Observing Children

Three observations of child development. This is an assignment consisting of three observations pertaining to a child’s development in three core areas, specifically, a young person’s social, emotional and physical maturity. Firstly it contemplates the social development of a four year old boy in an educational nursery setting, via an observation utilizing the narrative technique. Secondly the intellectual (cognitive) development of a five year old girl is reflected upon in a home setting, using the sampling approach.Finally the physical maturity of a four year old boy is considered in a home setting, using the checklist method. These individual records highlight areas that are deemed to be pertinent to the applicable study, drawing conclusions and evaluating how the findings are relevant. These inferences are supported by appropriate theory, before conferring recommendations correlating to the observation, considering future needs/requirements. Observation one: Social development. Name of observer: Lee Bogan. Name of child: O. Age of child: Four years, two months.Gender: Male. Time observation started: 9. 15. Time observation finished: 9. 45 Method: Narrative. Number of children: 5. Number of Adults: 2. Date: October 2009. Background: Child O is an only child from a single parent family and spends a lot of time with his mother and grandmother. He also suffers from a disorder which is supposed to infringe upon his social development. Aim: To observe a child aged four years two months playing outdoors in a nursery with other children, concentrating on and highlighting the preschooler’s social development.Objective: To assess O’s confidence in concordance with his ability to develop friendships and interact with peers. Setting: Educational nursery for children aged between three and four. There are places for thirty children in a session, six of which are allocated to resource children who may or may not come from the local area. Brief description: O is outside playing with plastic crates and planks of wood. There are other children in the same vicinity also playing with the materials. Description: O is making a structure comprising of plastic crates and wooden planks.He asks another child for ‘a hand’. This request is not acted upon. It becomes apparent that the edifice being constructed is a bridge when O discusses which way the bridge should face with the supervising adult, who offers him guidance and advice. O then exclaims he’ll ‘move this’, picking up a plastic crate, followed by a plank of wood, creating a new fraction of the bridge. This is achieved devoid of any assistance from other children and with a small amount of structured direction from the attentive adult. Subsequently O directs another child who is holding a plank of wood, asserting ‘put it here’.O then proceeds to move a plastic crate and wooden plank in order to adjoin it to a nearby slide that an other child is utilizing. He reiterates ‘give me a hand somebody, I need a hand’. This request is again to no avail. Hereafter O manipulates a cart/pram to reposition a plastic crate which he complements with a wooden plank, resulting in the formation of an extension to the bridge. Other children meanwhile are exploiting the sections of the bridge that have already been assembled. O gives the cart/ pram to another child. He is then asked to ring the bell to signify that it is time to tidy up.O smiles and walks over to where the bell is located. He elevates and rings the bell, smiling. The supervising adult recompenses this action/behaviour with the words ‘well done’. Evaluation: O appears confident around his peers. He explicitly asks for assistance moving building materials on numerous occasions demonstrating that he is not adverse to entering into communication and initiating social interaction with others. He fundamentally invites other children to inter act with him, though the other children appear to either not have heard the requests made or chose to ignore them.Given the close proximity of the other children, the latter scenario appears to be most likely. That ascertained, it could be construed that child O was in fact a socially ‘neglected’ child amongst his peer group (Coie, Dodge & Coppotelli, 1982). This research describes socially ‘neglected’ children as children who are neither ‘a liked nor disliked companion and appear almost invisible to their peers’. This implies that ‘neglected’ children are not being rejected by peers as they are not disliked; they are not recognised as being either socially favourable or unfavourable.Coie & Dodge (1983) actually stipulate that children who are disliked fall into the category of ‘rejected’ children and furthermore their