Art in the Age of Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Art in the Age of Revolution - Essay Example lieving in this idea, the Realists recorded in often resolute aspects of the current day survival of modest people that paralleled with the associated movements in the naturalist literature of Emile Zola, Honore de Balzac, and Gustave Flaubert. The assessment of the working class into the area of high art and literature overlapped with the socialist philosophies of Pierre Proudhon and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, which were published in the year 1848 and led to an urge of manual revolution (Nineteenth-Century French Realism, 2012). Gustave Courbet was a great French painter and he developed the term Realism in art to sum up a fashion of painting that emerged in France after the 1848 Revolution. The painters and sculptors who followed Realism wanted to express neither magnificence nor attractiveness. Rather it was all ordinariness that they were focused into. Artists of the time completely surveyed the limits of this artistic concept. Popular artists like Auguste Rodin succ eeded in initiating this heroicism in their works. The mid nineteenth century school of French Realism was an introduction for numerous other movements of the modern art related to Realism that appeared later in the twentieth century. Social Realism was also included in these movements (Artists of the Realism School (c. 1840-1900), n.d.). Socialist Realism in Modern Art: In the field of modern art, the concept of Social Realism is conventionally linked with interwar American art. It provided remarks on social, economic, and political conditions that existed during an era of Depression. There were two movements of modern art that could be associated with a left-wing character. These were the American Social Realism and Soviet-inspired Socialist Realism. There had been significant events that... From the above study, it can be very well concluded that during the mid nineteenth century, French artists had significantly given rise to the revolution involving Realism in their art and avoided Romanticism. The main purpose of this plan was to bring out the lives of the common people of their times in the representations and portrayals of the arts and paintings as well as literature. This can be considered to have an association with the social aspect of lives as well since the depictions would communicate some message or the other in regard to the human lives and their society. This author talks that Realism is a form of presenting the work of art in which different issues are portrayed in as simple a way as feasible, exclusive of romanticizing them and without any rules of formal artistic theory being followed. This paper makes a conclusion that the label of Socialist was not much obtained in the movement and Realism was considered more suitable to the movement and the acts of the artists as represented through their works. Thus, as far as the movement is concerned it can be said that the French Art in the mid nineteenth century had taken significant measures towards their society trying to focus and represent their conditions through their paintings and creations but the label of socialist might not been involved or attached to realism to great extents in this regard, although their works did have socialist message for the world.

Critically evaluate the theories that attempt to explain why women Essay

Critically evaluate the theories that attempt to explain why women continue to suffer disadvantage in the employment relationship - Essay Example The majority of women are employed in low skilled jobs, and the manner of their dealings with employers is not subject to protections presented by competitive forces within the labour market. Majority of women at the work place are exposed to unfair dealings and outcomes with companies (Colgan & Ledwith 2002, p. 172). Their bargaining power is unequal compared to the firm due to lack of protection. This system works unfairly to women even as nonmarket mechanisms try to provide some form of protection to them. Since early 1800 there have always been legislations meant to protect female workers. This includes prohibition from working in certain occupations, hours of work and compulsory maternity leave. Consequently, firms responded by either substituting female labour or lowering their wages to cater for the costs. Critics observe that protective policies stand in the way of women in their bid to compete with men for high paying jobs (Brown et al 2009, p.151). The paper addresses a range of theories which have been put forward to explain the position women occupy in employment. These theories including radical feminism, Marxist feminism and liberal feminism share some things in common. Apart from postmodernists, labour market segmentation and human capital model the proponents assume human behaviour is determined biologically. On the contrary knowledge from social sciences asser ts that as much as people shape society, the society too shapes people. This is to say that the mainstream feminist theories consider women in employment relations in terms of sex as opposed to gender. This theory puts much emphasis on the need for human agency as opposed to social structure, in suggesting improvement and explaining women’s position. According to the theory it is vital that both individuals and legislation are subjected to change. However, the behavioural change among people is given much emphasis. The equality between man and women is

National competitive advantage of technology

National competitive advantage of technology Is technology the basis of long-term national competitive advantage? Compare the differences in the innovation systems of leading economies, industries and firms? Kay (1993) describes â€Å"innovation† as a ‘distinctive capability that can help provide the foundation for competitive advantage. Technology has been shaping the world since the start of the human era. Even in the business world it has changed the way businesses works, it has changed the manner we perceive and even the way we manage business. There are three major forms of innovating; RD, imported technology and technological transfers.   So, to argue we will use porter and chandlers theories with comparing the three different tires of the Nation level, the Industry level and the Firm level to understand whether technology on itself or with factors leads to a National competitive advantage. And we will focus over the major five economies, which are USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China. Technological development and innovation is a quite vital for long-term national competitiveness and success. Porter (1998) defined the national competitive advantage as the capacity of nation to attract local and foreign firms to use a platform for conducting business and attaining economic success. Therefore, with better technology will bring in more options for business and will be more attractive. Porter stresses the importance of technological change as â€Å"The determinants of national innovative capacity†, 2002, by referring this as one of the principal drivers of competition, which is at the heart of economic growth and development. The major reasons which supports the argument of it being vital to competitive advantage is because of the way it leads to differentiation or lower costs from the competitors in product and service designs. Firms must broaden and extend the basis of their competitive advantage by innovation through technology development and update (Fitzge rald, 1994). Innovation through technological development can also lead to national comparative advantage. Even though technology is one of the primary determinants of national competitiveness, they are other factors. Moreover, distinguishing the â€Å"Invention† from â€Å"Innovation† is must and has been done by Schumpeter, in which the invention is just a scientific breakthrough and not necessarily a business one cause of the commercial viability, being unknown. However, the job of the research and development is more to bring in the commercial viability, which may turn out to be a competitive advantage. The phrase deemed â€Å"technological change† has altered the society and increased the national wealth through success of various governments, since the 19th century. One of the major contributors in the development of economies and technology are the large industrial enterprises, which earlier with their super-normal profits and evolving competition, embodied innovation in their processes and products. So the major factors that led to these technological enterprises were lower costs, better human resources inclusive of management, smooth flow of material and information with well-built distributing networks and a primary driver of technological advances, (Chandler, 1995) Metcalfe, (1995) defines National innovation systems as â€Å"set of distinct institutions which jointly and individually contribute to the development and diffusion of new technologies and which provides the framework within which governments form and implement policies to influence the innovation process. As such it is a system of interconnected institutions to create, store and transfer the knowledge, skills and arti facts which define new technologies.† As stated above, the major five economies have been analysed at the macro level amongst their National Innovation Systems. The resources for Japanese innovation are mostly through private firms, public research institutions and educational institutions; for the USA are mostly non-US firms and educational institutions (Buiges, 2009). While the UK, Germany and China share similar resources, which is mainly the government. So, to start we analyse the RD expenditure to the economic output of the countries. The USA has a stable expenditure share between 2.5 to 3% since 1996 (Dicken, 2003). While, Japan on the contrary has the highest share of expenditure for RD which has been more than 3% of the countrys output since 2007 and the percentage is increasing (Abe and Fitzgerald, 1995). U.K. and Germany have been steady with their RD expenditure ranging from 1.5 to 2% since 1996. The Chinese increased their input by 1% from 1996 to 2006. The second major consideration is the pool of scientists and engineers in which Japan overtakes the USA. Even though USA has a mighty infrastructure of education and research. One of the major origins of innovation in the USA is non-US firms, mostly related to Japan. Hence, Wright (1992) stated â€Å"following World War 2, USA was the worlds most productive economy by virtually any measure; however, this is no longer.† Students in Germany are not trained in school, while Chinese students are now trained occupationally in school to fill in the gap of the lacking of skilled and experienced work force in china mentioned by Buiges (2009). Hence we can see that to build innovation, the other investments like in financial, information, educational systems are required with government supporting policies and sometimes industry collectivity. The first industry we opt for in the pharmaceutical industry, as it has high relevance to innovation and RD, to contrast the national systems at an industry level. The â€Å"first mover† explained by (Chandler 1992), as a crucial role was done by Germany in the pharmaceutical industry for a stronger position. This national innovation system helps in explaining why German companies like Bayer and Salvesan are able to be at the upper hand. These companies R D investment started as early as in 1870s, which help them innovating aspirin and anti-syphilis drug. Sustaining the competitive advantage over first is not possible until it is cyclical (repetitive), after world war one, Germans lost to the Americans and the British. This happened after the US and UK were forced producing substitutes to those drugs from Germany, to which they lost supply, hence started focusing on developing the domestic industry (Owen 1999). The companies were like Burroughs welcome and May Baker in the UK and Eli Lilly in the US. Loosing out in the first mover, the dependencies of the UK had increased but to counter the affect and to create a national advantage, the National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1984. The NHS is referred as the â€Å"ultimate paymaster for the bulk of the industry sales.† (Owen 1999:371). Another exposure that the British gained for responding to the Germans was the presence of major multinationals which brought in mass capital from countries like US, Switzerland and France which acted as a stimulus rather than being a threat. Finally, government intervention as a supporter gave a platform to companies like SmithKline and Pfizer. As a result the British with its strong innovation index and its regulatory options attracted Research and development. To support this argument Nelson (1993:279), states, â€Å"Competitive success in pharmaceuticals depends on a domestic environment which encourages firms to invest in costly research and development programs.† The Ec onomist shows after the Nelson argument, expenditure on RD in the UK increased by a staggering 6% since 1995, (The Economist, March 2005). The major difference in NIS of US and the UK has been the government support, which was majorly lacking in the USA and enforced the pharmaceutical industry to heavily rely on the Market networks, to support stands Glaxo and La Roche as examples. Even the statistics show the dramatic rise of expenditure on marketing to 33% in comparison to the 19% investment on RD by Novartis. (The Economist, March 2005). Americas large domestic market has always been the excuse for super normal profits and then innovation and further by competitive advantage but there is a reason for the European counterparts to outsmart them even with lesser finances and resources was cause of the government support and culture. Even Owen supports the argument of having a domestic market is not the utmost reason for being more competitive. Due to lack of resources and government regulations about the usage of resources the Japanese were far behind in developing a NIS in the pharmaceutical industry and tend to follow the path of mergers and acquisitions to be competitive. A relevant instance was the takeover of La Roche over Chugai, a major innovator in Japans pharmaceutical industry. The second industry we opted for analysis is the semi-conductor industry. To start with USA the most competitive in this industry, where clusters have been the key to its NIS. Porter defines clusters, as a system of inter-related firms that are connected vertically and horizontally, with a value greater than its parts sum of its parts. The two major constituents of the American NIS are Route 128 and the â€Å"Silicon Valley†, which is the present core, (Dicken, 2004). The clusters have led to easier and much faster knowledge sharing which leads to an advantage. The use of clusters has also led to development of American FDI into Malaysia as another cluster for less expensive labour. The semi-conductor business being highly technical, educational system especially universities have been vital. The USA and Germany have provided with a better university network with close relationships between the firms and universities, facilitating with a stream of scientists and engineers with the skills to innovate, (Nelson 1993). The University of Stanford location around the Silicon Valley stands for a reason. This competitive NIS was firstly sheltered and supported by the government. A similar form of cluster evolved in Japan wit the five major semi-conductor producers, which are NEC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toshiba and Mitsubishi. The group was called MITI collaboration for research. The group was 40 % funded by the Japanese government leading the Japanese government to be a virtual part, (Dicken, 2004). As mentioned above the Americans protected the semi conductor industry, was because of Japans government support and restrictions on American semi-conductors with the supply of cheaper semi-conductors known as â€Å"Dump Chips† in the US. The Chinese followed the Japanese in making a hold in the international semi-conductor market, even though with their â€Å"open door policy†, they had generated FDI before like merging with Taiwanese company ACER Ltd. The major difference in innovation systems of the two late industrializing nations i.e. China and Japan and the rest three is that instead of being pioneers in the semi-conductor industry they choose innovation through â€Å"imitation.† In most cases the learned technology was diffused and made it into an easier adaptable version, following innovating the technology. The only price for them to pay was the license fee. Well, now the Asian countries have started to invest more in research and development for creating their own innovations. Japan is quite successful in implementing it and has been considered as the â€Å"powerhouse† in RD like the US. China is on the path and is using a techno hybrid technology, with FDI, technology transfer in it, they are evolving as a key player in the semi-conductor industry. (Fitzgerald Cirvagena, 2009) To conclude, Technology is important for a countrys national competitive advantage, but as this discussion has shown, technology is not the only factor that can stimulate a leading position in a particular industry and for the economy. As Dicken (2004) highlights â€Å"In an intensely competitive environment, the introduction of a continuous stream of new products is essential to a firms profitability and indeed survival†, which referred earlier a repetitive or cyclical innovation is must.   Furthermore, by analyzing the NIS of the todays five leading economies, we have seen that the role of the state, clusters, and corporate governance, education systems, culture, have been vital components. This discussion possibly asks us to consider which is the best NIS to gain a national competitive advantage. In reflection of the two industries that have been looked at, a blend of different factors can be identified and have been justified.   The challenging nature of the US pharmaceutical industry could be improved by following the UK NIS, which recently the Obama Administration in the USA had approved. The fact that the UK semiconductor industry is such a small player in this market could be due to a lack of RD investment, which its US counterparts achieved through clustering. It is clear that one single approach in NIS is not the key to a countrys national competitive advantage or industry. References Buiges, P Sekkat, K (2009). Industrial Policy in Europe, Japan and the USA. UK: Macmillan Publishers. p.180-220. Chandler, A, ‘Managerial Enterprise and Competitive Capabilities in Jones, G and Harvey, C. (1992) Organisational Capability and Competitive Advantage. London: Frank Cass. Chandler, A.D (1995). Strategy and structure: chapters in the history of the industrial enterprise. USA: MIT. p.1-20. Dicken, P. (2004) ‘Global Shift: Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century London: Sage Dicken, P. (2003) Global Shift: Transforming the World Economy. E, Abe and R, Fitzgerald (1995) ‘Japanese Economic Success: timing, culture and organizational capability Fitzgerald, R Ciravgena, L. (2009) ‘Technological Innovation, MN 330 Lecture 10 Fitzgerald, R (1994). The Competitive Advantages of Far Eastern Business. Great Britain: Frank Cass Ltd. p. 1-16. Kay, J (1993). Innovation, technology and competitive strategy . USA: Economic and Social Research Council. 1-16. Metcalfe, S. (1995), â€Å"The Economic Foundations of Technology Policy: Equilibrium and Evolutionary Perspectives†, in P. Stoneman (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation and Technological Change, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford (UK)/Cambridge (US) Nelson, R.R (1993) ‘National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Context, Oxford: Oxford University Press Nelson, R.R.   Wright, G. (1992) ‘The rise and fall of American technological leadership: the post-war era in historical perspective, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 30. Owen, G. 1999. From empire to Europe. London: Harper Collins Porter, M. (1998). The competitive advantage of nations: with a new introduction. USA: Harvard Business Review. p.73-90 Porter, M. (2002). The determinants of national innovative capacity. Research Policy. 31 (6), p.899-933. Finefacts Team (2005) ‘RD scorecard Global top 1,000 Companies: US firms dominate, 86% of total RD comes from just 6 countries out of 36, Oct 24, 2005 The Economist (2005) ‘Prescriptions for change, A Survey of Pharmaceuticals, June 18th, 2005

