemia conditions, without extracting blood or body fluid. Technology assessment is necessary in designing such a device for diabetic patients. Using new and improving technology, more advanced monitoring systems can be designed and implemented to better fulfil society. Engineers are currently working on such a device. As stated in his lecture, there is no hypoglycaemia monitor in the market at present. There are many different reasons to evaluate a particular technology. Many people think of an assessment as a nerve-wracking process meant to determine continued funding or recognition. Although making decisions on continued funding or recognition could be a purpose of technology assessment, there are many other reasons why one should assess technology. Some of these reasons are: ? To provide information to engineers and others on aspects of the technology that work well and the potential problems that arises. ? To catch potential