Book of night women

The â€Å"Book of Night Women† by Marlon James is an incredibly authentic-feeling novel that brings into play many deep issues for being a piece of fiction. I found this book to be a real page-turner that helped, among other things, to widen my understanding of the institution of slavery in the West Indies as well as the dynamics of the relationships between the slave and master. It is this often confusing relationship that I wish to further explore in this paper.In the story our main character, Lilith, ends up developing feelings for her master, an Irishman named Robert Quinn. The character Quinn is a white slave owner that eems to understand that the institution of slavery is an evil one, but does not know what to do about it, so he goes on with life the way it is. It is hard to hate him, but it's hard to like him as well. Being an Irishman, he is lower on the social hierarchy put in place by the slave owning community, and because of this he searches for pity and tries to r elate to Lilith, his slave.He compares their lives and social standings, which to me seems almost ridiculous, but to him is a completely legitimate understanding. He does treat Lilith with a certain respect that no other slave owners in the story ives to her. One example that stands out in my mind is the matter of their sexual relationship being more tender and loving than the usual â€Å"animalistic† approach that many of the other masters take out on the slave women. â€Å"No, fucking.No, rutting like animals, like the animal all white man think black woman be. But he say something when he coming and he hold on to her so weak, like she be the master and is all he can do to hold on. † However, Robert Quinn and Lilith are still clearly not equal to one another in the way that Quinn so desperatly tries to convey to her. I feel that the time period placed on this story plays a significant role in Robert Quinn's treatment of Lilith as a woman.At first glance, even if he i s a bit more kind to her, such as insisting that Lilith sit and eat with him while she stands in the corner just watching (something she is accostomed to), and telling her that he wishes to teach her how to ride a horse; he is still incredibly demanding of her. He still tells her that he â€Å"expects a hearty meal† when he returns home late, and that she should clean his home, etc. But keeping this in context, this is how the average woman ould have been treated at the time.Robert Quinn is treating her much more like they are in the average relationship based gender roles of the time, and much less like the usual master and slave relationship. This was a somewhat confusing aspect of the text, that unless put into the perspective time, could be completely missed. It is apparent though, that Robert Quinn wants Lilith to feel this connection between the two of them. He wants her to feel as if she is a free woman when she is with him, so much so that he almost forces this upon h er. As if demanding her to be free woman when in his company, which is redicoulous and hypacritical.In conclussion, Marlon James does a great Job at unfolding this relationship to his readers in a way that touches many aspects of the gender and class roles of the time. It is my opinion that no matter how much Lilith wanted to hate her master, Robert Quinn, she could not simply because of his often soft treatment of her; even if he was them. No matter how misguided the opinions of Robert Quinn may seem, he truely beleived what he infered about his low social standings and the resulting connections he made with Lilith.

Macroeconomic

Macroeconomic study of deal not with Individual but aggregate of these quantities not with Individual Incomes but nation incomes not with Individual output but with the nation output Macroeconomic as two policies which are; Financial or monetary macroeconomic policies: The government can make the balance of how money can be supply.The money can be supply In three term which are: OMO- Open Market Operation Reserve requirement Interest Rate OMO can supply money Into the bank through central bank example the BOT can sell the shared to the bank at the lower price who can be faced the Inflation and then hat central bank can buy to the higher price theory.In microeconomics the behavior can depend on how they make decision on choice of the good but in the microeconomics it not consider the 1 OF3 Inalvlaual Denavlor It cons10er aoout tne tne wnole nation com/microeconomics-chapter-4/">Microeconomics is the study of decision that people and business make regarding the allocation of resource a nd price of good and services . This can means also taking into account taxes and regulation created by government. Macroeconomic focused on the supply and demand and other forces that determine the price level seen in he economy. For example microeconomics would look at how a specific company could maximize its production and capacity so it could lower price and better compete in its industry Macroeconomic on the other hand is it the field of economic that studies the behavior of the economy as a whole and not Just on the specific companies but the entire industries and economic .This look at economy-wide phenomena such as Gross Nation Product (GDP) and how its affected by changes in unemployment, nation income, rate growth, and price level . For example , macroeconomic would look t how an increase/decrease in net export would affect the nation capital account or how GDP would be affected by unemployment. What are the determinants of economic growth and living standard in a country in macroeconomic are used in determine to know why this country is more develop than other country are used macroeconomic. For example why Kenya are more develop than Tanzanian country is this how can be used or.Since a century ago developed nation have achieved a high rate of economic growth which in turn raised people standard of living macroeconomic examines the reasons behind the speedy conomic growth in the developed nations and understand the reason why this growth is different between the various countries Productivity The average labor productivity or the output of a single worker is important to determine the standard of living macroeconomic will question the factor which decide on the employee productivity growth rate macroeconomic is seen the one worker or single worker in order to determine the average of the worker in the economic that can assure the economic product of the nation or the whole can grow or not in yht area What are the cause of the decline and growth in an economic ny economy will surely go through decline and growth in relation to this macroeconomic will look at the cause of these changes in the economic and the government policies that can be implement to overcome an economic problem wnat are Tactor wnlcn affectlng unemployment Rate of unemployment means there is an available work force that wants to work but has no Jobs the rate of unemployment will increase when the economic situation is good macroeconomic will examine the reasons for unemployment types of unemployment and ways to overcome unemployment What are factor that cause the general price level or inflation to rise Inflation is an increase in the general price level which is usually measured by changes in the consumer price index the question asked in a macroeconomic analysis are 1 . what are factor affecting inflation. 2. Why does inflation rate differ from time to time 3. why does inflation rate fro one country to anotherThe macroeconomic does not look for the one per son or individual s a policy but can be used to all people For instances if a national saving is increased at the cost of individual welfare it is not considered a wise policy The macroeconomic analysis regard aggregate as homogenous but does not into its internal composition For instance if the wages of the clerks fall and the wages of the teachers rise the average wage may remain the same It is not necessary that aggregate variable are important. For instance nation income is the total of the individual income if the nation income in the country goes up it is no necessary that the income of all individual in the country will also rise there is possibility that that the rise in nation income may be due to the increase in the income of a few rich families of the country

Analysis of Strategic Alliances or Value Opportunities Part II Assignment

Analysis of Strategic Alliances or Value Opportunities Part II - Assignment Example Out of the rush to complete the process, we quickly went into a merger with the company, only to realize later that the company was involved in a huge debt that we had to incur. This made it impossible for us to experience any growth and profitability from the alliance turned merger. I therefore share the position that alliance leads to profitability but it ought to be a strategic one (Kaplan, Norton & Rugelsjoen, 2010). Â  Indeed it will be no act of over elaboration for me to say that your post is one of the most insightful I have ever read. This is because of the way you approach the subject of business strategic planning from a holistic perspective. In fact I perfectly agree with you on the point that most modern day business executives have only looked at business strategies from a myopic perspective where they fail to appreciate the place and importance of overall success. Instead, they tend to be content with reaching their quota and meeting service levels. Meanwhile, as the global business climate becomes highly competitive, it is important that businesses factor in the core issues of competitive growth rather than individual growth. To do this, it is important for businesses to take advantage of the concept of strategic alliance in finding as many global benchmarks with whom they can form alliances with and partner for growth (Grayson,

Markets and the Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Markets and the Economy - Research Paper Example 1996). Due to unemployment and reduced profits, income reduces hence a decline in tax revenue. Tax revenue is thus lower than expenditure resulting in automatic federal budget deficit. The budget deficit resulting from the recession can help to stabilize the economy. Increased government spending in provision of welfare payments is a source of income for households and this result in increased consumption (Hyman, 2010). As consumption increases, aggregate demand increases thereby prompting producers to produce more hence increased output and employment. The economy thus stabilizes as full employment is reached or aggregate demand equals aggregate supply. Furthermore, improved infrastructure as a result of government spending attracts current and future investments, output growth and employment. Though deficits lead to economy stabilization, there have been concerns about the impact of deficit on national savings. According to Hyman (2010), the financing of deficits by the government from credit markets denies them savings thus inducing increases in interest rates and reduction in private investment hence unemployment and decline in standards of living. The government should thus engage in spending on areas that produce long-term effects such as investment in education to improve workers skills, building infrastructure to provide future employment among other initiatives. Movement from Short-run Equilibrium to the Long-run Equilibrium The short-run supply indicates the quantity of output produced or Real GDP in an economy at a given period. The relationship between the price level and quantity supplied is depicted by a short-run aggregate supply curve which is upward sloping due to a direct relationship between the two. The short-run supply is based on the assumption that wages are sticky and that there are misperceptions in the labor market. An increase in price level pushes real wages downwards and since quantity of labor supplied depends on real wages, labor supply declines leading to low output (Arnold, 2010). Workers often have misperceptions about real wages; if the nominal wages fall accompanied by same proportion of a fall in price level then there is no change in real wages but workers may believe that the real wage has fallen thus reduce demand for labor hence quantity of labor supplied falls as well as output. The equilibrium is reached when aggregate demand curve intersects with short-run aggregate supply. There are other factors that affect short-run supply other than prices. These include wage rates, price of nonlabor inputs, productivity and supply shocks (Arnold, 2010 p. 168). If wage rate increases (stop being sticky), the firm profits decline since the company had already set nominal wages based on constant wage level leading to decline in output or Real GDP as firms are unable to produce more with high costs. The same case applies to other factors of production such as capital and other inputs. This causes shift in short -run aggregate supply curve to the left. If productivity increases, output increases hence shifting the curve to the right. The intersection between aggregate demand (AD) curve and short-run aggregate supply( SRAS) curve determines the equilibrium price level and equilibrium Real GDP which is also determined by whether AD curve shifts more than SRAS curve or vice versa. When the â€Å"