Journalism Essay -- Communication, News Stories, Newspaper

Journalism has become a job carrying enormous personal rewards. Indeed, it is difficult, chalenging (e.g. physically, emotionally, ethically, politically), yet again - it is fun. Journalism requires mastering a multiple range of knowledge and skills (Hicks: 2008; Brighton: 2007; Randall: 2007). This essay has the task to identify the key sources and methods I have used gathering information for my 332MC News and Features (aka. 332MC) articles portfolio, as well as give a comment to what I have learned working individually and collectively in teams in the various project tasks through this module. A critical discussion on various journalism issues, such as news values, objectivity, sources, identifying a readership, interviewing techniques and information gathering will be included (Machin: 2006: Allan: 2005). In order to build on my skills and theoretical knowledge developed through my practice in years one and two of this course, this year I tried to develop my awarness of the concept of researching and presenting news and feature arcicles in print. As McQuail says 'journalism is not produced in vacuum' (in an analogy borrowed from Harcup: 2004), but a product developed within a range structural factors and influences, as well as law constraints and market forces (Allan: 2005; Shoemaker: 2006; Machin: 2006). To begin with, one of the first and most important things I improved this year was the quality of research and the use of primary sources as a basis for my articles. People, places or organisations - these are the most vitabal part of the journalism practice (Machin: 2006; Brighton: 2007). Tony Harcup suggests that sources are where 'potential news stories originate' (Harcup: 2004: 44). 'News is what an authorit... ... finding news sotries could also be charity societies, community groups, regulatory bodies, pubs, noticeboards, news releases, hospitals, council departments, etc. Information is everywhere, all a journalists have to do is go, get it and transform it into their own 'masterpiece'(Harcup: 2004; Hicks: 2008; Shoemaker: 2006; Cole: 2010). To me, journalism seems to be one of the most exciting jobs in this world. When working as a journalist you get the chance to meet powerful, interesting and ispiring people, heroes, vilians and celebrities. Journalists indeed inform the society about itself and are concerned with 'making public that which would otherwise be private' (Harcup: 2004: 2). This profession gives a chance to be one of the first to know something and to tell the world, as well as an opportunity to indulge one's passion for writing, travel and knowledge. Journalism Essay -- Communication, News Stories, Newspaper Journalism has become a job carrying enormous personal rewards. Indeed, it is difficult, chalenging (e.g. physically, emotionally, ethically, politically), yet again - it is fun. Journalism requires mastering a multiple range of knowledge and skills (Hicks: 2008; Brighton: 2007; Randall: 2007). This essay has the task to identify the key sources and methods I have used gathering information for my 332MC News and Features (aka. 332MC) articles portfolio, as well as give a comment to what I have learned working individually and collectively in teams in the various project tasks through this module. A critical discussion on various journalism issues, such as news values, objectivity, sources, identifying a readership, interviewing techniques and information gathering will be included (Machin: 2006: Allan: 2005). In order to build on my skills and theoretical knowledge developed through my practice in years one and two of this course, this year I tried to develop my awarness of the concept of researching and presenting news and feature arcicles in print. As McQuail says 'journalism is not produced in vacuum' (in an analogy borrowed from Harcup: 2004), but a product developed within a range structural factors and influences, as well as law constraints and market forces (Allan: 2005; Shoemaker: 2006; Machin: 2006). To begin with, one of the first and most important things I improved this year was the quality of research and the use of primary sources as a basis for my articles. People, places or organisations - these are the most vitabal part of the journalism practice (Machin: 2006; Brighton: 2007). Tony Harcup suggests that sources are where 'potential news stories originate' (Harcup: 2004: 44). 'News is what an authorit... ... finding news sotries could also be charity societies, community groups, regulatory bodies, pubs, noticeboards, news releases, hospitals, council departments, etc. Information is everywhere, all a journalists have to do is go, get it and transform it into their own 'masterpiece'(Harcup: 2004; Hicks: 2008; Shoemaker: 2006; Cole: 2010). To me, journalism seems to be one of the most exciting jobs in this world. When working as a journalist you get the chance to meet powerful, interesting and ispiring people, heroes, vilians and celebrities. Journalists indeed inform the society about itself and are concerned with 'making public that which would otherwise be private' (Harcup: 2004: 2). This profession gives a chance to be one of the first to know something and to tell the world, as well as an opportunity to indulge one's passion for writing, travel and knowledge.

