Bsnl Change Management Strategy

BSNL competitive portfolio & Change Management M Ramesh, [email  protected] com Synopsis: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed on 1st October „2000, is one of the largest & leading public sector units providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India. They operate under 13 different brands. Their customer base as on July 31, 2011 was at 95. 14 Million. BSNL has an installed Network in the country comprising about 43. 74 million line basic telephone capacity, 8. 83 million WLL capacity, 72. 60 million GSM capacity, 37,885 fixed exchanges, 68,162 GSM BTSs, 12,071 CDMA Towers, 197 Satellite Stations, 6,86,644 RKm. f OFC, 50,430 RKm. of microwave network connecting 623 districts, 7330 cities/towns & 5. 8 lakhs villages. However, with such a large base, excellent brand recall, political backing and huge workforce, the company has not been doing well and in fact has reported a loss in the previous financial year. BSNL had reported the highest net profit of over Rs10,000 crore in 2005-06 but since then its profits have been falling. The losses have more than tripled to about Rs. 6,000 crores during 2010-11 mainly due to hefty outgo for employees' salary and expenses borne by the PSU for procuring 3G and BWA spectrum. The company had registered a net loss of Rs. 1,823 crores during 2009-10. The total revenues of the company also declined to Rs 28,876 crore during the current year, down nearly 10% from Rs 32,072 crore in the previous financial year. Recipient of the Golden Eagle award in 2004 & 2005 for the most trusted brand in telecom sector, BSNL is today struggling to retain its identity. This article aims are preparing a competitive strategy for BSNL and select suitable competitive portfolio so that the company can emerge out of the crisis it is in. Further, the change management strategy that has to be adopted in order to implement the changes in the organisation is given in this section. 1. Competitive Strategy and suitable corporate portfolio: Before we embark upon suggesting a suitable corporate portfolio, it is important to analyse the current the functioning and management of BSNL. a) No doubt that its presence and reach across the country is its biggest strength. Established offices in all the metros, A, B & C class cities, and installations and offices in the remotest parts of the nation, especially J, North East is a strength they can easily exploit on their road to recovery. ) Long serving employees and excellent knowledge of the market, customers, tacit knowledge base of BSNL is unique. They are different from the competition since customers view BSNL as a 2|Page state run firm and profit not being the only motive, would be willing to trust them more than other competitors. c) Even today, they rule the land line conne ctions and command a market share of over 65% of the customer base and any of the revival and restructuring plans for BSNL has to pass through this channel. ) BSNL, being a completely government owned organisation, they can use their political affiliations to change the rules of the market, create entry barriers for competition, and lobby for influencing the market to leverage their strengths, policies that give them an edge, and those which do not violate TRAI and other fair trade practices, can be adopted. While we discuss the selection of suitable portfolio from the competitive strategies, apart from the strengths of BSNL highlighted above, it is important that the crucial questions of what can be done that is not being done at BSNL is pondered. Some of the questions that we have to ask and find answers that hold key to developing a competitive strategy and designing a suitable portfolio are: 1. BSNL has a vision ‘To become the largest Telecom Service provider in South East Asia’. For this it is important to understand the parameter for being the largest. Is it revenue, Av. Revenue per User, profit, subscribers, Network (no of exchanges, BTS etc)? Clarity in purpose and vision is essential to developing a suitable competitive strategy. 2. Is the mission aligned with its current position? Has it redefined its mission from a state run entity, interested in nation development to a corporate that has to deliver to its owners and stake holders? 3. What are the investments that have been made or planned to be made, in order to provide world class State-of-art technology telecom services on demand at affordable price and to provide world class telecom infrastructure to develop country's economy. 4. What has been done towards continuous innovation in product and delivery of services with the appropriate pricing is the key strategy for developing the trust in customer so that he keeps his loyalty with BSNL. . BSNL can target to acquire more than 50% of new acquisitions while maintaining existing clientele. How will this be done? 6. Today landline base is reducing across the globe, BSNL, to be a Significant Market Power (SMP), must increase it base to over 80%. 7. Ultimately it is the quality, customer care, and timely availability apart from price, which will matter. What are the actions being taken towards these critical success factors? 8. Can’t there be just one brand i. e. BSNL? Has there ever been an examination of their revenue break-up? Currently there are 13 brands that have to be developed and positioned. |Page 9. There are certain distinctions that BSNL has, like being awarded the most trusted telecom brand in year 2003 & 2004. They received the Golden Peacock award for Best Corporate Social responsibility. How can these be leveraged? 10. There are over one-lakh retailers, 1000 franchisees, 3300 CSCs, 36000 exchanges and still BSNL is not visible like others? Why can’t the space and people be utilized? 11. How to leverage the franchisee and STD-PCO strengths? Can these outlets be their core strength? 12. Why are the recharge coupons, India Telephone Cards are in shortage when there is no capacity constraint? Is it bad inventory & supply chain management, or bad franchisee management? 13. Are there targets for the recharge coupons just like DELs & CellOne? Why can? t the huge network of franchises be leveraged for better customer care and improve collection efficiency? 14. With competition heating up, gone are the days when customers deposited money with BSNL in advance for connections and security money for value added services. There are no fixed deposits; and the working capital and other funds requirements have to be met from operating revenues. What is the plan to improve collections, realize bills early, not on the last day of payment and reduce bad debts? 15. In line with the market needs, does BSNL have a 24X7 culture in their organization, though operation and maintenance are provided on 24X7 basis? What about provisioning customer care and marketing on 24X7 basis? Competitive strategy: Pricing: On the pricing front, BSNL does not have a choice but to follow the market trend. They can only bundle the packages in such a manner that the premium services bring more revenue. Focus must not be on reducing charges, but upgrading each customer by RS 20 – RS 50 by offering them more add on relevant services. It is usually much easier to sell additional things to existing customers than to add new customer, and the customer base of BSNL is quite huge and substantive for this model. Differentiation: In order to differentiate itself from competition, BSNL Business development units have to be given the task to develop and nurture long-term relations with corporate houses. MoUs have to be signed for bulk bills, One-point payments for multiple service locations. Setting up Key Account Manager servicing different corporate and key accounts and offering single window approach to resolve all issues and prevent any unwanted issues. Focus: BSNL has a strong hold on land line telephones, an important requirement for ADSL connections. There are huge benefits of ADSL over Wi-Fi & is very cost effective way to access Internet. BSNL is in a 4|Page unique position to leverage this advantage and its revenues, customer base and profitability can improve multi-fold if it can capitalise on this one aspect alone. Merging government telecom companies ITI and MTNL with state-run BSNL is one of the options. This will give them a great advantage in terms of increased customer base, implementing change management and brining in changes and most importantly economy of scale, power of bargaining. Hybrid: In order to be more competitive in the present market BSNL must not only differentiate itself from competition, give a good and attractive price and have a focussed approach. The competitive strategy recommended is: Focus on improving ADSL services at attractive rates to households and offices, bundle it with land line connections and mobile connections. Offer central point billing PAN India. For e. g. If a corporate company has branch and regional network, they must have the option of consolidated billing when they want and where they want to the level of Head office control they want to implement. BSNL can also offer special rates and Closed User Group (CUG) for government sector and earn huge revenues, since this segment is very price sensitive and is a very high volume user segment. More aggressive media campaign focussed on the strategically selected segments will help BSNL increase its customer base. A change in its staff attitude making them focussed on customers rather than systems and procedures, fast and efficient decision making with empowered employees. Continuity in supply chains, procuring of quality equipment and products must be focussed on. After defence and railways, BSNL is the country’s largest landholder. Its properties span 3,500 towns across India worth thousands of crores, making it the largest state-owned companies in terms of land assets. A turn around policy of BSNL should have this huge source of revenue at its core. 2. Change management strategy to enable it turnaround. No change in BSNL can happen and can be implemented without change of mindset in addition to the skills of marketing & sales. In this regards it is important to note that a research paper submitted by Vishwakarma Institute of Management, Pune in July 2010 after conducting a survey in BSNL concluded 5|Page that â€Å"the introduction of change seems to be managed effectively in the organisation with proper care and commitment and was agreed by the respondent BSNL employees with a mean 1. 022. The change is introduced by the consent of top management. To keep up the pace with the dynamic environment the management encourages change by explaining and ensuring the minimization of adverse effects, and put efforts to convert employee resistance into the acceptance. Employees were found to be change oriented, as they have continuous learning attitude to keep match with the future organizational requirements. Respondents? shows resistance change in some issues due to some security and personal reasons, which can be taken care by proper change management initiatives†. BSNL must focus on improving its quality of employees and skilled manpower? They must focus the organizational setup more suitable for better results? The staff expense to revenue ratio could be a good indicator. Today, more than 47% of the revenue goes to paying salaries to employees and this is the first aspect of change that must be introduced. The decision making process must be based on scientific analysis of the precious customer data they already have such as calling pattern, payment habits, usage profile etc. Increased number of surveys, customer research and systematic and periodical analysis of Net growth in mobile and churn is to be conducted? Steps must be implemented to reduce the churn? Acquisition cost is usually said to be 5-8 times the retention cost, and hence BSNL must focus on retention of customers. Management must not threaten the employees, they have been long serving and loyal and at the same time demanding. The management should involve the employees in strategy and decision making and should help them to open their minds and apply it to improve the quality of service, network, and expansion of network in time; utilising and selling the products before the technology becomes obsolete (like WIMAX). Considering the current scenario a Revolutionary change is required in BSNL and they should modify their competitive strategy quickly in order to survive in the hyper competitive telecom market in India. If one has to apply the McKinsey 7S framework for the change management process in BSNL, it would be as under: 1. Strategic: BSNL has to revisit its mission and evolve competitive strategies that are in line with the market dominant position that they want to be, exploiting their current strength of market leadership in land line connections. All their activities must be reoriented towards this change of positioning. |Page 2. Substance: BSNL needs to revamp its board and its top management, to be more customer and market oriented, dynamic and profit driven. Culturally, it is established that BSNL is employees are open to adopting change and hence management should provide necessary training to ensure that the process of cultural change is deployed quickly across all levels. 3. Scale: Considering the strengths of BSNL presence and reach of BSNL, scale is never an issue. What the organisation needs today is not infusion of new technology or resources; it is reorientation of the employees and a cultural change. Retrenching employees is not the first and only option available. 4. Scope: Undoubtedly the scope of the change must involve all levels of the organisation and across all regions. BSNL is a homogeneous entity and changes at one level or within certain geography is not possible to implement. Certainly, depending upon the local customer bases, working conditions and cultural differences, adaptations can be allowed, but the change itself, must be pan organisation. 5. Speed: Communications, ICT, and internet industry relies on speed and there is no room for laggards in this. BSNL must implement change management as swiftly as possible. . Sequence: Since BSNL s confronted with many an issues to handle, the best place to start would be internal employee attitude and cultural change and external – customer satisfaction focus. If carefully and rapidly implemented, these two will have a cascading effect on other areas such as revenues, cash flows, asset management and so on that will t urn around the organisation. 7. Style: BSNL has the baggage of being a government owned company and attitude of staff cannot be changed overnight. Unions are strong and public opinion can be made and tarnished by the correct or wrong handling of union issues. Change management in BSNL has to carefully crafted and cannot be dictated or thrust upon. The style has to be one of collaborative effort and everyone involved must be clear with what is expected of them and how it impacts others, his / her results and overall company. Conclusion: BSNL is at cross roads of its existence. The need to refine its competitive strategy and implement change management has never been more urgent than it is today. If BSNL has to survive the tough market conditions, the change management process must be initiated immediately and aligned with the competitive strategies that must be reworked. |Page BIBLIOGRAPHY: ? ? ? ? ? Marketing strategies of BSNL by GS Grover, NK Srivastava, & Sunil Kumar http://www. bsnl. in http://www. business-standard. com/india/index2. php http://www. moneycontrol. com/company-article/bharatsancharnigam/news/BSN http://www. moneycontrol. com/news/business/bsnls-loss-triples-to-rs-6000-cr3g-bwaoutgo_588976. html ? ? http://www. cellular -news. com/tags/bsnl/ Organisation Culture- A Case Study of BSNL LIMITED, Mrs. G. Nagamani, Prof. G. Krishna Mohan, http://www. vim. ac. in/UploadImages/Attachments/G. %20Nagamani%20&% 20G. % 20Krishna%20Mohan. pdf 8|Page