Examining the Foreign Policy of Brazil Research Paper

Examining the Foreign Policy of Brazil - Research Paper Example In the early 21st century this subject is demonstrated in the movement to be involved in the United Nations Security Council. For the Brazilian people, this would suggest that the nation has finally gained its legitimate place among the world’s power blocs.2 This paper analyzes the foreign policy of Brazil. Analyzing the Brazilian Foreign Policy In earlier times, this aspiration to acquire credit and appreciation outside of South America has tended to isolate Brazil from its nearby fellow Latin American countries. The emphasis on relations with the world’s giants has existed for a long time. In the 19th century, the diplomatic focus was on preserving a strong relationship with Great Britain. In the 20th century focuses shifted and the United States came to be the goal of Brazilian foreign policy.3 In both instances political and economic concerns shaped Brazil’s foreign policy agenda. In the 19th and earlier 20th century Great Britain was the financier of Brazil, and in the 20th century, the U.S. became the leading source of foreign capital and trade partner.4 Relations with the U.S. have been the major element of Brazilian foreign policy over the years and interrelate with almost all other features of Brazilian diplomacy. There have been numerous agreements and disagreements between the U.S. and Brazil, the latter has not consistently embraced the American goals. During the post-Cold War period these gaps have been more noticeable, but the aspiration to develop an autonomous foreign policy agenda has been present for a long time. The motivating factors underlying this aspiration to differentiate themselves from the United States are diverse and are not embraced unanimously among Brazil’s powerful individuals. In Brazil, like in other South American countries, there is an emerging sentiment against the United States.5 It is a propensity that receives attention from time to time. The Brazilian foreign policy is also characterized by a Latin Americanist perspective. Yet, with regard to this, the Brazilian case to some degree differs to that of its Southern Cone’s neighbors.6 Primarily, there are the remnants of Brazil’s colonial history. From the latter half of the 18th century, Brazil was a colony of Portugal and this positioned the country in a unique set of geopolitical ties and, particularly, guaranteed unusually close relations with Britain. Furthermore, Brazil stayed under a monarchical government for the most part of the 19th century and hence was less motivated to recognize principles coming from the republican governments elsewhere on the region.7 Over time, this historical trend has nourished those political predispositions that have intended to separate Brazil from the rest of Latin America. Moreover, Brazil’s size has a massive influence. This has generated quite specific assumptions among the Brazilian politicians. Primarily, it pushes them to be internally oriented since expansi on has occurred within the country. Brazil had to struggle with its boundaries and remove internal barriers. Brazil’s size has also created difficulties, and effective governance has been difficult to attain with domestic elites being an unfailing part of Brazil’s political sector.8 In the 20th century, Brazil’

The impact of Oil price changes on the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) Dissertation

The impact of Oil price changes on the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) stock markets - Dissertation Example The author has rightly presented that energy is one of the most important factors of global economy. A country, which has enough sources of energy, can be one of the richest countries of the world. At present oil is the primary and most used sources of energy in world. Gulf countries are the major sources of oil, so their economy is one of the strongest in the world. The changes of the world economy majorly depend on the changes of oil prices. When the oil price increases, then the manufacturers around the world has to incur more cost in the manufacturing process. The cost of transportation also increases. Because of the increment in the operating cost, the profit of the company decreases. A country’s economy mostly depends on the performance of the companies. When the performance of the company decreases that is the profit of the company decreases, then the economy of the country also get affected. The foreign investors also feel less attracted for the economy of the oil impo rting country. The investors feel that if they invest that amount of money elsewhere then they can generate more return as the efficiency of the oil importing countries have been decreased due to the oil price hike. However, it is also a fact that the present era is the era of globalization. In this era of globalization, the economy of one country has certain effect to the economy of other country. As the oil price hikes so, the country, which imports oil from some other country, found problem in manufacturing. They have the problem in the manufacturing of the products, which are the need of the oil exporting countries. (Aliyu, pp. 8-9). The product price will also be high. The inflation increases and the price of the goods and services increases. The value of the currency comes down for the oil importing countries. For the oil exporting countries the price of goods, which they have to import from any other country increases. Though they make huge profit by exporting oil to other co untries, they also have to pay more than the normal for the goods they import from the other countries. The oil price hike does not only increase inflation, but also it affects other macro economical factors like gross domestic product, unemployment rate of the country. As the productivity of the companies decrease due to the hike of oil prices, the gross domestic product of the country also decreases (OECD, pp.5-6). As the productivity of the companies decreases, the unemployment rate also increases. If the productivity of the company decreases and the unemployment rate increases, the economy would suffer huge blow. The capital inflow in the market would decrease. The stock market of the countries would have less capital flow and the market indices will be down, as it was in the case of the global recession of 2007-2010. In the era of globalization, when the stock market of one country depends on the performance of the performance of the stock market of some other country, then the stock market of the richest countries even get affected. This happens in case of the gulf Council Countries also. The gulf council countries are consisting of Qatar, Baharin, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait. All are the countries from Middle East. The countries of the Middle East are one of the largest oil producing countries (International Monetary Fund, â€Å"The Impact of Higher Oil Prices on the Global Economy†). Though they get benefit from the price hike of oil, their stock market also get affect from the events. Objective of the Project The objective of the study is to examine the effect on the

What do you understand by the notion of a learning community Essay

What do you understand by the notion of a learning community Critically examine how learning communities facilitate effective learning - Essay Example In this essay, the various views and their effectiveness is also explored with relation to Dynamic Community Learning and different views from various studies relating to psychology, cognitive learning and teaching by different authors. It is observed that community learning as a tool for learning is gaining popularity and the various advantages in a complex and innovative environments at both the educational institutions and the modern workplace can gain immensely from this approach. While Instructional Design focuses on the learning, the Dynamic Community Learning approach focuses on the self-paced learner needs. Different books and journals have been studied to understand the use and effectiveness of dynamic learning communities in educational institutions as well as corporate workplaces. To learn a particular skill or research a particular topic of interest, the concept of learning communities has enabled an understanding of the complex process of contextual and situational learning. As against the traditional learning method of instructional design learning where learning is dependant on the effectiveness of teaching by the instructor, dynamic learning offers a range advantages that are found to be more in favour of the complex contexts that learning has to be based to arrive at unique and innovative solutions. The positive and negative aspects of dynamic learning communities and their approaches towards effective learning are observed by studying the various observations by Psychologists, Educators and other authors. According to Carnell and Lodge, it is observed that in community learni ng the various multi-dimensional needs of the learners are considered and catered to, for effectiveness in the learning outcome. Learning itself is dependant on the problem context, and the problem, approach and the outcome change within

We live in a patriarchal society discuss how gender links to Essay

We live in a patriarchal society discuss how gender links to inequality in society using examples from the past and present and in England and Arab spring - Essay Example Not only have there been both overt and covert means to ensure that the status quo is maintained, but even in the modern era, it has become common for openly discriminatory actions against women to be promoted at almost every level of society. The world today has seen numerous changes and women have come to experience opportunities that were not open to them for many centuries. It is therefore important that a comprehensive discussion of how gender links to inequality in society be conducted. In Elizabethan England, it was a common belief among individuals in society that women were inferior in all aspects to men. This belief ensured that women were put in a subordinate status where they did not have the same opportunities as those that were given to men (Ellis, 1839). Even Queen Elizabeth I herself seemed to promote this bias and she did this through accepting that she was indeed as physically weak as any woman, but despite this, she was also a woman who had the heart and stomach of a king. It seems that she compared herself thus because she wanted to attribute some of the male features that were believed to be superior to herself. Moreover, even the most prominent writers of the time such as Shakespeare and John Knox, the protestant leader, all believed that women were inferior. The latter especially promoted this belief by stating that women were created in perfection in order to serve and obey man, a statement that shows the predominance of patriarchy in society (Fle tcher, 1994). This attitude towards women continued to be propagated in later centuries and some of its aspects have remained prevalent to this day. The patriarchal nature of English society has led to a situation where women have continued to be discriminated against despite the development of ideals such as gender equality. The sometimes-unconscious discrimination against women in society has led to the continuation of

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 50

Nursing research - Essay Example Mainz identifies structural indicators as those indicators that describe the nature and sum of resources that a healthcare facility utilizes in the delivery of services and programs with these indicators related to the availability of a presence of human resources and material resources that have the potential of improving the quality of care (524). In line with this, it is evident that one quality improvement measure in a healthcare facility is the structural component of the healthcare facility since the structure of the facility is important in providing quality services to patients. Consequently, potential indicators related to the healthcare facility’s quality improvement measure, which is structural in nature, range from the technology used by the facility to professionals working in the facility. Mainz identifies these potential indicators as the proportion of doctors to other specialists, the healthcare facilities access to specific technology such as MRI scans, and ac cess to particular units that promote the provision of quality care