research avers that it is far more advantageous to be ‘neglected’ as opposed to ‘r ejected’. This is asserted to be accurate as Cassidy & Asher (1992) and Crick & Ladd (1993) suggest that ‘neglectees do not feel as lonely as rejectees’. Moreover, ‘neglected’ children are far more likely to ‘attain a more favourable sociometric status’ in comparison to ‘rejected’ children, should they enrol into a new play group (Coie & Dodge, 1983).O also appears to be confident when talking and interacting with the adult supervising the play area. When deciding which direction the bridge should rotate towards O listens to the adult and uses their advice to deduce an appropriate conclusion to the immediate problem, declaring, ‘I’ll move this’. It can be intimated from this that O is confident in his own decision making and not afraid to act upon his own rationale of situations. He interacts well and shows purpose and persistence in his behaviour towards the task being undertaken. The way O interacts wit h other children during his play is perplexing.For the majority of the time he is engaged in his own solitary play, also referred to as ‘non-social activity’ (Parten, 1932). This would infer that child O was not succeeding in or attempting to develop friendships with others, however, it could be insinuated that this is not the case. Although he does spend a large majority of his time in what Parten (1932) depicts as either ‘non-social’ (solitary play) or ‘parallel’ (when children play side by side but interact little and do not try to influence the behaviour of others) play, O does display behaviour in the most advanced phase of Parten’s (1932) stages of play; ‘ co-operative play’. Co-operative play’ incorporates children collaborating to achieve shared goals (Parten, 1932). O asks for assistance on numerous occasions with the building of the bridge, as highlighted earlier, effectively inviting the other children to w ork with him to build the bridge. The other children appear to ignore him, isolating him from the rest of the group, but it could be reasoned that this is not a reflection of O’s ability to initiate interaction and form friendships but rather a reflection of the way the rest of the group appear to perceive and ignore him.The same can be derived from the behaviour O displays when he gives the pram/cart to another child (sharing toys) and gets no feedback from the beneficiary by way of acknowledgment/thank you, or by the gesture of moving the bridge over to the slide; this could be perceived as an attempt to allow the other children to interact and socialise with him but they instead choose to ignore him, nevertheless exploiting and utilizing the apparatus he has just made accessible to them. O also gives direction to another child in relation to where the plank of wood they are holding should be positioned.This again can be identified to be the more advanced stage of play in f our year olds, according to Parten (1932), as it does not fall into the category of ‘non-social’ or ‘parallel play’ since it incorporates other children. Conclusion: O does display behaviour associated with the social developmental norms for four year olds stipulated by Riddall-Leech (2008) in demonstrating that he is ‘confident’ showing ‘purpose and persistence’ as well as showing willingness to ‘develop friendships with peers’.He also shows signs of ‘co-operative play’ (Parten, 1932). However, it is apparent that his peers are not receptive to his attempts at initiating social interaction. From the information gathered it could be argued that this is due to the other children ‘neglecting’ (Coie & Dodge, 1983) O in favour of other more auspicious companions.The fact that O also mainly interacts with adults outside of the nursery setting as he is an only child from a single parent family, who spends most of his time with his mother and grandmother, may have an impact on the way he interacts and the language he uses. This may be ‘alien’ to other children who regularly socialise with both adults and children alike, isolating O from the other children, who could be unsure of how to socialise with him.Recommendations: It could be deemed beneficial for O to socialise with another group of children as Coie & Dodge (1983) express that children ‘neglected’ by their companions can gain an improved ‘sociometric’ status and increased social acceptance within a group of new peers. This would not necessarily mean O leaving the nursery; on the contrary, this could be achieved via involvement in a club/social activity outside of the nursery. Some kind of social interaction with children outside of the nursery in any situation could be perceived to be beneficial in helping O’s social development.