Emotional Turmole in Frankenstein Essay

Emotions are the energy that undermines people’s actions; while their mind is irrational and lucid, everyone is subjected to emotions. In Mary Wollstonecraft’s novel Frankenstein, she displays how Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the Monster experience a variety of emotions , feelings of Shame, Happiness, and Pain are all felt by the two main characters as they venture throughout the story. Victor Frankenstein and the monster both experience shame. For example when Victor illustrates shame is when he decides to create an animated monster but was cared of his own creation, once his monster sprung to life. Victor saw the monsters pale yellow skin and monstrous eight feet high and was disgusted by it and was shamed of what he created. He abandoned his creation hoping it would disappear. Another example of when Victor shows shame was when Victor’s life was threatened by the monster because the monster wanted a female friend and forced Victor to create another monster. Victor starts to build on the monster in a remote island in Scotland but is ashamed his own selfishness; building another monster to save imself when the monster could case destruction and death on other humans Just like how his original creation killed his brother, William Frankenstein died. In anger at himself he tears up his half created monster. The monster also shows shame. The monster shows shame when he looks into the water of the pond and sees his own reflection and exclaims in agony â€Å"Why did you form a monster so hideous† (93). The monster realizes that he is hideous and is ashamed of himself. He is then struck with anger and seeks revenge on Victor for giving him a repulsive face. Another example when he demonstrates shame was when he passed by the town and the people would shriek and hit him. Learning from that experience he did not go into town again and became ashamed of himself so he hid in the forest, sheltering himself in the dirt hovel that was next to the cottage of the DeLacey family. Victor and the monster also experienced happiness but it doesn’t last long. The first time Victor was ever truly happy was when he was a child and he was also content when he was with his girlfriend and soon to be wife, Elizabeth Lavenza. Another moment of happiness for Victor was when he finished his creation that he has been working on for two years. He describes it as â€Å"Beautiful! -Great God!†¦ his teeth of pearly whiteness†¦ † (35). The monster shows happiness too when he is around nature, he appreciates and is happy with nature because nature is the only thing that doesn’t make insult him for his looks. His was also blissful when he demanded Victor to make him a mate and Victor agreed. Victor and the monster additionally feel pain; emotionally and physically. Victor first feels emotional pain when his mom and his best friend Henry died. Victor undergoes emotional pain when Justine was executed and Victor becomes increasingly melancholy. He considers suicide but restrains himself by thinking of Elizabeth and his father. Another example is when Felix DeLacey hits the monster Molently with a stick† (97) in fear that the monster will harm his family . The monster suffers pain when he is like a newborn, still clue less to the new world he is in and decides to touch he tire that is warm and soothing. He soon discovers the tlames could burn his hands. The monster also goes through emotional pain when Victor Frankenstein dies and the monster cries for him because the monster has no purpose in life and is emotionally frustrated. Both characters experience a series of emotions and have each changed emotions in comparison this are very similar yet they are very different. As both characters experienced pain, happiness, and shame it greatly affected their lives and how they behaved to each other.