Issues - politics Essay Example for Free

Issues politics Essay Boeing is one of the worlds best known manufactures of aircrafts and so is Northrop Grumman who are the manufacturers of the airbus (Online News Hour, 2008). These are two top brands who are obviously competing in other areas of business and therefore any decision that involve them is bound to raise considerable heat. It should b noted that both are American companies though Northrop Grumman is partly owned by a French company. The nature of the contract which involves the security of America as a nation is a matter of national concern as it involves the development of structures that could ensure the growth of security systems. Boeing and Grumman being business structures, such a big contract will obviously attract the interest of stakeholders from both sides. There are a number of key issues that have been brought out by the airforce contracts which include: Military contracts are a matter of public concern since it is in place to protect the public, the resources used in the military contracts are derived from taxpayers and therefore the failure of such projects will be a waste of taxpayers money (Meyer, 2007). When McCain questioned the cost effectiveness in leasing planes that would otherwise have no values when their lease period was over his motive as the senator of Alabama was to ensure that the taxpayers money is channeled to useful projects. Furthermore, it is quite clear that the politicians have the ability to shoot down potentially useful deals due to what Northrop Grumman executives refer to as expensive lobbying. Politics is not always objective for there are situations where the stakes involved are shielded from the public and though the politics and viewpoints will be developed to suit the public, the real reasons are often personal (Meyer, 2007). The inclusion of politics in such cases therefore has both advantages and disadvantages and should be weighed carefully. Military procurement just like any other public procurement scheme is prone to corruption, this was the case in the original contract that was brought to an end by Rumsfeld in 2006. Moreover, the big money involved in military procurement processes act as a natural catalysts for corruption, therefore there is need to come up with a robust self regulated systems that will ensure that such unethical practices are not in anyway included in the procurement process, the congress thus comes into the picture (Meyer, 2007). However, the political system is not known for its objectivity. In the cases, some of the reasons brought out against Northrop Grumman are flimsy and lack in objectivity. The fact that there will be lobbying is a clear sign that there will be loss in objectivity thus the decision will tend to favor groups that are be able to garner enough political support in the congress. Furthermore, the political system is one of the most corrupt system there is and the rationale in placing such a system to guard against corruption is questionable. i.Security Military procurement is a security critical matter (Meyer, 2007). The military is in place to ensure that the US is protected against its external enemies (Meyer, 2007). The seriousness with which the equipment tendering process is treated and the keen eye that the media watches the unfolding of such events relay the importance placed on the military by the American people. The US is traditionally a fighting nation and the effectiveness of its military and equipments is one of the factors that has cemented its place as a world power. Military activities require high levels of secrecy (Meyer, 2007). There is need to come up with effective equipments that can be used in varied situations. It should be noted that the arguments brought forward by the executives from both sides are centered around the superiority of their products or the weaknesses of their opposite. The need for accuracy and well developed products that have the required reputation are some of the considerations that led to the two big companies making it to the final stage. The two companies are multinationals that have developed their brands all over the globe. It is noteworthy that when the US defense secretary cancels Boeings leases other nations still seek their products and are continues seeking the products that have been labeled cost ineffective due to the reputation associated with their brand name. The importance of the security system is seen in the number of avenues and legislative systems that have been put in place to ensure that the process is done in a just manner (Krishnan, 2008). When the airforce declares that Northrop Grumman had won the bid for the airforce tankers, Boeing seeks redress through a different avenue: Public accountability office. The office looks at their complaints and decides to freeze the process. It should be noted that it was the same office that had early in the decades frozen a billion dollar Boeing contract due to corruption charges. Even though there are systems put in place to ensure proper procedures in procurement of services and services, they can be outdone easily (Krishnan, 2008). The corruption allegations made in the initial Boeing contracts are a clear case where the protocols were overridden and it only came to realization a couple of months after the contracts had been signed. Furthermore, the fact that is was later found out that a different design could meet the specifications made by the airforce with reduced costs clearly show that even though the guidelines are put in place they are rarely followed thus the need for a system or authority that will follow up on the recommendations and processes to ensure that they conform to the laid out guidelines. Some politicians have argued that the French affiliation of the airbus manufacturer is in itself a security risk and therefore a purely American company should be contracted. However, such a contracting systems will obviously lock out other capable companies and therefore bring about questions on the integrity of the bidding process. America has prided itself as being a liberalized nation, putting up measures that will lock out other qualified members on the basis of the compositions of its investors is contrary to the spirit of liberalization. Furthermore, being involved with a company that has partnered with a success story in Europe shields the tanker project from American economic downtimes though it effectively ensures that the project is affected by the happening in Europe. It is unrealistic to lobby for Boeing on the basis of confidentiality; a company that has already shown traces of corruption cannot be trusted and neither can a company that is yet to prove its worth in the military sector. Therefore, system should be put in place to ensure that the projects are monitored and compared to some given standards if either is to be awarded the contract. ii. Stability The US is the father of capitalism and is therefore a country that is characterized by intense competition between industry players who will always be on the look for additional finances that will ensure their development into the future (Verkuil, 2007). On the day it was reported that Northrop Grumman had won the military contracts its share prices rose by over 20 cents and Boeings shares fell by a couple of cents (CBS News, 2008). Note, the development in the contract procurement were being watched by investors who will then make their decisions on which company to invest in. Even though the large money involved in the transactions may be enough to lure investors into channeling their resources to a particular company, the reputation involved in being a company contracted with one of the worlds best airforce to develop its aircraft tankers is enough to cause significant changes in the companys share index. Being a capitalistic economy where entities gain at the expense of others, Boeing is bound to feel the pinch. The situation is made worse by the consideration that Boeing has a well developed reputation and therefore failure to win a contract from a partner that it has associated with for a long time may be taken by the investors and its consumers in the wrong light. It may imply that the partner does not trust its capacity to develop superiors products or has doubts on its potential to remain productive. To bring the idea of reputation into perspective, many are of the notion that the corruptions charges brought against Boeing may have affected its chances of successfully bidding for the contract (Verkuil, 2007). This holds considerable weight in that the military is not all about facilities but also reputation. The American people and its enemies will always keep a keen eye on the military and any transactions conducted with a partner who is proved to be corrupt will dent on its integrity thus its reputation. Conclusion Awarding a contract to a company to deliver services that are of public interest is a complex process and will always involve the media and many other systems that have been put in place to ensure the safety of the public. Individual good and interest will always be central in the arguments brought forward by most people, this is more pronounced if the contract will significantly affect many people. It is therefore upon the government and the social systems to ensure that the systems put in place to ensure effectiveness of the bidding process are functioning properly and are robust enough to deal with the dynamism associated with such processes. If need be, changes must be instituted to ensure that the system are functioning. The products delivered must measure up to some predetermined standards to ensure quality and accountability. These measures and other quality management measures if well integrated into the bidding and implementation of contracts that are of public interest will ensure that the public benefits in the best possible way. Word Count: 3271 ,Reference List CBS News (2008). Boeing Spurned On Huge Air Force Contract. Retrieved 13 October 2008 from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2008/02/29/business/main3894669. shtml? source=RSSattr=Business_3894669 Krishnan, A. (2008). War as Business: Technological Change and Military Service Contracting. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Meyer, J. (2007). Working in a War Zone: Military Contractors. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Online News Hour (2008). Boeing, Northrop Grumman Clash Over Tanker Contract. Retrieved 13 October 2008 from http://www. pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/jan-june08/tanker_05-06. html. United States Government Accountability Office (2008). Statement Regarding the Bid Protest Decision Resolving the Aerial Refueling Tanker Protest by The Boeing Company. Retrieved 13 October 2008 from http://www. governmentexecutive. com/pdfs/061808cd1. pdf Verkuil, R. (2007). Outsourcing Sovereignty: Why Privatization of Government Functions Threatens Democracy and what We Can Do about it. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Structural and Interest Based Theories of Politics