How to Reduce Stress

1. In today's smaller Air Force, members are finding themselves doing more with less. This in-turn has caused numerous stressful situations on and off duty. It is incumbent for Air Force members to recognize, treat, and eliminate stress whenever practical to increase morale and mission accomplishment. This paper will cover the emotional, behavioral, and physical signs of stress as well as importance of job stress management in treating and/or eliminating stress. 2. Before we can begin to reduce stress, we must be able to recognize indicators that lead to or help identify stress. Air Force psychologist Capt. Neil S. Hibler has developed a list of early warning signs (2:19). For our purposes we will discuss only a couple from each category. First, from the emotional category, is apathy. Apathy is the doldrums. Things you normally enjoy are no longer pleasurable. Along with apathy is mental fatigue. Being unable to concentrate or staying focus are only a couple of examples of mental fatigue. Emotional signs are very important to recognize, because if they are not noticed early on and addressed, behavioral or even physical problems can surface. The behavioral category signs include: being late to work, poor appearance, and being accident prone are just a few examples of administrative problems. Legal problems are even more evident, such as, traffic tickets, indebtedness, and inability to control violent impulses. As you can see, these signs of stress become more serious the longer TSgt Adams/H-Flt/0805/pfa/19 Jul 97 they go untreated or reduced. Finally, is the physical category; possibly the most serious of all. Stress not only effects the psyche of an individual, but the physical side of ones' being can also be altered. Ailments such as: headaches, insomnia, nausea, changes in appetite, and sexual problems can persist during times of stress. The individual may seek relief from stress by self-medicating and develop a dependence on chemicals that are harmful to the body. These signs are just a few of the more recognizable. Other signs can be very subtle and even more dangerous to the individual and others. This is why it is paramount to detect stress early and if possible treat, reduce, or eliminate before damage is done. 3. Once signs of stress are identified, it is time to tackle them with a few job stress management techniques outlined in â€Å"The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Handbook† (2:211). A 1985 study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics found that more than 50% of workers surveyed experienced moderate to heavy stress on the job. To effectively combat work-related stress, you first need to identify symptoms and sources of job related stress. This can be accomplished by taking and scoring the survey in the handbook. Next, you need to keep a log on how you respond to your specific job stressors. Label four columns: stressor, feelings, thoughts, and behavior. After you have completed these task, setting goals and motivation is next. Set goals to respond more effectively to your job stressors. Develop a plan to react to stress you can anticipate or even avoid altogether. The idea here is to gain more control of your work environment. Rewards are a very important part of motivation. Create a specific reward for every goal you establish and make sure to give yourself the time to enjoy your reward. The next area to consider is more difficult for most of us. Dealing with your boss, negotiating with co- workers, and changing your thinking can be used to your advantage to help reduce stress. Don't side step these ideas, use them! The last two strategies to consider in job stress management are; pace and balance yourself, and know when to quit. Pace at your own tempo. Don't burn yourself out. This is one of the leading causes of stress at work. To effectively integrate job stress management into your daily lifestyle could take months, in just a day you can identify your job stressors and your responses to them. Getting started is the key! 4. We have discussed identifying stress by looking for: emotional, behavioral, and physical signs of stress. Then, more importantly, we discussed ways to: treat, reduce, or eliminate stress by applying techniques used in job stress management. Job stress accounts for billions of dollars lost annually in productivity, wages, and medical bills. Americans now know that job stress management makes personal and financial sense.

Early Ages Essay

The Middle Ages is a catchall phrase often used by historians alluding to the thousands of years between the fall of the Roman Empire and the period of discovery and reawakening. The term Middle Ages was coined during the period that followed it, which was the Renaissance (Roseinwein, 2008). Since people from the Renaissance period thought of themselves as â€Å"advanced and civilized,† they deemed the time between them and the earlier world as the â€Å"Middle Age† (2008). The term derived from the Latin medium, which means middle and aevium, referring to age (2008). The Early Middle Ages, which occurred from 5th – 8th centuries, was dominated by Christianity which eventually became the rationale for uniting Europe culturally and linguistically (Herrin, 2002, p. 609). It was also a period marked by distinctions of social classes- the noble, the peasants and the clergy, with peasants populating more (Kamien, 1998, p. 62). This was the reason by medieval society was often described as a period with lack of food supply, poor agriculture, and poor economic conditions (p. 612). As aforementioned, the Early Middle Ages brought forth the importance of religion, specifically that of the Roman Catholic Church. It was during this time when the Holy Roman Empire was established. . One outstanding work from this period and perhaps had the earliest record was medieval music, particularly the Gregorian chant. The Gregorian chant was the official music of the Roman Catholic Church (Kamien, 1998, p. 65). Although the Gregorian chant was named in honor of Pope Gregory I, it was said that the pope was in fact not its creator (p. 65). Historians accounted the existence of Gregorian account or what they believed was its evolution to psalm singing in Jewish synagogues in the first centuries after Christ (p. 65). However the case may be, Pope Gregory could still be held responsible for the popularity of the Gregorian chant. The Gregorian chant is actually a body of unaccompanied vocal music. It was meant to set the mood for certain religious services (Kamien, 1998, p. 65). Set in Latin, Gregorian chants swept the music of the Early Middle Ages. Gregorian chant is like no other music for has no meter nor regular rhythms (p. 65). However, it is this distinct characteristic that makes the Gregorian chant a somewhat free-flowing disposition. Listening to a Gregorian melody invokes serenity, as if disengaging the listener from any anxieties. It is considered monophonic since it is music for one line and is sung in unison. It is said that there are only few names of Gregorian chant composers. This is because composers did not think of themselves as composers but as conduits of the voice of God. One of the most known contributors of the Gregorian chant was Hildegard (p. 68). A nun, Hildegard composed O Successores (You Successors), a chant intended to give praise to the â€Å"holy confessors who are successors of Christ† (p. 68). In the period that followed the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the predominant sound continued to be unaccompanied vocal music. However, the dawn of the Baroque period saw the musical style embracing the use of musical instruments like the harpsichord, violin and viola (Kamien, 1998, p. 104). Likewise, the melody has become wider instead of the narrow range that accompanied the Gregorian chant. While the Renaissance period still had Mass music, the Baroque period ushered in opera, sonata and concertos (pp. 100-115). Church music, especially the Lutheran service, was called a church cantata (p. 129). Whereas the Middle Ages was limited to the culture of the Church, the succeeding periods created new attitudes- that of showing that people have the capacity to create and shape their world instead of merely serving as conduits. The Gregorian chants, which was passed on by oral traditions, ebbed away slowly until a 1994 release of ‘Chant† by the Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo de Silos. This made Gregorian chant popular again due its similarity with New Age Music- smooth, uniform and non confrontational. The Early Middle Ages may have focused on sublime spirituality but the beauty of it has emanated throughout the centuries. Listen to a church hymn and feel how it has evolved from a simple, monophonic music to the finely crafted yet polyphonic texture of today. References Herrin, J. E. (2002). Early Middle Ages. In The new encyclopedia Britannica (Vol. 16, pp. 609-612) USA: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Kamien, R. (1998). Music an appreciation 3rd ed. USA: McGraw-Hill. Rosenwein, B. (2008). Middle Ages. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from Microsoft Encarta Web site: http://encarta. msn. com/text_761578474___0/Middle_Ages. html

Are Unions in the 21st Century essays

Are Unions in the 21st Century essays Are Unions in the 21st Century dead? People may tell you that the union movement is dead, or dying, that unions have little relevance in today's society. The numbers of Australian union members has definitely decreased in the past few decades, but does this mean that the end is near? Because of the declining trends in union density and people thinking unions are outdated it has come up for debate Are unions in the 21st century dead? It is my role today to debate whether the statement is true or false. In my opinion I think the statement is false. Unions are frequently in the news: most people will have heard of unions and have some notions about what they are (even if these are not always accurate). And the reporting of unions usually emphasises conflict. For the same reason conflict sells newspapers, it can arouse interest among people. Unions have shaped the way most people in Australia (and in many other countries) live; they have played an important role in Australian history. Lets look at the real issue of how unions really benefit our economy. If it were not for unions we would be living like the communists did in the Soviet Union some 10 years ago. We would basically be a fascist country. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were perhaps Australias first unionists, although their involvement with this country was not one of choice. In 1833, 6 poor farm labourers from Tolpuddle, England met with a view to forming a union. They had sought a pay increase of only 1 shilling, as other farm labourers were receiving 10/-. As a result of their demands, their pay was reduced. A union seemed the only way to achieve decent pay. For trying to form a union, the 6 were charged with the obscure crime of administering an illegal oath. They had little chance of acquittal when their trial came up, as the jury was comprised of wealthy landowners. The 6 were quickly, and quietly, convicted and transported to New South Wa...