Biography of Caroll Lewis

Lewis Caroll had his birth at Daresbury in 27th January of 1832. His death was at Guildford on the January 14th 1898. Down his history as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, he had been presented among the most prominent persons in the Victorian literature. The question of literate development by Caroll remains unquestionable remains highly volatile. The next question is, was Lewis Caroll a brilliant literate? What epochs did his life went through? He is characterized of various similarities to that of Gerald Hopkins who came later after him.To both the Caroll and Hopkins, their fantasies and poems respectively had their conception allied to the great Victorian era which was compounded by many clergy-men who portrayed broad status of academic, religious, ascetic and restricted livelihoods. Both the works of Caroll and Hopkins had fascinating words. Their writings were influenced by the artistic tools and approach they broadly used which was a broad compound of painstaking amateur of draughts m en which led to great audience preoccupations.However, the work of Caroll never got any public knowledge during his life time only until his death where great praises marred his artistic conceptions. (Knowles, Kirstein, 1996, 86) Due to the crafty audience environment, Caroll had pseudonym as his basic refuge. However, until his death, Caroll never got any fame where his original poems remained still unpublished at the epoch of his death. The same publish came only after years till his death.(David, Janel, 2002, 78) Until his death, the Victorian had a revolution which brought diversity in the religious and personal view autonomy which were engineered by the great test as well as the artistic character of the two fallen rhetorical heroes. Accordingly, the poetry work by Hopkins was made for the adults while the fantastic titles by Caroll were made to capture the children. However, his rhetorical life was dominated by nostalgia but his character stood as complexity and originality wi th a great variance in interest which was a basic tool for off-setting state of recurrent melancholy.Caroll grew by instinction to been a graphic as well as visual artist and could not abandon his will for drawing with regular visits to artillery exhibits as well as artistic studies. However, Caroll paused to photography on realizing that he presumably lacked professionalism in art. Historically, he became a proactive children photographer. Till his pseudonym, he derived transposition of his names which included his first name Charles Lutwidge then Ruskin, George, Holman Hunt, Tennyson, MacDonald and others. He sparred across interests in medicine, photography, art, literature and religion.He even became a deacon at twenty-nine in England. He viewed the broad aspect of life as a big puzzle. This compelled his character of even solving puzzles in logics and mathematics perhaps a descent preoccupation than any other achievement. He achieved a great success in mathematics which is beli eved as a basic element in preserving his literacy achievement in literature. According to historical analysts, his divine tool of logics and also mathematics was unpopular for anyone like him who compelled such great humor, loved children, an artist and a lover of language.(David, Janel, 2002, 68) However, his bright fantastic glow was provided by the support of science as well as his analytical mind. These two paradoxes went through shaping above the refinement until forming an inimitable crystal of rhetoric. During his mathematical lectures in 1855 at the Christ church, his character provided lack of communicating abilities for a mass class. This provided un-inspiration and also dullness in the due process of giving lectures. This provided development that his fatal contribution to Oxford would only be in publications and the research areas.Here, he consistently made contributions in mathematics and also logics. Historically, the books and articles by Caroll provided profound enj oyment and knowledge to the people. However after his death, a spontaneous period of slackened public interest came in. His broad audience submerged this in a sphere doubt. At the outbreak of the first word war in 1914, many readers were now turning back to Caroll’s work. This led to booming sales of Caroll’s editions until 1928 where maximum sales were reached. Greatly, ‘Alice Adventure in Wonderland’ attracted many buyers which included 15400 pounds by Dr.Rosenbach for its original manuscript at Sotheby. In 1948. This manuscript was finally brought in British Museum after a series of sales between people. However, this entitlement at British Museum was only a sign of appreciation for the long trailing Great Britain’s contribution in the Second World War. . (Weldon, 1987, 93) Historically, the manuscript embraced great respect above various tributes in passive memory of Caroll in the memory of Caroll’s birthdays. Such respect played an impor tant role in providing him an unequivocal place among the excellent persons. Since then, many scholars and journalists have respectively quoted his work.Elsewhere, his long enduring character is a mythological drive and folklore to many nations. To many Englishmen, two of his works, ‘Ugly Duchess’ and also ‘The Mad Hatter’ have become indispensable. (http://www. insite. com. br/rodrigo/text/lewis_carroll. html) According to personal commendations by his audience, Lewis Caroll exemplified un-piestic status of childhood handling which was in a new form. Across the glance by readers, they have characterized his work as moralizing and edifying found with fantasy, which was roadmap for witnessing the virtues allied to innocence.He portrayed his work to be a plane of unified use of common sense for all which was strengthened by the broad array in patronage of divine dignity as well as coverage to the children. (Shimpley, 1931, 68) Above writing for children, Caro ll published various books on mathematics and also logics. Through such publications, many scholars described him as vigilant of split personality which compounded pedantic mathematician as well as a prim literate. However, this was a pseudonym refuge in which he only wanted to deliver out his creativity in fanciful manner.However, this publications were cited as a concrete description of his spearheaded sense of been a Victorian don. However, a comparative analogy in the outlook provided by the, ‘The Young Vistors’ as well as the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ provide Caroll with a full contemplation of innocence which seems to be drawn away by the fatal accusations by many of his readers. (Esther, Day, 2004, 124) Caroll got his descent from two families from North Country in Daresbury. He inherited Dodgsons which was a tradition behind church services well as Lutwidges which was state service tradition.His father was called Charles Dodgson. Therefore from the spat iality of these two descents, Caroll developed his gentle character. Therefore, the parental fantasies in which he got his upbringing played a significant role in his broad rhetorical mobility. According to the Alice in Wonderland, Caroll did sending of a lizard down from a chimney as well as putting the Dormouse to a teapot. This was a clear refinement of his nonsense to a highly advocating and sensitive art. In the article, the element allied to ruthlessness was conspicuously brought out which perhaps had its inherit from the father.Elsewhere, since his childhood, Caroll life depicted a parallel life. In 1843, his family moved to the Croft Rectory in Darlington. At his new family setup, Caroll became a controversial entertainer to his family members with games, poems as well as stories. Also, he made humorous drawings and illustrated magazines. Historically, one of his childhood poetry at thirteen years contained various anticipations of mouse tail in the Alice as well as Humpty D umpty. (Esther, Day, 2004, 127) In his writing, Caroll had a long perceived and subconscious intention of escaping into Wonderland.However, he was handicapped by stammer but was since then an active and a happy child. In his early childhood work when twelve years, experts have stood to acknowledge the sigh of outstanding sense of maturity, sensitivity as a well as tenderness. At his youthful development, Caroll was however disturbed by fundamental conceptions. He had a premature advancement and was a victim of proportionality at his adolescence. However, at age of twenty-one years, Caroll stood to been a good writer after graduating from Oxford. (http://www. ourcivilisation. com/smartboard/shop/hudsond/carroll/index.htm) However in 1865, Caroll published Alice Adventure in Wonderland which was an unexpected artistic inspiration. Since this advancement in 1865, Caroll went across to a cutting age of revolution in the world of literature by writing many articles such as magazines, man uscripts and books. He also composed many humiliating poems. This included the Rectory Umbrella, Through the Looking-Glass, Mischmash, above others. He developed an outstanding prologue into writing which attracted many people. His name was praised before getting a diverse attraction to speak to people in the theatres.During the rhetorical revolution in his life, Caroll was in an establishment of raconteur character-hood as well as been a humorous freelance journalist in which he appeared in Whitby Gazette. This time was an important time in which he began speculating is literature to the society providing attractive impressions through whimsical intimations. This was however a long trailing character since his childhood. (Shimpley, 1931, 98) At the age of twenty-three in 1855, he used an attractive package of rhetorical knowledge in writing a poem which has even hit the current state of literature.Currently, this poem (four stanza’s) has been preoccupied in the poem ‘J abber- Wocky’ by the Roger Landyn. In 1856, he channeled his efforts in writing, ‘ The Train’ which was a noble poem which even attracted a great audience support. From his writing in ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Caroll got the stepping-stone for a wide support for fantasy and also experience which invited him to exploiting widely the field of literature. Since then, Caroll’s work has been bound into volumes of books and manuscript productions. His work also comprehends of many romantic poems.However across the board, Caroll’s poetry and literature work was pointed to the young children who got a lot of glamour and influence from the highly attractive and convincing sense of audience attraction. However, his attribute of love for adult audience is not fully glamoured. However, some respondents provide that he was once drawn to this phenomenon such as Hellen Terry. Indeed, to a personal conception, Caroll never revealed his love for such adult audience and was always rebuked to any sense of attraction to such audience.Since his childhood, Caroll took refuge of women from anticipating the young girls which provided a passive compensation from the lure of women friendship. Though these were little children, he made to escape the desire for sex. He intimately secured intimate satisfaction from such an association with the young children. (Shimpley, 1931, 57) According to rhetorical history, Lewis Caroll carried down work of art at such a point which is presumably highest in the industry of art. They describe his work as the most touching perhaps beyond any other artistic work.Either, the work of Edward Lear has also been pinpointed to exactly compound the great threshold of conviction which was brought by Caroll. Wonder has continued to strike the thoughts of people whether it was by accident that the two produced the most attractive work despite them been Englishmen. According to the views of rhetorical analysts, foreign E nglish explores should only explore the sense of humor and English character-hood provided by the efforts of Lewis Caroll immediately after that of Shakespeare.Due to the great sigh of humor compounding his work, great interpretations of his publications have attracted a conventional accord in the word for the last thirty years. (http://www. ourcivilisation. com/smartboard/shop/hudsond/carroll/index. htm) Basically, the crucial precepts of his nonsense writing were a tool for attracting the children audience. In the ‘Alice in Wonderland’, he subjectively used drawings to passively ignite a feeling of attraction for the young children who would consistently be attracted to the piece of drawing within the book.From its autobiography, Alice in Wonderland was evident of parochial illusions which was a method to attract at a greater capacity the will of the children. At any immediate read out to the ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the first impression is an illusion that brings attraction to them. This is through the rhetorical fantasy in which he has used as a tool of theme control in his works. Generally, the prototyped figures of turtles, the giants, caterpillars and other basic jokes are only made to provide him with an elaborated gesture of attraction to the children.(Weldon, 1987, 78) His artistic work is a compound of great concealment which has also limpid prose that is uniquely understood by ease to the children. His work is a tool for entertainment and subconsciously create room for knowledge support to the young growing children. Evident from his work, the children are highly attracted and motivated in internalizing and reading his work. This is through his fundamental arrangement of articles to provide understandability and importance of the global arrangement of the words in books and manuscripts.Summarily therefore, a lot of attribute can be internalized to the efforts of Caroll to building coherent artistic tool as a basis of develop ing knowledge in the early days of knowledge search. He is remarkably echoed as a strong icon in providing support for the provision of entertainment and the intend of knowledge buildup. Work cited A Biography of Lewis Caroll. Reteived on 11th March 2007 fom http://www. ourcivilisation. com/smartboard/shop/hudsond/carroll/index. htm David Loewenstein & Janel Mueller. The Cambridge History of early Modern English Literature.Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2002 Eisner Elliot & Day Michael. Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence and Erlbaum Associates, 2004 Knowles, M & Kirstein M. Language and Control in Children Literature. London, Routledge, 1996 Lewis Caroll Biography. Reteived on 11th March 2007 fom, http://www. insite. com. br/rodrigo/text/lewis_carroll. html Shipley Joseph. The Quest for Literature: A survey of Literacy Criticism and the Theories of the Literacy Forms. Richard Smith, 1931 Weldon Durham. American Theatre Companies, 1888-193

Determining Your Perfect Position Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Determining Your Perfect Position - Essay Example It is natural for every business student to aspire to be a successful businessperson at a reputable organization. These positions could be of an entrepreneur, the chief-executive office, the departmental heads - marketing, sales, production, and finance or even the president and chief supervisor. Everybody has a different perfect position in mind; a different dream; I aspire to be an entrepreneur and start up a business of designer personal computers. The reason that I believe that the position of an entrepreneur and then the CEO of the organization once it is in existence is perfect for me is due to my personality and passion put together. The enthusiasm that I hold for designer personal computers is extraordinary; I want to pass on this fervor to other people too by opening up my own venture. An entrepreneur is somebody who takes major risks; he employs all the money that he has towards his business plan in the hope of earning profit. However, this profit could very well be major losses as well; the entrepreneur might be left with no capital by the end of the project. However, I am a very adventurous person by nature - risk taking and gambling is a part of everyone's life; taking risks for something one really desires is a positive risk. Also, I possess a high energy level, self-confidence and an awareness of passing time. I tend to make the best use of time that I have along with a managed awareness of my surroundings. These a re all the qualities that an entrepreneur should possess ideally, and with these qualities and commitment, I believe I can reach new heights as an entrepreneur myself. Leadership: The second prerequisite of a running an organization successfully at a certain position is 'leadership'; a leader is somebody who manages the entire organization and its operations, controls all activities, monitors each act and most importantly, motivates other employees to work for the progression of the organization. Employees tend to slack off and become uninterested in their job; it is the task of this leader to exhibit his leadership skills and talk these employees into working hard and become motivated. One of the most important jobs of the leader, who mostly is the manager, is to plan out a mission and then guiding and directing it to success (Thompson, Strickland, Gamble; 2008). Leadership Styles: The way a person plans to lead his organization of his subordinates depends on basically two things; firstly, his nature and personality attributes and secondly, the circumstances at hand and the type of organization he is running. There are several types of leadership styles - authoritative, participative, delegative, autocratic, charismatic, democratic, people oriented, task oriented etc (Glanz, 2002). However, the three main categories are 'authoritative/autocratic', 'participative/democratic' and 'delegative/free reign'. A leader can only be successful if he knows which side of this leadership to apply in which situations. 'Participative/democratic' is a style that focuses more on team work and building great interpersonal relationships with one's colleagues. Such a leader does not believe in ordering or bossing around his/her subordinates; this also gives birth to a level of respect among the team members. This strengthens the ease and comfort of sharing ideas and innovation techniques and negates the idea of suppressing one's suggestion in fear