Structural and Interest Based Theories of Politics What are the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics? Compare and discuss their features using empirical examples. At the heart of the field of comparative politics lie a variety of theoretical frameworks, each of which attempts to enhance our understanding of what is important in relation to explaining political phenomena. The aim of this essay is to examine and compare the features of the structural and interest-based approaches, through the use of empirical examples. As regards its structure, the essay will begin by providing a definition of the comparative method. Following on will be a brief discussion on its uses and a cost-benefit analysis of using such an approach. After all, it is the comparative method that will form the basis of the discussion to follow. The essay will subsequently identify the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics. Due to the lack of space, the ways in which they complement one another will be omitted. Finally, the essay will conclude by arguing that the main differences between structural and interest-based approa ches revolve around their explanations on the causes of political developments, and their focuses on the individual. In order to fully appreciate the main differences between the structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics, it is first important to develop an understanding of the comparative method in its own right. Although widely used in the field of political science, the comparative method is far from straightforward to define. It is an abstract term to which various definitions have been applied over the years. According to the political scientist Arend Lijphart, the comparative method can be defined as the analysis of a small number of cases, entailing at least two observations, yet too few to permit the application of conventional statistical analysis. (Collier, 1993: 106) In practice, this refers to what is known as a small N analysis, within which there are two basic research designs: most similar systems design (MSSD), and most different systems design (MDSD). As a rule of thumb, the former, otherwise known as Mills Method of Difference, involves the use of less tha n 20 cases (states) that are as similar as possible. The logic behind this methodology is that the more homogeneous the cases under investigation, the easier it ought to be to pinpoint the factors accountable for the differences between them. Faure (1994) argues that the most similar systems design is the prevailing method (but not the only one) in comparative politics. (Faure, 1994: 310) By contrast, the latter, otherwise known as Mills Method of Similarity, involves the use of less than 20 cases that are as different as possible, the purpose of which is to communicate the vigorous nature of the correlation between dependent and independent variables. Such a method assumes that by proving that the observed correlations hold true in different domestic settings, the line of reasoning should be better corroborated. There are many uses of the comparative method. In addition to the case study approach, the experimental method, and the statistical method (Lijphart, 1971: 682), political scientists draw upon the comparative method to assist them in the devising of hypotheses (suggested explanations of something), the testing of hypotheses (which are proven or refuted), and the uncovering of empirical regularities and the identification of outliers' (Gherghina, 2017: 14). The comparative method is by no means faultless; though an analysis of its merits is required in order to demonstrate why it has stood the test of time in the field of political science. One of the main proponents of the comparative method, the aforementioned Arend Lijphart, deduces that given inevitable scarcity of time, energy, and financial resources, the intensive analysis of a few cases may be more promising than the superficial statistical analysis of many cases. (Collier, 1993: 107) His inference substantiates the argument that a detailed analysis of a small number of states is a more effective than a brief analysis of a large number of states as a result of various limitations already touched upon. However, that is not to say the comparative method is without its faults. Indeed, one of the inherent problems picked up on by academics is that of many variables, few cases (Lijphart, 1971: 685). Now that we have developed an understanding of the comparative method, it is possible to observe the ways in which structural and interest-based explanations differ. It can be argued that one of the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics is in relation to the causes of political developments. The crux of the formers argument revolves around the idea that macro factors in other words, factors that are observable at the level of society or variables to put it more simply, factors that are liable to vary or change are the ultimate causes of political events. The most prevalent macro factors or variables employed in the structural approach include a countrys level of economic development, social inequality, educational inequality, life expectancy, degree of urbanisation, ethnic fractionalisation that is, the quantity and size of ethnic groups within a society), and religious composition. (Gherghina, 2017: 10) To demonstrate the structural approach in practice, we can apply the example of the modernisation theory. Broadly speaking, the modernisation theory associated with the work of the polit ical sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset argues that democratisation is the result of modernisation. Modernisation incorporates many of the variables already touched upon, including urbanisation. In laymans terms, the more modern a society becomes, the more likely a society is to become democratic. This is the case because these changes enable middle-class elites to mobilise the working class to press for political rights for all (Gherghina, 2017: 11). From the 18th century onwards Lipset carried out an analysis of several countries, from which he was able to conclude that this does indeed hold true. Among the countries that followed the theory proposed by Lipset were the United Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, and, more recently, Taiwan in the 20th century. This vividly illustrates the extent to which the structural approach can be useful with regards to explaining political developments and their causes, albeit it does not take into account its visible shortcomings. Nonetheless, by putting into practice the example, it is abundantly clear that the structural approach considers the causes of political developments to be disconnected from the dynamic of the political process. That, in stark contrast, to the interest-based approach in which individual decisions on the basis of seeking to maximise self-interest (Hague et al, 2016: 76) are seen to account for political developments. It is worth stressing that interest-based explanations do not only refer to financial optimisation, but also to a plethora of valued entities, such as authority and the accomplishment of ideological objectives. To illustrate the interest-based approach in practice, we can apply the example of political scientist William Rikers minimal winning coalition theory. It holds that in the aftermath of a general election in which no single party has been able to form a majority government, party leaders will seek to fulfil two criteria. First, they will seek to seek to form a coalition with parties that are ideologically similar to them on the political spectrum. Second, they will do so in such a way so as not to involve more politicians than is necessary to secure a parliamentary majority. This is evidenced by the 2010 UK general election. As Figure 1 vividly illustrates, the Conservatives, under the leadership of David Cameron, fell 19 seats short of a majority. As a result, they followed the aforementioned criteria to decide which party they wished to go into coalition with. Based on the first set of criteria, Cameron opted to go into coalition with Nick Cleggs Liberal Democrats as opposed to Gor don Browns Labour, in light of the fact that that the formers ideals were more closely aligned with those of their own than the latters, as Figure 2 (YouGov, 2014) makes abundantly clear. In addition, based on the second set of criteria, the Conservatives chose the Liberal Democrats as their coalition partners by taking into account the fact that the latter won over 200 fewer seats than Labour (see Figure 1), thus making it less likely that disagreements over the implementation of policies, for example would ensue in government. Hence, at the core of interest-based explanations is the idea that individuals perceived self-interest is the driving force behind political decisions and, on the whole, political developments are the result of such individual decisions. Furthermore, the structural and interest-based explanations can be contrasted in terms of their focus. According to Mahoney, at the core of structuralism is the concern with objective relationships between groups and societies. (Hague et al, 2016: 83) By contrast, the latter is focused on people. (Hague et al, 2016: 84) Thus, the latter focuses on the individual, whereas the former pays attention to networks. To summarise, this essay has examined the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics, through the use of empirical examples, and concluded that the grounds on which they differ are multitudinous. However, one of the main differences is in relation to how they explain the causes of political developments. Whereas structural explanations conclude that factors external to political life, such as life expectancy, are seen to account for political developments, interest-based explanations adopt the perspective that political developments are shaped by individual decisions, on the basis of what is best for them at a particular point in time. In that sense, another of the main differences between structural and interest-based approaches is that the former places a lot of emphasis on networks unlike the latter where the entirety of its focus lies with the individual. Bibliography BBC News Website (2010) Election 2010 Results http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/default.stm [accessed 26th February 2017] Collier, David (1993) The Comparative Method in Finifter, Ada W.; and American Political Science Association Political Science; the state of the discipline II Washington DC: American Political Science Association Faure, Andrew (1994) Some Methodological Problems in Comparative Politics Journal of Theoretical Politics Vol. 6 No. 3 pp. 307-322 Gherghina, Sergiu (2017) The Comparative Method in Introduction to Comparative Politics Gherghina, Sergiu (2017) Theoretical Frameworks in Comparative Politics in Introduction to Comparative Politics Hague, Rod; Harrop, Martin; and McCormack, John (2016) Chapter 5: Theoretical Approaches in Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction 10th Edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Lijphart, Arend (1971) Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method The American Political Science Review Vol. 65 No. 3 pp. 682-693 YouGov Website (2014) Britains Changing Political Spectrum https://yougov.co.uk/news/2014/07/23/britains-changing-political-spectrum/ [accessed 26th February 2017]   Ã‚   Appendices

Mark Twain :: essays research papers

I chose to do Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) because I believe Twain is the greatest American author of all time. Samuel Langhorne Clemens may have been one of the greatest American authors of all time. Samuel, Son of John and James Clemens, was born on November 30, 1835 in the town of Florida, Missouri. Samuel was born two months premature and it seemed unlikely that Samuel would survive the harsh winter but indeed he did. Death would take other children in the family instead: Margaret in 1836, Benjamin in 1842, and Henry in 1858(Miller, 2&3). According to Miller, Samuel remembered his father as: "A proud, a silent austere man who considered himself to be a member of the professional class both by virtue of his birth and by the fact that he studied law. He was Justice of the Peace in Florida and he owned 3 slaves, inherited by the death of his father." Samuel’s father was the owner of a 75,000 acre estate in Tennessee--land he had purchased for 500 dollars convinced that he was securing his family’s eventual fortune. Despite owning an estate in Tennessee, in 1839 James Clemens moved his family to Hannibal, Missouri where he hoped to find prosperity. 8 years later, Samuel’s father died of pneumonia leaving behind a family of five. Samuel was 11 and was devastated.(Miller, 4&5) Samuel Clemens was a difficult child. He almost drowned on nine separate occasions. Within a year of his fathers death, Samuel was apprenticed to a local printer, Joseph Ament. He worked for nearly two years for Ament, leaving him in October, 1850 in order to join the Hannibal Western Union, a small weekly newspaper that had been bought by his brother Orion Clemens. Orion promised Samuel good wages but was seldom able to pay it(Miller, 5). By 1853, Samuel was ready to try to make his own way. In May of that year, at the age of 17, he left Hannibal for St. Louis, New York, and Philadelphia. For the next two years, he supported himself--often only just barely-- as a typesetter for a variety of newspapers, while enjoying what would prove to be the first of many travels. By the spring of 1855, he was once again working for Orion, now a printer in Keokuk, Iowa.(Sanborn, 89-93) By this time, Samuel Clemens had discovered the joy of seeing his words in print. He wrote simply because he found it easy to write, he had no idea of what he wanted to do in life.

