George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant: Insights on Imperialism, Ethical Conflicts and Fear of Judgment Essay

George Orwell’s essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant,† introduces an interesting insight on imperialism, ethical conflicts and fear of judgement through the inner workings of a European police officer given the grueling task of dealing with an elephant in musk within Moulmein, in lower Burma. Imperialism, as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, reads that Imperialism is â€Å"a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.† Interestingly, Orwell shows imperialism in his work as a consensual hatred between the Burmese and a particular European cop causing a mutual negativity. The ethical conflicts raised in this essay root from the narrator, (who we can assume is the European police officer) who has been handed the task of dealing with a lustful and aggressive elephant who was a threat to the Burmese people’s land, possessions and lives. Ethical conflicts raised in Orwell’s work, tie to the narrators fear of judgement. It was because the narrator feared judgement so terribly, that he made the choice to pull the trigger on the elephant. When an elephant in musk escapes from his chains with his Mahout far out of reach, the narrator is called in to deal with this ravaging creature. He beings along his rifle and says â€Å"I had no intention of shooting the elephant, I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary.† In essence, the pure reason for the rifle was for precautionary reasons, yet it had drawn a large amount of attention and excitement from a large crowd of â€Å"at least 2000 and growing every minute.† (Page 284) The narrator has an ethical dilemma, as â€Å"[he] knew with perfect certainty that [he] ought not to shoot him† (page 284). Orwell compares the elephant to a valuable, expensive piece of machinery. (Page 284) He watches the elephant acting with that â€Å"grandmotherly air that elephants have,† (Page 285) realizing that the beast is calming down and coming out of his lustful phase. This later contrasts with the narrator actually shooting the elephant due to the pressure of â€Å"the sea of yellow faces and their 2000 wills pressing [him] forward.† (Page 284) As the narrator was enroute to locating this lustful elephant, he learns that it had already â€Å"destroyed a bamboo hut, killed a cow and raided some fruit stalls and devoured stock.† (Page 282) In learning these things, Orwell makes it clear that the narrator feels he has legal justification for shooting the elephant even though he morally knew he was in the wrong. Interestingly, the narrators ethics in the matter of shooting the elephant are broken because of his fear of judgement. â€Å"[He] was hated by many people as a European subdivisional police officer in Moulmein. [He] was an obvious target and baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.† When the narrator was called in to deal with this elephant in must, he came to a point where he was surrounded by thousands of Burmese people, left with the choice to either shoot the elephant, or let him live. The pressure provided by the â€Å"thousands of yellow faces,† (page 284) and all of their hatred, left the narrator with no choice in his mind but to fire at this creature. After doing this, he wonders â€Å"whether any of the others (Burmese) grasped that [he] had shot the elephant solely to avoid looking like a fool.† (Page 287) This proves the narrators fear of judgement. Orwell does an excellent job in displaying the hatred between the Burmese and the Europeans, and the feeling that â€Å"imperialism was an evil thing.† (Page 281) He says that â€Å"if a European woman went through the bazaars alone somebody would probably spit betel juice over her dress.† (Page 281) Orwell uses symbolism to demonstrate the â€Å"evil† of imperialism. The ravaging elephant that the narrator was called in to deal with is a symbol for imperialism and its evils. The actual shooting of the elephant unveils that imperialism not only inflicts damage on one side, but on both sides of the relationship. Europe, who is supposed to hold control over the Burmese peoples, lost their control due to the pressure provided by the Burmese people in the actual shooting of the elephant. The Officer is put into a large authority position, but the hate he received from the Burmese, as well as the emotional pressure they put on him to shoot the elephant, puts a sense of power on the Burmese, and less on the â€Å"greater† European colony. Throughout this reading, Orwell demonstrates the evils of imperialism as well as the pressure that we as humans often have to succumb to based on societal pressures we face. He uses a story of a European police officer working in Moulmein who is faced with the pressure of the local Burmese people to kill an elephant who is in must and has done some damage to people’s property.

Look at the Way Shakespeare Explores Relationships Between Men and Women in Measure for Measure Essay

When Shakespeare wrote Measure for Measure in approximately 1604, society was very sexist towards females and men were seen as the stronger sex, however Shakespeare included lots of strong female characters in his plays such as Portia in ‘Mercent of Venice’ and Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’, he was aware that his plays wouldn’t change society and that unlimitedly, women are regarded as subservient to men. They were not allowed to vote, state their real opinions, go to university and they were never formally educated; their only expected roles in life were to run the household and provide children. Consequently, many men regarded their wives and daughters as possessions who were expected to abide by their husbands and fathers no matter what. When it came down to relationships with the opposite sex, virginity was regarded as a virtue and a prize. Men expected their wives to be pure in preparation for marriage and the women that had ‘succumbed to the pleasures of the flesh’ before they were married were considered ruined women. Men however were encouraged to learn the arts of seduction and some men of the higher class were sent to Italy to learn the art. In the society of Measure for Measure, men clearly use and abuse women. One of the main characters Angelo is placed in charge of the city in Vienna by Duke Vincentio. The Duke had been quite an easy going ruler who feels that it is time to clean up the Viennese society and administer a greater sense of honour. He chooses Angelo because of the strong characteristics and principles that he has make him stand out for being the perfect person to do so. Despite his name being a play on the word ‘angel’, he absurdly proves to be the villain of the play and along with several other male figures, he uses not only his gender but also his position of power, to exploit several members of the ‘weaker’ sex. When Angelo takes authority as ruler in the Duke’s absence he immediately wishes to make a mark. Unbeknown to him, the Duke has disguised himself as a Friar and has returned to Vienna to observe how Angelo administers ascendancy. Angelo initially comes forth as beyond criticism and determined to rule with an iron fist. When he discovers that a nobleman called Claudio has slept with his partner impregnated her, he orders Claudio be executed as an example to the citizens of Vienna, that such immorality will not be tolerated. The nobleman Claudio is introduced to us in Act 1 Scene 2. As he is being led away to prison, his friend Lucio asks the meaning of ‘this restraint’ and queries as to weather or not it is because of ‘lechery’. Claudio agrees that to a degree, his crime is one of being too lenient in terms of sexual activity and we recognize that this is a society where men and women are expected to show self-control before marriage. Claudio talks about his lover, Julietta with a certain degree of dominance; we learn he had ‘possession’ of her bed but in his justification it was ‘upon a true contract’ and it seemed the liaison was consensual. But also ‘upon a true contract’ could also mean that Julietta has donated herself to the dominant member of the relationship. Also this statement makes the ‘relationship’ appear to be almost a deal or an agreement – in which has been made between the two characters. He also argues that they were as good as engaged but were waiting for the right moment to reveal the news to her family. Their sexual relationship is regarded by Claudio as ‘mutual entertainment’ and we realise that both can be held responsible for their crime however Julietta is now pregnant and they cannot hide their actions from others who can see the ‘shame’ of their union. In addition, the word mainly focused upon, is ‘possession’. This word once again reflects the sexism surrounding this era; in that the male is the dominant and most significant person. Therefore, it is clear that the women (being Julietta in this case) is almost an in-animate object, which is owned or ‘possessed’ by the man. Claudio’s sister, Isabella, is an aspiring nun and when she first heard about her brother’s arrest she snaps at Angelo with ‘make me not your story’. She honestly doesn’t believe that her brother has committed such sin and thinks it is all a story. When she comes to plead for her brother’s life, she is clearly virtuous and innocent; untainted by the ills of society and ready to offer up her life to God. Angelo is overtaken by his desires and attracted to her virtuous nature. He offers the proposition that Isabella ‘yield up’ her body to his ‘will’ and he in turn will grant a pardon for Claudio. The word ‘yield’ suggests Isabella should give in or cower before Angelo’s might as a man and as a ruler. It reflects how Elizabethan men thought of women as possessions, objects and caring about only their bodies and not their souls; that when it came to sex before marriage, women were meant to give up their bodies. Isabella is horrified and refuses, believing that by sacrificing her virginity, she sacrifices her soul. The word ‘will’ shows that Angelo dominates and expects to be obeyed in the ‘relationship’, despite her opinions or rights. As a man in a superior position, Angelo is used to being obeyed and his demands are to be met. This shows us that men treated women as objects to satisfy their needs. In light of how sexist this play has been, at the end of the play in scene 5 I become almost convinced of how vile the Duke is. He tries to portray himself as this great big hero when he helps Isabella save Claudio; but then injustices that by punishing Lucio so harshly. Prostitutes in those days were thought of as strumpets and marriage with such a person was a ‘sin’. So, Lucio is given an option to marry the whore he impregnated but he never has to repent for what he did. Actions like this in the Viennese society were highly frowned upon and this highlights even more how badly men thought about women in these situations because Lucio was devastated when the Duke told him his sentence. Isabella, originally on the verge of becoming a nun, finds herself about to marry the Duke. It is interesting that she is not given a chance to reply to the Duke’s marriage proposal in the play. She is assumedly very content to become the spouse of the town’s leader, mainly since he has saved her brother’s life. But at the same time this situation reinforces her loss of sexual independence. The central conflict in the play revolves roughly around Isabella’s rejection to follow the ways of the majority of the women in Vienna. Her marriage to the Duke confirms her virtue while denying her independence. There are no independent women in Measure for Measure. This is not strange, considering the setting and Shakespeare’s own era. But Measure for Measure gives its women characters even less freedom than other Shakespearean plays. Isabella is the one exception in that she refuses to respond to Angelo’s advances. However, she is still obedient toward the Duke, following all of his instructions. At the conclusion of the play, the Duke administers punishment to all of the people who have done wrong and rewards the good. Angelo is told to marry Mariana, and he escapes death at her request. The Duke probably does not want to execute Angelo, but wants it made clear that his crime deserves such a punishment. Mariana’s reward is Angelo, which she takes happily, although the Duke tells her that he is unworthy of her love. Claudio is allowed to marry Juliet, and Lucio is punished by being made to marry a prostitute. Marriage is not a specific punishment or reward; however in this situation it is definitely a punishment.