Beethovens Symphony vs. Steve Lawrence Song Essay

Beethovens Symphony vs. Steve Lawrence Song - Essay Example In addition, the movement starts with two dramatic fortissimo phrases, which are the motif. The symphony uses imitations and sequences to expand the theme. The imitations tumble over each other with rhythmic regularity, which makes them, appears as if in single form. This forms a flowing melody. After a brief fortissimo  bridge, which is played by horns, is played just before the second theme is introduced. At this stage, we can hear the second theme, which is played in E flat major. This is a relative major, which is more lyrical. It involves playing the piano and the four-note motif with the string companionment. The four-note motif is again based on the codetta. This involves using modulation, development section follows, sequences and imitation, which includes the fortissimo  bridge (Price 10). The second movement in this symphony is played in A flat major. This involves a lyrical work in double variation form. This means that the themes in this case are varied. It also invol ves a long coda. This movement involves playing clarinets, bassoons, violins, with a triplet  arpeggio  in the violas and bass. The third movement involves a ternary form, which consists of scherzo  and trio. A new scherzo and trio form are used in this movement. This movement also has an opening theme that contrasts the previously played themes. This happens due to the use of wind instrument that is regularly repeated. The horns are also included in the movements that are played louder than in the previous movement. This section is in C major. The fourth movement begins with interruption after the scherzo. It has sonata forms used at the end of the development stage. This happens by the music... The researcher of this essay focuses on the comparison of the Beethoven’s symphony and Steve Lawrence song. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany in 1770, and lived until 1827. He was a composer and a pianist. He attended a music school when he was still a young child. Steve Lawrence is an American born actor and singer born in the mid-20th century. Lawrence has played a number of records in the 1950s and the 1960s that made it into the billboard charts. His genre of music includes the blue-eyed soul, R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop rock, and jazz. His music includes the uses of electric organ, synthesizers, bass, drums, guitar, mandolin, violin and other strings. In contrast to the Symphony Number 5, Allegro Con Brio by Beethoven, Steve Lawrence music involves modern equipment’s that are not used in Beethoven’s music. In conclusion, Beethoven’s symphony used combination of movements such as allegro con brio, Second movement, Andante con moto, Third movement , Scherzo Allegro and Fourth movement, allegro. These include an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast scherzo and attacca to the end. The resercher also states that there are different themes that are included in the symphonies as compared to the modern music. We can also learn that there has been an emerging trend in the kind of instruments that have been used overtime. Moreover, the researcher then concluds the essay and mentiones that modern music involves communicating a lot through words while symphonies involved more of instruments.

Housing discrimination of new immigrants in Toronto and Ontario Research Paper

Housing discrimination of new immigrants in Toronto and Ontario - Research Paper Example As many immigrants would say, racial discrimination is a fact that ills many societies and is not only a problem in Canada. In essence, minorities attract ratings according to their racial origin, religious background, ethnic language, and their sources of income influenced their living conditions (Patrias, Savage & CCLH, 2012). This tends to be a matter that is of exceptional human concern as discrimination of any kind is against the human rights provisions (OHRC, 2007). Often, immigrants tend to be last in the consideration list for possible occupancy in residential areas resided by those who are economically able in society. However, the grimiest housing blocks play host to immigrants who have poor economic background in Toronto and Ontario. This happens irrespective of the education level of an immigrant but because of their skin tones that make them appear unable. Is discrimination according to ones race justifiable in determining whether one can have decent living conditions? T herefore, this essay will delve on the housing challenges that new immigrants encounter in Ontario and Toronto. Background and current status Ideally, racial prejudice arose mainly because of international slavery that saw millions of minority racial groupings move to the western nations. In essence, slave trade in the early centuries was a trade that many viewed as contravening to human nature principles. Subsequently, slaves increased in numbers making their descendants remain in the foreign lands. However, immigrants find themselves working for minimal pay as it happened in the past where slaves worked for lesser pay packages. In addition, housing conditions for many immigrants are demeaning as they cannot afford to house themselves decent housing because of their jobs (Reitz, Phan & Banerjee, 2009). In the past, slaves lived in poorly ventilated rooms as per the wishes of their masters. This aspect of inferiority has existed to date as Canadians do not opportunity to immigrants from other continents the opportunity to live in their expensive houses. Ironically, even for immigrants that have better income levels still find it hard to occupy houses in the up market as many Canadians are prejudicial to race and ethnicity (Anisef & Lanphier, 2003). This attribute creates an avenue for inequality as no one has more entitlement to living than immigrants residing in Canada. As per the view of many house owners in Canada, immigrants tend to have low education levels meaning that they may not be able to access quality work opportunities (Reitz, Phan & Banerjee, 2009). These landlords turn them away despite the availability of a vacant room in their premises as they view as unemployed and troublesome. In many instances, this may not be the actual case as these immigrants have made intense strides in ensuring that they acquire education that is the required quality. Therefore, immigrants may not necessarily suffer from unemployment but tend to work in deplorable work stations. Arguably, slavery seems to have set the standard to which immigrants could not surpass in terms of wages or salary levels. This means that no matter how hard immigrants in Toronto and Ontario try to access better housing conditions, their past will forever drag them in to misery (OHRC, 2007). On the contrary, visible discrimination against immigrants of minority descent is a contravention of the Human Rights Code existing in Ontario. Key considerations Over the years,

An Overview of Paul's View of the Law as Shown Primarily in His Research Paper

An Overview of Paul's View of the Law as Shown Primarily in His Letters to the Galatians and the Romans - Research Paper Example Permitting law to be above everyone only makes one a slave. According to Paul, salvation cannot be based on one’s ability to keep the law since no one is perfect which could mean all are cursed. The law is supposed to guide but not to enslave or condemn. Pauls warns gentiles that they are accountable and will still face judgement since it is possible to be disobedient even in absence of the laws. He ascertains that the laws will also judge those who commit offences by the laws. The main theme Paul wants to clarify is that salvation from sin is through faith as opposed to the Jewish believes that it was on basis on strict observation of law. 9 Bibliography 10 Paul’s View of the Law as in his Letters to the Galatians and the Romans Introduction The term law has several definitions and denotes a number of things. It is used in reference to norms that guide the conduct of people. It is also a scheme of regulations and guidelines that govern the behaviour of people. Law can also be a description of as set of practices that binds a group of people. Paul’s view on the law and jurisdiction occupies a fundamental position as far as comprehending Pauline’s theology is concerned. ... A reason for this contradictory approach could be that Paul was trying to show the negative features of the law. He was thus cautioning the Galatians against considering observance of law as the only requirement for salvation. Paul mainly uses the term law in reference to Mosaic Law though he at times displays Abrahamic covenant as a form of guidelines that should direct Christians who are not bound to slavery by Judaism. In his letters to both Galatians and Romans, Paul clarifies that circumcision, which was a cherished Jewish tradition is not constituent of gospel of Christ. He asserts that salvation is by Gods grace and not out of our efforts, thus it is for all but not Jews alone as Judaism proposed. This paper focuses on Paul’s outlook on the law as portrayed by his letters to the Galatians and the Romans. Law in the Early Church When Paul wrote these letters, Christianity was novel and foreign to the Jewish civilization that insisted on strict observance of the law. He w rote the letters to address the different churches facing different conditions. To understand Paul’s utterances about law, it is important to have an understanding of the viewpoint of the people he was addressing in his letter. Pauline epistles were written to a society that revered Judaism, which demanded austere compliance to Jewish laws. Such laws include bodily male circumcision as a compulsory requirement for salvation. Those who did not abide were considered gentiles and unrighteous.1 Paul’s efforts to dismantle some of their customs received opposition to an extent that some went following him from church to church to revise his teaching2. Within the same Church were Pharisees who believed

Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Position Paper - Essay Example 146). The supporters of this argument indicate that every day and every occasion is different from all the rest. It is, therefore, not right to expect that history will provide viable lessons for the present, let alone the future. My position on this issue is that there are lessons in history. My position is based on three arguments. First, the conditions that lead to a problem in the past are more often than not the same that cause its repeat later in life. Secondly, present problems often result from failures to recognize and handle historical signs of the same. Thirdly, if it is true that the present prepares for the future and that the present will be history in future, and then history will have lessons to give the future. The social structure of the world undergoes minimal changes over the years. This implies that what the cause-effect relationship of incidences and events in history happen to be the same in the present. For instance, the history of war indicates that the causes of the first and second world wars were economic inequality and the search for trade and military superiority. This was caused by the lack of economic corporation. When the First World War ended, the world leaders did not take enough concern to handle the causes and hence the Second World War was inevitable. In both, tension events preceded the war outbreak and fuelled the attacks (Crescenzi, Kathman, and Long, p. 236). Presently, these are the lessons that the world always consider in monitoring the economic and trade environment of the world. This control through the IMF and World Bank, established after WWII is a lesson from history. The implementation of the deductions from those lessons has seen the world through more than 60 years if relatively peaceful existence and lack of conflicts. With capitalism and globalization, the fight for economic superiority in the world is not expected to undergo changes. This implies that the lessons learnt from history will always be