George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion Essay examples -- George Shaw Pygmalio

George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion G.B Shaw believed that people should not be limited by their birth, environment or speech. With reference to Act 1 & Act five of Pygmalion, show how Eliza finds her status affected by all of these factors. At the time George Bernard Shaw wrote Pygmalion in 1912, many people were troubled with accents that prevented them from reaching high & in act 1, Eliza's character is an example of this. In act 1, we see how Eliza was very limited by her environment, her job, & her speech by the way that she was treated differently for who she was. The society at the time Pygmalion was written was very set & if you were born into a lower class family, you were not seen as anything better than that. Eliza was a lower class flower girl whose speech was not Standard English & difficult to understand. She came from the slum streets of London & was as clean as she could afford to be but to the upper class people she was 'worthless' & 'dirty'. Higgins was an upper class man who studied phonetics. He was written as someone who believed in the class system & that he should not associate with the likes of 'Eliza' who was 'just a flower girl' & a 'disgrace to the English language'. The play does reflect the society at the time & Shaw incorporated the way people treated other people into the play quite effectively. The Aynsford-Hills were a middle class family but whose status was slowly sliding down. In act 1, 'the daughter' has Higgins's view of lower class people & doesn't treat Eliza nicely just because she is a flower girl. Shaw wanted to include his thoughts on society, language & drama into Pygmalion. He thought society was unfair & that 'no one should be limited by his or h... ...closed on her, & she could never go back to who she was originally no matter how much she wanted to because she is seen as upper class so to be back selling flowers on the street would not be in her character anymore. I think she feels she is better off because she has a lot of knowledge from Higgins, more independence & the upper class status. At the end, just because of the way she spoke & the clothes she wore, she was automatically seen as upper class. She was not born into a wealthy family. She started off as a common flower girl & ended up as an upper class duchess but technically all that happened to her was that she was taught how to be a lady. So this proves that throughout the play Eliza's status was affected by her birth, environment & speech in a way that it completely changed the way she was judged by other people in the space of six months.

The Hidden Life Of Dogs: Book Review :: essays research papers

The Hidden Life of Dogs: Book Review The Hidden Life Of Dogs was written by Elizabeth Thomas who is currently well know and highly re-spected for her books. Elizabeth Thomas was born in America and currently lives in New Hampshire. This is a book that is unlike any book ever written as it takes the perspective from a different angle. It was first published in the United States in 1993 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Elizabeth has written five books, all bestsellers. It is evident that her success is due to her intense research as she has travelled the world while writing her books. With international success, Elizabeth plans to continue her career that currently seems to be skyrocketing. "The Hidden Life Of Dogs" was not just any book. Clearly there was much more effort involved. Beginning with an introductory character, Misha who was a Husky, began the book well. This book tried to get the idea across that humans knew only very little about dogs and their patterns. After intense observations on Misha, some ideas were brought up. How did the dog know how to cross a highway on its own? How did its navigational skills work? How was it that this dog knew exactly where it was and could travel through different cities without becoming lost and other dogs couldn't? Continuing on to bringing in other dogs Elizabeth was studying, she pointed out that some had skills that others did not. Misha was clearly able to navigate himself but when with another dog, he would become lost. After careful observation it was seen that the other dog could easily loose track of where she was and mislead Misha. Another interesting topic covered is how dogs behave with each other. How they achieve their social status, why some dogs don't become accepted and how they react to each other. By comparing the dogs with the wolves and dingoes some of the dogs' actions become clearer, but there is one thing a dog really wants and that is to be with others, and to love their owner. It was explained how a dog defended a bird and mouse in a cage from another excited dog in the same house. Likely explanations for this could be because the older dog felt that the peace was not being maintained or perhaps he knew that the mouse and bird were his master's belongings and he should protect them. The book goes on to explaining what occurs between the dogs when they mate, why some dogs kill their litter and many other topics.

Essay Question

In Lie Weasel's opinion, what are the universal lessons of the Holocaust? What is the message of this particular lecture? In Lie Weasel's speech, he spoke of the cruelty of man towards Jews and how man did not view Jews as human beings. The universal lessons he spoke of were to not forget what happened and to tell the message, but not to tell it to make people â€Å"weep†, but to tell it so people could make the world a better place. It was worse than any cruelty known to man.Lie Wishes spoke at the opening of the Holocaust Museum, to dignitaries from all over the world. He spoke of some lessons, that the Holocaust taught, that were universal to man. He spoke of man's atrocities toward Jews and that their captors thought of them as less than human. We should as a species, respect all men, no matter their race, color or creed. Mr†¦ Wishes spoke so that horrors of this magnitude might be averted In the future. Another lesson to be learned from the Holocaust is that the memo ries of this event should not be pressed.They must be faced and dealt with. The repression of memories will cause them to backlash far worse than the pain of facing It. Also the facing of these memories will allow us to keep them in the forefront of our mind and ever allow these things to occur again. Mr†¦ Wishes had two main points In his speech to the world; the first was how we, as a species, allowed this to occur to our fellow man. The second was that we should never forget It and stop It from ever occurring In the future.

Research: Children With Mental Illness Essay

The purpose of this paper is to critique an article from the National Association of Social Workers, Inc. The article selected is titled â€Å"Child custody loss among women with persistent severe mental illness.† (Hollingsworth, 2004) I selected this article due to its applicability to child protective services which is where my field practicum is taking place. The components of this article are clearly defined and broken down into subheadings as followed: Abstract, Introduction, Theoretical Framework and Research Design, Method, Analysis, Results, Discussion, Implications for Mental Health Policy and Services, Conclusion, and References. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The layout of the article makes it easy for the reader to follow and understand key elements and terms of the research. The title provides a clear cut description of what the article is written about as well. The variables are identified and defined under the â€Å"methods† subheading; it also provides a definiti on of individual variables, environmental variables, and how child custody is defined for the purposes of this research. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The statement of the problem is descriptively explained in the introduction and supported with statistical analysis provided in the research article. The purpose is clearly defined under the â€Å"theoretical framework and research design† section explaining that the study was to test the hypothesis which stated that by researching history of child custody loss among women with severe persistent mental illness the custody loss would be higher than those women who did not have this type of illness. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The hypothesis and research question provide insight into how the author plans to show a correlation and then build effective policies and interventions based upon this evidence. The research question asks â€Å"What are the circumstances under which women with severe mental illness lose custody of their children?† (Hollingsworth,  2004) This gives the reader a concise question that allows them to visualize the direction of the research itself. The rese arch question is quickly followed by characteristics that have been observed among the participants which define what may have led to a mother losing custody of her child. The article then provides examples of behavior patterns and socioeconomic factors that may impact the variables mentioned. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The theoretical framework and research section re-states the purpose of this research and also provides supportive information as to why this knowledge is important to obtain for the target population mention. The theoretical framework states that the author used the Human Ecology Theory, which fits the problem presented because there is enough past information available, and biopsychosocial elements provided to be able to test the hypothesis and provide reliable/measurable data. (Hollingsworth, 2004) Based upon the information in the article the Human Ecology Theory will view the mother with severe persistent mental illness in her environment, assist in predicting outcomes, and also provide measurable data. The data collected will enable social workers and mental health workers to connect these women and families to the correct resources so that the mother may regain custody and have access to the resources that she requires. The variables presented appear to be appropriate for the problem as it has been defined. The individual’s biopsychosocial information is measurable including whether there is a history of substance abuse and treatment for mental illness. The environmental variables are also measurable by gathering data related to the individual’s neighborhood, child behavior, poverty conditions, and social support. (Hollingsworth, 2004) It is important to mention that each term used in the variables section was further defined and a description was given as to how the information was considered from these separate groups. The author also recognizes that there are factors besides the mother’s mental illness that could play a part in her mental functioning. (Hollingsworth, 2004) I feel that it is important for the author to acknowledge these outlying factors that may influence the data that has been collected. The assumptions made in this article include some bias toward how child protective services and the legal system will treat a mother that has persistent severe mental illness. It is not hard to understand why this assumption is made and it is reasonable to assume that the legal system and  child protective services may assume too much based upon a quick assessment of the mother’s mental state. I feel that the discrimination based on the research information provided is also related to geographic areas more so than others. If there is a low income area that is lacking access to qualified mental health professionals it would be safe to assume that child protective services would remove the children since other resources are not available. The overall design of this article is constructed around quantitative data with the results of the research being constructed around this format; the author also provides some supportive evidence through qualitative research. The design is ap propriate to answering the research questions and providing an easy to follow guide for the readers to digest the information. In my opinion the author also did a good job recognizing different threats to the validity of the data that was collected. The author did this by recognizing what those threats were and how it was accounted for in the data that was collected, and what impact it may have had on the results. The sample selection was appropriately described and broken down into measurable categories. The author stated: â€Å"Participants were identified from among those enrolled in a National Institute for Mental Illness funded three-wave longitudinal study of mothers with severe mental illness.† (Hollingsworth, 2004) The author further explains that the sample size began with 379 women; after wave 3 of the study 322 women remained. (Hollingsworth, 2004) Women were removed from the study throughout the study depending upon different variables listed as disqualifiers, such as a mother losing custody of her child/children for less than three months. Some women chose to remove themselves from the study and others lost contact with the individuals conducting the study at different times which in turn made the women disqualified. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The process of collecting the data is clearly defined under the â€Å"method† section of the article. The author describes the structure of the questionnaire as a â€Å"3 wave longitudinal study.† (Hollingsworth, 2004) In my opinion the inconsistencies would come from the participant answering truthfully and consistently within the 3 wave study. In the 3 wave study the data was collected initially through structured interview questions, with some open-ended questions used, this is where some of the inconsistencies could be from depending on who was analyzing the answers. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The author stated that a â€Å"life  history calendar† was included in the 3rd wave to increase accuracy. (Hollingsworth, 2004) Another consideration would be to note that the participants were paid to participate in the study, but the interview was conducted in the privacy of the participant’s home. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The interviews were conducted by a trained female interviewer that was racially and ethnically similar to that of the participant. (Hollingsworth, 2004) This is note-worthy because it shows some variables that were not stated as having a possible influence on the results of the data collected. I would take into consideration that the interviewer, although professionally trained, may have had biases in favor of the participants that were subconsciously conveyed and could have led the participants to answer the interviewer in a particular manner. The results were able to depict what the variables between the participants that permanently lost custody of their children and those that did not lose custody of their children. One interesting finding is that women that were not married were more likely to permanently lose custody of their children. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The hypothesis for this provided by the author is that the married women more than likely had more immediate support in th e home. (Hollingsworth, 2004) One of the variables listed was the behavior problems from the children of women with persistent mental illness; the author notes that in order to determine whether this is the children simply reacting to the mother’s persistent severe mental illness or whether the children have true behavioral issues needs to be studied further. (Hollingsworth, 2004) With that being considered the results found that the children’s behavioral issues had little impact on whether or not the mother lost custody. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The implications recognized are geared toward mental health policy and services; the author states that one part of the study that was initially thought of as an individual variable was actually something that could be considered as an environmental factor as well. (Hollingsworth, 2004) The example given was that unmarried women may not be discriminated against due to be unmarried and this being the cause for their custody loss, but may have lost custody due to less resources than someone who has a partner.(Hollingsworth, 2004) The second noteworthy implication is that individuals with active symptoms of psychosis or depression can present a significant risk to their children, so the children are removed for their  own protection and not due to discriminatory factors.(Hollingsworth, 2004)

