Outline the Inequality Problems That Persist in Terms of Pay for Men and Women.

Wikipedia The Equal Pay Act 1970 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which prohibits any less favourable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. It was passed by Parliament in the aftermath of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike[1][2][3][4] and came into force on 29 December 1975. The term pay is interpreted in a broad sense to include, on top of wages, things like holidays, pension rights, company perks and some kinds of bonuses. The legislation has been amended on a number of recent occasions to incorporate a simplified approach under European Union law that is common to all member states. Equal pay for women is an issue regarding pay inequality between men and women. It is often introduced into domestic politics in many first world countries as an economic problem that needs governmental intervention via regulation. The Equal Remuneration Convention requires its over 160 states parties to have equal pay for men and women. A report commissioned by the International Trade Union Confederation in 2008 shows that, based on their survey of 63 countries, there is a significant gender pay gap of 15. 6 %. Excluding Bahrain, where a positive gap of 40% is shown (due possibly to very low female participation in paid employment), the global figure is 16. 5%. Women who are engaged in work in the informal economy have not been included in these figures. Overall, throughout the world, the figures for the gender pay gap range from 13% to 23%. The report found that women are often educated equally high as men, or to a higher level but â€Å"higher education of women does not necessarily lead to a smaller pay gap, however, in some cases the gap actually increases with the level of education obtained†. The report also argues that this global gender pay gap is not due to lack of training or expertise on the part of women since â€Å"the pay gap in the European Union member states increases with age, years of service and education†. [4][5] www. employeebenefits. co. uk/item/11642/pg_dtl_art†¦ /pg_ftr_art †¢Under the Equality Act 2010, employers can no longer use secrecy clauses to prevent employees from discussing pay rates. †¢According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, the median gender pay gap for full-time workers in the private sector is 20. %. †¢Employers can identify any pay gap via pay audits and job evaluations. †¢Issues making it difficult for women to get to top jobs should be tackled. Yahoo answers; assume you employ 7 women and 7 men, all the same age, and you pay them all the same wage for the same job.. then 3 of the women tell you that they want to leave, to have a child.. you have to pay them â€Å"maternity leave† and hold their job open, in case they want to return, after they have had their child.. t costs you a fortune to employ 3 other people, and the pregnant women as well.. so, do you pay them the same as a man.. who will not cost you the same even if their wife gets pregnant.. or do you pay the men more, because they will not leave.. or do you just employ men, and then you do not have the problem in the first place !! http://www. tuc. org. uk/equality/tuc-14435-f0. pdf Explaining the gender pay gap There have been a number of studies that have used statistical modelling techniques to explain why we have a gender pay gap. A comparatively recent and very thorough study, using data from the British Household Panel Survey (a large up-to-date survey, that that looks at how people’s lives change over time) explained the gap in terms of four explanations:35 †¢ 36 percent of the gender pay gap could be explained by gender differences in lifetime working patterns, including the fact that women, on average, spend less of their careers than men in full-time jobs, more in part-time jobs and have more interruptions to their careers for childcare and other family responsibilities. 18 percent is caused by labour market rigidities, including gender segregation and the fact that women are more likely work for small firms and less likely to work in unionised firms. †¢ 38 percent is caused by direct discrimination and women and men’s different career preferences and motives (some of which are in turn the result of discrimination). †¢ 8 percent is the result of the fact that older women had poorer educational attainment. Another way of explaining the gaps is to analyse the problem in terms of three broad themes: †¢ Under-valuing of women’s work †¢ An employment penalty for mothers Gender segregation http://assembly. coe. int/documents/workingdocs/doc05/edoc10484. htm C. The wage gap 17. There are several dimensions to the problem of the wage gap: First, there is the classic case of a man and a woman doing exactly the same job (whether in a factory or on the stock market floor), but the woman being paid less for it. This used to be a common problem, especially in Western Europe, and many countries have outlawed this type of wage discrimination – there even exists an ILO Convention designed to eliminate it21, dating back to 1951, as well as a 1975 European Council Directive22. But, as several recent studies conclude, even this type of classic wage discrimination persists in many countries, which prompted the European Commission to issue a (non-binding) â€Å"Code of Practice on the implementation of equal pay for work of equal value of women and men† as recently as 199623. For example, a Eurostat study of 2003 showed that the average earnings of women in full-time employment in the EU (at that time, of 15 member states) stood at only 70-90% of those of men. Similarly, the 2004 UNIFEM study I mentioned in the previous chapter shows that the annual average earnings of women in the year 2000 stood at 73. 