International Financial Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Financial Strategies - Essay Example The paper tells that the concept of corporate governance has undergone tremendous changes since its origin. Management always pays attention to update their corporate governance strategy in accordance with the needs of the time. The corporate governance policy also maintains the relationship between the stakeholders and the objectives of the organization. Top level managers always focus on the impact of their corporate governance strategy on economic efficiency in addition to a strong emphasis on shareholder values. Since a series of corporate failures in 2001 were attributed to accounting fraud, today organizations focus on internal check policies while formulating their corporate governance strategy. Likewise, corporate scandals of various forms during the last decade attainted public and political interest, which greatly contributed to the strict regulation of corporate governance. However, it seems that corporate governance principles always give emphasis to the rights and privil eges of shareholders. In addition, the principles of corporate governance clearly point out the role and responsibilities of the board, firm’s integrity and ethical behavior, and concerns of disclosure and transparency. The main point of difference in corporate difference between the United Kingdom and the United States is that in the UK, the CEO generally does not hold the chairmanship of the board whereas, in the US, the CEO also serves as the Chairman of Board. Corporate governance in the UK In the opinion of Roberts (2011), the balance of power between the board of directors and the general meeting primarily constitutes corporate governance of a UK company. Generally, the term â€Å"governance† is used to refer to principles mentioned in the UK Corporate Governance Code. As cited in Harbottle and Lewis (2010), the UK Corporate Governance Code 2010 is a set of corporate governance principles which aim the improved performance of the listed companies on the London St ock Exchange. Financial Service Authority’s Listing Rules demand the public listed companies disclose how they have abided by the proposed code and explain where and why they have ignored the rule. Private companies are also encouraged to follow these corporate governance guidelines even though it is not a compulsory requirement in private firm accounts.  

Faith Diversity. Spiritual Healing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Faith Diversity. Spiritual Healing - Assignment Example In the present healthcare stipulation, healthcare providers need to undoubtedly have a wonderful understanding, acceptance and appreciation of the varied religious systems their patients belong to, almost all of which will be different from their beliefs (Ketchell, Pyles, & Canda, n.d). In this paper, three religions that are often met in health care facilities – Baha’ism, Buddhism, and Hinduism will be discussed. All these three religions have many similarities as well as many distinctions. This paper will respond to the following questions about each of the three religions: ‘What is the spiritual perspective on healing of each religion?’ ‘What are the critical components of healing, such as prayer, meditation, belief, etc?’, ‘What is important to people of the particular faith when cared for by a health care provider whose spiritual beliefs differ from their own?’, and â€Å"How do patients view health care providers who are abl e to let go of their own beliefs in the interest of the beliefs and practices of the patient?† Furthermore, these religions will be compared with Christianity and its perspective on faith and healing. In the end, I shall share the knowledge that I gained after researching the spiritual healing perspectives of these three religions. A Research on Spiritual Healing in Buddhism, Hinduism and Baha’ism Spiritual healing is a healing in which the patient is cured through spiritual practices. The perspective of spiritual healing is wide but generally includes meditation and prayers. Spiritual healing is found in all of the world’s major religions though it varies from one religion to another. Most patients belong to different faiths in the health care institutes the world over. In recent times, the health care providers have to deal with patients with varied surroundings and faiths. In this essay, the spiritual concept of health will be explored from the perspective of three major religious perspectives – Buddhism, Hinduism and Baha’ism. Moreover, we shall discuss what is essential for people of all these three beliefs and how do these patients examine health care providers. The spiritual perspective of healing of the three faiths – Buddhism, Hinduism and Baha’ism The Buddhists believe in inner healing and consider their health as the most fundamental asset in their life. Their healing procedure conceptualizes the mind and body as one single element. For instance, the sickness of one’s body has an effect on one’s psychological wellbeing. Therefore, they believe that personal enlightenment is the best way of curing one’s health. Moreover, the principle of karma directs the Buddhist concept of physical health. In other words, they believe that a person’s undesirable acts of harming oneself or others lead to injury or ill heath in this life as well as in future embodiments, therefore one needs t o rectify his karma for one’s wellbeing( Ketchell, Pyles & Canda, n.d). The second religion in discussion is one of the world’s most ancient religions – Hinduism. The Hindus are firm believers of God and religiously offer prayers every day. They too believe in termination of some essentials of human life that ensnares people in the continuous succession of birth and death thereby creating dissonance in life. According to the Hindus, this disharmony of health is the result of improper actions of the mind, body and speech; bad karma; or bad conduct. Furthermore, they believe that the soul has to pass through a series of births and deaths before finally attaining liberty from mortality. Therefore, prayers and meditation are absolutely necessary for healing oneself and for attaining mortality (Kakar, 1989, p.115). The third religion being explored is Baha’

Survey collection website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Survey collection website - Essay Example In terms of pricing, both websites provide free sign-up for basic features and Pro Sign Up for advanced features. In surveymonkey.com, the Basic feature is free, select feature costs $24 per month, Gold feature costs $299 per year and Platinum costs $779 per year. I designed a survey with surveymonkey.com. The template was very easy to create because it just involved answering questions by selecting one of multiple choices provided. The template was useful because it enabled me to understand the item I was surveying; hence I could make the right decision. The survey was very easy to launch because I just filled some information and submitted; and then it was launched automatically. This might be useful for me in future to survey the market and make the right decision about my target market and the kind of product or service that I can offer in that market. In order to launch the product in real life, I would have needed to complete details of my target audience and the required number of audience to be surveyed. â€Å"Survey Monkey or Zoomerang: How to Choose?† by Susan Barnes is an article that explains the features and benefits of using the two websites. One of the disadvantages of using these features is that respondents are not see n, so they may provide unreliable information. Barnes, S. (2010). Survey Monkey or Zoomerang: How to Choose? Outreach Evaluation Resource Centre, Accessed October 4, 2014 from

Product or brand success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Product or brand success - Essay Example In this case, exiting investments can be accelerated, eliminated or de-prioritized. Again, the resources within the business can be allocated or re-allocated to active investments. Normally, portfolio decision approach is characterized by changing and unforeseen information, vibrant opportunities, various objectives and strategic considerations among many others. Also, a variety of decision makers and locations are considered. In determining product success, portfolio management incorporates or ignores a number of decision making approaches in the business. These include periodic evaluations of the all portfolio investments, making of decisions with regard to individual projects on a continuous basis (Product Success 7). Similarly, there is development of new product process characterized by a complete resource distribution decisions. Apart from decision making and resource distribution, new product portfolio control deals with future opportunities and events. However, there is a lot of information needed to make the best out of investments. First, there is need to understand that product portfolio control focuses on future chances and events. Therefore, most of the information needs to make investments selection decision process at its best. Secondly, the decision environment is a very vibrant one. The status and opportunities for investment in portfolio are continuously changing with the introduction of new information. Thirdly, projects in portfolio are at various stages of completion, although all the projects are competing for resources so that comparisons are made. Finally, resources to be distributed across the projects are restricted. A verdict to finance one project can mean that resources are not accessed by another and resource sharing between projects is not completely seamless. There are four major goals in portfolio management that leads to product or brand success. Actually, the goal that an individual wishes to focus on mainly is the one that will eventually determine the choice of portfolio approaches. These objectives include: Value exploitation Balance Strategic course Right number of investments With regard to value maximization, the main objective is to distribute resources with an intention of maximizing portfolio value. This means that the projects are selected so that the sum of values are maximize that are related to active projects. On the other hand, balance deals mainly with the development of balanced approach to realize the desired balance. For instance, the relevant balance in terms of permanent short term projects versus long term projects must be attained. Strategic direction as part of t he main objectives ensures that apart from all the other factors, the ultimate project portfolio truly gives a reflection of business approach. This should mean that the breakdown of using funds across markets, projects among other investments is closely related to business strategy. In relation to the right number of projects, most organizations have several continuing projects for the limited resources that are available. Therefore, an overriding objective is to make sure that a balance is reached between resources needed for the main projects and resources that are available. Product or brand failure In contrary to product success, product or brand failure means that the product in the market cannot meet the customer needs in the market (Hlavacek, Maxwell, and Williams 33). Marketers understand that they are supposed to maintain a steady

Equality in Access to Health Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Equality in Access to Health Services - Essay Example Therefore having much available health services is not a factor in itself to improve the quality of healthcare but the utilization of such services by all of the people. It will depend on affordability and general accessibility of the service. According to Healthy People 2020 (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012), it is important to have access to quality health care service in order to achieve equity in health and eventually improve the general health status of all Americans. This I think is one of the most important move that the state should make in order to achieve the vision of having healthy Americans, including all migrants, ethnic and minority groups, by the year 2020. Though free service is not always the key to have access to quality healthcare the state can definitely find ways such as moving funds to have an affordable medical insurance to cover all Americans so that everyone in America can avail of healthcare services as the need arises to have better chance s of improving health by making it available and accessible to ever individual at once. Poor access to healthcare also means poor health chance for the population, taking for example Texas, which according to a survey has the most number of uninsured in the United States and has a significant shortage of health care professionals making access to healthcare services difficult for them thus having poor overall health conditions (Code Red Texas, 2012). Total equality of access to healthcare may incur a long way of processes but the government should start eventually to come up big in realizing the vision of healthy people 2020. Government funding should focus first on having affordable health insurances that even the poorest of Americans will be able to avail. This may seem impossible for it may have an impression of wasting money and giving away insurance even a person cannot avail but with proper planning this step will actually decrease total national health expenditures for no one will actually be left behind in terms of being healthy and accessing healthcare. #1 References: Code Red Texas (2012) Code Red; the critical condition of health in Texas 2012. Retrieved from http://www.coderedtexas.org/files/Code-Red-2012.pdf Gulliford M., Figueroa-Munoz J., Morgan M., Hughes D., Gibson B., Beech R. & Hudson M. (2002) What does ‘access to healthcare’ mean? Journal of Health Services & Research Policy, 1 July 2002 vol. 7 no. 3 186-188, Doi: 10.1258/135581902760082517 US Department of Health and Human Services (2012) Healthy People 2020 retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx #2 The Determinants of Health: factors that affect population health The differences of health status in population is greatly affected by many factors such as personal, social and environmental factors that are deemed to be determinants of health for these factors that influences the health conditions of individuals or group of people in a given population (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Of all the determinants of health, social factors play the most important role in influencing the health status of a population. In a personal point of view, comparing social against environmental factors, even though people in a population lives in a community that pose potential health dangers, the

Rule Developing Experimentation and Its Use in Marketing Research Paper

Rule Developing Experimentation and Its Use in Marketing - Research Paper Example   It means with a very little effort a huge target can be achieved. There need be motivation and interest to adhere to it. RDE helps in yielding high dividends. RDE can be implemented for not only consumer good companies but also B2B companies. RDE is nothing new, but Alex Gofman and Howard R. Moskowitz, have exhibited the essence of it very nicely in their book. Importance is given to the development of items that are not yet well known in the market, but that will be highly acceptable. RDE is a solution-oriented learning experience. The customers help the manufacturer to design and create a new product, which has come to the market after it is produced through rigorous research and development programme. â€Å"It is systemized solution-oriented business process experimentation that designs, tests, modifies alternate ideas, packages, products or services in a disciplined way using the experimental design so that the developer and marketer discover what appeals to the customer, ev en if the customer articulate the need, much less the solution.†(Alex Gofman & Howard Moskowitz, 2007) At the outset, it was made use of for product optimization and then message optimization for advertising, promotions etc. Applications of RDE are there in any field that involves human choices and decisions, for example, social science, public policies, the stock market, crisis communication management etc. 1) Identify the free offer that accompanies the main product. For example, take the case of credit card. The offer may be with respect to Annual Percentage Rate (APR). In the case of others, there may be rewards, monetary benefits or discounts. The structure of RDE grants higher success than any other method. It is accepted that the seven steps are given above clearly make the consumer understand the problem and arrive at the proper solution.