Family Values Are Not Contradictory to Personal Choice as Well as Self-Fulfillment Essay

With the collapse of the traditional family mode and the accelerated development of the capitalist world, the world has changed significantly. According to John Dewey, â€Å"The significant thing is that the loyalties which once held individuals, which gave them support, direction, and unity of outlook on life, have well-nigh disappeared† (Individualism—Old and New, 1962). And the situation remains the same in the 21st century. There has been more flexibility on lifestyle and people are no longer under the pressure—or under less pressure –of forming a family. Some people choose to devote their whole self to what they want to do, claiming that carrying out family values will prevent themselves from choosing what they really want and affect the process of realizing self-fulfillment. There has been a heated debate on whether family values are contradictory to personal choice as well as self-fulfillment. This essay will consider arguments in support of family values conflicting personal choice as well as self-fulfillment, and then point out the problems of these statements. It will set forth reasons why family values are not contradictory to personal choice as well as self-fulfillment. Many people claim that people are not free to make personal choice because of family values, especially in a society dominated by Confucius culture, where several generations live together and filial piety as well as blood relationship is appreciated; however, this is not true. In Confucius culture, rather than love relationships between couples, much weight is put on the affection between family members. As Lin Yutang said in â€Å"The Chinese family ideal†, this affection contributes to a feeling of obligation which amounts to a deeply religious attitude. This leads some people to suspect that family members may have to sacrifice their own opportunities or even personal life for the advantage of the whole family, which negatively affects their pursuit of self-actualization. Generally speaking, this statement is true. Nevertheless, it is insufficient in the sense that it ignores the implications of affection between family members and wrongly interprets Confucius family mode. Chinese philosophers make the passion between husband and wife the very basis of a normal human life so much that they regard it as the very foundation of all normal human life (Lin Yutang, 1937). Besides, Confucius culture starts out with a belief that man exists as a member of family unit and no one exists completely alone. So, by emphasizing the affection between family members, Confucius culture regards one’s achievement the glory of his own and at the same time the glory of his family. In other words, the whole family will stand out if one member needs help, which means it is possible to facilitate his chase of self-fulfillment with the resource from the whole family. It can be inferred that with family values, how much easier it is for one to fulfill himself once he makes the decision. Family values play an important role in facilitating one’s pursuit of self-fulfillment, especially in a family appreciating Confucius culture. It has been argued by some that one evidence showing how family values are against personal choice as well as self-fulfillment is the unattainable balance between career and family; yet this statement is problematic. With the accelerated pace of city life in modern society, many people have failed to maintain a job and a family at the same time. And in most of the follow-up of these cases, men turn to career and have to spend little time with family members while women sacrifice their career to stay at home and look after the whole family, and more and more young people turn to a personal choice of remaining single in the name of pursuing self-fulfillment, instead of celebrating family values by marrying a spouse and having children as what people did in the old days. However, although the dilemma of modern citizens does exist, the statement above is no longer correct, for it is the result of misunderstanding. As Immanuel Kant introduced in his philosophical system, freedom is not about doing what we want according to instinct, but about realizing our free will by controlling our instincts. Therefore, family values are not to blame for restraining our choices as we are not free to our choices in the first place. People should face the fact that their time is limited and be aware of their unlimited choice of way of self-fulfillment. This means, to work for long hours to support the family is an admirable method to value the family and fulfill themselves as well. From my point of view, family values and personal choice as well as self-fulfillment are so tightly connected with each other that we cannot even separate them. Self-fulfillment is realized through a series of personal choices, and personal choice depends heavily on the influence of family values. Because the personal choice one makes is never fully personal. It is affected by numerous external factors, for example, the economic and political environment, the inter-person relationship as well as the mainstream values, and he justifies and weighs these factors using his beliefs which are influenced by his family values. On top of this, whatever the social environment and cultural background, the universal family values contain the concepts of flexibility, communication, compromise and unconditional love. Healthy family values are intended to make the family a positive and supportive place for members, facilitating their personal choices as well as self-fulfillment. After analyzing the arguments presented here for both sides of this question, it can be contended that family values are not contradictory to personal choice as well as self-fulfillment. People’s belief for family values can be a strong support for one to realize his ambitions in the sense that the whole family will be his backing. And one’s pursuing for self-fulfillment can be another admirable way to celebrate family values. Family values, personal choice as well as self-fulfillment are actually interactive factors positively affecting each other.