28% of men’s in the Czech Republic, 79. 96% in Poland, 75. 01% in Slovakia and 88. 82% in Slovenia24. 18. Second, women are often paid less than men for work of equal value. This type of discrimination is usually based on â€Å"horizontal occupational segregation by sex†. For example, the level of education and experience required to work in a certain job might be the same, but women are paid less (e. . chauffeurs/taxi drivers are usually paid more than cleaners or receptionists). In some countries, wage levels have gone down in certain professions when more and more women enter them (for example, doctors and teachers in Central and Eastern Europe). 2002 data cited by Mrs Leitao relating to the average salary of women working full time compared with that of men in the same circumstances show that, in the 18 countries covered by a recent European survey, the average difference, to women's disadvantage, is till approximately 20%, with wage discrimination in the strict sense being estimated at 15%25. Various other international studies have shown that around one-third of the female-male pay differential is due to occupational segregation by sex, and that about 10 to 30% of the gender pay gap remains â€Å"unexplained† – i. e. due to discrimination26. 19. In the Central and Eastern European countries, certain professions have â€Å"gained† the connotation of being feminized as these professions (the above mentioned teachers, nurses etc. are dominated by women. Nevertheless, even these professions are highly segregated – although women account for more than 70% of all teachers, there is proportionally a larger number of men school directors. This is very often the result of a â€Å"reverse action†, when the need for more men in the profession is felt, and thus their pay-ris e and promotion is faster. When we compare it to the situation in politics, where there are more men than women, the society does not feel any similar need. 20. Third, women earn less, on average, than men in their lifetime (and thus also receive smaller pensions when they retire). In addition to the two factors mentioned above, there are several other possible explanations for this phenomenon: Women work less during their lifetime (calculating periods of maternity leave and part-time work) – and women have less of a career, as they are often discriminated against when it comes to promotions to higher-earning posts27: this is usually called â€Å"vertical occupational segregation by sex†. As the ILO points out: â€Å"Women’s lower educational attainments and intermittent career paths are not, contrary to conventional belief, the main reason for gender differentials in pay. Other factors, such as occupational segregation, biased pay structures and job classification systems, and decentralized or weak collective bargaining, appear to be more important determinants of inequalities in pay. †28 21. Apart from women’s lower pensions, it is important to see the tight interrelation of female length of life and feminization of poverty: since women live longer, for some period of their life, they share their pension with their partner; however, when he dies, they are left to live on their pension which is usually much lower than their living standards. One example connected to women’s pensions is pension insurance – as women live longer and although they generally earn less, to attain a final sum similar to men they are expected to pay higher sums for their monthly pension insurance. 2. Furthermore, economic recessions often affect women more than men as far as unemployment is concerned (many companies unfortunately still believe that it is more important to keep a male â€Å"breadwinner† in employment), and women’s needs or the determination to keep on working therefore leads them to accept levels of pay not consonant with the principles of equali ty and fairness or dissuades them from reporting cases of discrimination for fear of losing their jobs. This is why, as Mrs Leitao correctly pointed out, all those involved in combating wage discrimination (bodies promoting equality, labour inspectorates, courts, trade unions, NGOs etc) should step up their capacity to intervene to try and close the wage gap. 23. This issue can be illustrated with an example common to all European countries: when textile companies, which employ mostly women earning very low salaries, were threatened with closure, no major discussions were held about unemployment issues. But as soon as coal and other mines, where male â€Å"breadwinners† worked, were being closed down, those discussions were launched widely. There are a number of barriers to women’s career development – here are a few examples32: – lack of management or line experience; – lack of mentoring and role models for women at the highest levels; – exclusion from informal networks and channels of communication (the â€Å"old boys network† is apparently still going strong in many countries); – stereotyping and preconceptions of women’s roles and abilities, commitment and leadership style; – sexual and moral harassment, bullying and mobbing; – unfriendly corporate culture.