Problems in sales and marketing and make recommendations&benefits Assignment

Problems in sales and marketing and make recommendations&benefits - Assignment Example In addition to that, the strategy of allowing the customers too much leeway regarding payment may make the organization to lose out on potential sales for new stock because it is highly unlikely that the customers who have not paid for purchased products will come back to purchase more. The company may subsequently find it more difficult to plan for its future operations (Espejo, 2010, 68). From the responses, it is evident that the organization does not have a concrete strategy for selling and marketing its products. This lack of strategy reflects on the sales and profits that the organization makes. The company advertises its products on different forms of media, the most preferred one by the company being the print media. However, the company does not market its product online. With the advent of technology as a tool for sales and marketing, the Secret Squirrel Company stands to make more sales and subsequent profits by advertising online (Ryan & Jones, 2009, 18). The company loses out on sales made to customers online, therefore limiting its own sources of revenue. It is also notable that the company spends the bulk of its budgetary allocation for advertising on print media advertisements. The Secret Squirrel Company spends more than $2 000 000 on print media advertising, while not spending as much on more visible media for advertising such as television and billboards (Stinson, 2008, 42). The company limits its exposure by spending so much on advertising on print media, such that the company neglects the ability of television and radio to attract potential consumers of the organization’s products (Jeannet & Hennessey, 2004, 117). Both the Sales and Marketing managers do not have enough information regarding the products that the organization sells. This does not help the organization to maximize sales, considering that the two should have the most information concerning the company’s products since they head these critical departments at

Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay Example for Free

Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay It can be argued that cults and sects are only fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence in contemporary society, however some may have views to contrast this idea. A sect is an organization, which usually breaks off from an established religion, which finds itself in disagreement with beliefs and values of wider society and refuses to tolerate the beliefs of others. Although the desire to be a member is voluntary, as oppose to being born into, like religion, sects are rejected by society and claim strong obligation and commitment by its members. A sect is an extremely narrow-minded organisation, which is often led by a charismatic leader. Whereas, in contrast, a cult does not progress from a mainstream religion and does not reject or challenge societal norms. However, as tolerant of other beliefs as they are, they still attract a great deal of negative press, for example brainwashing. Members in a cult are usually more like customers than followers. An example of a cult is Heavens gate, which is a destructive doomsday cult, centered in California. There is a mass of supporting evidence that cults and sects are short lived and insignificant to wider society. Nevertheless, it must be maintained that the matter is complex as there are many sects and cults, which identify themselves differently. There is evidence to support this view of a short-lived nature of sects. This is due to many reasons. World rejecting sects, due to their nature and succeeding societal rejection and stigma of bad press, must be able to compromise with society and becoming a denomination and therefore cease to be a sect, if this is not done then the sect will die out. There is also an argument that sects cannot have a great deal of affect upon society over a long term period as they cannot survive past the charismatic leader’s lifetime and therefore sustain themselves over more than one generation. The American theologian Niebuhr theorises that another reason for transience of sects is that they rarely live past the 1st generation because the 2nd generation usually lacks the belief of the 1st. In this way, their membership dwindles as the 2nd generation chooses to leave the sect and hold other views in wider society. However Wilson disagrees with Neibuhrs view and says that he overates his case and chooses to not pay attention to groups who did preserve a ‘ distinct sectarian stance’. Similarly, evidence proves to discredit the belief that a sect fails to live on past their leader’s death. For example, The Mormons have continued for many generations and also the Amish- however this could be attributed to the protective ‘isolation-like’ in which they live. There is also a possibility that the Moonies surviving is due to the leader preparing for his son to take over his position as the charismatic leader after his death, however this is yet to be seen. Cults have seen a large incline in their number recently and because they are more accepting of wider society and despite receiving bad press, offer a practical solution to peoples’ issues and wishes, seem less likely to die out due to refusal and disapproval. They are also financially rather stable, the Church of Scientology for example has an estimated income of over  £200m per year. This is down to the consumer attitude of cults. There is also a mass of evidence for their importance in society in a sense that audience cults have a mass market of ‘self help therapy’ there are many books available for example, tarot reading, crystals and reflexology regularly appear on the best seller list and often more room is devoted to these books rather than Christianity books themselves. The view that cults are fringe movements is less supported than that for sects. Sects very infrequently continue on as sects but cults such as scientology are not only prosperous but also have a huge celebrity following trend; admired by the public for example Tom Cruise. There is also evidence that sects and cults can be of great influence to society – though it is debatable as to whether or not that is possible today in a society as apparently secular as ours. Weber suggests in his Theodicy of Disprivilege that because they offer a solution to problems: justification and explanation for life and its problems, to marginalised groups such as dropouts or ethnic minorities, world rejecting sects that offer status appeal to people. An example of this is Liberation Theology which was for the poorer people which had great influence upon the priorities of the Catholic Church in Latin America (though it has become more conservative, it continues to represent human rights and democracy). Bruce argues that it is not a religion and is instead a shallow, meaningless thing. Due to the elements of choice it offers, the choice about which bits to believe and whether to take its readings into account, it does not require commitment. This he argues prevents it having religious status. Post Modernists see it as being spiritual shopping: it is part of a consumerist culture. Despite not necessarily being a religion, there is lots of evidence to show that it has influenced society as a whole and, some sociologists would claim, aided secularisation. There is also evidence to show that it is unlikely to be particularly short lived as it fits in so well with our Capitalist, consumerist society and our individualistic values and is so profitable. Therefore, though there is strong evidence to show that sects and cults are ‘fringe organisations’, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that neither are short lived in themselves either through the Sectarian cycle or demand and supply (though sects tend to become denominations) and also to suggest that the influence of sects and cults on society is greater than expected; though the influence of sects and cults is exemplified by older examples and so one cannot be sure as to how successful they will be in today’s society, except in regards to specific sects and cults. In conclusion, the view that cults, sects are fringe organisations that are inevitably short-lived and of little influence in modern-day society, is on the whole not wholly correct but has some strength in that the permanency of all is arguable as is their status as fringe organisations.

The Cultural Reproduction And Social Reproduction Sociology Essay

The Cultural Reproduction And Social Reproduction Sociology Essay The word Reproduction as defined in dictionaries is simply the act of copying something whether it be a document, a sound, a culture, so that is looks exactly like the original. Reproduction can be applied to both culture and society so that it turns out to be a process by which aspects of culture are passed on from person to person from society to society. This happens in a number of different ways and so it is helpful to understand a small part of this reproductions history; previously people moved from different countries and places taking with them their customs, traditions, and even behaviors which were learnt by other individuals, which lead to interaction between different people and therefore resulted in the transfer of this information which was accomplished through a process known as socialization. From this we see that both social reproduction and cultural reproduction are very much connected to each other. Cultural reproduction is the transmission of existing cultural values and norms from generation to generation. This is a process by which there is a continuity of cultural experience that has been carried on across time (which often results in social reproduction). Every society is mainly consisted of 3 classes: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class which may all be further subdivided into smaller classes (ex: occupation, etc.) When we look further into cultural reproduction of the social class, we find two opposing views concerning this issue: A- Culture as a set of class-instilled values B- Culture as a set of class-based skills and experiences A Every social class (especially the poor) has a set of values unique to it: a- Work ethic b- Family values c- Independence vs. dependence These values heavily influence the day-to-day behavior of each class. They are passed along widely in whole from one generation to the next and because of the self-achievable nature of these values, the members of various classes with either seize opportunities for advancement or will not. B When it comes to culture as a set of class-based skills and experiences, we are lead to 4 different outcomes. a- Self-promotion or self-elimination: This means by adjusting ones goals to match real chances of success as well as embracing or avoiding situations that could advantageous depending upon whether the individual feels socially comfortable. b- Institutional fit or mismatch: Children from the middle-class society are equipped with skills valued by ordinary institutions as a result of their parents socialization and valued cultural capital. Meanwhile, individuals with less cultural income are asked to perform at the same level as their more capitally-endowed peers and thus have to work harder to keep even. c- Informed vs. uninformed investments: Individuals with fewer cultural resources end up in less desirable positions and get less out of their cultural investments (such as college selection) through unwise decisions. d- Direct inclusion or exclusion: Members of the middle and upper classes tend to recruit individuals from those who share the same lifestyles, tastes, and experiences, and therefore exclude those who do not share them. On the other hand, social reproduction is rather a sociological term which refers to a process which both strengthens and preserves characteristics of a given social structure of tradition over a period of time. Even though reproduction may mean copying what existed in the past, it may not occur exactly for all societies. This is due to the environmental, social, economic conditions as well as technologies and processes that keep changing over time; eventually there are new individuals who have different characteristic and so relate to others in new and different ways. An example of social reproduction can be seen in birds such as pigeons and parrots, which sit together in a row on a wire and each facing the same direction. Even when they fly, they do so in the same direction and then come back to sit again on the same wire, all facing the same direction (like they are following something). Like them, social reproduction requires us to maintain the uniformity of language as well as communication (just like the birds have to follow one direction) over time. Communication means to stay connected. Just as males and females need each other to biologically reproduce, we need each other to socially reproduce so that we can communicate with each other and relate to experiences; but spoken language alone is not enough for communication Social reproduction allows us to create civilizations like the famous Taj Mahal and many others which can only happen when societies feel CONNECTED. Two sociologists: Karl Marx and Pierre Bourdieu ask What are the effects of Social Reproduction and Cultural Reproduction on schools? This is a question asked by many other sociologists and so the emphasis on the opinions of both sociologists about this topic of social and cultural reproduction is to answer the question above. Karl Heinrich Marx (5 May 1818 14 March 1883) was a German sociologist, philosopher, historian, political economist, political theorist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He developed the socio-political theory of Marxism. His ideas have played a vital role in the development of social science and he published various books during his lifetime, with the most famous The communist Manifesto (1848) and Capital (1967-1894). Pierre Bourdieu (1 August 1930 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher and is known for inventing the term Cultural Reproduction. Both sociologists argued in their theories about the effects of Social Reproduction and Cultural Reproduction on schools. They talk about the important function of education is to socialize the working class into a culture of failure so that they take up, without question, routine and dull work. They also argue about that effects of both cultural and social reproduction on schools: the ideas that are taught the values, attitude and personality traits that are instilled in students the ways in which schools are organized Bourdieu also adds that social inequality is reproduced in the educational system and therefore legitimized just as Marx said: Students have to pursue on the formal teaching status quo and so therefore students rarely come into contact with ways of thinking that challenges the existing social order. They also argue that the position of the dominant class is justified by educational success and the under-privileged position of the lower class is legitimated by educational failure. Furthermore, they discuss further that schools socialize students into certain values, attitudes, and personality traits that fit the interest of the dominant social classes ways of working. These arguments lead Bourdieu to conclude that the major role of education in society is to contribute toward social reproduction which is the reproduction of the relationships of power and privilege between social classes. Therefore after looking further into what Cultural Reproduction and Social Reproduction are, and after knowing the arguments both Marx and Boudieu had about their effects on schools, I ask: HOW CAN CULTURAL AND SOCIAL REPRODUCTION BE MORE OF A DISADVANTANGE TO SOCIETY?