Organisational Learning

If there are images in this attachment, they will not be displayed. Download the original attachment 1. Introduction In order to survive in the rapid changing business environment the organisations need to acquire knowledge and innovate fast enough. This dynamic, complex and globally competitive nature of the business requires learning organisations. CEO of British Petroleum Company John Browne (1995) says â€Å"Learning is at the heart of a company’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing environment. †(p. 148)   Many approaches are being articulated to build learning organisations. In this work, three articles which portray suggestions to build a learning organisation are being reviewed, critically analysed, and compared and contract. 2. The Literature Search Key words: Organisational learning, organisational developments, management learning, continuous learning. Sources: Harvard Business School Review, Emerald journals 3. Review of the articles Article 1: â€Å"Building A Learning Organisation† by David A Garvin In the article Garvin has mentioned about the three dilemmas which are essential for flourishing the execution of the transforming the organisations into learning organisation: Meaning, Management and Measuring. A new approach to learning organisation is being bought into the study. †A learning organisation is an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights† (p. 3) To build an organisation into a learning organisation Garvin recommends five building blocks: Solving problems systematically, Experimenting with new approaches to work, and Learning from past experience,  Learning from other companies and from customers, Transferring knowledge throughout organisation. Implementing these activities assists the organisations guarantee continues improvements. In the later part of the article the steps for    measuring the learning are described. The article advice   Half life curves, questionnaires and surveys on behavioural changes comprehensive learning audit to measure the learning instead of using traditional methods like learning and experience curves which focus only on , cost or price. The article put forward a slight shift in focus, away from continuous improvement and toward a commitment to learning. Article 2: â€Å"The Fifth Discipline† By Peter M Senge This article demonstrates how to create a background, where the employees are supported to learn collectively and individually. Senge says in order to withstand the competitors and to excel in the field or market, the organisations have to ensure two conditions: The capability to design the organisation to match with the desired result or outcome, ability to recognise any deviation from the desired outcome and to bring it back to the right track by undertaking the necessary initiatives and steps. He describes five disciplines which creates learning organisations The System thinking, Personal mastery, Mental models, Shared vision and Team learning. The System thinking is considered as the fifth discipline, Senge describes it as the ‘cornerstone’ which underlies other disciplines. The five disciplines have to be learned by the individuals in the organisation and put into the business activities. According to Senge organisations that are capable of learning from their experiences do better than those organisations that simply adopt to their environments. They take advantage of rapidly changing conditions. Their strategies are sufficiently open ended to allow for the unexpected so that their capabilities of organisational learning can deal with external rapidly changing situations Article3: â€Å"Building and sustaining a learning organisation† By Richard Teare and Richard Dealtry   This editorial document discuses how to build a learning background and the implication for Learning organisations. It depicts on the experience and observations of members the organisations which run learning programmes at their work places. It debates on four themes: Modelling the learning process in organisations, organisational readiness, Team working and learning and networked learning . These themes are related to the plan for organisational learning and organisational learning renewal. It claims that effective learning is depends on the environment for learning and the efforts of organisational leaders and managers in creating, nourishing and encouraging the suitable circumstances for learning to occur. 4. Critical Appraisal Article 1: The flow of text is easy to read and it is free from technical terminology. The examples quoted in this article come from both larger and smaller organisations. The examples are, interesting, and generously interspersed throughout the article. The article includes examples of both successful and failed attempts, gives an idea about how corrections can be made when an initial attempt does not work. Garvin has take on a structural approach. His hypothesis gives the guidelines for real time applications and it is loaded with operational advice rather than high objectives. However, structural improvements are only as good as the enthusiasm for learning, so there are limitations to this theory as well. Article2: It is very important that an ensemble could be developed from the five disciplines proposed by Senge . However it is a challenge because it is much difficult to incorporate new tools than simply apply them separately. However the payoffs are gigantic. Senge fails to claim any theoretical or empirical evidence to support his claims. This article is better at perceptions than at the provision of realistic steps for managers. The organisations which consider profit as the bottom line, an essential concern with the culture and development of employees and associates is too unrealistic. There is a question of about the applications of the systems theory. Though he establishes variety of broader appreciations and focus to his hypothesis, it is not fully set in a political or moral framework. Article3: It illustrates a systematic approach to learning organisations, starting from the organisational objectives, diagnosing the need and opportunities, learning organisations support and progress review. It takes the advantage views and experiences of the two real time organisations to portray the real time situations in building the organisation. It gives a brief review on the different concept and the realities about building a learning environment. It is well known that the concept of building learning organisation is been articulated by different scholars and has a disagreement. This article seeks support from various sources and scholars which is likely to have some contradicting arguments in the article. 5. Comparison of articles Article1 is the theoretical approach to build learning organisations and in article2 Garvin renovate this into reality. In article1 Garvin looks at managing behaviour and performance which is an external view while in article2 Senge looks at the mental models that determine behaviour which is an internal view. Article 1, 2 &3 disagree about what conditions promote the creation of learning organisations. Each list different factors that represent or promote learning. However, they approach the learning organisations with a normative or prescriptive orientation. Providing an enhanced understanding is a key issue in learning organisations. Article1 claims mental model and system thinking will facilitate this enhanced understanding. In the case of article2, it is systematic problem solving, experimentation and learning from past experiences. Mental models, Team learning and system thinking disciplines are suggested by Senge(article2) in order to acquire knowledge . In view of Garvin(article1)   knowledge acquisition is   done through learning   from the others and learning from   the past experiences. In order to filter the acquired knowledge Garvin implements systematic problem solving and experiments, and Senge recommends inquiry and dialogue which are discussed in the discipline team learning. Neither article1 nor article2 explicitly mentioned the need to unfreeze organisation before substantial improvements can be achieved. Whereas article3 discuss unfreezing organisational way of thinking and avoiding decision making that is skewed to either extreme. Under some circumstance the Organisational standards have become as a predicament for the organisations which prefer innovation. Article3 uses the same concept to overcome this problem. Article2 says the leaders of a learning organisation â€Å"are designers, stewards, and teachers. They are responsible for building organisations where people continually expand their abilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models – that is, they are responsible for learning. † Article3 has the similar approach to leadership. It seen that article3 has followed some influences of Senge’s (article2) recommendations in the process of building a learning organisation. 6. Conclusion Learning organisations create a culture which sustain and encourage continuous learning by its employees. Vital thinking and acceptable risk taking new ideas. The concept of the learning organization has gained increasing attention in the management literature. For a quite long time the organisational theorists have studied about the subject under the discussion and their diversity views imply there is a considerable disagreement. In this work, such of three articles which portray suggestions to build a learning organisation are being reviewed, critically analysed, and compared and contract. To conclude, even though there are disagreement regarding the subject basic foundations such as knowledge acquisition, deeper understanding and improved performance are widely accepted by most of the scholars. . REFERENCE (1) Dealtry,R and Teare,R(1998) Building and sustaining a learning organisation, The Learning organisation 5(1) p 47-60 (2) Garvin,D. (1993). Building a learning organisation. Harvard Business Review (3) Senge,P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline :The art and practice of learning organisation United states,Currency. (4) Steven P. (1995) Unl eashing the power of learning: An interview with British Petroleum’s John Browne. Harvard Business Review, 75(5) p. 148