Analysis Case Studies

Analysis Case Studies Analysis Case Studies Analysis Case Studies: You Will Find Some Help Here! Probably, a lot of case studies could be considered as the reflection of business deals: the reader imagines he/she is a manager and he/she is able to find the solution of some current issue. Actually, the most of case studies imply the presence of clear decision, however sometimes situation requires almost absolute inaction. Before you are going to be occupied with a case study analysis, first, try to figure out the purpose and structure of the case study. First, you should look through the case carefully, single out the key factors and then you may follow our guideline. Do not neglect the possibility to read the text several times: it will help you to understand the organizations issue better. Analysis Case Studies: Main Steps When you have processed the information thoroughly, you could start your writing with the following manual that will ease your work under case study analysis:Examine and Take a Deep Analysis of the C ompany, Its History and Development. Definitely, a companys presence and future could be reflected in the past. So, make a critical review of organizations history, its origins, path of development, possible ascend and descent, inner structure before your case study analysis; Define Advantages and Disadvantages of Investigated Company. Now, when you have collected the necessary information about the organizations historical path, keep on writing your case study analysis by searching the weak and strong sides of the company. It means you can identify that the company has a lack of big funds, however, it always stand against the hard competitiveness in the climate of constantly changed market; Describe External Environment and Companys Position. This kind of sub-analysis let us to find threats and opportunities from the outside. There are the threats of sudden competitors appearance, change in the exchange rate, economical instability and import of more qualitative pr oducts; Provide a Wide Analysis of Gathered Information. In other words, provide the comparison between your finding from point 2 and conclusions from point 3. Try to figure out the companys potential on the market, its position in the competitive field, and think about the possible changes and improvements for this organization; Determine Corporate Policy. It means you identify and find the companys mission, corporate strategy, intentions and purposes. Define, what type of business does the company occupied in? Describe Companys Business Strategy. It will help you to understand and analyze the business potential of every organization, find out the main weapons in the competitive wars, and identify the management, marketing setting and so on; Think, How Does the Company Realize the Goals? It some kind of inner structure and controlling systems examination, and identification of companys business tools; it also includes the hierarchical working structure, ethical culture, staff policy, system of rewards and other factors; Provide Conclusions. Each part of your analysis is finalized by your personal recommendations for the organization. Every recommendation you give should be directly connected with your case study analysis; Thereby, the aim of any case study is to demonstrate your own views, based on the researches and personal experience, on the actual problems that the selected company is facing.

Army to College

From the military to the university, when I entered military education where the bus was strictly protected, I stared at the slogan: Do what you can do. As the bus stopped, several angry drill coaches began to introduce us a very colorful vocabulary. They instructed us to gather our belongings, got off the bus and gathered them in the circle. When I was looking for the strength to stand up, I found myself moving, and a few drilling instructors shouted at us. US Army War College will develop leaders at a strategic level while enhancing knowledge of Landpower's global applications. The purpose of the US Army War College is to train graduates with skill-oriented philosophers and complex problem solvers. At the same time, the US military is also responsible for serving as a factory for commanders and civilian leaders at the global strategic level and often discusses and discusses the role of the army in achieving national security objectives doing. The Army ROTC is a course offered at hu ndreds of universities throughout the country, training university students to become aggressive soldiers, army reserve forces and army guards. This is a four-year course that can be divided into two parts: basic and advanced. The basic course is usually done between the freshman year and the second grade. Advanced courses usually take place during the last two years of the university, including a five-year leadership assessment development program. Usually done in the summer between your junior and senior. LDAC provides you with practical training and confidence that you can not learn in class. Army ROTC's mission is to trust to lead the US Army's future officers. Army ROTC is a college elective subject you can take the necessary university course. Provide tools, training, and experience to succeed in a competitive environment. In addition to good leadership training, the Army ROTC can also pay tuition fees at your university. You will have ordinary college student experience on ca mpus just like any other person, but when you graduate you will become an army officer. Being a US Army officer means that you are a leader, consultant, strategist and motivated. It is similar to being an important administrator of the company. As a military officer, you lead other soldiers in all situations and adapt to changing circumstances. You will succeed with your team in every task Army to College From the military to the university, when I entered military education where the bus was strictly protected, I stared at the slogan: Do what you can do. As the bus stopped, several angry drill coaches began to introduce us a very colorful vocabulary. They instructed us to gather our belongings, got off the bus and gathered them in the circle. When I was looking for the strength to stand up, I found myself moving, and a few drilling instructors shouted at us. US Army War College will develop leaders at a strategic level while enhancing knowledge of Landpower's global applications. The purpose of the US Army War College is to train graduates with skill-oriented philosophers and complex problem solvers. At the same time, the US military is also responsible for serving as a factory for commanders and civilian leaders at the global strategic level and often discusses and discusses the role of the army in achieving national security objectives doing. The Army ROTC is a course offered at hu ndreds of universities throughout the country, training university students to become aggressive soldiers, army reserve forces and army guards. This is a four-year course that can be divided into two parts: basic and advanced. The basic course is usually done between the freshman year and the second grade. Advanced courses usually take place during the last two years of the university, including a five-year leadership assessment development program. Usually done in the summer between your junior and senior. LDAC provides you with practical training and confidence that you can not learn in class. Army ROTC's mission is to trust to lead the US Army's future officers. Army ROTC is a college elective subject you can take the necessary university course. Provide tools, training, and experience to succeed in a competitive environment. In addition to good leadership training, the Army ROTC can also pay tuition fees at your university. You will have ordinary college student experience on ca mpus just like any other person, but when you graduate you will become an army officer. Being a US Army officer means that you are a leader, consultant, strategist and motivated. It is similar to being an important administrator of the company. As a military officer, you lead other soldiers in all situations and adapt to changing circumstances. You will succeed with your team in every task

In Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's short story, Clothes (page 533), Essay

In Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's short story, Clothes (page 533), Sumita, the protagonist, comes to America where she exp - Essay Example Conflicts in the Life of Sumita Culminated through the Symbolic Scheme Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s fictions are generally set against the background of India or in America and mostly they centre round the experiences of the South Asian immigrants especially the women. The story â€Å"Clothes† is not an exception in this regard. The story presents the transition that the protagonist, Sumita undergoes in her life. The story revolves round the transition of Sumita from a young girl to a woman; from woman to a wife and finally facing the climax and the predicament in her life by being a widow. Sumita accepts the tradition of her society and accepts the concept of arranged marriage and marries a man whom she has never met before. She accepts the fact and is shown at the outset of the story to explore the unexplored and know the unknown and with this vision; she whole heartedly starts dreaming of her new life which is going to place her to a complete different socio-cultural milieu. She undergoes a paradoxical transition in her life and that evolves at different times through her clothes and their colours (Almeida, â€Å"The politics of mourning: Grief Management in Cross-cultural Fiction†). Conflict essentially builds up and strengthens the dramatic qualities of any fiction and that conflict does not necessarily mean a conflict with an antagonist in its physical form. The antagonist as in the case is society and the cross cultural transition which treats the existential discourse of the protagonist. Sumita in the US faces difficulty to adept complete change in her attire from eastern styling to that of western. The conflict which she faces is from the transition that she undergoes while changing her identity from wife to a women. One of those dresses includes a T-shirt which is orange in color and symbolizes hope and change on a brighter note. But the destined predicament at the last segment of the story where Sumita has to encounter an unfortu nate incident in the face of her husband’s murder washes all sort of colour and possibility in her life and places her with a confrontation of uncertainty where she is confused to continue her life in a country where the life of her husband was not secured even or get back to the soil i.e. her country from where she was uprooted long back as she fails to identify herself in both the nations and their societies. This is probably the greatest threat encountered by the protagonist of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s short story, â€Å"Clothes† presented in the form of diasporas of existential and identity crisis from the perspective of feminist discourse. Transition in Sumita’s life does not only take place at physical plane but it takes place also mentally. Quite natural to the human nature, it gets reflected through the outward appearance of Sumita precisely through her clothes and its colours. The Indian traditional attire for women is Sari and Sumita at the beginning of the story is seen clad in it fully at one with the tradition of her soil. The selection of each cloth in the story and its colour has a purpose. The story begins with a stage in Sumita’s life when she is about to be a bride and puts a yellow sari, all set to meet her prospective

Increasing or restricting Andragogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Increasing or restricting Andragogy - Essay Example First, there is the problem within the nomenclature itself, problematized by both the terms 'adult' and 'education' that constitute it. Secondly, there is the problem of dissociating the term from within a matrix of related, but at more fundamental level, different terms like 'continuous education' and 'andragogy'. What really adds to our problem in this respect is the fact that we have to approach this problem at a time when an unprecedented complexity within the social formation itself has rendered educational institutes and education, both in definition and practice, complex. Therefore, we have to take into account both the objective semantics of the term as well as try and locate it within a specific twentieth century educational context.The term 'adult education' is a comparatively new one, coined much after it was actually in practice. It is a result of many years of evolutions, and its meaning, even now is far from simple and monolithic. Even as early as in 1927, Hall-Quest co nceded the difficulties in defining the term. One of the biggest problems related to the definition of 'adult education' is, whether it refers to a set of methodologies by which 'adults' can be taught, or is it a holistic term that includes the general endeavor of educating adults in a specific way as well as a detailed study of government adaptation and subsequent implementation of policies that target the adults specifically as the subject of educational instruction. Theorists like Alan Rogers have defined adult education as a process 'whereby anyone over 16 (or whatever) are treated as adults - capable, experienced, responsible and balanced people'. Such a definition has two major problems; first 'adult education' becomes synonymous with 'andragogy' thus affecting the semantic rigor of the term. Secondly, values like capability, experience and responsibility are more often than not terms defined by culture and there is no platform or parameter that is universally agreed upon, whi ch makes the term can lacking in ethnographic rigor. It is therefore, important that we first clear the ethnographic tangle and then go on to arrive at a working definition of the term. Who is an 'adult' It is probably the first major question we have to answer before we get into any further exposition of the term. An adult can be defined in respect to age: affixing a cut-off age as in legal and administrative procedures. However, in all streams of study and human discipline this parameter is the least applied. There are various methods of measuring adulthood, which are not concrete and yet central to an understanding of the phenomena, across the world which can often differ, and at times even oppose one another. Adulthood, in the West, is often associated with the ideas of independence, to have one's own principles and perceptions on life and the ability to live up to it. It is integrally connected to question of self-sufficiency and living on one's own term - which by corollary, means an ability to satisfy one's own desires. In a num ber of Oriental cultures, Japan for example, this itself can be a mark of juvenile world-view and immaturity, because in that culture it is the ability to submerge one's own desires and to sacrifice them is what is counted as a true adult behavior. These dichotomies immediately place any ethnographic approach towards defining the term on slippery and problematic ground. Similarly there is little agreement