Disabled American Veterans Essay example -- History, War, Veterans

â€Å"Serving those who have served† (About Disabled American Veterans 1). This is the mission statement of the DAV, or the Disabled American Veterans. The DAV helps thousands of disabled American veterans in their life after war. A poll taken in 2009 found out that there are 21,900,000 American veterans. 5,500,000 of the American veterans are disabled (American Veterans By the Number 1). Only 1,200,000 disabled American veterans are members of the DAV (About Disabled American Veterans 1). â€Å"Building Better Lives for America's Disabled Veterans† (DAV 1). The DAV was founded when our country was struggling with the effects of World War I. American veterans that came home from World War I started the DAV in 1920. A lot has changed in the last ninety-one years, but the wounded and sick from the wars still need the DAV's help in life cope with their disabilities (Wars & Scars 1). In 1932 the DAV was deemed the official voice of the nation’s wartime disabled veterans (About Disabled American Veterans 1). The DAV have many missions in helping the veterans. Some mission statements are â€Å"Providing a structure through which disabled veterans can express their compassion for their fellow veterans through a variety of volunteer programs† (Mission Statement 1), â€Å"Extending DAV's mission of hope into the communities where these veterans and their families live through a network of state-level Departments and local Chapter† (Mission Statement 1), and â€Å"Representing the interests of disabled veterans, their f amilies, their widows and spouses, and their orphans before Congress, the White House, and the Judicial Branch, as well as state and local government†(Mission Statement 1). â€Å"Providing outreach concerning its program services to the Am... ... a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. The Disabled American Veterans plans to provide health care, transportation, unique rehabilitation, and get the veterans a voice on Capital Hill. Both disabled American veterans and the families of the American veterans can receive help from the DAV. Volunteering is a big part of the funding of the DAV, and the volunteers can be nominated for the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship. The Disabled American Veterans is partners with many other places to provide special events for the veterans like at Golden Corral give veterans free meals on Military Appreciation Mondays. Another way the DAV gets funding is through donates from people. With all the help the DAV gives to veterans, the DAV makes day to day life easier for the veterans. Of the five million disabled veterans, the DAV provides help to the veterans.

Frederick Jackson Turner’s Reliance on the Myth of an Unoccupied Americ

The Frontier Thesis has been very influential in people’s understanding of American values, government and culture until fairly recently. Frederick Jackson Turner outlines the frontier thesis in his essay â€Å"The Significance of the Frontier in American History†. He argues that expansion of society at the frontier is what explains America’s individuality and ruggedness. Furthermore, he argues that the communitarian values experienced on the frontier carry over to America’s unique perspective on democracy. This idea has been pervasive in studies of American History until fairly recently when it has come under scrutiny for numerous reasons. In his essay â€Å"The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature†, William Cronon argues that many scholars, Turner included, fall victim to the false notion that a pristine, untouched wilderness existed before European intervention. Turner’s argument does indeed rely on the ide a of pristine wilderness, especially because he fails to notice the serious impact that Native Americans had on the landscape of the Americas before Europeans set foot in America. Turner fails to realize the extent to which Native Americans existed in the ‘Wilderness’ of the Americas before the frontier began to advance. Turner’s thesis relies on the idea that â€Å"easterners †¦ in moving to the wild unsettled lands of the frontier, shed the trappings of civilization †¦ and by reinfused themselves with a vigor, an independence, and a creativity that the source of American democracy and national character.† (Cronon) While this idea seems like a satisfying theory of why Americans are unique, it relies on the notion that the Frontier was â€Å"an area of free land,† which is not the case, undermining the the... ...icans lived in and tamed the land around them millennia before European settlers arrived. Works Cited Cronon, William â€Å"The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature† ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, 69-90 Denevan, William M. "The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the Americas in 1492." The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the. Northern Arizona University, Web. 25 Mar. 2014. Krech, Shepard. The Ecological Indian: Myth and History. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1999. Print. Solnit, Rebecca. "Spectators." Savage Dreams: A Journey into the Hidden Wars of the American West. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1994. 228-47. Print. Turner, Frederick Jackson. "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," Learner: Primary Sources. Annenberg Learner, Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

My Summer Vacation :: Summer Vacation Essays

One of my favorite family traditions is summer vacation. Every summer without fail we go on vacation. For the past ten years we have been going to Disney World with our family friends the Battaglia's, so it has turned into a tradition up until last summer when we broke our florida adventure to go to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have been going on vacation with the Battaglia's for so long for a very good reason. It is because everyone gets along. My mom, Mr. Battaglia and Mrs. Battaglia are very good friends. Ronnie Battaglia, who is 19, is my best friend and we get along great. My sister Katie, 16, and Beth Battaglia, 18, also get along very well. This works out great because we are all old enough to go out and do our own thing without getting the parents too much involved. Since most of the fun things to do are located right near the hotels we stay at we rarely need to ask them for a ride anywhere, so everyone gets there way and it turns into a great vacation for all of us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have been going to Disney World together for as long as I can remember. We know the place inside and out. Where all the best rides are, which park is the best, it even got so bad that we knew what time the lines for each ride was shortest. Disney World always comes out with some kind of new ride or show each year so that is what mostly kept us continuing to come back year after year. On day though while we were planning our next trip we decided it was time for a change of pace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We thought that Myrtle Beach, South Carolina would be a nice place to visit. My mom had already ventured down there with a friend and new that everyone would enjoy it. So we went down there last summer and it was a big transition for all of us. it was more of an adult vacation which was good because we were getting a little too old for Disney World.

Importance of Moral Science

In today’s rat race values are eroding fast. There is a total decadence in social and moral values. Children go to schools daily thinking how to scale heights they will reach. How rich education can make them. In today’s cut throat competition even the parents instruct their wards that they should top in the class. The parents want their money back for the investments in schools. The criteria for promotion in schools are marks in sciences and social sciences, but not moral science. But childhood is a very impressionable age.The mind is like soft wax, so whatever one is taught at a tender age it leaves a deep impression. Therefore Moral science must be made a compulsory in school curriculum. Isn’t it? It is also a science of human soul; it’s a mirror of one’s inward mind, one’s ethics. Moral science inculcates values in mankind and value education is very vital from childhood. Coming to Values It means estimating any person any object any anim al. How many of us do so? In affluent families if children lose their belongings like a small pencil box or a lunch box they are quickly replaced by their parents.The parents think their little darlings will feel inconvenient without those things. My advice to those parents are let your little feel uncomfortable without their lunch or pencil box , then only they will learn And I promise you, next time they would be careful not to misplace them or even prize them no matter what those cost. Moral science helps every child to learn values. If diamonds were found in plentiful like pebbles on sea shore would we have cared to pick them? School is our ALMA MATER, which means My Mother.Just as a mother instructs her toddlers hoe to value family, schools should preach the pupils HONESTI IS THE BEST POLICY, CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. Through moral science classes, Children spend so much of their precious time in schools. So schools shoulder the responsibility of imparting moral values to them. T emptations lure us just like the FORBIDDEN FRUIT had seduced Adam. As a result Garden of Eden was confiscated from Adam by God. Our life is also a paradise on Earth.Moral science can channelize us through spiritual crisis â€Å" His goodness shall follow mw always to the end of my days† Moral science protects us from the corrosive influences, else every one of us would someday turn into Dr Faustus. To make the children self-reliant, confident and responsible citizens we have to give them value-based education, which only moral science can do. After all â€Å"Today’s child is tomorrow’s citizen†. Moral science is not a religion-based subject. Rather it eliminates fanaticism, superstition and violence. It preaches LOVE ALL SERVE ALL.This value is lacking in today’s generation. It helps a child to pay heed to his conscience. Not to be led away by worldly show. Theoretical knowledge is not enough. Teachers should make their life exemplary to their stud ents. The lives of great patriots or spiritual leaders must be brought to the forefront Only Moral science can stem the tide of rapid value erosion and motivate the students towards a healthier life. A child is then trained emotionally, mentally, and physically how to be a responsible citizen or a good son or a daughter.They can resist wrong peer pressure intolerance and through right conduct lead forward their nation Who knows among these pupils are tomorrow’s leaders or even a spiritual Guru. With the help of schools , the pressure on the parents is also reduced. Thus to all the schools of the modern days it’s my hearty advice that before preparing a new syllabus for the new term please make Moral science as part of the curriculum. Let the light of spirituality shine through the eyes of the little ones.