An Overview of the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome

In a case report presented by Uzun, Ar, Canan, Aktas, & Bas (2007), an 11-year-old boy was admitted to a hospital in Turkey due to complaints about â€Å"loss of vision, speech deficit, learning difficulty, poor balance, and ataxic gait†. Results of the physical examination showed that the boy manifested the following special features: facial dysmorphism, visual problems that included nystagmus or rapid, involuntary movement of the eyes from side to side, poor coordination, being overweight, an extra digit on the left foot, mild mental retardation, among other distinctive characteristics.What the authors (Uzun et al. , 2007) had presented was a usual case of a developmental disorder called Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), which is a news classification system that focuses on the components of health (Stewart & Rosenbaum, 2003). The ICF also emphasizes the re lationship between health condition and contextual factors, as illustrated in Figure 1 using the ICF model.This document aims to explain the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome in terms of the patients’ body structure & functions, activities, participation, and their limitations. General Description Bardet-Biedl syndrome is an autosomal recessive condition or an inheritable disease involving non-dominant chromosomes (Barnet, Reilly, Carr, Ojo, Beales, & Charman, 2002; Beales, 2005; Beales, Elcioglu, Woolf, Parker, & Flinter, 1999; Chan, Ho, But, & Tse, 1999; Hrynchak, 2000; Uzun et al. , 2007). It was first described by George Bardet and Alfred Biedl in 1920 (Chan et al. , 2000).This syndrome has a prevalence rate of 1/160,000. The cardinal features of BBS as seen in numerous case reports include retinal dystrophy, obesity, cognitive deficit, hypogonadism, polydactyly (Hrynchak, 2000), mental retardation, and renal dysfunction (Beales et al. , 1999; Chan et al. , 2000; Uzan et al, 2007). A rguments regarding the accuracy of the cardinal features emerged and consequently prompted Beales et al. (1999) to conduct a study that aimed to clarify and determine the major criteria for proper diagnosis of the syndrome. According to the results (Beals et al., 1999), individuals diagnosed with BBS must have the following cardinal features: (1) Visual disorders. The individual suffers from rod-cone dystrophy, also known as atypical retinitis pigmentosa, which is characterized by â€Å"night blindness†, loss of peripheral or tunnel vision, loss of central vision in childhood and adolescence, and â€Å"severe visual impairment by adulthood† (The Foundation Fighting Blindness [TFFB], 2000). (2) Limb defects. A widespread condition among individuals with BBS is postaxial polydactyly, or having extra accessory digits in the hands or feet (Beales et al., 1999). Some are born with only one extra finger or toe, but in other cases, the condition is â€Å"present in all four limbs† (Beales et al. , 1999). There were also cases that extra digits were only found in both hands or in both feet (Beales et al. , 1999). In the case study mentioned above, the 11-year-old boy had an extra digit on the left foot (Uzun et al. , 2007). (3) Height and weight. In the survey conducted by Beales et al. (1999) among children who developed BBS with an average age of 9 years old, the average height of males was 1.73 m, which was significantly lower than the average height of males in the general population which was 1. 76 m; the average height of females, on the other hand, measured 1. 62m—a number that was not significantly different from the average height of females in the general population that measured 1. 63 m (Beales et al. , 1999). When it comes to weight, Bardet-Biedl syndrome is widely linked to being obese or overweight (Beales et al. , 1999; Beales, 2005). Obesity was considered by a number of researchers as one of the accepted major criteria of B BS (Barnet et al., 2002; Hrynchak, 2005). Uzun et al. (2007) even addressed obesity in his case study as â€Å"one of the most common features of BBS†. (4) Education. Individuals with BBS exhibit learning difficulties (Beales et al. , 1999) which â€Å"can range from mild cognitive disability to mental retardation† (TFFB, 2000). However, Green et al. (as cited in Hrynchak, 2000) questioned this feature and found that â€Å"when appropriate verbal and performance IQ tests were given, only a minority of patients were found to have a cognitive deficit†.