The Evolutionary Theory of Aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Evolutionary Theory of Aging - Essay Example The following discussions will try to illustrate the different theories that have been suggested to explain how these changes take place. The following discussions would be a on the different theories as they try to explain how the genes responsible aging evolved overtime. Evolutionary theory of aging is one of the widely used theories to explain aging of individual animals. According Weismann (1999), evolutionary theory of aging is relevant as it gives clear account of evolution of individuals with respect to the aging of the cells that are possessed by those particular individuals. He also argues that the most important aspect of evolutionary theory is that it gives an account of the possible evolutions of the cells that may result into the death of the cells or reduced performance and hence increases their susceptibility to death. Several researches that have been done by different researchers hence however reveled that it is difficult for this theory to contradict the Darwin†™s theory of evolution. ... In this context, the genetic materials that are supposed to play vital part during this time are lost and hence the negative impact begins. For example, the replacement of the tissues and other body parts may be done but the coding system may not take place accordingly and hence this result to the production of cells and the appearance of old tissues. The other important aspect of this model is also the appearance of the late acting genes that are harmful to the genetic system. It is important to note that it is these late harmful genes that contribute to the aging processes. It is believed that these genes interfere with the processes of normal functioning of individuals and hence it is difficult for the normal genes to act accordingly. Whether the lack of the late acting genes or the dangerous late acting genes, the main idea of this model is that the initiation of the aging process takes place as a result of complication in the late acting genes within individuals. While it is a s trong point to explain the aging process in theory, the question that remains unexplained is that the initial process that initiates aging is not well explained. In this context, it is clear that the process does start as a result of genetic complication. However, the theory remains dormant on the sources as this is not explained why these genes do not occur on the young people or those who have only lived for few years. However, this model has strength in explaining the genetic problem which is more explanatory to the practical aspect of aging. The other model is that which was suggested by William assert that the aging that occurs to individuals takes place as a result of pleiotropic effect from the genes. It is believed that these genes are beneficial in the early years but

Hunger and Poverty among African-Americans in the last ten years in Research Paper

Hunger and Poverty among African-Americans in the last ten years in Texas - Research Paper Example The term poverty is defined as the lack of some basic needs of living. As such the research work is done to identify and evaluate the multiple dimensions of poverty and hunger associated with the Afro American group of the state. Therefore, the research question is to identify the reasons and impacts of hunger and poverty of the African-Americans in the last ten years in Texas. The Great Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 seems to have had many negative effects on the United States including Texas. One of the main effects of the economic downturn has been the increase in the poverty rates in Texas since the year 2009. Poverty and food insecurity among the Afro American people seem to be closely interlinked. One in four Afro American people live are eligible for an amount of $11, 670 assistance from the government. In case of a single member household the percentage of assistance varies from 100% to 400%. The level of percentage is the same for household size of 1 to 8 but the amount of assistance varies. For example, the amount of assistance for a 2 member household at the 100% level is $15, 730. The 100% assistance is highest for 8 members household where the assistance amount is $40, 090. Lee and Frongillo (2001) have identified in their work that the rate of poverty among the children in the Afro American group living in Texas is alarmingly high which has p ut the whole future generation in a risky state (Lee and Frongillo, 2001). The term of poverty line is denoted as the threshold level or the minimum amount of money a person needs to lead a life in a particular country. Almost 35.7% of the total population of Afro American children belong to the below poverty line group in Texas as compared to only 20% of the American children living below the poverty line specified by the federal government. Despite being a state experiencing high growth and development, the poverty rate in Texas is high. Poverty is Texas seems

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management Essay

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management in Improving Productivity in Retailing - Essay Example 5). Operations management brings in an element of efficiency in the business operations by looking to it that that business operations rely on an optimal exploitation of resources and tend to meet the consumer expectations in an efficient and satisfactory manner (Lowson 2002, p. 10). Operations management pertains to the management of all the processes associated with the conversion of inputs like finances, raw materials, energy and labour into the intended outputs like services and goods (Bassett 1992, p. 20). In an operational context, the efficiency in operations management has a lot to do with the policy decisions made by the senior management. It is usually the top management in the organizations that plans the strategy in operations management and tends to revise it as per the altering needs and requirements, while the line managers assure that the policy decisions get implemented in an accurate manner by taking the apt tactical decisions. Operations management in the area of r etail is pivotal to the influx of improving productivity. Operations management in retail requires an optimal management of varied associated operations like cost control, logistics and merchandizing associated with the movement of products from production facilities and stores to the hands of the consumers (Nersesian 2000, p. 153). Primarily retail is about curtailing costs so as to extend to the customers the required goods and services at most competitive prices. Operations management in retail has to do with managing and controlling the operating costs within the affiliated organizations (Nersesian 2000). It encompasses all the related and affiliated activities that have to do with the production, distribution and delivery of services of goods and services in a retail organization (Nersesian 2000). Current Characteristics of retail Industry Retail industry is an area of business that has quiet a wide spectrum. It involves small stores serving the select neighbourhoods to behemot h stores catering to the needs of large urban hubs. By its very nature, the retail industry tends to be immensely dependant on consumer spending. This is more so, considering the current economic meltdown, which has greatly compromised the spending ability of the consumers. The small retail stores are already a thing of the past because they failed to meet the customer aspirations in a cost effective and efficient manner. The internet, which has emerged as a ubiquitous medium for conducting retail transactions has added one new dimension to retail. The big departmental stores are also losing their appeal and they are trying hard to reposition themselves. The big departmental stores are under immense pressure to reposition their product lines to meet the fast changing consumer aspirations and preferences (Miron 2002). The emergence of discount stores in the retail scenario is one more salient trend that is poised to stay (Davies & Ward 2002). Discount stores offer varied incentives t o the consumers like competitive low prices, money back guarantees, etc. This is combined with varied other features like floor help and an easy access to the merchandise. The coming of Category Killer retail stores is one other major development. Category Killers concentrate their focus on a specific product category and try to outrun their competitors in that category by appropriating a lion’s share in that category (Davies & Ward 2002, p. 105). Category Killers have appropriated a major share of the retail segments in which they are operational and have drastically reduced the number of players in these segments (Davies & Ward 200

The Evolutionary Theory of Aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Evolutionary Theory of Aging - Essay Example The following discussions will try to illustrate the different theories that have been suggested to explain how these changes take place. The following discussions would be a on the different theories as they try to explain how the genes responsible aging evolved overtime. Evolutionary theory of aging is one of the widely used theories to explain aging of individual animals. According Weismann (1999), evolutionary theory of aging is relevant as it gives clear account of evolution of individuals with respect to the aging of the cells that are possessed by those particular individuals. He also argues that the most important aspect of evolutionary theory is that it gives an account of the possible evolutions of the cells that may result into the death of the cells or reduced performance and hence increases their susceptibility to death. Several researches that have been done by different researchers hence however reveled that it is difficult for this theory to contradict the Darwin†™s theory of evolution. ... In this context, the genetic materials that are supposed to play vital part during this time are lost and hence the negative impact begins. For example, the replacement of the tissues and other body parts may be done but the coding system may not take place accordingly and hence this result to the production of cells and the appearance of old tissues. The other important aspect of this model is also the appearance of the late acting genes that are harmful to the genetic system. It is important to note that it is these late harmful genes that contribute to the aging processes. It is believed that these genes interfere with the processes of normal functioning of individuals and hence it is difficult for the normal genes to act accordingly. Whether the lack of the late acting genes or the dangerous late acting genes, the main idea of this model is that the initiation of the aging process takes place as a result of complication in the late acting genes within individuals. While it is a s trong point to explain the aging process in theory, the question that remains unexplained is that the initial process that initiates aging is not well explained. In this context, it is clear that the process does start as a result of genetic complication. However, the theory remains dormant on the sources as this is not explained why these genes do not occur on the young people or those who have only lived for few years. However, this model has strength in explaining the genetic problem which is more explanatory to the practical aspect of aging. The other model is that which was suggested by William assert that the aging that occurs to individuals takes place as a result of pleiotropic effect from the genes. It is believed that these genes are beneficial in the early years but

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management Essay

Critically Appraise the Importance of Effective Operations Management in Improving Productivity in Retailing - Essay Example 5). Operations management brings in an element of efficiency in the business operations by looking to it that that business operations rely on an optimal exploitation of resources and tend to meet the consumer expectations in an efficient and satisfactory manner (Lowson 2002, p. 10). Operations management pertains to the management of all the processes associated with the conversion of inputs like finances, raw materials, energy and labour into the intended outputs like services and goods (Bassett 1992, p. 20). In an operational context, the efficiency in operations management has a lot to do with the policy decisions made by the senior management. It is usually the top management in the organizations that plans the strategy in operations management and tends to revise it as per the altering needs and requirements, while the line managers assure that the policy decisions get implemented in an accurate manner by taking the apt tactical decisions. Operations management in the area of r etail is pivotal to the influx of improving productivity. Operations management in retail requires an optimal management of varied associated operations like cost control, logistics and merchandizing associated with the movement of products from production facilities and stores to the hands of the consumers (Nersesian 2000, p. 153). Primarily retail is about curtailing costs so as to extend to the customers the required goods and services at most competitive prices. Operations management in retail has to do with managing and controlling the operating costs within the affiliated organizations (Nersesian 2000). It encompasses all the related and affiliated activities that have to do with the production, distribution and delivery of services of goods and services in a retail organization (Nersesian 2000). Current Characteristics of retail Industry Retail industry is an area of business that has quiet a wide spectrum. It involves small stores serving the select neighbourhoods to behemot h stores catering to the needs of large urban hubs. By its very nature, the retail industry tends to be immensely dependant on consumer spending. This is more so, considering the current economic meltdown, which has greatly compromised the spending ability of the consumers. The small retail stores are already a thing of the past because they failed to meet the customer aspirations in a cost effective and efficient manner. The internet, which has emerged as a ubiquitous medium for conducting retail transactions has added one new dimension to retail. The big departmental stores are also losing their appeal and they are trying hard to reposition themselves. The big departmental stores are under immense pressure to reposition their product lines to meet the fast changing consumer aspirations and preferences (Miron 2002). The emergence of discount stores in the retail scenario is one more salient trend that is poised to stay (Davies & Ward 2002). Discount stores offer varied incentives t o the consumers like competitive low prices, money back guarantees, etc. This is combined with varied other features like floor help and an easy access to the merchandise. The coming of Category Killer retail stores is one other major development. Category Killers concentrate their focus on a specific product category and try to outrun their competitors in that category by appropriating a lion’s share in that category (Davies & Ward 2002, p. 105). Category Killers have appropriated a major share of the retail segments in which they are operational and have drastically reduced the number of players in these segments (Davies & Ward 200