Time Capsule: The Renaissance and the Age of Baroque Essay

The European Renaissance was a time of cultural transition in Europe from a society rooted in religious focus and compliance to humanism and artistic expression. Although the majority of Europe remained loyal to the Papacy and Catholicism, the Renaissance brought about scholars that encouraged human artistic expression and self-fulfillment. Prior to the Renaissance, devout Catholics led simple lifestyles, with few amenities or luxuries. They believed worldly pleasures were offensive to God. Renaissance Humanists did not believe this to be true. They encouraged the enjoyment of music and other forms of art, well prepared foods, and the pursuit of a more secular lifestyle (Fiero, 2011). The Age of Baroque, meaning irregular shaped pearl, which took place from 1550 to 1750, was an era filled with much scientific and technological exploration and discovery, as well as a reformation of the Catholic Church (Fiero, 2011). The advent of Protestantism brought about a great deal of religious t urmoil throughout Europe, which led to The Catholic Reformation. Throughout history, religion influenced the arts, architecture, and philosophy, but The Age of Baroque brought about more human creativity filled with grandiosity and elaborate design. Time Capsules Cultural Anthropologists have made many extraordinary discoveries throughout history. Many of these discoveries are emblematic of the contents that might comprise time capsules from various periods of recorded human history. Although various forms of art, philosophy, and literature were produced during each era, there are distinct differences between the ordinary and those that represent or capture the essence of each respective period. With regard to the arts, philosophy, and literature, The Renaissance and The Age of Baroque share similarities, but also exemplify the effects of humanism and how The Humanities influenced change from one period to the next. The Renaissance Art and architecture. As Italy was the birthplace of the Renaissance, Italian art seems an appropriate choice for Renaissance art to be placed in a time capsule, but Jan van Eyck’s painting â€Å"The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin† stands out among Renaissance paintings. The columns in the painting reflect classical influence, while the scenery beyond the columns is indicative of  linear perspective painting. It also captures the artist’s reverence for religion without disregarding Chancellor Rolin’s status. Van Eyck also uses detail in the piece to enhance the portrait’s aesthetics. Leonardo Da Vinci’s â€Å"Embryo in the Womb† reflects the joining of artistic expression with scientific depiction, which became increasingly relevant during the Renaissance. Music also changed significantly during the Renaissance. It became more secular and geared toward human enjoyment, rather than religion. A very popular type of vernacular song during t he sixteenth century was the Madrigal, which was a type of song suited for three to six voices. â€Å"Matona mia cara† (â€Å"My lady, my beloved†) was a very popular among Madrigals (www.allmusic.com, 2013). Flemish composer, Ronald de Lassus, composed this song at the age of 18, and went on to compose more than 2000 songs, 200 of which were madrigals. Architecture of the Renaissance was nothing short of remarkable. The architects of the era, with their limited resources and capabilities found ways to produce miraculous structures that are difficult to fathom even by today’s standards. Such a design is the dome atop St. Peter’s Basilica, the design of which was initially contrived by Michelangelo Buonaratti. Although he died before the completion of the Church, he is credited with the design. The discovery of such a design in a time capsule would likely be venerated and studied with amazement. Philosophy. Among Renaissance philosophers Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, is one of the most famous of his time. His works as a philosopher in the field of scientific methodology was instrumental during the transition from The Renaissance to the early modern era (Plato.stanfor d.edu, 2012). To have deprived the world of Bacon’s writings on his â€Å"Theory of Idols and the System of Sciences† (Plato.stanford.edu, 2012) may have left a crucial piece of philosophical fabric from his era, and upon which to continue to build, but it certainly would have been fascinating to compare his writings to similar works upon discovery. Literature. Literature and the distribution of literature made enormous stride and advancements during the Renaissance, due in large part to the invention of the printing press. Many of the great literary works leading up to the Renaissance were very limited in distribution and availability, as they were mostly written by hand and rarely widely distributed or made available to commoners. The printing press made an immediate impact on the  availability of literature. One of the most influential of writers of the Renaissance was Niccolo†² Machiavelli. His work, â€Å"The Prince† advocated the necessity of strong rule and the s elective exemption of morality for the greater good as justification for perceived evils or transgressions. The Age of Baroque Art and architecture. The Age of Baroque was filled with many incredibly talented artists. Among them was an artist by the name Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, not to be confused with Michelangelo Bounarroti, who is famous for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Caravaggio was one of Italy’s most active and distinguished painters of the early seventeenth century. One of his most notable works was â€Å"The Crucifixion of Saint Peter†. It is a remarkably detailed piece that captures the strength and vulnerability of Saint Peter (Fiero, 2011). Artemisia Gentileschi was a female follower of Caravaggio, and an extremely talented painter. Although, as a woman, she was not permitted to use nude male models, she did not allow her artistic prowess to be suppressed. An example of her work is â€Å"Judith Slaying Holofernes†. It is incredibly graphic and powerful, as it illustrates the beheading of an Assyrian General by a widow (Fiero, 2011). This would be a we lcome addition to a time capsule, and would likely draw many interpretations. The Age of Baroque brought about the birth of opera, which is a style of entertainment, much like many other forms of art, that originated from Italy. It combined music with theatrical performance to fulfill multiple entertainment appetites simultaneously. â€Å"Orfeo†, which was composed by Monteverdi in 1607 was one of the first operas ever composed, and would serve as a fitting representation of music from the Age of Baroque. Architecture was also very prominent and influential during the Age of Baroque. The Palace of Versailles, at the time of its construction, possibly the largest residence in the world, is a marvel of architecture. The detail and magnitude of The Palace of Versailles is nearly unimaginable. This is yet another great work of the Age of Baroque that would likely influence architecture of any age. Literature and philosophy. Baroque philosophy seemed to be inseparable from Baroque literature. As European society continued to advance, and benefit from the printing press, philosophers wrote with more creativity and metaphors, as if to combine the  two arts. Axioms and allegory became a staple of Baroque writing (www.newworldencyclopedia.org, 2013), which seemed to provide perspective for the reader, as well as thought provoking reflection; often with no right or wrong interpretation, but rather an open-ended finish, to be concluded by the audience. Although the works of William Shakespeare are not regarded as great philosophical works, he is arguably the greatest writer, not only of the Age of Baroque, but of all time. He was a creative genius that wrote with a great deal of philosophical meaning. Any of his works would be an priceless addition to any time capsule. Conclusion The Renaissance and The Age of Baroque are extraordinarily influential time periods in the history of not only the west, but the world. The advancement of human intelligence and technology is absolutely astounding. The two periods works of art and creative expression continue to shape the modern world and serve as the standard for The Humanities. To fill a speculative time capsule seems almost impossible, as the options for the selection of creative genius are too numerous to count. References Fiero, G. K. (2011). The Humanistic Tradition (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Plato.stanford.edu. (2012, December). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/francis-bacon/ www.allmusic.com. (2013, May). Orlande de Lassus. Retrieved from http://www.allmusic.com/composition/matona-mia-cara-villanelle-for-4-voices-s-x-93-mc0002361487 www.newworldencyclopedia.org. (2013, May). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Baroque_period

Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence Essay

The book ‘Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence’ that is written by Doris Pilkington is about three aboriginal half-cast girls that run away from The Moore River Native Settlement. At the settlement aboriginal half-cast children are kept and tried to be changed into white people so they can be respected in the community. The book is set in Western Australia in the early 1900’s. ‘This free-Spirited girl knew that she and her sisters must escape from this place,’ is true, she shows her persistence, determination and is toughness. A half-cast child was an aboriginal with an aboriginal mother but a white father. The persistence Molly shows during the book is incredible for a fourteen year old to have to acts as the mother to the other two girls Gracie and Daisy. The girls were taken from there family’s at a camp in Jigalong. They were then taken to Moore river were there was a camp for half-cast children like themselves to be trained into servants and to be turned white. Molly knowing what will happen to them if they stayed at the camp. â€Å"Pack up your things we’re leaving now â€Å"said Molly when she was trying to rush them out the door so they could leave in a hurry so they could get a big head start on the government officials. Molly shows lots of persistence during the book which could show why they were able to evade capture and return home to Jigalong. The determination of the young Molly was repeated as she did the same trip again but this time with her newborn baby. Molly was always trying to look for the bright side on the way home. ‘My legs hurt’ said Daisy when they were walking in the bush so Molly decided to carry her sister and Gracie at different times even though her legs were hurting to. The determination of Molly was evident in how she was able to get the girls on the move, as most of the time they were running away. The saying you’re as tough as nails could easily be describing Molly. The book shows that Molly has lots of characteristics but determination is one of the important ones. The toughness of a fourteen year old girl could be said to be non-existent as todays girls have a luxury life, where any toughness is not needed. Molly on the other hard is as tough as a rock and journey she accomplished with two smaller children who could be very hard to deal with, to make the story better she was sent back to the camp after she had an operation and escaped back to her family after using the same route she took nine years early. Molly shows her toughness though the book in helping these two girls get home with her but she had the strength to do it again with her very young newborn baby, but she had to make a tough sacrifice in her decision to come home as she had to leave her oldest daughter Doris there at the camp, this â€Å"was one of the hardest decision of my life† said Molly while being interviewed for the movie. The toughness of Molly is evident throughout the book showing one of the qualities that not everyone has. The book ‘Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence’ is written by Doris Pilkington is about three aboriginal half-cast girls running away from The Moore River Native Settlement where aboriginal half-caste children kept. The book highlights the journey the girls took back to their home in Jigalong in Western Australia. The main character was Molly who was the oldest out of all three girls. . ‘This free-Spirited girl knew that she and her sisters must escape from this place,’ is true, she shows her Persistence, determination and is toughness. This book shows a true and inspiring story of children that wanted to go home.

Brass heat treatment

Copper in pure form has found its significant use only in electrical applications. But with the continued study of copper, the addition of other metals called alloys was developed which enhanced its various properties. Now, different Copper-based alloys were widely used in different aspects of engineering and manufacturing. One of the best known and is widely used is the Copper-Zinc Alloy or Brass. (De Garmo, Black, Kohser, 1997) Brasses according to Yu Lakhtin (1979) are â€Å"binary and multiple-component alloys based on copper with which the main component is zinc.† Below is the phase diagram of Copper-Zinc Alloy at different Cu-Zi percentage and temperature. The commercial value of Brass is in its ? and ? +? ’ phases. At these two different phases, different characteristics were distinct. Their distinction according to Lukhtin (1979) depended on Zinc content from 48% to 50%. The single-phase or ? -brasses were characterized by Lukhtin (1979) as â€Å"can be readily worked in both the hot and cold conditions† while the two-phase ? +? ’ brasses are â€Å"hot-worked at temperatures corresponding to the regions of the ? ’ or ?+? ’ phases. † He also described ? +? ’ brasses as â€Å"having higher strength and wear resistance but less ductility. According to him, â€Å"? +? ’ brasses were often alloyed with Al, Fe, Ni, Sn, Mn, Pb and other elements. † And â€Å"the addition of these alloying elements, except Ni, reduces Zi solubility in Cu and promotes the formation of ? -phase. † Further he wrote, â€Å"the addition of alloying elements, except Lead, raised the strength and hardness of brass but reduced its ductility. Lead improved the machinability and antrification properties of brasses.† According to De Garmo, et. al, â€Å"Copper-based alloys are commonly identified through a system of numbers standardized by the Copper Development Association (CDA) which was adopted later by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and the US government. † Brasses were classified into wrought and casting brasses. According to Lakhtin (1979), â€Å"wrought brasses are used to make sheets, band stock, tubing, wire and other semi-fabricated products; and casting brasses for making foundry castings.† Owen Ellis (1948) further classified Brasses casting alloys into Red Brass, Leaded Red Brass, Semi-Red Brass, Leaded Semi-Red Brass, Yellow Brass, Leaded Yellow Brass, High-Strength Yellow Brass (Manganese Bronze), Leaded High-Strength Yellow Brass (Leaded Manganese Bronze), Silicon Brass, Tin Brass, Tin-Nickel Brass, Nickel Brass (Nickel Silver) and Leaded Nickel Brass (Leaded Nickel Silver). In his classification, Red Brasses consisted 2%-8% zinc, less 0.5% lead, and with tin less than the zinc; the same amount consisted the Leaded Red Brass except that lead is over 0. 5%; Semi-Red Brass consisted 8%-17% zin c, less than 6% tin, and less than 0. 5% lead; the same amount consisted the Leaded Semi-Red Brass except that lead is over 0. 5%; Yellow Brass consisted over 17% zinc, less than 6% tin, under 2% total of aluminum, manganese, nickel, iron, or silicon, and with less than 0. 5% lead; the same constitutes for Leaded Yellow Brass except for lead which is over 0.5%; High-Strength Yellow Brass consisted of over 17% zinc, over 2% total of aluminum, manganese, tin, nickel and iron, under 0. 5% silicon, under 0. 5% lead and less than 6% tin; Leaded High-Strength Yellow Brass has the same constituents except that lead is over 0. 5%; Silicon Brass has over 0. 5% silicon and over 5% zinc; Tin-Nickel Brass has over 6% tin, over 4% nickel and with zinc more than tin; Nickel Brass has over 10% zinc, with nickel in amount sufficient enough to give white color, and with lead under 0.5%; and Leaded Nickel Brass has the same but with lead over 0. 5%. From these differed composition of Copper-Zinc Allo ys different properties were possessed which gave them different uses. Ellis (1948) also wrote that tThe different required properties of Brass such as conductivity and hardness can be secured through heat treatment,† Below is a table of the different compositions, properties and uses of common Copper-Zinc Alloys. Works Cited De Garmo, P. , Black, J., Kohser, R. (1997). Materials and processes in manufacturing. (8th Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall International, Inc. Ellis, O. (1948). Copper and copper alloys. Cleveland, Ohio: American Society for Metals. Lakhtin, Y. (1979). Engineering physical metallurgy and heat treatment. (Weinstein, N. , Trans. ). Moscow: MIR Publishers. Mayers, J. Visual library. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2007 from http://www. sv. vt. edu/classes/MSE2094_NoteBook/96ClassProj/pics/Cu_Zn1. gif.