(5) Renal tract abnormalities. The kidney is one of the affected body organs when a person is developed to have BBS (Beales et al. , 1999, Chan et al. , 2000, Hrynchak, 2000). Most patients were found to have structural abnormalities (Beales et al. , 1999, Chan et al. , 2000). Kidney failure has been one of the leading causes of death among individuals with the syndrome (Chan et al. , 2000; Uzun et al. , 2007). The s ymptoms mentioned above are considered the major criteria; however, the descriptions of BBS are not limited to these items.Hypogonadism was considered by some researchers as one of the key features (Hrynchak, 2000); it is described as a structural deficiency characterized by Beales et al. (1999) as having small penises buried in adipose tissue. These concrete descriptions of the major criteria or symptoms for proper diagnosis of the Bardet-Biedl syndrome are one thing; behavioural patterns in patients with the syndrome are another. Beales et al. (1999) were able to include brief descriptions of BBS patients. These â€Å"difficult† behaviours include â€Å"emotional immaturity, frequent volatile outbursts, and poor reasoning† (Beales et al., 1999). They also claim boldly that â€Å"all BBS children preferred fix routines† (Beales et al. , 1999). Barnet et al. (2002) extensively studied the behaviour of individuals with BBS and found, apart from the aforementioned description by Beales et al. (1999), that children with BBS felt â€Å"withdrawn†, â€Å"anxious†, or even â€Å"depressed†. One of the main arguments of the article by Barnet et al. (2002) was the existence of a â€Å"behaviour phenotype† or a behaviour gene. One revelation that fuelled his speculations was the emergence of closely similar behaviour patterns of individuals born with BBS.That is simply one way to explain behaviour. On the other hand, we can find links between affect, behaviour, and cognition to explain why they act the way they do. Consider feelings of withdrawal, anxiety, and depression. These are all negative feelings indirectly pointed towards the self. A person with BBS would want to withdraw from the normal population because of possible shame or fear of encountering ridicule due to other people’s inconsiderate and usually unkind remarks. Anxiety might be felt due to a developed fear of being ridiculed.Depression, which is mo st probably the worst thing a child can feel, might have developed due to low self-esteem and self-worth. They would probably make comparisons between people like themselves who have impairments and people who are declared by society to be normal. One of the most notable behaviour patterns observed was traces of obsessive-compulsive behaviour; as with individuals who are diagnosed with autism, which is another developmental disorder linked to cognitive deficit, those with BBS are most comfortable with a â€Å"fixed routine† (Barnet, 2002).Activities & Limitations in Activities It is an observable fact that the features of Bardet-Biedl syndrome entail a lot of limitations in learning and applying knowledge. First, once the visual problems emerge, they interfere with visual learning, which is an important facet of education since most instructional media are visual. Hrynchak (2000), however, claimed â€Å"early identification of the visual disorder and appropriate educational intervention can be of great benefit in people with this condition†. In the study of Beales et al.(1999), half of the patients received education in a â€Å"special school†; some even further pursued their education and earned university degrees. Visual problems also hamper the day-to-day activities of older patients. Hrynchak (2000) presented the case of a 20-year-old white man with the condition who worked as a janitor. He complained about â€Å"decreasing visual acuity†, specifically, â€Å"missing debris while sweeping†. â€Å"He also had reduced ability to see fine print, difficulty seeing the credits on television, mobility problems (especially judging depth), and difficulty adapting to changing illumination conditions† (Hrynchak, 2000).Hrynchak (2000) also mentioned that majority of individuals become â€Å"legally blind† before the age of 30. Obesity also entails a lot of health risks including heart disease (Beales et al. , 1999). Th is affects the amount of emotional and physical stress the individual is capable of doing. Ataxia, which is characterized by poor coordination, was also found in patients with BBS. This affects how people with BBS move properly. It is probable that obesity is prevalent in some cases because of ataxia, which hinders activities that need proper coordination such as sports and other physical exercises.There is also the matter of speech deficit. Beales et al. (1999) pointed out that there is a problem in language use and vocabulary is limited due to learning difficulties. Participation & Limitations in Participation The case presented by Hrynchak (2000) shows the ability of individuals with BBS to function effectively in society as a working individual. However, Beales et al. (1999) described that â€Å"adult patients are often disinhibited and appear to recognise social cues†. This means that they often find it difficult to relate and mingle with other people.Perhaps this is a c onsequence of feelings of depression and anxiety in childhood brought about by possible ridicule and rejection among peers. Fatherhood is a major societal role that the males will not get to play. Due to hypogonadism, males are infertile and are unable to procreate (Beales et al. , 1999). According to Hrynchak (2000), â€Å"there have been no reports of a man with Bardet-Biedl syndrome having fathered children. † Treatment & Outcome