Scientific Research in Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scientific Research in Education - Assignment Example The exclusion of physics relies on the argument that physics cannot accommodate sociality, intentionality and the influences of history that encompass human phenomena, which includes education. The expectations of physics involve highly controlled experiments and collection of general laws, which are not sufficient in scientific research, in education. The argument of scientific research in education is that it is necessary in the temporary determination to certain questions especially those questions which involve empirical evidence. In spite of this position, scientific research in education does not provide the best method of answering questions and only answers questions not based on non-moral issues. Scientific research in education involves various research methods and designs and not limited to any one method since questions to be addressed require various methods according to the investigation circumstance. According to scientific research in education, quality and standards in research methods are dependent on the field and the question asked. In the decision, made at any time concerning the quality of education research be based on the research community on education and not legislators or politicians. Other noteworthy things the scientific research in education does not mention include casual explanations required by scientific research(Margaret, n.d). ... Scientific research has advantaged one question, which is systematic effect kind of question that asks what works and develops a singled kind of method on how to answer the question by using the randomized experiment method to address the question. The report discusses other research questions like the; what is happening question and the how is it happening question. Margaret (n.d) argues that the latter two types of questions are as valuable as the first question and are essentially necessary to respond to before the first question can be attempted. This notion bases its argument on the position that in order to assess correctly, what is happening it is necessary to know whatever is going on. It is essentially necessary to have appropriate and careful knowledge of what is happening in order to compare the effect of one set of policies or activities to another. There should be knowledge of how or why the happening of something happens as it does. According to Margaret (n.d), the corr elation between the effects and cause of two activities becomes irrelevant unless there is an explanation as to the link between the effect and cause. The validity of randomized trials and other kinds of hypothesis testing’s and investigations become vague unless there is a clear explanation to the link between the two. The weakness of scientific research in education is that its attention on the contribution of qualitative methods is too little. To achieve better descriptions to address properly the questions of what is happening and the necessary explanatory process of addressing why things happen the way they do. The position is that rather than describing the symptoms of a

On Education and Human Nature Essay Example for Free

On Education and Human Nature Essay This paper is a brief discussion of the relationship between education and human nature as seen in two varying viewpoints – that of Callicles (in Plato’s Gorgias) and Protagoras. The author is of the belief that education, albeit necessary in the survival of man in the long run, is a construct that contradicts the nature of man insofar as it restricts certain aspects of an individual. Such an assertion is partly leaning towards Callicles’ view of man as a creature whose appetites, so to speak, have to be met by virtue of a natural law. This position, along with Protagoras’ view of the nature of education that it is essential in the cultivation of civic virtue – is key to the author’s argument that education is restricting. Callicles and Protagoras are similar in the sense that both are Sophists, with the slight distinction that the former is a student of Gorgias. Protagoras (outside of Plato’s dialogs) is known for his assertion that man is the measure of all things, and with that in mind it can be said that Callicles likewise adheres to that position, but with reservations – i. e. , the â€Å"better† man (discussions on definition aside) seems to be the measure of all things, not all men as they are. Aside from that, however, there is nothing more that links the two characters in Plato’s dialogs together. In fact, the views of the two thinkers with regard to the issue central to the discussion in this paper differ greatly. To begin, Callicles admonishes Socrates in their dialog for remaining to be a â€Å"student† of philosophy even as an adult. For Callicles, philosophy is not meant to be studied extensively nor lengthily; it is supposed to be indulged in by the youth, and only in moderation. He maintains that studying philosophy insofar as it is required by one’s education is acceptable; however, to still be engaged in philosophizing when one is already past the age of schooling is short of appalling since it causes one to deviate from leading a practical life. But what is this practical life that Callicles is in favor of? The answer to this question is implicit in the discourse that followed his expression of dislike towards Socrates’ way of life. Callicles purports that there is a natural justice in existence in the world that is being resisted, or even disregarded, by conventional justice. His notion of what is â€Å"just by nature† revolves around the idea that the â€Å"superior† amongst men is supposed to be a kind of usurper of property (if seen in a negative way) who – by virtue of his superiority – has the right to rule over the inferior of his kinsmen, and is entitled to a greater share in everything compared to lesser men. Such a concept, as seen in his exchange with Socrates, is completely in opposition to what is being forwarded in their society at the time – the idea that all men are essentially equal, and that what is just is for everyone to receive an equal share. This is the conventional justice Callicles is referring to. Socrates, in turn, and with his method of â€Å"acquiring knowledge† (Socratic method), manages to use his opponent’s argument against him. He began his argument with questions that asked for a clarification of definition – what is superior? Better? – and ended with the statement that with Callicles’ own words he managed to show that since many is superior to one, then rules of the many are superior; hence, these rules are rules of the better; hence, the rules of these â€Å"better† people are admirable by nature since they are superior; thus, natural justice is not at all in contradiction with conventional justice. As mentioned earlier, within the aforementioned exchange regarding natural and conventional justice lies Callicles’ perception of the practical life, or the kind of life an individual ought to lead. As with countless other thinkers, his argument is deeply rooted with the idea of happiness as the end to which man should direct his actions. What distinguishes him from Protagoras, though, is his assertion that happiness – and his concept of natural justice can be attained only by the man who will succumb to his appetites, or in his own words: â€Å"the man who’ll live correctly ought to allow his own appetites to get as large as possible and not restrain them†. As for what he termed as â€Å"contracts of men† – which are to be assumed as the laws that maintain order in the society – Callicles is of the opinion that since these go against the grain with which man is made, they are to be considered â€Å"worthless nonsense†. For his part, Socrates of course attempted to dissuade Callicles by means of his conventional method of discourse and by introducing the analogy of the two men with jars, to no avail. Protagoras’ main point in the discourse relevant to this paper is that virtue is teachable. In support of his assertion, he recalled the account of the creation of man in Greek mythology to Socrates. He recounted that all creatures of the earth are made by the gods out of fire and earth, and that prior to giving them life Epimetheus and Prometheus were tasked to facilitate the distribution of abilities to them. Epimetheus volunteered to do it himself, with Prometheus inspecting the result. Epimetheus balanced the distribution with regard to â€Å"nonreasoning animals†. As for the human race, they were left bare, in the broadest definition of the word. Prometheus saw the problem and solved it by stealing from Hephaestus and Athena wisdom in the practical arts and fire and gave them to man, which proved fatal for him in the end. It is important to note that wisdom in the practical arts is wisdom intended for survival. It did not include political wisdom – needed to be able to establish and maintain the order of a city as this is kept by Zeus. The result was catastrophic, as evidenced by the fact that later on Zeus sent Hermes to distribute justice and shame to all men for fear that the human race will be wiped out because of man’s inability to coexist in cities they founded to protect themselves from wild beasts that placed them in danger of annihilation. Political or civic virtue then – products of justice and temperance – became a divine law of which every man is knowledgeable, unlike other virtues that stem from other arts (such as architectural excellence). This myth was used by Protagoras to show that inherent in all men are the seeds of civic virtue that only need to be coaxed out with the aid of education and constant admonition from one’s elders (particularly parents). And since this is the case, all men are capable to be taught virtue, because all men are in possession of it. Protagoras made a second, this time stronger point to support his statement that virtue is teachable. He began his argument by saying that the difference between evils caused by natural processes and those resulting from the lack or absence of civic virtue is that the former elicits pity for the person in possession of such an evil. Contrary to that, when society is confronted with a person exhibiting the opposite of virtue – injustice, impiety, etc. – it is not pity that’s felt but anger. Protagoras maintains that this reaction is due to the fact that civic virtue is regarded as something that can be acquired through training, practice, and teaching. He pushes his position further by saying that reasonable punishment – administered to a person who has committed an act that goes against civic virtue – is undertaken as a deterrence, the implication of which is that virtue is and can be learned. To further support his claim, Protagoras went into a brief discussion of how virtue is taught to all men all their lives. As little children, he said, men are taught not only by their parents about civic virtue but also through the education they receive. From the literature they study to the songs they play, teachers are keen on inserting messages meant to teach them what is good and just. For Protagoras, it seems, education is not merely comprised of letters and literature. Music is likewise necessary, as well as sports. Music, as he said, makes people â€Å"gentler† – they become more â€Å"rhythmical and harmonious† with regard to their actions. And this is important because for him, â€Å"all of human life requires a high degree of rhythm and harmony†. As for sports, Protagoras mentions that parents â€Å"send their children to an athletic trainer so that they may have sound bodies in the service of their now fit minds†. Even after one’s formal schooling is over, education on the virtues does not stop. As Protagoras said: â€Å"When [the students] quit school, the city in turn compels them to learn the laws and to model their lives on them. They are not to act as they please. † He ended his side of the discussion with a rhetorical question of how anyone can wonder about virtue being teachable when it is given so much care and attention in man’s public and private life. It is crucial to analyze the discourse both thinkers had with Socrates, albeit briefly, to be able to shed light on the position of this paper that education is necessary but constricting. With regard to the nature of man, it is clear that there is a clear dividing line between the idea of Callicles and that of Protagoras. For the latter, what is good for man is that which is good for the society. In other words, there is no contradiction between natural and conventional justice relative to the nature of man and how he ought to live. For the former, man is essentially a being meant to be governed by his appetites, or desires. The conflict lies in the fact that conventional justice dictates that there be a certain level of order maintained in a society, order which will only come about through the citizens’ willingness to subject themselves to laws that promote equality and peaceful co-existence. For Callicles, such laws are human constructs, designed to restrain his idea of a superior man, and as such should not be observed. The author will go one step further and say that although there is no direct discussion on education in Callicles’ discourse with Socrates, it is clear that since education is a human construct, he sees it as but another shackle his superior man has to bear. Despite the fact that Protagoras is amenable to education – as it teaches civic virtue – there is a single line in the discourse that implies a completely different attitude. Protagoras told Socrates that when a man’s formal education is over, he is still forced to learn the laws and live by them, and that he is not to act as he pleases. This goes to show that despite the eagerness of his version of man to live a life of civic virtue, part of him still needs to be shackled by laws. It is these deductions – from both thinkers – that led the author to believe that inherent in every person is a part that yearns for unbridled freedom and power. Education is an institution that strives to inculcate in man the characteristics needed for him to be able to lead a peaceful life in a society – characteristics that lean towards suppressing one’s desires and call for a sort of balance between fulfilling one’s wants and respecting those of others. Despite the restrictive nature of education, the author believes that it is still a necessary burden people have to bear. Gone are the days when man kept to himself, when he foraged for food and did not maintain a life of permanence in any one place. With the evolution of man came the need for permanence, and with that co-existence with other men. It may be true that at the core of every man is a selfish desire for power – to have everything and more. But if all men were to be allowed to act according to their whims, the stories of old – where Zeus feared that the human race might be annihilated because of man’s inability to restrain his need for power – may come true after all. Survival today does not only entail meeting one’s basic needs. It is also about respecting other men, if one were to be anthropocentric about it. And this – along with other things that will aid the human race to persist for the next millennia can only be reinforced by education.