Band of Outsiders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Band of Outsiders - Essay Example The movie was one of the finest ever work by Jean-Luc Godard. It was a lyrical tragic comedy, perhaps was one of the Godard's most charming film. The screenplay was written by the director Jean-Luc Godard, and was based on the famous novel Fool’s Gold by Dolores Hitchens. The screenplay was the firm and strong base for the movie. The depth and contents of the movie supported the movie to became the Godard’s one of the best works. The scenes of the movie like the climax scene, a silence after the trio crowded in the cafe and many other scenes had made a significant and narrative effect on the viewers and the critics. These scenes created the essence of the brilliant direction and screenplay for turning the movie into an excellent work in all the fields like direction, screenplay, editing and others. The Band of Outsiders was known for its most superfluous work from the Jean-Luc, as compared to his other work like Breathless and others. From this movie, the Godard turned himself towards the low-scale movie which turned to be a fruitful step later in his film career. The direction made the haul for viewer to watch the long takes in the movie. The depth that had been created by the director in the movie was accordingly to synchronize the momentum of the movie. The long takes in the movie were outstanding creation work exactly from the director Jean-Luc Goddard. The dance scenes in Band of Outsiders were very much grand, although it was a playful and it came out of nowhere, it really did add a lot to the story. The strong point of the movie were the story, the scenes, the direction and these sorts of scenes. In the movie, the two men and the lady were dancing we heard the music cut off and a narrator come over. The narration produced a soothing effect on the viewer even at that time and also up to the present. The director Jean-Luc had tremendously worked out and described what each character was truly feeling as they looked like in the movie that they were having fun and dancing in a cafe. This small element made the viewers to think, what the characters were really thinking as they walked along and talked to each other for the rest of the film. In the movie, it was described simply that simple, but it added a lot of depths. The viewer would then add in the depth himself. This was some great stuff and was one of the many reasons, why Band of Outsiders was one of the excellent efforts from the direction point of view for putting the sensual effects in the movie. Band of Outsiders was the most poetic work from Godard's early films. This was due in large part to the voiceover narration, read by Godard himself, as the screenplay was written by the Godard himself. When the film's celebrated Madison scene, Godard cut out the music and relates the characters' thoughts, as the character Odile wondered if the men could see her breasts moving under the sweater. Arthur thought of Odile, dreaming of her

Program Evaluation Paper Part 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Program Evaluation Paper Part 3 - Essay Example If a kid weighs 40.55 pounds, this weight figure will be rounded off to the nearest tenth of a pound, which will make the childs weight as 40.6 pounds. If the child had weighed 40.54 pounds, then the weight measurement will be recorded as 40.5 pounds. This is an example of how data collection can influence the program evaluation plan by making the collection of kids measurements easier to do but without compromising its accuracy. The program evaluation itself is a mixed method, meaning it will use both quantitative and qualitative ways of gathering the data. Getting the exact weight measurements of the kids is part of the qualitative process of data gathering while using open-ended surveys in the form of a questionnaire will form the qualitative part of the data collection process. For this part of the data collection which is the qualitative part, it is important that the observations by parents and teachers are made honestly and describes in full detail what they had observed in the kids behavior. If they found out kids are more active after eating their fruits, for example, then it must be described in a meaningful way such as using an increasing scale, with 1 as the lowest and 10 as the highest so this will give the researchers a good idea of how active they were. The programs overall integrity will be evaluated based on the way data is collected and how reliable the data will be. This will greatly determine whether the program is a good one or needs some revisions based on the difficulty or ease of getting all the necessary data. It is at this point when the programs researchers can have a good idea on the probable outcome of their research project because data collection is the very heart of the research study itself. It will determine whether the entire project will be successful or not because on implementation aspects of the program such as the aforementioned data collection procedures. A strength of the data collection process is its

International human rights Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International human rights - Assignment Example Among the three models, the most successful in international human rights is the internationalist model, while the least successful is the statist model because the latter treats international relations as peripheral, when it plays an important part in determining and practicing human rights across national borders. The least successful model is the statist model because it does not believe in the importance of international relations in establishing and promoting human rights. The statist model can use its sovereignty to undermine human rights as it sees fit, since sovereignty is more important than the latter. On the contrary, the internationalist model stresses the centrality of international relations in governing international human rights. This model promotes collaboration and coordination among states, where they are willing to balance sovereignty with creating a social order where human rights are acknowledged and respected. It asserts the role of international relations in making human rights urgent and legitimate to all. Thus, the internationalist model uses global relations to institute human rights at an international

Counter Insergency in Afghanistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Counter Insergency in Afghanistan - Essay Example (Jeffery 1995) Till 1989, the Soviet Union had been fighting against these Mujahideen but could not win. They had to pull out from rugged terrain of Afghanistan. This resulted in the disintegration of Soviet Union in to several independent Republics. The left over triumphant Mujahideen divided between themselves under Persian speaking northern alliance and Pushto speaking Taliban (Rizwan 2005). Since the later group was dominant in numbers and support from the other surrounding Islamic countries captured almost allover Afghanistan in 1994. They continued in gaining grounds and strengthening their power on the basis of fundamentalist version of Islam (William Maley; 1998) and disregarded the allowance of Human Rights to all the other nations of the World. After 09/11, 2001 when the trade center in New York came under attack and caused destruction of thousands of lives in USA. The allegation went directly to Taliban and Usama Bin Laden allegedly hiding in Afghanistan. Now the Taliban had to go. USA along with NATO forces attacked Afghanistan and dislodged Taliban Government. Contrary to Soviet occupation Taliban could not resist the US pressure arms and ammunition for a longer time. Since 2002 the conventional US coalition forces installed Hamid Karazai's Government with a view to build national consensus of political process and start the reconstruction work on war footings. The American strategy changed from destruction of enemy by force and aimed at large scale reconstruction efforts to ally the local population for elimination of Taliban as a potential danger for peace and security in the region. Taliban had in fact proved to be the political arm of Al-Qaida covertly operative in USA. The reconstruction efforts under Hamid Karazai Government have proved to be a success at a larger scale. On the political front, American and NATO forces have been able to secure larger portion of local populace at least in Urban and Sub-Urban Areas. The local commanders have been lured into the political and reconstruction process. They have been instrumental in containing Talibization of the areas under the control. They have been actively participating in Jirgaaz (Political Congregation of Elders). The International community has been able to pledge significant funding for Afghan Economy. At London Conference of International Donors in 2006 US$ 10.5 Billion have bee n pledged for the five-year plan of security governance rule of law and human rights. At this point of time Afghan Government has been portraying a much bigger and better picture of economy and good chances of foreign direct investment. Since 2001 around 15 billion US$ have been spent on the reconstruction efforts of Afghanistan. There are numerous UN agencies and International NGOs like Action Aid UK, Oxfam UK, ICRC UK who have been pro-actively working for the betterment of Afghan Nationals. All these efforts have effectively demoralized and contained the spread of Taliban in Afghanistan. This was not the case while Soviet's had

Foreign film report Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foreign film report - Movie Review Example The story is a series of flashbacks that tackled their struggles and triumphs during their college life. Rancho, Fahran and Raju were labeled idiots by the dean whom the students call Virus like the computer virus. The dean had several attempts to break their friendship by calling in Fahran and Raju’s parents telling them that Rancho is a bad influence to the two, blackmailing them and several others that had constantly failed. There was one part in the story that really made an impact, it was when Raju’s dad, the postmaster, was rushed to the hospital, after that they had to take an exam. All three were worried that they will fail the exam and when results were released, Raju and Fahran were the last two on the list that passed. Initially they had thought that Rancho failed but then it turned out that he topped the exams. And it continued to be like that for until they graduated. Their friendship was tested when Raju jumped off the third floor or the building because V irus has blackmailed him into choosing whether to tell on Rancho and he would be off the hook or he would keep his silence and he would be the one expelled. He chose to jump off the building therefore putting him on a comatose for a period of time. Rancho and Fahran did everything to make him wake up and succeeded. The story ended with the two finding their long lost friend and finding out that he had become a scientist. I liked the movie since it had emphasized the value of education, the importance of friends and that excellence comes from doing what you love the most. It is sometimes hard to find a film that can both inspire and make you laugh at the same time. And the film brought a greater understanding of the Indian culture. There were points of the film that it would just simply inspire one to excel, appreciate the triumphs and failures that are part of college life. It also shows that real friends are the rare and must valued. The film can also boast of a lot of moral lesson s in the film that are sometimes unexpected since a lot of segments in the movie shows the mischief that the three has gotten themselves into. The simplicity of the movie made it very entertaining. In the movie what struck me as different from the movie is the fact that there are parts of the movie that they had musical segments in it. There would be intervals in the movie wherein there would be a musical or a song to express the thought or to make a point. In the film, Rancho was the odd one; he doesn’t conform to the normal standards of the school. He would always be an outcast, the one always misunderstood because he views things in a different way. And when it comes to their family, what I have observed is that they follow whatever their parents want. It seemed like disobeying them is somewhat a grave offense so even if they are forced to the course that they do not have any interest in, they would do it just to obey their parent’s wishes. The time flow in the movi e seemed slow at first, but after the first few minutes, it became very much interesting that one wouldn’t notice how long the movie really is. There was a lot of humor put into the story and a lot of lessons from life that one would simply be unaware of