Instructional adjustment Essay Example for Free

Instructional adjustment Essay Introduction: A survey polled some 770 students and asked how much effort they felt they were putting into their schoolwork. To everyone’s surprise, the students with low grades thought they worked as hard as anybody! Yet when their study habits were examined, it was discovered that they actually did far less homework than their high-achieving schoolmates (Awake, 7). It appears that their teachers were at least partially responsible for this delusion. Perhaps they felt that these low-achieving children were not capable of much to begin with. Or they may have felt that merely being warm and friendly toward them was enough to motivate them to excel. Whatever the case, it seems that the teachers highly praised the students’ most minimal efforts. Passing grades were routinely given out merely for attending class. The children were made to feel that they already worked as hard as they could. Thus they did little to improve. This is among the problems occurring in schools and other training institutes for children. According to surveys, there should be more creative and interesting strategical approaches that They polled some 770 students and asked how much effort they felt they were putting into their schoolwork. To everyone’s surprise, the students with low grades thought they worked as hard as anybody! Yet when their study habits were examined, it was discovered that they actually did far less homework than their high-achieving schoolmates. It appears that their teachers were at least partially responsible for this delusion. Perhaps they felt that these low-achieving children were not capable of much to begin with. Or they may have felt that merely being warm and friendly toward them was enough to motivate them to excel. Whatever the case, it seems that the teachers highly praised the students’ most minimal efforts. Passing grades were routinely given out merely for attending class. The children were made to feel that they already worked as hard as they could. Thus they did little to improve. teachers should use to be able to attain a better result from teaching students who are both considered slow and advance learners. In short, both groups of students should be able to be catered by the strategies to be applied. In this paper, a wide array of choices and steps shall be discussed to answer the said problem in teaching and training. The Teaching Strategies: Every study time must include reviews of the past learned lessons. This will help the students remember the lessons that were learned during the last meeting for the class and thus refresh in their memories the overall content of the subject. After the review, the presentation of the new concept must be performed by the teacher. The following are some examples of being able to do so in such an interesting way for both the slow and advance learners: †¢ Presentation using illustrative drawings-children and students of all ages often enjoy the drawings shown to introduce a certain topic. †¢ Usage of Mind games- as an introduction let the students think in a fun way. †¢ Introduction using a story- this will help the students think and analyze what is going to be discussed. Aside from this, the students’ attention will be caught by the story. †¢ Usage of Media- there available VCDs and DVDs provided for several subjects in school. This could help the students enjoy while they learn. †¢ Usage of technology- computer presentations and other presentations using technology inventions could help the learners find a way to understand the topic in their own pace. †¢ Relate the topic to reality-Usually the certain topics discussed in school are based in real life †¢ Use key words to introduce the topic-Usually one word keys that introduce a whole topic helps the students remember the lessons easier. †¢ Use open-ended questions- letting the students think will help them comprehend better on what is being discussed in class. †¢ Encouraging a role play activity- this will allow the students have a refreshing start for a new lesson †¢ Giving handouts about the new lesson After introducing the lesson for the day a guided procedure must follow through to help the students go along with the topic for the day. Here are some hints in guiding students effectively: †¢ Using a diagram- an illustrated and colorful diagram could help the students visualize the activities †¢ Use guided questions- give the students the chance to decide on how they are going to go about the lesson. †¢ Go beyond the book- do not just use the book as a source, instead let the students prepare their own sources and let them share it in class for classroom participation. †¢ Prepare handouts Aside from classroom discussions though, students who are assumed to be slow learners must be encouraged to do independent practices which may include the following: †¢ Remedial Classes †¢ Extra Homework Activities †¢ Extended class sessions for a group of students †¢ Students assist students program †¢ Extra project for make-up home works for classroom activities which they could not cope up with. †¢ Encourage home reading activities †¢ Making considerable time adjustments for a student’s completion of school requirements With all these guidelines, a student is supposed to comply with the teacher’s strategies and if that doesnn’t happen, some interventions might be necessary for the teacher to use like: †¢ Finding the root cause of the problem †¢ Identifying the student’s learning stage or learning pace †¢ Match students to appropeiate levels of learning †¢ Adopt evidence-based intervention strategies †¢ Require active response †¢ Review, review. Review. If all this things shall be considered in teaching a group of students comprising of both the advance and the slow learners, agreeable results are to be gained since all these are already proven effective by many teachers worldwide. Hence, the teacher must always see to it that every learning need of each student in a class is sufficiently provided. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Magazines and Journals: â€Å"Pay constant attention to your teaching†. (August 8, 1984). Awake! Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Brooklyn, New York. 13-15. â€Å"How can I Improve my study habits†. (March 15,1999). Awake! Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Brooklyn, New York. 7. â€Å"How important are grades? † (March 8, 1984). Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Brooklyn, New York. 12-15. Internet Source: Steven R. Shaw, Ph. D. , NCSP. (2005). Academic Interventions for Slow Learners. http://www. nasponline. org/publications/cq285slowlearn. html. (17 June 2006). Books: Castillo, R. 1991. Teaching learners to learn. English Teaching Forum, 29, 3, pp. 28-30. Mercer, C. and A. Mercer. 1989. Teaching students with learning problems. Columbus, Ohio: Merril Publishing Co.