Crusades in the 14th and 15th Century

Crusades in the 14th and 15th Century To what extent did the idea of crusading remain integral to the chivalric culture of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries? In the traditional view, the crusades started in the 11th century and ended in the last decade of the 13th. There is much debate, however, surrounding to what extent later crusading activity can indeed be considered crusading, and what role it played in chivalric culture of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The formation of chivalric culture was no doubt influenced to some extent by crusading ideology. Chivalry is made up of a range of activities, values and attitudes,[1] with crusading itself being viewed as a chivalrous activity and military orders formed during the crusades before the fourteenth century seen by some to be early examples of chivalry.[2] The first crusade gave birth to new ideas of the role of the warrior in Christian society; defence of the faith and reclamation of the Holy Land was, according to the church, the highest task to which a knight could dedicate himself and the 1099 triumph at Jerusalem set the standard for defence of holy places as the highest goal of chivalry.[3] Benedictine theologian and historian, Guibert de Nogent, wrote in the 12th century that God himself had started a holy war to allow knights to seek Gods grace in their wonted habit and in discharge of their own office, and need no longerseek salvation by renouncing the world in the profession of monk,[4] suggesting that crusading elevated knights to positions similar to priests and emphasising the prestigious and highly pious aspect of knighthood. Similarly, crusader poet Aymer de Pegulhan writes that crusading allows the achievement of honour in life and joy in paradise without renouncing our rich garments, our station in life, all that pleases and charms.[5] This idea that crusading brought distinction and recognition was widely understood into the fourteenth century, and features as a common theme in contemporary texts. Chaucers Knight, for example, represents an embodiment of the loftiest chivalric ideals and an idealised aspiration of many fourteenth century English crusaders.[6] In examining the extent to which crusading remained integral to the chivalric culture of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, one must first examine what is meant by the term crusade. The label crusade was uncommon before the 1700s and, contemporarily, there was no single accepted term; words that suggested travel (often combined with references to Jerusalem, the cross, or the Holy Land) were used, and early sources often labelled participants as pilgrims or simply Christians.[7] It is therefore understandable that what constitutes a crusade is ambiguous and varies between scholars. Constable[8] gives four approaches to defining the crusades: pluralist, traditionalist, generalist, and popularist. Pluralists see papal authorisation as the key criterion for a crusade, irrespective of the nature or location of the conflict,[9] which therefore includes such conflicts as the Alexandrian Crusade‎, Mahdian Crusade‎, Battle of Nicopolis‎, Crusade of Varna, and the Hussite Wars. In a similar vein, generalists see all wars with papal connections fought in defence of Christianity as crusades.[10] Traditionalists, on the other hand, view crusades as expeditions from 1095 to 1291 that aimed to defend or recover the Holy Land, thus dismissing all later activity[11] with some arguing that this would also have been the view held by contemporaries.[12] Similarly, the First Crusade alone is considered a crusade by popularists, who limit this label to conflicts characterised by popular religious upsurges.[13] It is understandable, therefore, that scholars from th ese different schools of thought will have different understandings of the extent to which the idea of crusading remained integral to the chivalric culture of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A golden age of crusading,[14] an epoch of crises and confusions, incoherent and diffuse[15] and a Indian summer of crusading[16] have all been used to describe fourteenth century crusading and, indeed, there is much debate surrounding the nature of crusading in this period. The devastating loss of Jerusalem and Acre in the 12th and 13th centuries may have motivated Christians to act and roused them to the reality of Christianitys precarious position in the Levant, and wandering kings such as Peter I de Lusignan and King Leon VI of Cicilian Armenia may have helped remind them of the fortune of fellow Christians in foreign lands.[17] Even with repeated and expensive attempts, the early fourteenth century saw no successful crusades to recover the Holy Land.[18] Despite papal taxation, proposed by the Second Lyons Council, domestic needs of rulers, who accepted taxation insofar as they could benefit from it, meant that they could not support the idea of funds being used by another ruler in the organisation of a recovery crusade.[19] Traditionally, this failure to launch an expedition to the holy land is understood to indicate the end of the age of crusading and an increase in conflict which made difficult the international cooperation needed to launch such an expedition. The early to middle of the fourteenth century was certainly a difficult climate for crusading: the suppression of the Knights Templar had created a sense of confusion and anxiety, joined with a feeling of disenchantment due to the abandonment of attempts to reclaim the Holy Land.[20] Understandably, many nobles at this time regarded crusading with a sense of suspicion and caution, despite family tradition,[21] and financial and political factors upon which crusading relied were affected by plague, the Anglo-French war, and the collapse of the Italian banking houses (upon which papal taxation of the Church depended).[22] These factors make it easy to comprehend why many may have agreed with chronicler Salimbene of Adam that it is not the divine will that the Holy Sepulchre should be recovered.[23] Traditionalists are inclined to label crusading activity in this period as an irrelevant hobby confined to enthusiasts, unimpressive compared to former achievements, far removed from the harsh realities of the age,[24] and little more than an aftermath in crusade history.[25] Indeed, crusading activity in this period was characteristically dissimilar from the general passagia before it; the Holy Land remained out of Christian control, with focus turning less towards seemingly unattainable holy places and more towards the hethenesse (that is, the land of heathens).[26] Despite this shifting focus, religion was, of course, still a major factor in the continuation of crusading activity. According to Huizinga, medieval thought was saturated in every part with conceptions of the Christian faith,[27] and of the ten chivalric commandments assigned by Gaultier in 1883, three are concerned with the church and defence of Christian religion.[28] There was no doubt a strong religious factor in embarking upon crusades in the late Middle Ages. The first and principle glory of the dignity of true chivalry is to fight for the faith according to Philippe de Mezieres;[29] Duke of Bourbon, Louis IIs, motivation for commanding the Al-Mahdiya crusade in 1390 was his similar desire to serve God;[30] wanting to expand Christianity by dedicating himself to Gods service is apparently John of Neverss reason for his enthusiasm for the Nicopolis crusade; [31] and references to the honour of God and the Virgin were made at the Feast of the Pheasant in the mid-fifteenth centur y. Although it is hard, if not impossible, to know an individuals true feelings in regards to faith, chivalric culture continued to emphasise religious piety and the lofty ideals of crusading, and there is no cause to suspect insincerity in such devotion: the knight John de la Ryvere, for example, supposedly abstained from all conflict that he deemed morally unjust whilst on campaign and Robert, Lord Fitzpayn, described a readiness to destroy bodies, friends and wealth for the sake of the crusade.[32] No doubt an image of the sacrifice of Christ was not overlooked in these seemingly martyrlike desires to serve God,[33] and the great suffering involved meant crusading was often regarded as superior to other forms of pilgrimage. 12th century French Dominican friar, Humbert of Romans, for example, believed that crusading represented the highest form of pilgrimage, as crusaders expose themselves to death repeatedly.[34] Furthermore, Mamluks, Turks, and other enemies of Christianity must have seemed worthy targets of retaliation for the suffering of Christ.[35] Furthermore, crusading was also a means of redeeming the soul: in the fourteenth century, atoning for the sins of others, both living and dead, was encouraged of crusaders; concern for salvation of the dead was reflected in 1365 lobbying of the pope for indulgences for those who gave masses in memory of ancestors, and church rites and rituals for the crusades are well attested, such as a specially adapted group of psalms and pra yers inserted between the breaking of the Host and the Pax Domini before communion to invoke divine aid for the Holy Land.[36] Chivalrys religious ideals were not the lone causes of the continued relevance of crusading; reputation and honour were major factors, alongside friendships and loyalties, encouraged by cultural contact between European courts[37] and the fact that crusading allowed a chance for knights to distinguish themselves from rivals. Social and material advancement was a coveted reward for the military prestige associated with crusading; for example, upon his return from Constantinople in 1368, servant of Sir John Mowbray, John Dodenill, was promoted to post of warrener.[38] These factors are reasons for why the idea of crusading remained relevant to chivalric culture in the fourteenth century, and for why the importance of crusading activity in this period should not be overlooked or underestimated. Failure to organise an expedition to reclaim the Holy Land was not due to disinterest on the part of knights, but was instead caused by complex political factors of the time, such as the conflict between England and France, and the papal schism. The challenges of this period may have been discouraging, but it has been argued that, between 1307 and 1399, English knights enjoyed their greatest degree of opportunity and freedom, with shorter crusade service terms and a wide range of war frontiers encouraging an eager response that, according to Guard, can be considered to rival, if not eclipse, the response to crusading in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.[39] For this reason, it is not hard to see why many scholars have labelled the fourteenth c entury a golden age of crusading.[40] Just as fourteenth century crusading differed from early crusading, the fifteenth century saw a further shift, with the September 1396 Nicopolis disaster viewed as a turning point[41] that saw the start of major changes taking place within both crusading and chivalry. Factors such as Henry IV and Vs increased demands for war, and domestic political crises at the end of the fourteenth century meant a reduction in crusading numbers and a decrease in the diversity and range of crusading which had been so characteristic of the previous century.[42] The Lancastrian revolution in the last year of the fourteenth century ended the atmosphere of co-operation and idealism which had supported crusade planning at intermittent times during the fourteenth century and ensured there were no additional attempts at organising a combined Anglo-French expedition. The romantic idea of crusading still held power, though; a desire for the king to eventually reclaim the Holy Land as a seemingly logical prog ression of the 1415 Agincourt victory is presented in the Gesta Henri Quinti, and according to Burgundian chroniclers, Henry V had exchanged crusade vows before the offensive against the Dauphin in 1420.[43] But times had changed and international crusading had come under pressure from many directions. The continuing centralisation of the monarchy and growing debate and criticism regarding the kings duty to act for the greater good assisted an increasingly strong sense of the geographical confines of the crown. Church propaganda and patriotism validated a monopoly on military resources for the war with France, and thus focus was shifted closer to home, which can be seen in the fact that, after Henry V, a king would not fight at the head of an army outside the British isles again until Henry VIII and the Battle of the Spurs in 1513. Crusade opportunities began to dry up. In short, the political and social climate previous to the Nicopolis crusade could not be recovered.[44] In the fifteenth century, crusadings main adversaries became the Ottoman Turks. English knightly traffic to Rhodes and other outpots of Christianity persisted, but their military impact and numbered were minimal and by the end of the Hundred Years War, the audience for which Chaucer and Mezieres had written had largely disappeared.[45] Furthermore, the idea of chivalry as a value system was coming under increased pressure, and the role of the knight in English society was changing, edging towards a less martial occupation. Conventional ideology remained in place but in the first decades of the fifteenth century, decisive changes in the character of contemporary chilvary came to light, with movement away from the dynastic wars of the fourteenth century towards what was formatted as a struggle for the respublica.[46] Concepts of sovereign authority, legitimiate war making and the guiding principles of profit and loss helped shape military expectations, and from the very begin of the Hundred Years War signs of the pressure of standards quite other than those on which chivalry was founded had been apparent. Therefore, in conclusion, it seems that crusading did remain a defining function of chivalric society, particularly in the fourteenth century, which was the so-called golden age of English chivalry. In the fourteenth century, it was a diverse, multifaceted, and vibrant set of practices,[47] which is particularly impressive against the aforementioned backdrop of hindrances and setbacks.[48] Crusading remained integral to chivalric culture in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries because it exemplified so many chivalric ideals, from religious piety to However, it is hard to say to what extent crusading itself is integral to chivalry, as much as its values are. Crusading exemplifies the idea of a pious, sacrificing knight, which is no doubt why it was a popular expression of chivalry in the fourteenth century. In the fifteenth century, but more recent views do tend to emphasise renewed vitality of this new crusading activity, This new crusading was characterised by its decentralisation and diversity, made up of smaller expeditions not in the Holy Land but on the edges of Europe.[49] Whatever the case, there is a lot to be said for stressing the adaptability, as well as the sheer resilience, of the movement. [50] As a final note, it seems almost wilfully short-sighted to take a traditionalist or generalist view in this matter; to the participants, these crusades must surely have seemed as valid and as crucial as any before them. It is easy to overlook or underestimate their significance in retrospect, and one must remember that, to contemporary minds, recapturing the Holy Land was still an uncertainty. Even if the fighting was not in the Holy Land itself, it surely served the same purpose in the spiritual lives of the participants. Characterised by fighting in the hethenesse, as opposed to the expeditions to holy places that defined early crusades, Bibliography Constable, G. 2001. The Historiography of the Crusades. In Laiou, Angeliki E.; Mottahedeh, Roy P. The Crusades from the Perspective of Byzantium and the Muslim World. 1-22. Crouch, D. 2005. The Birth of Nobility: Constructing Aristocracy in England and France 900-1300 Gaultier, L. 1891. Chivalry: translated by Henry Frith. Guard, T. 2013. Chivalry, Kingship and Crusade: The English Experience in the Fourteenth Century. Hazard, H. W. (ed.) 1975. Chapter One: The Crusade in the Fourteenth Century in The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. 2-26. University of Wisconsin Press . Housley, N. 1992. The Later Crusades, 1274-1580: From Lyons to Alcazar. Oxford University Press. Housley, N. 1999. The Crusading Movement 1274-1700 in Riley-Smith, J (ed) The Oxford History of the Crusades. Oxford University Press. Housley, N. 2017. The Crusade in the Fifteenth Century: Converging and competing cultures. Routledge. Huizinga, J.H. 1938. The Waning of the Middle Ages. London. Kaeuper, R.W. 2009. Holy Warriors: The Religious Ideology of Chivalry Keen, M. 1984. Chivalry. Yale University Press. Keen, M. 1996. Nobles, Knights and Men-at-Arms in the Middle Ages. Bloomsbury. Lock, P. 2006. Routledge Companion to the Crusades. Routledge. Manion, L. The Loss of the Holy Land and Sir Isumbras: Literary Contributions to Fourteenth-Century Crusade Discourse in Speculum. Vol. 85, No. 1 (JANUARY 2010). 65-90. Powell, J.M. 1995. Rereading the Crusades: An Introduction in The International History Review, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Nov., 1995) Riley-Smith, J. 2009. What were the Crusades? Palgrave Macmillan. Saul, N. 2011. Chivalry and Crusading in For Honour and Fame: Chivalry in England 1066-1500. Bodley Head. [1] Keen, 2005. 44-45. [2] Powell, 1995. 667-668. [3] Keen, 1996. 2. [4] Riley-Smith, 2009. 23. [5] Keen, 1996. 2. [6] Saul, 2011. 230. [7] Constable, 2001. 11-12. [8] Constable, 2001. 11-12. [9] Riley-Smith, 2009. 27; Housley, 1992. 2-3. [10] Constable, 2001. 14. [11] Constable, 2001. 12. [12] Housley, 1992. 3. [13] Constable, 2001. 15. [14] Housley, 1992. 402. [15] Guard, 2013. 15. [16] Saul, 2011. 230. [17] Hazard, 1975. 5. [18] Manion, 2010. 65-66. [19] Housley, 1999. 262-264. [20] Housley, 1999. 261. [21] Housley, 1999. 261. [22] Housley, 1999. 261. [23] Housley, 1999. 261. [24] Huizinga, 1938. 87. [25] Housley, 1999. 266. [26] Saul, 2011. 230. [27] Huizinga, 1938. 65. [28] Gaultier, 1891. 26. [29] Keen, 1996. 3. [30] Housley, 1992. 401. [31] Housley, 1999. 261. [32] Guard, 2013. 145. [33] Guard, 2013. 157-158. [34] Kaeuper, 1999. 73. [35] Kaeuper, 1999. 73. [36] Guard, 2013. 154. [37] Guard, 2013. 173. [38] Guard, 2013. 126. [39] Guard, 2013. 208. [40] Housley, 1992. 402. [41] Hazard, 1975. 25; 647. [42] Housley, 1999. 275-276. [43] Guard, 2013. 213. [44] Housley, 1992. 78 [45] Guard, 2013. 213. [46] Guard, 2013. 214. [47] Manion, 2010. 65-66. [48] Housley, 1999. 266. [49] Saul, 2011. 230. [50] Housley, 1999. 266.