Development of the Atomic Model Essay

460 – 370? BC – Democritus – first theory of atom – All matter is composed of particles called atoms which can’t be subdivided – different materials had different properties because their atoms were different – atoms have different sizes, regular shape, are in constant motion, and have empty space 450 BC – Empedocles – matter is composed of four elements – earth, air, fire, water 384 – 322 Aristotle – no voids! Opposed Democritus’ theory – 4 elements earth, fire, air water with dry, hot, moist and cold 500 – 1600 A.D. – age of alchemy Late 1700’s – law of conservation of mass – mass doesn’t change during a chemical reaction 1799 – Proust – law of constant composition – compounds always have same proportion by mass of their elements 1766-1844 John Dalton (English) postulates atoms as a billiard ball model – all matter is made of particles called atoms – all atoms of an element are identical – atoms of different elements have different properties – atoms combine to form compounds – atoms are neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction Late 1800’s – Sir William Crookes and others – used sealed glass tubes to generate a glow – Cathode rays were attracted to positive plates – therefore negatively charged – Rays could be blocked – therefore a particle – Negatively charged particles were called electrons 1897 JJ Thomson – used cathode ray tube and developed raisin bun model – Electrons randomly distributed through positive mass – told not to touch – broke everything but could see what was wrong with equipment 1904 Hantaro Nagaoka – developed Saturn model 1911 Earnest Rutherford – Thomson’s research assistant – testing Thomson’s theory – gold foil experiment – surprised – like shooting a cannon ball at a piece of tissue paper and having the cannon ball bounce back at you! – Most of atom is empty space, positively charged nucleus – Electrons in a cloud around the nucleus – had hands of gold and knew how to use them to get answers – didn’t mention electrons because he didn’t know what they did – he did know they weren’t in orbits because the energy degenerates and in the atom, it doesn’t 1886 – Goldstein – discovery of the proton (shown to be a fundamental particle 20 years later) – 1837 times heavier than an electron 1932 James Chadwick – discovered neutrons by bombarding Be with alpha particles – Gave off rays which weren’t deflected by outside fields – Neutron had mass approximately equal to a proton 1900 Max Planck – energy is absorbed and released in chunks called quantum (compare playing a piano vs a violin) Einstein – radiant energy – energy packets called photons ; described photoelectric effect from observing that radiant energy on metal releases electrons 1913 Niels Bohr (worked first with JJ Thomson then with Rutherford) developed model for hydrogen where the electron orbits the nucleus. – He explained the H emission spectra and the explanation was the foundation for n, the principle quantum number – the concept of energy levels – Mathematical predictions of lines only worked for hydrogen – won a Nobel prize for looking at the solar system and comparing it to the atom 1924 Louis de Broglie showed that if radiant energy could act like a stream of particles, then matter could act like a wave – the wave property of electrons 1927 Werner Heisenberg – developed uncertainty principle – impossible to know both exact momentum and location of an electron due to dual nature of matter 1926 Erwin Schodinger – Schodinger’s wave equation – quantum mechanics (advanced calculus needed) takes into account the wave and particle nature of electrons. – equation (2 gives info on location of electron in terms of probability density – wave functions are called orbitals – [pic], where E is energy, e2 is electric potential, r is orbital radius and h is Planck’s constant 1925 Wolfgang Pauli – each orbital has only 2 electrons is now explained due to direction of spin of electrons. Spinning electrons create magnetic field. Only 2 electrons of opposite spin in an orbital referred to as Pauli exclusion principle Hund’s rule – half fill each orbital before adding second electron Aufbau principle – energy sublevel must be filled before moving onto next higher sublevel Principle Quantum Number, n – integer that Bohr used to label the orbits and energy levels – a main shell of electrons – seen in low resolution spectra – still used today although we now use orbitals instead of orbits Secondary Quantum Number, l – Arnold Sommerfeld (1915) extended Bohr’s theory. – H has 3 elliptical orbitals for n = 2 – Explained the observed line splitting seen for H in high resolution line spectra – Introduced l to describe sublevels – l has values 0 to n-1 – relates energy levels to shape of electron orbital and explains regions of the periodic table – l=0, s orbital – sharp – l=1, p orbital – principle – l=2, d orbital – diffuse – l=3, f orbital – fundamental Magnetic Quantum Number, ml – from experimentation with emission line spectra – place a gas discharge tube near a strong external magnet, and some single lines split into new lines not initially seen – done by Pieter Zeeman in 1897 – called normal Zeeman Effect – Zeeman Effect explained by Sommerfeld and Peter Debye (1916) – They proposed that the orbits could exist at various angles – If orbits in space are in different planes, the energies of the orbits are different when the