Reading Reflactions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading Reflactions - Essay Example The racial discrimination has produced the unreliable statistics by holding the black men responsible for the criminal actions and this gravely troubling situation of the close association of blackness and criminality has given rise to the racial discrimination and oppression in the urban America of the 21st century. The study suggests that the unreliability of the statistics and racial discrimination has made the statistics of white crime as virtually invisible. It is only utilized to augment and boost the excessively dramatic criminal behavior of African Americans. The Black activists and scholars have strived for the color blind criminal justice by presenting the arguments that the crime and race can be detangled and the pillar of racism can be destroyed only through treating both, the black and white Americans, as equal in status and every factor. On the other hand, the significance of the European ancestry and the attributes of skin color has been depicted by the white scholars, and according to them, the anti-black racism was gradually adopted to assimilate immigrants into the single white race. The book The Condemnation of Blackness also presents the fact that fundamentals to the arising of the contemporary talks on race and crime have been initiated by the statistical comparisons between the Negros, and Foreign born. In my opinion, the ongoing black crime rhetoric has gained more strength because it has obtained more proponents than the opponents. This subject of racial distinction and black crime has gone to the extent on national discourse due to the comparison of statistics. The White Americans take complete advantage of this statistically created discrimination by utilizing it to shield and support the biased social practices and public policies. However, when it comes to dignity and self-respect, the current reading reflect upon the fact that numerous Black

Education Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Education Law - Essay Example Khan has experienced, the law as practiced has proved to be inadequately enacted throughout the UK school system. This paper will examine legal standards expected of schools as they relate to students with special needs and to what degree schools are implementing these standards. Throughout and again mentioned in the conclusion, this paper will outline what steps a parent can take to ensure their child is placed in an environment best suited to those individuals needs. Relevant legislation involving religious provisions and how they differ with the U.S. will be discussed as the religious cultures of these countries vary significantly as do their policies and general understandings of to what level of participation government entities should be allowed to have concerning religious studies in schools. To guide Mr. Khan to the most effective avenues to ensure the most appropriate school setting for his daughter, a determination of how she is classified under UK law is necessary before looking into the rights to which she is entitled. Amina has had a Statement of Special Education Needs (SEN) for three years. According to the DDA, a person has a disability â€Å"if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.† (Disability Discrimination Act, 1995). The Local Education Authority (LEA) has determined and maintained for three years that Amina is a SEN’s child thus providing for each aspect of the act’s definition of a disability. Further, the Department for Education and Skills (DES), a government agency, states that children â€Å"have special educational needs if they cannot manage the lessons, access the curriculum or get around the school building in th e same way as other children of the same age, and special arrangements are needed to support them.† (School Coordinators, 2005). The guidelines of

Information Technology Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Essay James Price is an Information Technology consultant with specific expertise in website design. His consultancy is doing well, but he would really like to gain another client to ensure that he has enough work for the foreseeable future. One Saturday, at his brother Anthony’s 40th birthday celebration, James is approached by Mark Jackson, a store owner, who James has met previously at some of his brother’s other social functions. Mark explains to James that he is looking to revamp his store’s website and that he could use James’ expertise to complete the project. James expresses his interest in assisting and Mark tells James that he will email him on Monday with a proposal. On Monday morning, Mark sends James the following email: Dear James, After thinking further about your potential involvement in the website project for the store, I want to bring you on board as a consultant. The terms of the engagement are that you will provide your web design services exclusively for two weeks, starting on 1st February 2014, working onsite with me and the store manager. In terms of remuneration, you will be paid a flat fee of $35,000 with a parking spot to be provided for the time that you are onsite. It is important that if you want this work, you indicate your acceptance in writing by the end of the day. I look forward to hearing from you. Mark Jackson. An hour after the email is sent, James reads it and is happy with the terms  of the proposal. He goes to draft an email to Mark detailing his acceptance of the terms of the offer, but because of a sudden storm that has hit the area where he lives, James’ email stops working and he is unable to send the message to Mark. James then tries to call Mark to tell him that he wants the work, but Mark doesn’t answer, and James is not given the option to leave a message. As a last resort, James drafts a letter to Mark communicating his acceptance of the offer proposed. He then takes the letter, and a strategic map for the project that he quickly prepared, to the post office and posts them at 4.30pm on Monday afternoon. The letter and the map take a day to be delivered to Mark and he receives them late Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, Mark realises that he has offered to pay James $15,000 more than an award winning web design firm has quoted him for the job, and he doesn’t want to engage James anymore. He sends an email to James saying that because he didn’t receive James’ acceptance by the end of Monday, James has missed out on the work. Mark also states in his email that he never meant for the proposal to be real anyway because he was only trying to help out his friend Anthony by throwing James some work. James is upset upon receiving this email from Mark and calls his lawyer for advice on the situation. Question 1: Using the four step process, discuss the element of agreement required for the formation of a legally binding contract between James and Mark. STEP 1: Identify the principles or issues of law The principles of law here is that in addition to intention and consideration aspects, there should be the existence of a valid agreement between James and Mark which is required for the formation of a legally binding contract to be created. Step 2: Explain the rule(s) of law relevant to the principle/area/issue of law identified in step one with reference to authority. There are three main requirements for the formation of a legally binding contract; intention to create a legal contract, offer and acceptance  (agreement) of the terms of the contract and consideration (reference book P-60).