FLQ Crisis Essay -- essays research papers

On October 5, 1970, British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped in his Westmount home by members of the terrorist group Front de liberation du Quebec. The FLQ Manifesto called for non-democratic separation to be brought about by acts of terror. From 1963 to 1967, the FLQ planted 35 bombs; from 1968 to 1970 they planted over 50 bombs. By the fall of 1970 the terrorist acts of the FLQ cells had claimed 6 lives. The kidnappers' demands included the release of a number of convicted or detained FLQ members and the broadcasting of the FLQ Manifesto. The Manifesto was read on Radio-Canada. Then, on October 10th, the Quebec minister of justice guaranteed safe passage to anywhere in the world for the kidnappers in exchange for the safe release of Cross. That same day Pierre Laporte, a famed Quebec reporter, author of The True Face of Duplessis, and the minister of immigration and labour in the Quebec government, was kidnapped by a different FLQ cell on the lawn of his suburban home. Laporte's kidnapping triggered a phone call from Liberal Premier Robert Bourassa asking Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to prepare the Canadian Armed Forces for action in Quebec and to declare War Measures. Two days later, October 12, Trudeau summoned armed troops to guard potential targets in Ottawa and Montreal such as cabinet ministers, John Diefenbaker, who was on the FLQ hit list, and federal buildings. On the following day, October 13, Peter Reilly of CJOH and I were at the west door of the Centre Block of the House of Commons. Reilly was asking Trudeau some basic questions in a laconic, unemotional style about the army and tanks being in Ottawa. Suddenly we were joined by CBC reporter Tim Ralfe who asked Trudeau a very emotional question about his decision to invoke the War Measures Act. Pierre Trudeau interview An angry Trudeau replied: "There's a lot of bleeding hearts around who just don't like to see people with helmets and guns. All I can say is go on and bleed." "How far are you going to go?" Ralfe insisted."Just watch me!" said Trudeau. And Canadians across the country watched as, at 3 o'clock in the morning, Friday, October 16, Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. The Press Gallery was packed. Trudeau was careful, cold, analytic - and brilliant. The invocation of the War Measures Act meant the suspension of traditional Canadian civil l... ...erre LaPorte, the Quebec Minister of Labour, and James Cross, The British Trade Commissioner to Canada, were kidnapped by the FLQ. Prime Minister Trudeau put into effect the War Measures Act for the first time in Canadian history during peace time. He did this without consulting parliament. However, parliament voted three days later to approve the use of the act. The civil liberties of the citizens of Canada were suspended while the act was in force. In a few cities, officials used the WMA to clean up the streets, picking up "undesirables" and throwing them into jail. More than 450 people were jailed in Quebec for suspected connections to the FLQ. Most were later released without any charges being laid. After the War Measures Act was put into effect, no other public figures in Canada were kidnapped. Eventually Pierre Laporte was murdered by his captors and Cross was released unharmed after his kidnappers were flown to exile in Cuba. But for many in Quebec, the question was raised : what might the federal government do if Quebec ever did decide to leave Canada... the use of the army in the streets and t he loss of civil liberties left a bad taste in many people's mouths.