atom is near a strong magnet – For each value of l, ml can vary from –l to +l – If l = 1, ml can be -1, 0, 1 suggesting 3 orbits with the same energy and shape but with a different orientation in space (degenerate orbitals) Spin Quantum Number, ms – to explain more and new evidence, ie the additional line splitting seen in a magnetic field – student of Bohr and Sommerfeld – Pauli – suggested each electron spins on its axis and is like a tiny magnet. – Could only have one of two spins equal in magnitude, opposite in direction (vector) – Values + Â ½ or – Â ½ – Opposite pair is a stable arrangement like bar magnets stored in pairs arranged opposite to each other (produce no magnetism) – If single unpaired electrons present, magnetism is present and atom is affected by magnetic fields Overall – each electron in an atom is described by a set of 4 quantum numbers – fits perfectly arrangement of electrons and the structure of the periodic table

Public employment law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public employment law - Assignment Example superintendent in informing or misinforming the districts taxpayers in the school of the reasons for not seeking additional revenue in the form of tax (Haynes, 2003). The boards’ position on the issue was that the contents of the letter were fabricated thus leading to the dismissal of Mr. Pickering from the teaching staff. The teacher appealed the decision on the basis of a violation of his rights as represented in the first and the fourteenth amendments that gave the teacher the right to speak out as a loyal citizen on any issue of public interest. Both the Will County Circuit Court and the Illinois Supreme Court after analyzing the issue affirmed the Board’s decision to dismiss the teacher. Only the U.S Supreme court found reasonable ground to overturn the dismissal based on a violation of the freedom of speech as made possible by the First Amendment (Haynes, 2003). A keen analysis of the issues surrounding this case reveals various flaws and rationality depending on the perspective one views it. For instance, if it were considered from the aspect that Mr. Pickering was a citizen of the United States, then, he was acting within his legal limits by commenting on the conduct of the Educational Board. Such issues as he rose are by all means of great public interests since they constitute mismanagement of funds. However, the most logical way to view this issue is perhaps that of the First Amendment. Mr. Pickering was justified in claiming that his right of expression was maybe violated. He has reasonable grounds to argue so since, after all, all citizens are protected in their speech. What Mr. Pickering did not consider was probably the facts also enshrined in the First Amendment under which this freedom of speech is not guaranteed and which it can actually be regarded as an abuse of the rights bestowed on an individual. This is the view that the law holds in as far as employment law is concerned (Haynes, 2003). While the constitution protects Mr. Pickering

Medtronic Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Medtronic Case Study - Assignment Example All these factors accounted for overall failure of the company and eventually reduced dynamic growth of the company to zero. On the contrary, the newly appointed CEO of the firm, Omar Ishrak witnessed major challenges in terms of retrieving the position of the company in the market place. During the first 18 months, the new CEO was able to plan for company’s future growth prospect through R&D investment in order to develop innovative medical therapies. To facilitate short term prospect of the company, Omar Ishrak had always favored business model innovations and creative product development. However the major focus of the newly appointed CEO was to overcome all possible adoption barriers prevalent in emerging economies. The CEO even restructured his organization so that all the team members are aligned with the innovative goals and objectives of the firm. There was proper restructuring done of the entire executive team as well as their respective responsibilities. The heads of global operating regions of Medtronic now directly reported to the CEO instead of head of International. Many non-Americans were even appointed for executive committee. The company’s one of the biggest achievement was acquisition of a Chinese orthopedic company. However this case study reveals that Omar Ishrak is in a dilemma as to whether the steps taken to transform Medtronic into a global firm is sufficient or it requires more innovative strategies for sustaining growth. The objective of the case study is to put across different dimensions of international business. It has been observed that in international expansion strategy organizations need to adopt innovative business models. In this study strategic dimensions will be aligned with the success or failure of international business. The entire study will be conducted from a consultant’s perspective so as to evaluate the expansion strategies undertaken by the firm. There would be even suggestions