Carlos Ghosns Turnaround Of Nissan Management Essay

Carlos Ghosns Turnaround Of Nissan Management Essay This case evaluation will address how Carlos Ghosn executed his turnaround of Nissan, after he was appointed COO of Nissan in 1999. Nissan was facing ongoing losses and a staggering debt, threatening to close down the company. As a result of a strategic alliance between French Renault and Japanese Nissan, Executive VP of advanced RD in Renault, Carlos Ghosn, was asked by Nissan CEO Hanawa to become the COO of Nissan, in order to turn Nissan around. In March 1999, Ghosn began his work at Nissan and Ghosn said that he would turn Nissan around within two years, or resign as COO. Although Ghosn has a rather remarkable global career, this was his first experience with a Japanese organization. Hypothesis: Carlos Ghosn succeeded in turning Nissan around through sequential change, where he had time to secure buy-in and ownership in order to reduce resistance to change as well as addressing national and organizational cultural challenges. Approach To evaluate on the case and prove my hypothesis, I will first look at resistance to change as a concept and then see if resistance to change in Nissan was inevitable and exemplify any underlying causes of resistance. Second, I will go over the organizational culture within Nissan to assess how different parts felt about Ghosn and the reasons why, I will also assess if Ghosn was able to enlist support within Nissan. Third, I will also include how the Japanese national culture was a great part of the organizational culture, to evaluate how pronounced the cultural differences have been between Ghosn and the Nissan organization and if culture was a helper or a hindrance. Fourth, I will comment on Ghosns timing of the turn around, to assess if this would have been possible to achieve a few years earlier. Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 3 Resistance to change The concept of resistance to change has many ways of being perceived. Ford Ford 20091 argue that resistance is a form of feedback and that change agents should approach and include input from resisting employees, rather than pointing fingers and telling resisters to comply, no matter if the resisting employee agrees or not. Dent and Goldberg 19992 argues that people do not resist to change as such, but that they resist to some of the effects of change, be it loss of pay, loss of status or loss of privileges. Dent and Goldberg draw on the findings of Kotter who noted that employees often understand the new vision and wish to fulfill it, but the employees point out obstacles that might hinder the execution and that it is sometimes seen as resistance, rather than constructive input for the organization. Thus I argue that resistance will most likely always occur, but it is how it is being handled that will determine if resistance to change in the end was unproductive resistance or impro ving input. 1 From Decoding Resistance to Change, Jeffrey D. Ford and Laurie W. Ford, Harvard Business Review, 2009 2 Challenging Resistance to Change, Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 1999 3 Page 29-30, Challenging Resistance to Change, Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 1999 Referring to the three stages of unfreezing, disturbance and refreezing by Lewin3, Ghosn approached Nissan by quickly unfreezing the organization by imposing cross functional teams who had two months to come up with ideas on how to optimize the organization, then Ghosn disturbed the organization by implementing the suggested changes and after 18 months he refroze the organization, cementing the new changes, although striving towards optimizing the organization even more. The main paradigm shifts in Nissan happened in this three-step sequence. The result of the disturbance which the implementation of the cost reducing initiatives had led to, in terms of job cuts and sales of Nissans Keiretsu partners/suppliers, resulted in resistance from the employees as well as external resistance from the Japanese government and industry analysts. The underlying causes in relation to this resistance was that Japanese business culture had a principle of employing people for life as well as the Keiretsu partnership has been a cornerstone in the booming Japanese economy since after the Second World War. Thus I argue that resistance was inevitable when Ghosn was affecting areas highly related to culture and norms. However, to some degree, Ghosn managed to avoid resistance, by ensuring management involvement. He did so by creating nine cross functional teams (CFTs), where managers from across the Nissan organization were handpicked by Ghosn to come up with suggestions on how to optimize Nissan. Being heard can in itself make people buy-in on the Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 4 planned change. Resistance is not a bad thing per se, if handled correctly. It is often the engaged employee who is questioning change. Thus, the leader should listen to the employees, even if the resistance seems to be annoyance, the input from the employees can entail important details which the leader or management might not have been aware of. Ghosn has in my opinion understood this very well, and thus introduced the CFTs. Organizational culture in a Japanese organization Nissans management during the 1990s had a focus on short-term market share growth instead of a long-term strategy of securing a profit. After having suffered losses seven out of the past eight years, it was clear that this approach by the management had not been sufficient for the company to ensure its survival and development. Change was surely needed in 1999 when Ghosn was appointed COO. Ghosn was quick to enter into changing the organization, also in terms of how management was creating decisions, as well as how managers were promoted. In relation to how Ghosn approached the decision-making processes, Ghosn was aware that the organizational culture of Nissan was typically Japanese. Decision-making processes were slow, due to the murashakai consensus seeking society that has been predominant in Japan. This had to be changed, otherwise, Ghosn would not have succeeded within the short deadline he had set for himself to turn Nissan around. As a result, Ghosn changed the decision makin g processes in Nissan by introducing his CFTs, were the CTFs should meet over a short period of time and come up with suggestions and then Ghosn would decide on which suggestions to proceed with. In addition, Ghosn also introduced a change in how people could achieve promotion and even demotion. The typical way to achieve promotion in Nissan, as well as in the rest of Japan, had been by working at a place for a long time and having a high educational level. After Ghosns changes, other factors were equally or even more important to achieve promotion. One example was when a woman only holding a high school diploma was promoted to being a manager due to her merits as a keen problem solver and steady worker. She would normally not have been promoted if someone with a higher educational level were to be found in her department, even if the person with a higher education was not performing as well as her. I firmly believe that this has resulted in disgruntled employees, who has been in Nissan for years and years and were waiting for their turn to get promoted, solely based on their seniority, as is it was customary in Nissan and the rest of Japan. But even though Ghosn might have pushed some employees away by allowing this new way of promotion, he also won popularity and support among the employees who might not have been able to get a promotion earlier. What is highly important to note in this context, is that although parting the waters in Nissan, Ghosn made sure that productivity and creativity was a way to get promoted Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 5 and channeled people with these resources to lead his turn around towards achieving the Nissan Revival Plan. In other words, this played a key part in executing his strategy, as without assuring the right resources, here in the shape of productive and creative employees, Nissan would not change in the pace Ghosn needed Nissan to change. Concluding from this, I will say that Ghosn was successful in enlisting support from the different parts of the Nissan organization. Firstly, Ghosn skillfully made handpicked managers across the organization to buy-in on the proposed changes, as the managers themselves developed these. Secondly, Ghosn made sure that the people, who he thought had the right attitude, who were working hard and creatively, could be promoted and therefore they would appreciate his changes. However, Ghosn did not receive the support from everyone. On the contrary, I would expect resistance from people who were expecting promotions to happen, just because of seniority. I would argue that when Ghosn could not persuade everyone in the organization to support him, Ghosn explicitly coerced the organization. One example was when Nissan had to lay off people, Ghosn kept referring to the fact that another big Japanese company, Yamaichi, was not bailed out by the government and that if Nissan did not put all their effort into turning Nissan around, Nissan would face the same dire consequences. One part the organization was however always in favor of Ghosn, the CEO Hanawa, who had requested Ghosn in person. I believe that the support of a Japanese superior has helped Ghosn in many of the situations, keeping the informal power relations, the so-called Nemawashi, in mind. Thus Ghosn could actually benefit from Japanese culture for once, where as it has been a hindrance many other t imes. The issues within Nissan were mainly connected to the general culture in Japan as stated above. However, Nissan also had issues, which were rather unusual for Japanese companies. These were present before Ghosn entered the company. Here I am referring to the problems of poor follow up on implementation once decisions were made, the former top managements tunnel vision towards regaining market shares instead of focusing on the profit margin and general communication problems between the layers of the organization. This had led to managers not taking responsibility but rather pointing fingers at others to do the job at hand. Ghosn attacked these issues head on, by creating the CFTs. Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 6 The cross functional aspect assured that every level of the organization had a voice but also furthered the transparency process within Nissan, one of Ghosns three management principles4. The two others are: 4 The Global Leadership of Carlos Ghosn at Nissan John P. Millikin, Thunderbird, 2003 Â · Execution is 95 percent of the job, strategy is only 5 percent. Â · Communication of company direction and priorities as the only way to get truly unified effort and buy-in. Furthermore I recognize that Ghosns demands towards management increased highly, but within reasonable limits. He demanded positions without responsibilities to be removed and from his remaining management he demanded that they would take responsibility for their mistakes. However, when management was to present information, the information must have been scrutinized for errors, as he did not accept reports to include mistakes. In line with Ghosns transparency principle, he made sure that cross-functional department members had very clear lines of responsibility, making sure that the old organizational issues of pointing fingers at others in stead of taking charge was dealt with. In my opinion a very important step in order to counter act the latent behavior within the organization. However, it remains unclear how exactly Ghosn did communicate this to his staff. It would take a strong and clear communicative effort within Nissan to make sure that the managers would follow Ghosns demands. I will however assume that as Ghosn so successfully turned Nissan around, he must have done a sufficient effort. Evaluating on the case, I see little reference to how his strategy was created, it seems like Ghosn had a ready strategy a few weeks into his new position, although it was further developed through the usage of CTFs. Thus I regard the creation of the CTFs as part of the strategy execution. I do so as the CTFs in themselves, played a big part in executing what I see as step one; unfreezing the organization and the first step of getting managers to buy-in on Ghosns overall strategy. This is much in line with his execution is 95 percent of the job, strategy is only 5 percent principle as after the first two months, Ghosn spend 16 months on executing his strategy. This also leads me back to my hypothesis of Ghosn turning Nissan around by a process of sequential change. Sequential change is a long-term process of several steps developed through rational conclusions. I see many similarities in the way Ghosn approached the Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 7 turnaround and sequential change. He gave it time, two years. He divided the execution into steps; putting together the CTFs over two weeks, then letting the CTFs work for two months and then introducing the approved CTF suggestions over 14-15 months. From my point of view, Ghosn showed intensive leadership in his planning but for sure also in his execution, which allowed him to handle any resistance in the organization. Thus I see my hypothesis as confirmed. Luck and timing I have no doubt that Ghosn was successful in his turnaround of Nissan. But can it all be accredited to Ghosns leadership skills or was the turn around fueled by other factors? Surely strategy requires skill to be planned and resources to be executed thoroughly, but when looking at the timing of Ghosns entry into Nissan, the external environment is worth a thought. In addition to the external environment, one should consider the fact that the company for the better part of the previous decade was building up an almost insurmountable debt, only turning a profit few times. Ghosn entered the organization in 1999, almost at the same time as the dotcom crisis happened. Several international companies went bankrupt and for the first time a large Japanese company faced ruin, as the Japanese government declined to save the company. This shocked corporate culture, especially in Japan, where the Keiretsu partnerships were reevaluated, as they might be familiar suppliers with good connections, but if they were too expensive to let the buyer make a profit, then they could not maintain their relationship. This happened in the case of Nissan too, on request of Ghosn and his CFTs. But as it was an economic trend across companies, the confrontation of having to break with old traditions was made easier. Also, as stated earlier, Ghosn made use of the ruined company Yamaichi to coerce his employees. Ghosn would not have had this example, or a similar one for that matter, just a few years earlier. I cannot say for certain that Ghosns strategy succeeded due to his luck of timing, but circumstances were definitely in his favor, when looking at how Ghosn executed his strategy. In my opinion, a leader can always make changes in an organization and execute them. However, when referring to resistance to change and how the organization feels about the leader as in this case, the process would have been a lot harder and the leader a lot less popular, if the economy of both the company and society had not been in as bad a state as in this case. I would also doubt if Ghosn would have been able to succeed in turning Nissan around in only 18 months, but with the right strategy and the resources to execute it, I am Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 8 confident that Nissan could have been turned around, even a few years earlier, as the debt of Nissan would have been lower, not acting as such a burden as in 1999. The alternatives that Nissan would have faced by beginning the turnaround a few years earlier are not clearly in the favor of a strategy similar to the turnaround that began in 1999, in terms of massive layoffs being accepted by government or employees. However, having started the turnaround years earlier, Nissan would have avoided the massive debts burden, which more or less forced Nissan to sell off the Keiretsu partnerships. This would again have meant one hurdle less to turnaround Nissan, as the culture clash would have been less. To sum up Carlos Ghosns approach to turning Nissan around, I would say that he executed an appropriate strategy at the time where it was highly needed to save the company as well as the external environment of Nissan was in favor of his strategy of sequential change, that gave him the time to attend to organizational and cultural issues and to counter resistance to change. Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 9 Sources: Case hand out: The Global Leadership of Carlos Ghosn at Nissan John P. Millikin, Thunderbird, 2003 Articles: Decoding Resistance to Change, Jeffrey D. Ford and Laurie W. Ford, Harvard Business Review, 2009 Challenging Resistance to Change, Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 1999 Christiana Gold Leading Change at Western Union, Jordan Mitchell and Alison Konrad, Ivey Management Services, 2005 Slides/Class presentations I have used ideas and approaches discussed in class in general, but I mainly draw my inspiration from the lectures in class 5 and 6.