Comparing the Role of Women in Emma and Jane Eyre Essay -- comparison

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout history women have played important roles in society. Women have gone through much adversity to get where they are today.   Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontà « are some the pioneers of women's literature. Each shows their different aspects of a women's role in society in their books Emma by Austen and Jane Eyre by Brontà «.   In both of these books the author shows how a woman deals with societies' norms, values, and manners.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jane Eyre is an orphaned daughter of a poor family.   She is brought up by her aunt Sarah Reed.   Where she is teased and tortured by the aunt and the family.   She is not very pretty and is barely on the social structure. On the other hand Emma Woodhouse is a beautiful girl and is financially sound.   She is raised by her maternal father.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Emma, Emma Woodhouse is in search of finding the appropriate man for herself is the main theme.   As the reader goes deeper into the text Emma slowly progresses into a self-deception.   Having since childhood been obliged to manage her father, she still likes to manage things,   and particularly people.   She manages to manipulate everyone except Mr. George Knightley.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Jane Eyre, Jane demonstrates a strong need to be herself, to take responsibility for her action.   She is put to the test by her daily teasing and abuse from her cousins. When she is brought to a boarding school she soon distinguishes herself through her classes.   Eventually ends up in Thorn... ... finds out the Bertha Mason Rochester set it on fire and jumped off the roof.   Austen in a way showed this as a rebirth for Rochester and Jane Eyre.   Jane returns to Rochester even though he suffered an amputated hand and is blinded by the fire.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eventually they marry and Rochester regains his sight in one eye and produces a son.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In both of these books the author shows how a woman deals with societies' norms, values, and manners.   Jane and Emma endure harsh realities in life.   Jane had to be a strong character to go through what she did.   Emma not as strong but the determination in find a spouse.   Even though Jane and Emma had different hardships the had similar characteristics.   They both had wisdom, imagination, and character.

Frankenstein, the Novel :: essays research papers fc

How does information about early cognitive development relate to violence the creatures commits?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human cognition is the study of how people think and understand. As part of growing up, there are four stages called the cognitive developmental stages that an individual goes through. From the sensory motor stage to the formal operational stage, human beings learn to interpret their surroundings of everyday life experiences. However, in the case of the Creature in the novel, Frankenstein, he was never developed in a cognitive way, and therefore, the creature was passively torn by opposing forces of human beings in his surrounding environments. Overall, cognitive development and the relation between the Creature’s turn towards violence is a result of neglect, psychological indifferences, and lack of socialization skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a variety of perspectives and emphases within cognitive psychology of human beings. Psychological indifferences of the Creature creates conflicts within himself and his surroundings. If an individual has a different view of life, the resulting factor may be psychologically challenging. This Creature was brought to life with grotesque looks and an abnormal brain. He did not know any concepts to the environment surrounding him, and therefore, was a child in an adult’s body. According to Jean Piaget, when the Creature was first brought to life, he is in the ‘sensory motor stage’ of human development. This is the level at which â€Å"individuals experience the world only through their senses† (Macionis 65). Since the Creature was never taught right from wrong, he thought that whatever he was doing was the right concept. It is obvious that we do not commit acts of murder; however, in the Creature’s world of his own, he though t an act of murder was entertainment and dramatizing when he first comes into contact with a little girl. For example, when the little girl comes and asks the Creature to play with her, he ends up throwing her into the lake, drowning her because she can not swim (Frankenstein). If this Creature was psychologically taught that he is larger than other humans and needs to be cautious with how he handles situations, such circumstances might be prevented. In a movie version titled, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature and his creator, Victor Frankenstein are in a cave and they are both arguing with each other about the events that has happened with the murdering of Victor’s relatives. The Creature responds to Victor’s statements with, â€Å"You gave me these emotions, but you did not tell me how to use them† (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein).

Contrasting rich and poor in Hong Kong

I have learnt many words by reading books. I have never enjoyed reading but if I find a book I like, I'll read it. This is how I learn new words and hence, I have a better English education. Ever since I was a toddler I have never enjoyed reading books apart from when I choose them. I always chose the books with with loads of words on a page with hardly any pictures. Therefore, it has become a habit in my simple life as I was sailing in the pool of words since I was 6 years old. The favorite play that captivated me the most is called â€Å"Educating Rita†. The play â€Å"Educating Rita† is written by Willy Russell. It is based on contrast as the main characters Rita and Frank have very different backgrounds. Frank is well educated (academic background) and he is a professor who teaches English in a university but Rita is a hair-dresser (working class background) who has not been well educated. Rita called herself a â€Å"freak† and â€Å"half caste†. She wants to be educated because she says â€Å"I wanna know†. She knows she is not ‘educated' yet and dimly realizes what ‘education' is. What Rita wants is to be out of her social class. For her, education is a means of achieving this and she is probably right. She instinctively knows she lacks something and thinks a university degree will fill the gaps in her life. Rita is eager to learn everything and she is energetic. It affects me as it reflects the sharp contrast between the condition of poor as well as middle class and rich people. The reason why I thought in this way is because that's what I see every day in the streets and my feelings. In Hong Kong, poor people are living in a confined space. They are living in houses that are surrounded by tons of rubbish. Whenever I walk pass the area with this types of housing, I could always hear the â€Å"sizz†¦.sizz†¦sizz† sound, and I am not sure if it comes rats or other insects. It has a foul smell too, and yet, people are living in this kind of environment. In contrast to the poor, the rich and middle class people are living in houses and mansions where rooms are air conditioned; it is clean and is relatively comfortable. At night the poor housing area is overwhelmed by darkness, but I know there are people living on the side of road and of that area. We are staying in a cool area but they are suffering from heat from the sun. We sit on comfortable chair but they sit on the ground with germs. The contrast is a little uncomfortable for me. Thus, sometimes when I cannot sleep, I will start to wonder ‘what if I am one of them who live on the street? Will I survive?† People living in that area have no money. In addition, they have to fear and tolerate what might happen to them every day. Sometimes, I think the poor have more courage than I do. What could I do for them? Most of the time, I could only feel sad for them, and usually we will forget about them and live on with our own life. It is vitally important to me because their experiences instill a certain fear in me. I told myself I don't aspire to be a very rich person, but I am really afraid to be poor. I don't think any amount of money is ever enough to help the poor who live below the poverty line but every penny counts! We must also accept the fact that corruptions has add on more problems to this major issue, but we must always tell ourselves â€Å"Can rescue how many are how many†. This is, we must always save as many lives as we could because every life counts. The existence of poor and rich in the society is unavoidable, but the disparity and gap between them should be reduced as much as possible. The rich may have the right to spend as copiously as they like to live in comfort, but the poor should also have the right and means to keep the body and soul together. Embracing the poor, engaging the rich.

Labor Relations in International Business Essay

Our company has stood steadfast in all aspects of achieving success in our global operations. Our presence in the international markets considered in details each and every intricacies and relevant features of each of those market places. Topmost however to all of these detailed considerations is the working relationship we establish with the national workforce in each and every country. International labor relations focus on the human resources available and contributory to every foreign office we operate. As new, embarking sales professionals delving into the exciting and challenging global market – you must have the foresight and sensitivity in relating to different kinds of culture; of habits; or laws; of working styles; professional methods – apart from a dash of individual idiosyncrasies. Your ability to work through those factors and variances will go a long way in sustaining our success in the international business arena. Multinational companies such as ours move on a fast paced and challenging global environment due to the rapid advancement in technology and transportation mode. The swift interconnectivity of human beings in this 21st century invigorates constant change in product qualities and standards; incites innovates customer relationship techniques; and most of all enhances speedy delivery of services. Competition is therefore constant and very much alive and challenging as new market segments arise; new methods of packaging, advertising and marketing strategy come to fore; and aggressive servicing strategies arise. This wide arena of competition makes multinational companies look for operating in foreign markets within the lowest cost possible at a faster pace; sustained quality of product and customer service and innovative marketing techniques. Our sales operations overseas are overseen by designated Country Managers who is overall responsible for every aspect of running the business. We opted to appoint a national citizen of every sales branch. This is more effective as he creates the teamwork and networking within the country of operation. The Country Manager is supervised by the Regional Manager. There are company policies we hand over to the Country Managers specifically with regards to product image handling and pricing. However, the rest of the operational requirements are inherently conceptualized and designed by the Country Manager, together with his team with regards to growing the business and developing the market and relating to customers. The focal aspect with regards to labor and human relations policies are likewise pretty much within the guidelines and jurisdiction of the labor laws of each country. The pertinent recognition and respect is given to compensation guidelines; minimum wage parameters; overtime rewards; bonus; work perks like healthy insurance coverage; work safety standards and laws on working hours. The Country Manager is likewise given leverage in making decisions about observance of holidays and national and religious festivities inherent in the country of operation. As we operate as trader and sellers and each country, the issue of labor union and collective bargaining has not arisen yet. Each of our overseas operations is staffed approximately between 100 to 150 personnel and this does not call for such aspect of labor relations. The company therefore looks forward to your success and enjoyable learning experience in our spearheading global business. Please feel free to talk to your management team for any inquiries or clarification you seek.