Aztecs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aztecs - Essay Example Aztecs were ancient Nahuatl-speaking people whose civilization flourished in Central Mexico from the 12th century AD until they were conquered by the Spanish led by Cortes in 1519. Aztec history is one of the best preserved records of the Mesoamericans. The Aztecs were a nomadic tribe living in northern Mexico for centuries before they migrated to the highlands of central Mexico in the 12th century. The power of the Aztecs began to rise in the 14th century, and by the 16th century they were dominating central Mexico and up to present-day Guatemala in the south. Being the last in a series of civilizations in Mesoamerica, the Aztecs had a complex culture that had shades of the cultures of civilizations preceding them such as the Mayan and Teotihuacan. The extensive practice of human sacrifice was a prominent feature of Aztec culture. This essay analyzes the concept of human sacrifice in Aztec culture. Sacrifices were fundamental to most ancient cultures.In fact, all cultures have pract iced sacrifice in some form or other, ranging from food and wine to animals and humans. In our modern and civilized cultures, however, human sacrifice is deemed as a freak and abhorrent cult. Human sacrifice among the Sumerians involved poisoning and burial. The Sumerian civilization that existed on the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers about 4000 B.C., practiced human sacrifice in the form of the burial of a king in a lower chamber, followed by a layering of humans and, finally, the chief sacrifice of the queen in the topmost chamber in a tomb. In the Neolithic or Bronze period in China, in what was possibly the earliest known phase of civilization, the Shang Dynasty (1500-600 B.C.) practiced sacrifices of war captives to the royal ancestors. When a king died, it was customary to bury him along with his sacrificed servants. Thus, human sacrifice among the ancient Chinese was practiced for the sake of ancestor worship. The Celts (400-200 BC) whose territory extended f rom Ireland to parts of Asia Minor, and in the south to parts of Italy, and some regions in Spain, besides the entire Roman empire, also indulged in human sacrifice until the beginning of the Christian era and the act was probably voluntary. Thus, human sacrifice by the Celts was carried out to placate the gods in order to reap benefits for the community. From all accounts the ritual of human sacrifice undertaken by the Aztecs was extremely violent and savage. The most common form of human sacrifice among the Aztecs consisted of blood letting and tearing the hearts out to offer to the gods, in particular, Huitzilopochtli. This involved cutting open the chests of victims at altars on top of temple-pyramids by special sacrifice priests using sacrificial knives carved out of precious stone. A most spectacular yet gruesome event is said to have taken place during the consecration of the temple of Huitzilpochtli, just two decades before Cortes defeated the Aztecs. On this occasion, at le ast 20,000 prisoners are said to have been sacrificed in a marathon session of sacrifice conducted by Ahuitzotl, the then Aztec ruler, and his relatives, acting as the officiating priests (Raggio et al., 2000). The skulls of the sacrificial victims placed on long wooden racks were later displayed to the public. The Aztec empire was a model of administrative regulation and control, and which had implemented many economic and political innovations. The highly successful Aztec society had developed advanced agriculture, mathematics, astronomy and art. Their capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) established in 1325, developed fast and had a population of more than 100,000 people when it was attacked by the Spanish. The reasons for such a powerful empire yielding so quickly and completely to the Spanish in 1519 beg to be discussed. Religion was a driving force for the Aztecs, Huitzilopochtli being the patron god. Besides this hummingbird-like god, there were several other prominent dei ties, too. Human sacrifices

Major Intellectual Advances and Developments in Knowledge That Essay

Major Intellectual Advances and Developments in Knowledge That Occurred in the Islamic World Under Abbasid Rule - Essay Example According to Bennison (2009, pp43-56) Historians, aptly refer Abbasid era as the â€Å"Golden Age† mainly because of the great scientific and cultural transformations that occurred during the period. Western countries such as ancient Greece and Rome in addition to eastern countries especially China had initiated the path for scientific and intellectual development in the Arab empire. These early advancements converged in the Muslim world partly because of Abbasid rule, which established favourable environment for scientific and intellectual development. Various factors contributed to the desire for knowledge in Muslim world. Firstly, the expansive Abbasid Empire demanded new technologies and improvement to address the existing social, economic and political problems (Akabar, 1992). The vastness of the empire from North Africa to Iran comprised of diverse people with different cultural backgrounds. Interaction between these diverse cultures contributed to the spread of ideas an d creativity in the region. Another reason was that during the period, the Arabic became the language of learning and hence Muslims from the Abbasids Empire had valuable opportunity for engaging in diverse scientific and intellectual pursuits (LeStrange, 2004). ... This was intended to educate the Arab scholars and encourage their contributions in expansion and creation of new knowledge. Astronomy is one of the disciplines that Muslim scholars