It is an unfortunate matter that this genetic disorder has no known holistic treatment according to The Foundation Fighting Blindness (2000).To perhaps decrease the complications of the condition, one must address each symptom separately. For visual problems, an eye specialist should be consulted to see how the vision could be improved or what adjustments should be made by the patient or by the people around him. Hrynchak (2000) suggested the use of â€Å"field expansion devices† or a guide dog. Poor vision might hamper an individualâ€℠¢s ability to learn, hence, the cognitive disabilities. Learning disabilities, on the other hand, can be overcome with early intervention and had not been a hindrance to those who completed university degress.For renal abnormalities or kidney problems, one can approach a nephrologist or â€Å"a physician that specializes in kidney diseases† (TFFB, 2000). Kidney diseases are usually not detected until the patient undergoes radiological testing or x-ray after being diagnosed with BBS (Hrynchak, 2000). Take note that the leading cause of death among BBS patients is renal or kidney failure. Reference Barnet, S. , Reilly, S. , Carr, L. , Ojo, I. , Beales, P. L. , & Charman, T. (2002). Behavioural phenotype of Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Journal of Medical Genetics 39, e76-e76. Beales P. L. (2005).Lifting the lid on Pandora’s box: The Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Current Opinion in Genetics & Development, 15(3), 315-323. Beales, P. L. , Elcioglu, N. , Woolf, A. S. , Parker, D. , & Flin ter, F. A. (1999). New criteria for improved diagnosis of Bardet-Biedl syndrome: Results of a population survey. Journal of Medical Genetics, 36, 437-446. Chan, W. K. Y. , Ho, S. , But, B. , & Tse, W. W. Y. (2000). Renal disease in Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Hong Kong Journal of Paediatrics 5, 34-39. Hrynchak, P. K. (2000). Bardeit-Biedl syndrome. Optometry and Vision Science, 77(5), 236-243. Stewart, D. , & Rosenbaum, P. (2003).The international classification of functioning, disability, and health (ICF): A global model to guide clinical thinking and practice in childhood disability. Keeping Current, 3(3), 1-8. The Foundation Fighting Blindness. (2000, February). Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Retrieved March 12, 2008, from http://www. blindness. org/pdfs/resources/bardetbiedl. pdf Uzun, H. , Ar, K. , Canan, F. , Aktas, A. , & Bak, M. (2007). A case of Bardet-Biedl syndrome. The Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology 7(1). Retrieved March 11, 2008, from, http://www. ispub. com/ostia/in dex. php? xmlFilePath=journals/ijpn/vol7n1/ biedl. xml

Impact of Corporate Governance in Curtailing Financial Risks in Dissertation

Impact of Corporate Governance in Curtailing Financial Risks in Organizations in the United Kingdom - Dissertation Example set of rules and regulations affecting the political, social and economic environment of a nation and the research aim at analysing the same in an analytical manner. In order to achieve above mentioned aims, the research focuses on objectives including: To analyse the impact and influence of corporate governance on the social, political and economic environment of the United Kingdom To investigate the reasons of financial risks and role of corporate governance in curtailing it To evaluate the contribution of corporate governance in offering transparency and systematic approach to deal with the social and business environment 1.3 Research Purpose The major purpose of the research is to identify the role of corporate governance in curtailing financial risks in financial institutions in the United Kingdom along with assessing its influence over the business and social environment. This would further help in understanding and analysing the loopholes pertaining to corporate governance. 1. 4 Research Gap The researcher accepts the fact that many researchers have followed single and multi cue approach for this particular subject but very few have used conjoint analysis approach that would be used to assess the importance of corporate governance in curtailing financial risks. It would further help in analysing its role in context to Saudi Arabia in the near future Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction The chapter starts with introducing the concept of Corporate Governance along with highlighting its role in curtailing financial risks in the financial institutions. It also highlights reasons behind a number of financial risks along with the need of introducing effective corporate governance measures. 