ireland Essay -- essays research papers

Ireland Geography, Topography, and a Political Perspective There are four provinces in Ireland: Connacht (western Ireland), Munster (southern Ireland), Leinster (eastern Ireland), and Ulster (Northern Ireland). The Republic of Ireland is comprised of the provinces of Connacht, Munster, and Leinster; the province of Ulster is referred to as Northern Ireland and is under Britain’s jurisdiction. Northern and Southern Ireland are differentiated not only by geographical differences, but also by political and religious views. Approximately 5/6 of the 27,136 square mile island is referred to as the Republic of Ireland and claimed freedom during the year 1922, when it separated from Britain’s rule. This was not an easy transition of political power for the Irish, but rather the beginning of a tumultuous war between Northern Ireland and the Republic. They fought not only because the Republic wanted Britain to relinquish power over Northern Ireland, but also because of a difference in religious values and beliefs (Spencer, 14). Primarily Roman Catholic prior to the mid 16th century, Ireland was influenced by England’s schism from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII. Only a small percentage (about 10%) of the Republic of Ireland is Protestant, including Methodist and Presbyterian, however Northern Ireland is predominately Protestant and thus this religious rivalry has played an integral role in the separation of Northern and Southern Ireland and has been the foundation for many political issues and disputes. Interestingly, this religious division is not apparent within the Republic of Ireland because they do not feel threatened by the minority of Protestants politically or religiously (Spencer, 26). Subsequently, religion plays an important part within the Irish culture, as well as its political history. It was not until The Good Friday Peace Agreement, signed in 1998, that the Protestants and Catholics reached a cease-fire and agreed to stop the fighting and vandalism (Spencer, 14) The importance of religion to the Irish culture is exemplified through the role of religious characters throughout literature and film, as apparent in Sheridan’s The Field. Topographically, there are several features unique to Ireland; the bogs are one of the most significant topographical features that exemplify Ireland’s uniqueness. Ireland’s climate is co... ...an.com/field).† One of the more dramatic scenes in the film, where the wealthy American, Bull, and Bull’s son (Tadgh) confront each other concerning the sale of a sentimental piece of land, is set near the Erriff River, which is located at Aasleagh Falls near the village of Leenane. As our cinematic journey progresses, we are taken to Dublin where young Fiona, the main character of The Secret of Roan Inish, had initially resided with her father until he deemed it in her best interest to return to her grandparents fishing village in Ireland’s County Donegal to live. Fiona is intrigued by the view of the Island of Roan Inish which can be seen from the coast line of this western Irish village (The Secret of Roan Inish). On a journey similar to Fiona’s, the two young boys, Ossie and Tito in Into the West also begin their journey in the urban and metropolitan eastern Ireland city of Dublin. The boys, guided by a magical horse named Tir na nOg, journey into t he western regions of Ireland. Our cinematic journey is an excellent means by which to expose students to the various geographical characteristics of Ireland and the significant differences between the eastern and western regions.

Lets make the world a no clone zone :: essays research papers

Let’s Make the World a No-Clone Zone â€Å"Let’s Make the World a No-Clone Zone† is a very straightforward and powerful article which lists many reasons why anything and everything about cloning should be illegal. In her article Therese M. Lysaught acknowledges there is plenty of factual information or counter evidence that her opposition might use to fight her argument. Her purpose for writing this article is to get it set in peoples minds that cloning is morally and ethically wrong and should be banned completely. At the start of the article Therese has a very good thesis; â€Å"Banning the use of cloning to create babies doesn't go far enough, Even so-called ‘therapeutic’ or ‘research’ cloning involves the destruction of human embryos and therefore is not only problematic, but also immoral† (Lysaught par1). The thesis sets out her argument and lures the reader in with her powerful word choice and her appeal to emotion. Even if the readers already disagreed with the title they would be so intrigued by her well-written thesis they would have no choice but to just keep on reading. Therese Lysaught is attacking anyone and everyone who feels cloning should be legal. But her main targets are those with the bigger voice, the politicians. She comes across very intimidating in stating her side of the issue, using a lot of easy-to-follow, factual information, which most people are more likely going to be able to understand. For example, according to Lysaught, cloning is a technique used to make an embryo that is an exact copy of another organism, it does this "A sexually," which means without using sperm. There is also another form called †reproductive cloning† which is where the embryo is planted into the woman’s womb and grown to test the effects of various toxins, or to mine them for their stem cells(Lysaught par7). Ms. Lysaught does a good job being intimidating while at the same time she works the sympathy side of her issue, using the results of the animal test. A quote from her article states, â€Å"In animals, more than 90 pe rcent of cloning attempts fail to achieve live birth and live-born cloned animals suffer high rates of deformity and disability. Until these technical difficulties are worked out, the risk of harm to a cloned human is unacceptably high.† (Lysaught par11) both of these approaches work well to push her argument. She also anticipates questions and arguments from her opposition; for example, â€Å"In ‘their’ so called views, cloning chances to stop human suffering outweighs moral and ethical concerns about embryonic life.

Ms †Mahathir Foreign Policy Essay

Subsequence to the persistence, a resolution has been taken in the 38th session of the United Nations where the General-Secretary of United Nations must make a thorough study on Antarctica issues which included the distribution of natural resource which available and the ‘Antarctica Treaty System’. Malaysia was able to get a United Nations resolution to involve issue of distribution of Antarctic natural resources in the upcoming United Nations agenda in November 1984. However, Malaysia failed to obtain a resolution for the establishment of the United Nations committee to replace the ‘Antarctica Treaty system’ as there were strong protests from the countries of ‘Antarctica Treat System’ which were United State of America and Russia. Malaysia assumes that the continent of Antarctica as important in the terms of its influence on ‘Ecology’ and the surrounding world and the world’s climate. For example, 90% of the world’s fresh water which consist in the form of ice and snow were available in Antarctica. Besides, it also contains a potential supply of foodstuffs and raw materials such as iron minerals, coal, chromium, uranium, cobalt, nickel, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, platinum, oil and gas. Furthermore, there are also plants and animals that only consist in Antarctica and there are some which are rare in other places. Based on these facts, Malaysia demands the continent in Antarctica to become common heritage for common benefits for the whole world. In December 1959, issues which involve the affairs of Antarctica was managed by the representatives of the countries which are the members of the ‘Antarctica Treaty System’. Then, Malaysia has a view that the system only benefits the minor group of members of the ‘Antarctica Treaty System’. The system is not fair as the membership structure in the form of two levels (two-tier) because the decision can only be made by 16 countries which are the former members of the treaty, though there are another 12 countries which are also the members of the treaty. These 12 countries are only allowed to conduct research without having the power to vote or making decision. This is against to the objectives of the former agreement in the ‘Antarctica Treaty’ where Antarctica should be managed by international committee for the benefits of all mankind. Moreover, 160 countries were in the United Nations currently which most of them are composed of developing countries. Therefore, their rights and their views should be taken into consideration by the international committee of Antarctica. The privilege in the management system based on the Antarctica was not been satisfied. The former member countries held several closed-door meeting without the knowledge of the other members. These closed-door meeting was held in order to establish a mineral regime for the purpose of mining mineral substances in their area. With the advent of Sea-Bed Convention on the Law of the Sea and the suggestion of formation of International Sea-Bed Authority, the mineral regime which proposed by members of the Antarctic Treaty is extremely against to most other countries. Mineral regime is another attempt by the former members of the agreement to enhance their power in the opinion of Malaysia. Nevertheless, the activities of mining mineral substances can cause massive destruction to the system ecology in Antarctica. The objectives of this policy are to share the minerals in Antarctica for the benefits of all human beings. Next, it is to preserve the ecology and environment of the world. Besides, Antarctica is use to encourage the concept of ‘disarmament, ‘denuclearisation’ and ‘demilitarisation’ It is hoped that the suggestions as well as Malaysia’s proposal to make Antarctica as the common heritage for the common benefit of the entire world will be take into the consideration of the organizations of the United Nations. THE CONCEPT OF ZONE OF PEACE, FREEDOM AND NEUTRALITY (ZOPFAN) IN SOUTHEAST ASIA As the block that can be regarded as non-communist Southeast Asia, ASEAN in reality stick to neutrality. Malaysia’s proposal for the creation of zone of peace, freedom and neutrality or ZOPFAN was accepted as the ASEAN stance. The concept and this policy was announced in Kuala Lumpur by our 4th prime minister who was Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on the 27th November 1971. There are some important factors and events that occurred in Southeast Asia which thrust rise to the concept of the Zone of peace,Freedom and Neutrality. These factors and events are the position of Southeast Asia is quite strategic to the great powers in the context of East-West political tensions; political upheaval in Vietnam as well as the results of withdrawal of British troops from Southeast Asia and the United States from Vietnam in the early 70s. These developments had created anxiety among the ASEAN countries, as it may affect regional stability. Next, the wars in Korea and Vietnam ASEAN convinced that intervention and support military superpowers conflict smaller countries of Southeast Asia are often threatened the stability of this region. Furthermore, at the time there was a spirit of ‘regionalisma’ which created ASEAN regional economic cooperation that can be used as a catalyst to achieve ZOPFAN. The objective of Zone of peace, Freedom and Neutrality is to make Southeast Asia a region of peace, freedom and neutrality of political bickering major powers particularly the United States, Russia and People’s Republic of China. Among the key strategies that have been formulated and implemented to achieve these objectives are by getting the great powers approval, recognition and guarantee about the objective and efforts to realise the concept. Next, it is to protract foreign military troops from Southeast Asia in the long run. Moreover, it makes Southeast Asia as a region free of nuclear weapon. In conclusion, the willingness of great powers to recognize and guarantee Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality is essential for the creation of ZOPFAN. In addition, support from all members of the ASEAN countries is also needed. However, ASEAN’s determination to continue to pursue the concept ZOPFAN is reflected by the ASEAN’s efforts to finda political solution in Cambodia based on the resolution of the United nations Organisation and the declaration of Internatonal Conference on Kampuchea 1981.