made tremendous contribution during the Abbasid era. The initial contribution of the Abbasid rule in the field of astronomy commenced with translation of texts from earlier advanced civilisations in the discipline such as the Greek. (Ofek, 2011). Original contribution of Abbasids in astronomy without foreign input was in the formulation of moon and sun spatial motions into comprehensible tables. The discovery was done by Al-Khawarizimi and he later formulated tables denoting planetary motions of other several other planets (Hasan, 2005). Several equipments in astronomy discovered during this time included the astrolabe and the armillary sphere. The armillary sphere was used to calculate the time of the day or year, which assisted the Muslims in setting their sacred schedule. Astrolabe was the precursor of the modern magnetic compass, and was applied in calculating time and establishing position. Astrolabe was particular useful for Muslims because it enabled them establish their position relative to Mecca, where they face during prayers (Bennison, 2009, pp57-65). Astronomy was of particular interests for the Muslims because of the necessity to establish times of prayer and lunar patterns. In addition, the vastness of the Abbasid Empire necessitated the need of being knowledgeable about directions and locations (LeStrange, 2004). Muslims during the Abbasid rule made important contributions in mathematics and their influence is still felt today in that field. Muslims made valuable contribution in algebra and the term â€Å"algebra†

Who were the samurai What role did the samurai play, both militarily Essay

Who were the samurai What role did the samurai play, both militarily and otherwise - Essay Example This is exactly what samurai’s did. These men were confident warriors who served their country during a tumultuous time in it’s history. Samurais came to be during the Heian period. The Japanese army, which was under the control of the emperor, disbanded as the emperor began to lose power. As the emperor lost power, clans formed to collect taxes. In their own interest, however, they heavily taxed the citizens, driving many away from their homes. â€Å"Regional clans grew powerful by offering lower taxes to their subjects as well as freedom from conscription. These clans armed themselves to repel other clans and magistrates from collecting taxes. They would eventually form themselves into armed parties and became samurai,† (Samurai History) The samurai went on to protect the citizens, primarily farmers, as well as their fellow clans from the corrupt tax collectors. They eventually began to wear armor that was typical of Japanese warriors of that era. The ethical c ode which they set up for themselves, known as bushido, set them aside, making them a class of their own. When Emperor Toba died in 1156, chaos ensued. No one knew which of his sons would take over. A civil war between the two sons was the result, with neither of which gaining control. Rather, the two prominent samurai clans, the Minamoto and Taira, fought over power, with the Taira establishing the first shogunate (Szczepnski). These two clans would clash again, however, with the Minamoto coming out on top. This led to the transition to the Kamakura Shogunate. Samurai rule was interrupted when imperial rule tried to re-implement itself. This unsuccessful run lasted only 3 years, however, leading to the weak rule of the Ashikaga Shogunate. There was daimyo interference during the Ashikage Shogunate, which led to the 10 year long Onin War, and eventually to the Sengoku. During the Sengoku, various daimyo clans battled to overthrow samurai rule and establish themselves as rulers. It w asn’t until 1868 that the samurai were overthrown during Meiji Restoration. â€Å"Emperor Meiji abolished the samurai's right to be the only armed force in favor of a more modern, western-style conscripted army. Samurai became Shizoku () who retained some of their salaries, but the right to wear a katana in public was eventually abolished along with the right to cut down commoners who paid them disrespect,† (Samurai History). Perhaps the most lasting legacy of the samurai was the bushido code. Samurai were known for their impeccable conduct and followed eight virtues to continue to behave accordingly. (Clark) The first of these virtues was Rectitude or Justice. In other words, samurai were to use reason in their actions, not acting out irrationally and bringing shame upon themselves. The second, courage, was emphasized to only be truly courageous if it was acted upon with rectitude in mind. The third, benevolence or mercy, was highly emphasized because of how important it was in the writings of Confucius. Confucius believed that â€Å"†¦the highest requirement of a ruler of men is Benevolence,† (Clark). The fourth, politeness, emphasized civialrous actions, rooted in benevolence. The fifth, honesty and sincerity, meant denouncing financial importance and recognizing luxury as â€Å"the greatest menace to manhood,† (Clark). The sixth, honor, was what the life of the samurai was about. It was about living with fear of bringing shame upon themselves and their clan. The seventh, loyalty, was important to relations between clan members. There were no excuses for betraying a fellow samurai. The last, character and self-control, best summarizes the meaning of the bushido code. Clark puts it best, describing it as teaching â€Å"