Business game Essay Example for Free

Business game Essay Reflection on Personal Performance in Business Strategy Game Business strategy games involving management process before confirming the decision to be made. Lesson learned taken from the business game, from the process and the content from the case (industry and situation condition of the business). Management Process Planning was the first process taken. Reading and understanding the relevant information was necessary and plays a significant role in planning process. Expectation was established in the planning, and followed stepping process until all aspects have been determined, including all distinctiveness in production (capacity, model, etc. ), transportation (shipping), labor, etc. Planning is critical, and it was indicated in the business strategy games, in which it required quite some time to achieve an agreement. Time was also a factor should be considered, and it drove the discussion on the planning to obtain the agreement. Organizing was also needed in the game to obtain optimal process. One opinion was listened and it organized the discussion and the direction of the process toward certain strategy. Other opinion was taking in to consideration, whether support or as devil advocacy to the strategy. The process also managed by organizing the flow of discussion to center on the strategy with already decided to be focused on. One person plays role as organizer at one time became a source person or follower in the other time. This approach of organizing made the progress of the discussion in the one focal point that describes the strategy taken which leads to the decision. When a member played the role as organizer, then the member did directing the process and content according to the chosen strategy, and also can happened that the strategy can be changed according to the expected result and considering assumption of strategy of the competitors. Some times in the process, one or more member can have their drive going down. In this situation other member did motivated the team to keep up the winning spirit. Controlling was also involved in the process, by focus on one thing and sacrifices in other thing, align with the strategy. These four processes of management were implemented in the process of gaining the final decision and in determining the content to be made (such as production/manufacturing, shipping, labor, price, etc. ), in which the final decision was made by consensus. The experience in the game gives the learning point in practicing of implementing management process, planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. Within a given time, group should be able to do planning (including crafting the strategy, and establish the goal), organizing the process (including agreed on the road map of the process, listening and expressing opinion, and adjusting to the characteristics of the group), directing (including do and accept direction, motivating others, make or initiate decision), and controlling (to be aligned with strategy). Management Functions Strategy plays a critical role in the process, and aim to make the company have differentiation that creates competitive edge compare with the competitors. Decisions are determined align with the chosen strategy. Strategy such as increasing market share and or increasing price to obtain more profit, and or have a low cost production by moving the manufacturing to the low cost location, and or lowering the labor cost, and or increasing the quality of the product, etc. , were became the issues discussed during the process. Any decision made in the process should be linked to the strategy and eventually to the expected result (goal). Marketing management initiatives plays important role in the process. Attention was put in the advertising or promotion program. The decision on the initiatives was made in relation with other initiatives, and initiative should be congruence to be able to reach expected impact. Operations management was also applied, in order to have efficient and low cost production, to be able to lower the price, or put emphasizing in better quality of product and therefore adjust the price to a higher number. Having different locations of manufacturing was also part of consideration in operation management, including the days needed for shipping, and inventory level. Financial management was critical. At the end of the day, the success of the strategy, whether the plan was achieved of not, was determined by facts and figures which was analyzed and interpreted in terms of financial. The situation or condition of the company was considering of profitable, safe or potentially bankrupt, and whether the strategy was effective or not was determined from numbers including financial ratios. Production plan and realization, exchange rate, labor cost, product sold or unsold, inventory level, price, etc. were contributed to the financial condition, and will be analyzed further for determining next strategy (for next run). Human Resource was also had major role in the decision process. Number of labor involved, salary and incentives, were several factors considered in human resource function. During the discussion it was also considered incentive factors as the factor that can boost the motivation of the employees, in which can increase the productivity and eventually proportionally can lower the cost. Experience in the business games told that the management functions will be more effective if it was take into consideration in integrated way. The strategy made was comprise of many functions of management, Working in Teams Team work was a factor that can smooth the progress of the practice toward a productive way. At one time one member took the role as leader, and expressed the idea or opinion which regarded as reference that was supported or argued by other members. The leader than guide or direct the process toward obtaining acceptable or best solution. Other member played role as follower, tried to understand point of view of the leader, and gave opinion to enrich the information for having the decision. In one process it can happened that the role of leader was switch from one member to another member, and lead the discussion toward the decision. Working in team in the business games demonstrated by listening to other opinions or ideas and, gave contribution to the group by doing analysis and expressing constructive argument and idea or opinion to the group. In the process of making group decision, group tried to obtain consensus, with all group members support the decision. Experience and Lesson Taken to Working Place In leading unit in the working place, it is important to have clear goals for the unit, which are determined in the process of performance planning that usually take place at the beginning of the year. The goals comprises of organization (unit) objective, and individual objective which should be clear and measurable (refer to SMART Goals principle) and cascaded from top to bottom, means that the goals are aligned from executive or manager position to staff position. Having a clear goals or expectations will make all employees within the unit know exactly what are expected to be achieved and will make the monitoring of performance become more effective, and eventually it will make the evaluation of the achievement more effective. Leader should be able to define the goals, which reflected what the unit wants to be, particularly for the respective year. For the unit, strategy than decided to define what is the best way to achieve the goals or answering how to get there. Leader should be able to determine the strategy, which should consider of having different way of doing rather than just following the same thing. Strategy should have put into consideration opportunities and obstacles that can potentially will be faced along the year. For the unit performance, flow of work, service level agreement, number of employee, training and development program that will have impact to the quality of work, compensation practice, etc. should be considered in order to have effective strategy. Every people in the organization have potential, and leader should put effort to unleash the potential of the individual and support them to perform in their work. Many initiatives of improvement or programs come from the people in the unit that can give positive impact to the unit. Motivation is needed to keep the work spirit not fall to the lower level. Leader should do coaching to ensure people in the unit understand and on track, make sure that people move to the same direction with same strategy. Every function of management can be implemented to achieve optimum result. Managing the operation implemented to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of work. Human resource management will help in ensuring what unit do are align with the business. Financial management can be implement whether in business or support function, for instance to measure Return on Investment of certain initiatives. As member of management team, we should contribute in a positive way by giving opinion and ideas, or doing what has been decided productively. Discussion should be conducted in conducive way, listen what other people say and express opinion to reach to the decision. When decision has been made, member should follow and committed to perform the decision in effectively. Success of the unit is also determined by the competency, performance, and contribution of the members. To have an optimum result, member should be able to look the purpose as unit purpose not individual purpose. This principle can create synergy between members in the team and can contribute more to the performance of the team. The business strategy games provide inspiration that can be applied in the working situation. Having competitors that can affect the result of one group convey the message that in establishing standard, one unit should not look into inside factors, but should also consider outside factors. The capability of the unit can be seen differently and will lead to different goals and strategy. Strategy can be different if the external condition is supportive and indicates opportunity and will be different if the external conditions are not accommodating. Macro and micro analysis can be conducted to have a more comprehensive analysis for obtaining effective and right decision. Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/business/reflection-on-personal-performance-in-business-strategy-game-business-essay. php#ixzz2leirR8KT BUSINESS SIMULATION GAMES INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION PAPER On 10 November 2010 afternoon, Our Can group get a chance to get the materials business simulation games, the first time we were a little confused and not understand what the content and intent or purpose of this program. Until then we get the opportunity to play an active role play in the game by forming a company in our Group Can. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary I am a member of cans group discussion 3, in this business game, we manage the company named CHAMP. We chose the name CHAMP for our company becouse we hopes that companies will become a leader or a winner in this Business Simulation Game. Growth of our company in this game very interesting and gave many valuable lessons. Our company was ranked second on the game in first year, after making changes in the manufacturing and marketing strategy; we became the first winner in the game in the second year. In the third year we make changes in the shipping, manufacturing also marketing strategy again to maintain its position as champion, but in the fact that our ranking dropped to be number 3. In the fourth year we wanted to get back into champions. We did totally change the strategy in all sections and mainly to increase product awareness, we contracted with many famous artists paid a high price for promotion. But the results we slumped to the lowest ranking (sixth). This surprised us and made us confused to find out where our biggest mistakes in managing the company. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary noun camp compound Did not want to continue to decline, in the fifth year we try to flash back to learn the success stories in the first and second year, besides that we also study the companys strategy of competitors, then we create a new strategy and the results we were able to ride into fourth place. In the sixth year we try to make small changes to strategy in several sections and the results we rose again to number three. In the seventh year we do not make changes to our strategy and stay at rank 3. After doing business game above, there are many valuable lessons that I get. Those lessons were: About Management Process (Planning, Organizing, Directing, Controlling) In managing a company as a manager or owner of a business we must have: a. Planing ? Both long-term planning and short term, this really helps us to determine the strategy or action we should do in the near future or the preparation for long-term corporate strategy. b. Organization ? Complete, clear and transparent as one of the supporters because of the companys people are assets of a company†, the placement of people with appropriate knowledge and skills that will facilitate the acceleration of the process as well as the operations of a company. It also must be supported by a clear Job Description and detail-enter the respective functions of the organization. c. Directing ? In the governance of a company also must be supported by rules or standard operating systems or procedures are clear and understood by all line employees. we often call with company regulations, standard operating procedures etc. d. Controlling ? As a manager or owner in a company we still have to implement controls on employee performance, corporate governance, corporate operating costs and market conditions that support the smooth and that we manage the companys growth periodically. We can also be done with checking Monthly Report / Balance Sheet , hold on monthly meetings, etc. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary adjective inside deep indoor internal interior profound inland intrinsic cavernous thoughtful three-dimensional adverb deeply sound preposition in within on to inside under in the course of prefix endo- 2. About Management Function (Strategy, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Human Resources, etc. ) Strategy ? Corporate strategy should be set appropriately by considering several factors, including supporters of human capital, finance, market share and also that there are competitors in the same type of business with our company. In the governance of a business may take a few strategies such as for launching a new product needs some backup strategy, it is necessary whenever the initial strategy does not show results in maximum then we still have some alternative backup strategy, so it does not require a long time to take any action appropriate in market penetration. Marketing ? According to my opinion, the success rate of a company also backed with the full functionality of the marketing is true both in the company engaged in the services or products etc. Capable marketing, product master, around the existing market and marketing must knowing the strengths and weaknesses of competitors. Listen Operations ? Operational support from both system and service level aggrement factor in a process of corporate governance is very important. It also needs to be supported with the latest technology. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary verb hold conduct make organize provide establish arrange carry out throw take set up call launch institute stage put on bring about impose carry on incur exercise levy open put up effect float lay on negotiate afford touch off operate stage-manage generate phrase bring into being Finance ? A company can be said in good condition when to generate maximum profit. As a manager or the owners of a company we should be able to manage our capital versus operating costs required, the greater the profit earned by production costs that are not too large will show the healthy of a business. However, we also must consider the placement of funds and financial governance of our company, whether already in accordance with the budgeting or is not appropriate. In terms of business expansion or major factor that should we consider is the condition of our corporate finance, whether supportive or not, when lack of support but the potential or opportunities that we have a large, one financial source of our business is on loan from the Bank with a source of return and specific timeframe. Human Resources ? In addition to the above factors one important thing to note is that inadequate human resources that are reliable and have the skills to suit the needs of the company. A competent leader should be able to determine the amount of labor requirements and can put the right people-enter the respective divisions within an organization. 3. About Working In Teams To work as a reliable teamwork are some things we have to consider include: Get familiar with either all members of the team, it is useful to the division of tasks and towards solving problems that arise. We must be willing to hear opinions of all members of the team in making changes in strategy or action for operasinal company. Explore more information and opinion that reliable and resonable with the case or problem that we should solving as a good team work, eq. Browsing some data from internet or from any sourches. Putting the right people on the job or responsibilities in accordance with the characteristics of our team members are. Based on the experiences and lessons I got from the business game I have done, I plan to apply some advantages in my workplace. As the leader of my unit : A leader should have strong leadership and enough skills to manage the organization and the company. Planning, directing (also mentoring or choaching program) and controlling periodicly to all of my sub ordinate. Delegate some responsibilities to the deputy business with a fixed control function properly . Sharing knowledge to all sub-ordinate, sub-branch manager and exploring new knowledge, new technology and strategy for the success of Bank Mega Cluster Balikpapan Special Hire employee from another Bank (Manager or Marketing) to help me manage the company and make the vision 1000 of Bank Mega become reality (become the leader bank in Balikpapan – East Kalimantan Indonesia) As a member of my management team : Being more creative, proactive and always have new ideas to supporting the management team More details in targeting business opportunities and increase market share. Establishing a reliable team work with 2-way communication is effective and still value the opinions of other members of management team Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/business/business-simulation-games-individual-reflection-paper-business-essay. php#ixzz2lej5YvdS REFLECTION PAPER – THE BUSINESS STRATEGY GAME About Management Processes From the Business Strategy Game, I learned that first important process for a company to determine its future business path was to set a strategic and realistic planning about what is the company goal, how long the goal will be achieved and how to achieve the goal among the competition. In setting the plan, company should define first what is their mission statement or strategic vision. This mission statement is a statement which indicates the purposes and activities of the company’s business/goals in brief, clear and focus words. Along with mission statement, company must clearly define its objectives quantitatively within certain period. From these quantitative objectives, company could set a realistic and attainable long term strategic planning to allocate budget and resources in the company. In strategic planning, company should define clearly its target market, financial objective and competitive position among the industry. This strategic planning will be the direction of the company in running its business. After setting the strategic planning, company should design an organization structure to manage the company effectively, by designating persons who will in charge in each roles and held responsibility in each area of the business in the company (marketing, finance, operation, sales and so on), especially the person who will be responsible as the leader of the company (as CEO). The role of CEO is very essential because he/she must lead company to the right direction in implementing company strategy to achieve company’s objectives. From the clear and effective organization structure, CEO and management will have clear legitimation and authority in directing all resources in the company to implement the company’s strategy. Finally, the company should closely and intensively controlling and monitoring the performance of the strategy during implementation to assess its progress against the pre-defined targets and ensure that all the company elements were doing their parts and responsibility in the right track. About Management Functions In a company, management should establish the right and important functions which will run the company operational activities, define what are the responsibilities of each functions and ensure that each functions performed in accordance with the company objectives. In order to give more value to the company in terms of profitability, management should work together to set a strategy in making company’s output (product or services) more competitive in the market by considering all aspects involved. As an example, to gain more profitability company could set pricing strategy to be higher or lower compare to market but before decided the price, company should consider other aspects such as costs, quality and resources needed in creation of the product or services. About Working in Teams In working as a team member in the company, it is very important to determine a clear designation about who will act as the leader and the follower. Because if there’s no clear designation, potentially will cause the resources in the company to move to the wrong direction and this will destruct company effort in achieving its objectives. As a leader, a person should show the ability to manage and to coach the entire team member to do their tasks properly, and he/she should has willingness to listen and appreciation to his/her followers insights at the same time. And as a follower, one should give respect to the leader and obey the leader decisions. But it is important too for the company to define what is the follower assignment and designation, because if it is not clearly defined, the follower couldn’t perform nor contributed optimally in attaining company’s objective process. What I plan to do in my work place from the experience and lessons I took from the BSG are : As the leader of my unit I will put more effort to be an effective and efficient leader of my unit and will put more awareness to all my team member that our jobs especially in designing the most efficient operational work flow in my company has essential impact in saving the company budget and optimizing company resources which will contributed in achieving the company’s objective especially in financial aspect and giving more value to the customer and shareholder. And furthermore I will spend more time and effort to evaluate designation and job description for each member of my team, to put the right person to the right job and responsibility. If the designation and job description were not fit or not clear to the team member, it will impact to the performance of the working unit itself because each team member do not know exactly what is their role in their working unit. As a member of my management team I will put more consideration and attention about financial impact of any decision that my management made. From the BSG, I see that all activities in each working unit must be contributed and affected to the company strategic planning especially in achieving financial goals. And I will put more respect to any member and any decision of my management team made, even though sometimes the decision seems to be hard to be implement, I will try to see it from wider perspective that the decision must be made deliberately and considered many important aspects which ending is to give more value for the company.