Speech: Cirque Du Soleil

It was a cold January evening in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was just fourteen with my eighteen year old brother and parents on vacation and celebrating the New Year. My father decided to surprise the family with tickets to a wonderful acrobatic show that was based around the legendary band The Beatles. The show was mesmerizing and absolutely stunning, it in captured my heart and changed me forever. This show was called Love (CHANGE SLIDE) and was run by Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a â€Å"dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, (CHANGE SLIDE) and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Gaspe, in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberte and Gilles Ste-Croix. Initially named Les Echassiers, (CHANGE SLIDE) they toured Quebec in 1980 as a performing troupe and encountered financial hardship. Their financial troubles were relieved by a grant from t heir government as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada. CHANGE SLIDE) â€Å"Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil† was a success, and after securing a second year of funding, Laliberte hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to re-create it as a â€Å"proper circus†. Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains to be today. Cirque du Soleil traveled throughout Quebec in 1984, appearing in ten cities and playing to audiences of 800 at each performance.The following year, the troupe took its first steps outside its home province and began performing in neighboring Ontario. The audience’s feedback was so positive that it gave Cirque du Soleil even more reason to begin expanding. By 1986, the seating capacity of Cirque du Soleil’s big top tent had been expanded to 1,500, and Cirque du Soleil began to receive national and international attention. The company performed at Vancouver, British Columbia’s Children’s Festival and at Expo ’86, the World’s Fair hosted by Vancouver.Internationally, Cirque du Soleil earned nominations and awards at several competitions and festivals held By the end of 1986, Cirque du Soleil officials were convinced of the concept’s broad-based appeal. Two years after its birth in the small town of Gaspe, Cirque du Soleil’s unique expression of entertainment was ready to make it large. Cirque expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, going from one show to 19 shows in over 271 cities on every continent except Antarctica. Some of these shows include(CHANGE SLIDE) â€Å"The O† in Las Vegas, (CHANGE SLIDE) â€Å"La Nouba† in Orlando, Florida and, of course, (CHANGE SLIDE) Las Vegas’s â€Å"LOVE†. CHANGE SLIDE) Cirque du Soleil employs approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries and receives estimated annual revenue of more than 810 million dollars. The multiple permanent Las Vegas shows alone play to more than 9,000 people a night, 5% of the city's visitors, adding to the 90 million people who have experienced Cirque worldwide. In 2000, Laliberte bought out Gauthier, and with 95% ownership, has continued to expand the brand. In 2008, Laliberte split 20% of his share equally between two investment groups in Dubai.In partnership with these two groups, Cirque planned to build a residency show in the United Arab Emirates by 2012. However, since Dubai's financial problems in 2008’s global recession, it has been stated by Laliberte it may be looking for another financial partner to continue the company's future plans. Several more shows are in development around the world, along with a television deal, women's clothing line and the possible venture into other mediums such as spas, restaurants and nightclubs. Aside from Cirque du Soleil’s a success sto ry, Cirque du Soleil is far from an easy job. CHANGE SLIDE) Although, the halls are BURSTING with art and colors that the performers create on the side, it takes a lot of time and dedication to be a performer or set technician. A day in the life of a typical Cirque du Soleil performer is a 2-hour rehearsal, 2-hours of doing make up, on your self and than 2 performances. These talented performers will do 8-12 shows 6 days a week. It gets quite repetitive but imagine how exciting it would be to perform for such a large audience every day! If you are under the age 16, you have the same schedule as the other performers but you are also privately tutored in school.The non-performers live a similarly difficult schedule. Long hours of breaking down, setting up and readjusting props six times a week. The shoes are hand crafted and due to so much wear have to constantly be remade. The wigs are designed to fit each performers head perfectly and are fit on to molds of each of them. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that makes each second of the â€Å"magic† in a Cirque du Soleil performance. (CHANGE SLIDE) I hope that I have educated you about Cirque du Soleil, thank you.

Discussion 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion 1 - Assignment Example Personally, I find it amusing how people then had to use art as a way of communication, while not everybody has the talent of drawing. Some people cannot even draw a tree leave alone a smiling face. Although the discovery of art must have made life easy and simpler, the fact that most of the people could not take part in the emotional communication, as they did not have the skills to draw and express themselves just like their counterparts. Culture, as I would define it in relation to the world cultures cyber journeys is the differences in the way of people’s lives, and their believes on the various things that they practice in their daily lives. Through the daily practices and people’s interactions, a group of people unknowingly expresses their cultural practices. Thus, the normal things people either express subconsciously or consciously in writing or in other ways such as define the culture of that particular group. Cultures can either differ or compare with one another. Despite people having different cultural background, they exhibit some of similarities in their cultural practices. The differences and similarities of the western and eastern culture revel this. Both the western and the eastern people share in a number of ways. Their religious beliefs, share a common direction. Both the western and the eastern people believe in a supernatural figure. The two cultures believe in the existence of some form of power beyond their ability. However, the dwelling places of their supernatural powers differ. On the other hand, they believe in leaders, chosen among them. The main difference however is that while in the west the leader has an equal status with the people, in east, the leader is supreme and has overwhelming power. Culture regards the west as more advanced than the east. Especially in the manner through which

Media representations and the palestinian experience of the intifadas, Research Proposal

Media representations and the palestinian experience of the intifadas, an oslo accords - Research Proposal Example The force with which the Intifada started and carried on for the last eight years shocked not only Israel, but indeed, all countries of the world. One of the consequences of this first Intifada was the international conference in Madrid. No matter how regularly the negotiators conversed in Washington and elsewhere throughout this time, Israel did not attempt to fulfill the fundamental requirements for peace. United Nations resolutions 242 and 338 were unexpectedly not suitable for Israel, not to mention Resolution 194, which demands for the right of refugees to come back. The Madrid Conference served to redirect the increasing public consciousness of Israel as an occupying authority with an aggressive, tyrannical, expansionist, colonialist, and racially prejudiced character. Two years later, the world was taken by shock at the declaration of the Oslo Accord, signed in September 1993. Whereas the world was deceived by "peace myth," the reality was something rather different. The main intention of Oslo was to kill the Intifada and to guarantee that Israel acquired as many political benefits as likely, all the while changing its identity into that of a peace-making country. Israel did not withdraw from the taken territories, as it had been decided upon at Oslo. Hebron was separated. An immense span of land was confiscated. Jerusalemites were strained to give up their residency rights. Settlements augmented at breakneck speed, which constructed the notion of Israeli pulling out almost impracticable. Lastly, Palestinian lands were divided into areas A, B, and C, constructing easily- controllable and easily-suppressible bantustans. Provided with all the confusion, the majority of Palestinians were waiting tolerantly for Oslo to bring back their national freedom which was lost over three decades ago. They were waiting for Oslo to carry peace as well as prosperity. They were expecting to see how they could at last move without restraint within and outside the

Tate Modern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tate Modern - Essay Example With the advent of technology it has entered the virtual world of internet and is working as a successful organization for the benefit of art and artists who are able to met their most potential buyers Rockefeller to Mittal who, consequently were the noted patron of the establishment. In general sense it could be stated that this establishment values customers who are educated and connoisseur of art. (Lamb, 2004) Louis Lozowick, Duchamp, Jackson Pollock, Myron Krueger, Anja Kroencke and ceramic artists like Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner, Robert Arneson, Viola Frey and Bennet Bean are the most popular artists at Tate Moder. Among these noted artists Anja Kroencke holds a favorite position as this magnificent illustrator renowned for her outstanding fashion illustrations or more better said lifestyle illustrations. Her contribution in her field is commendable and her work includes the most identifiable masterpieces of illustrations. Anja Kroencke is well known for her distinct haughty women characters. The body proportion, body movement, faces, hands and feet, poses of the characters and the backgrounds in her drawings reflect high class, high profile modern society. Her characters (mostly women) are elegant, stylish and fashion trendy as seen from her drawings. The sophistication and the elegance of her lines and the zing in her works of art have given Anja Kroencke a distinct and remarkable po sition in the field of illustration. Her drawings are incredibly pure, playing with measured degree of black & white and color producing visible contrasts between wide stretches of pure white and vast regions of velvety shadows. (King, 2006) It should be stated that Jackson Pollock's Convergence is one noted favorite in this context. The most important point to be noted in this respect is the amount of energy that is reflected within the parameter of this 95" x 155" inch canvas. (Samuel, 1999) To ascertain a piece of canvas to be judged as a work of art it is necessary to evoke a certain feeling within the viewers. There is no grammar involved in this part; no mathematics is needed; only the artistic sense is operational in this context from the part of the viewer. The interpretation may vary but the theme that evoked the interpretation of the viewer is all that is important to certify a painting as Art. In this context too Jackson Pollock's Convergence comes out with flying colors. (Mitra, 1985) American ceramic artist Bennett Bean lives and works in Blairstown, NJ. Bean is primarily a studio potter but is also an equally good sculptor and painter. His trademark creations include pale pit-fired pots and vessels such as bowls and teapots. Bean has confessed to having been influenced by a range of ceramic art including Japanese pottery, English pottery (such as those by Bernard Leach) Native and Modern American pottery (such as those by George Ohr). Bean is also in the habit of using other beautifying techniques such as gilding and glazing on his pots, only instead of serving as decorative measures these methods help Bean in creating the kind of space and surface he is known for. The patterns he uses comes from a collection he has built up over 20 years, many of them are influenced by the

Select a topic from EITHER (i) social justice, OR (ii) God's Essay

Select a topic from EITHER (i) social justice, OR (ii) God's existence, OR (iii) death and meaning in life. Which thinker or p - Essay Example The 15-year old fictional character has viewed the relationship between the two as necessary for the point of appreciation. In her thoughts, one cannot appreciate life if death does not exist to be the human race’s inevitable end. On the other hand, Sophie thought that one could not think of death alone without having realised how great it is to live (Gaarder, 1994). These contentions offer a thought-provoking exploration in taking both death and the meaning of life into perspective. This paper then explores the presence of thoughts regarding death and the meaning of life. In so doing, thinkers in the field of philosophy are examined and later reduced to a list of whom this paper think offers the best arguments and conclusions as per the matter concerned. The selection of such philosophers is consequently justified. Life and the Minds that Explored its Meaning Beginning to explore the meaning of life is in itself broad and complicated. If three persons are inquired upon with t hat question, it is highly likely that the person asking would get three unique interpretations. It then comes as less surprising when philosophers in the day have to offer different perspectives of their own. If one would even think of it, philosophers--no matter which timeline he/she belongs to--attempts to unravel the meaning of life in his/her own angle. As an illustration, the schools of thought of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle could be accounted for as one unique quest from the other. First, many would attribute Socrates to be among the thinkers responsible for the founding what is now known as the philosophy of the Western culture (Long, 1988). This form of recognition stems from the philosopher’s notoriety in being provocative of many ideas, questioning the society’s status quo, and stirring the thoughts of the youth during his time. These ideologies were Socrates’ form of investigating on the meaning of life. Although not an outright move, it was his w ay of challenging society’s thoughts on what is the meaning of life for them. Consequently, his move on continuous inquiry of things was his way of giving a picture of the meaning of life. Without doing so may be equal to life without meaning. On the other hand, Plato--though a student of Socrates--was his own man in terms of philosophical contribution. Particularly, his role in the early foundations of science and Western philosophy is considered to be another one that is essential to the prosperity of the knowledge up to this day. Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, meanwhile had a broad range of focus and dealt largely with the physical sciences. The student-teacher thought may have differed in content but just like Socrates, the central ideologies of the two philosophers have each had their own version of revealing the meaning of life. An example would be Aristotle tackling the concept of end purpose. This school of thought can be taken as the philosopher’s own version of finding an answer for what life’s meaning is--given that finding out ‘why are we here’ and what the purpose of an individual is in the world has been among the pressing questions long been asked since humankind has been intrigued with (Gaarder, 1994). Nevertheless, although Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle could be credited as the pillars of the quest in life’s meaning, this paper considers other philosophers like Immanuel Kant to be the ones

Competitor Analysis and the Development of a Brand Assignment

Competitor Analysis and the Development of a Brand - Assignment Example ishwasher was widely accepted by the market with the result that Fairy could make way to launch further of its brand extensions which it did in the coming years. Fairy’s innovation appealed to the masses and its performance became anonymous with combating stubborn and burnt stains the best way (Datamonitor, 2011); fairy.co.uk, 2011; Superbrands.com). The promotions of the brand were strongly backed by Above the Line advertisements with celebrity endorsements to establish strong brand equity. As the brand moved into the future to meet the changing consumer tastes and preferences accordingly, Fairy’s packaging was changed to a transparent bottle which was easier to handle. After a massive success, Fairy Liquid was launched with a lemon scent. This was followed by Fairy non-bio laundry product for sensitive skin, anti-bacterial Fairy Liquid, Fairy Powerspray for tough burnt on stains. With these brand extensions, Fairy could cash in the revenue from every possible segment and sub-segment of liquid cleansers (Datamonitor Research Store. 2011); Datamonitor, 2011; fairy.co.uk, 2011; Superbrands.com). Fairy had and still has the advantage of a long-established equity along with a strong brand image with which it can tap into all the possible markets successfully through its brand extensions. Fairy currently operates in a mature market the product lifecycle of which has predominantly been extended by creating sub-segments of the dishwasher and sink sectors. Fairy has a whopping share of 57% in the sink washing sector and is second to Finish in the dishwasher category (Superbrands.com, Datamonitor, 2011). The launching of Fairy Active Burst and Active Powder Burst marks Fairy’s presence in both the categories of sink and dishwasher category. The brand extensions of Fairy Powerspray and Fairy Active Foam however can be considered as the most selling brand extensions. Following these developments, Fairy Active Foam was voted as the product of the year by the shoppers

The Yellow Wallpaper Book Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Yellow Wallpaper Book Report - Essay Example At the summer home she is trapped in a room to rest and adhere to "a schedule prescription for each hour in the day" (6). Trapped in this bedroom she is left alone to stare at the yellow wallpaper that becomes a symbol of her madness. Behind the wallpaper is a woman that is struggling to get free. Suffering from post-partum depression, the author is slowly driven into insanity by the self-fulfilling prophecy of her husband's diagnosis and her own insecurities. As the story progresses, the forbidden diary entries become more secretive as the yellow wallpaper becomes ever more hideous and foreboding. The wallpaper commits every artistic sin, "is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering, unclean yellow, slowly faded by the slow-turning sunlight", with curves that "suddenly commit suicide" (8). The yellow is described as "a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others" (8). Lurking behind the paper is a "strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to sulk out behind that silly and conspicuous front design" (18-19). The more the author stares at the paper, the more uncomfortable she becomes with its creatures and ghosts that inhabit the patterns. The figure behind the paper takes the form of a woman that is trying to escape. While to the outside world, and her husband, the author seems to be improving, she is spiraling down into ever-greater depths of insanity. She has noticed that the yellow color of the wallpaper has manifested as an odor that permeates the house. "The only thing I can think of that it is like is the color of the paper - a yellow smell" (41). The woman behind the paper becomes more animated and agitated as "The front pattern does move - and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it" (42)! The woman struggles to be released from the pattern on the wall and "is all the time trying to crawl through. But nobody could climb through that pattern - it strangles so" (42-43). The author begins to see the mythical woman out of all the windows, on the grounds, and on the road. In the author's final entry, she is madly struggling to free the woman from behind the wallpaper and attempt to capture her. She tears at the paper to remove it and suddenly makes the connection between the wallpaper and her own mind. She questions, "I wonder if they all come out of that wall paper, as I did" (52). She is now secure with her insanity and locks herself inside the room. He husband calls for an axe to chop down the door and wonders what is wrong with his wife. She tells him, "I've got out at last, in spite of you and Jane! And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back" (55). Her physician husband faints, but the author is free and must "creep over him every time" (55). She has realized she is not mad, or insane, she is a woman. Like so many other women of the era she has freed herself from the hideous yellow prison and can now creep freely through society. In the male dominated society, the author has no identity to call her own. She does not have a profession and we do not know her name. She is literally locked in a room, forbidden to write, and even her baby is cared for by another woman named simply Mary. In this room, her illness is illustrated by the hideous yellow wallpaper than covers the room, and consumes her life.

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example e (1990) reported that researchers generally ignored the importance of ‘motivation and individual differences’ in their bid to understand cognition, he asserts that college lecturers must consider these two concepts in their delivery of the various subject matter. Thus, he stressed the need for lecturers to consider not only students’ acquisition of knowledge but also their motivation to continue learning even after their college days are ended. He therefore advocated life long learning as a major aim of the college education system. Three underlying factors utilized by Mc Keachie (1990) and his associates to analyze cognitive psychology and motivation theory include firstly, the pre-knowledge that students bring to their learning experiences, secondly, the issue of ‘deep versus surface processing’ of learning which is determined by students active involvement in the learning process and thirdly, the importance of nurturing the intrinsic motivation of the learner. Specifically, Mc Keachie (1990) and his associates investigated the ‘learning strategies and motivational characteristics’ of students enrolled in Biology, English, Psychology or Sociology at three different colleges.(130) Special emphasis was paid to the rudiments of research in a natural setting. In general, the authors focused on the interest and achievement level of anxious students. The researchers concluded in spite of their inability to over-generalize due to the small sample size that supportive structures were needed early in the course and assistance must be given to students to develop effective learning strategy and study skills.(138) Furthermore, Mc Keachie (1990) posits that three items are of major importance in the teaching and maintenance/improvement of the motivation level of students, namely, finding out ‘what is in the mind of the learner’, the identification of ‘key concepts and their relationships’ and ‘student self-efficacy in mobilizing energies for