2.2 Corporate Governance Clarke and Thomas (2004) defined corporate... Center of discussion in this paper is corporate governance as a set of processes and policies affecting the way an organisation is directed, controlled and administered in the political, social and business environment. The accountability of individuals and organizations in the society is assessed through corporate governance in an effective and efficient manner. Until very recently, the financial services sector in the United Kingdom has been managed and regulated in a unique self regulated environment where interested bodies stood up when problems arose and offered solutions. This system has several critics but the combination of efficient financial services organizations and cooperative government controlled and administered the industry in an exemplary manner. However, with a number of scandals, the state took the regulatory control of the area in the year 1997 offering very little scope to the self regulated process. It needs to be understood that corporate governance must have played a unique role in offering freedom to independent and government bodies in regulating and administering the industry. The state took the control because of a series of scandals lacking corporate governance. As per Stevenson’s report published in The Independent, one of the most unfortunate financial scandals include the Lloyd of London; the oldest and most trusted financial institution in the United Kingdom. The bank gambled its fortune along with the fortunes of few hundred investors and went under huge debts.

Sports logo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sports logo - Essay Example It was established 54 years ago, and the present-day sports logo of the team did not undergo significant changes since then. Today Minnesota Vikings looks a little bit different from what it used to be in 1961, when the team was founded under its present name. However, the image of a Norseman or Viking, which is a core symbol of the team, has left untouched with minor changes being introduced since the day one of its existence. It was altered first in 1965, when the face of the Norseman was turned from left to right and new colors were added, not mention the slight change of the size of the image. The next time it was upgraded in 2013, when the shape of two horns on the helmet of the Norseman were slightly changed, as well as facial features that became a little bit more sharpened than before. The dominant colors of the present-day Minnesota Vikings sports logo are yellow, purple or velvet and white. The hair and the helmet of the Norseman are of yellow color, while the horns on the helmet are white with black tips. There is a velvet string on the helmet, which contrasts the dominant color wheel of the image to a certain extent. The gradation of direction of the image, obviously, aims at adding movement to the Norsemans shape. The oblique lines of the face might suggest the readiness for action; while a horizontal line that is seen in Norsemans helmet might suggest stability, which symbolizes self-confidence. The texture of the image is hard and rough. The sports logo containing the image of a Viking as a symbol of a Minneapolis football team was first used in 1960. The owners of the newly created American football team, Minnesota Vikings, decided to use this very logo as the image of a team mainly because Minnesota is a state being famous nationwide for a large portion of American population originated from Scandinavian countries. In fact, almost ten million

Case Study - Drotos Theaters (Auditing) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Case Study - Drotos Theaters (Auditing) - Essay Example An evaluation of the manual and computerized control activities found that the computerized accounting system is accessed only when the controller posts the journal entries into the financial accounting system. Since the computerized system does not aid in the detection of miscalculations or frauds before the entries are made an incorrect number can easily go undetected and cause a serious accounting problem. The controller is responsible for manually depositing cash and recording transactions. Delegating these two important duties to the same person leaves the company with no system of internal control. The cashiers collect cash at the box office and issue tickets to customers. The company does not specify how the cashiers are accountable for the cash they collect and the tickets that they issue. The cashiers are the first point of contact between the customers and company’s cash transaction and therefore it is crucial to ensure that this transaction has a fool-proof control system. Since the ticket taker manually collects tickets it is not guaranteed that they will not allow unauthorized persons into the theater. There are many internal controls which are not present in the existing system. The controller cannot be responsible for recording the transactions and depositing money into the bank account. The controller can easily adjust the deposited amount and recorded amount according to how they see fit causing a serious lack of internal control.

Encouraging the Growth of a Young Artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Encouraging the Growth of a Young Artist - Essay Example Pente (in Grauer,Irwin & Emme, 2011) contends that developmental models can guide teachers in understanding ways children make art and to understand the broad differences among the various ages, however, many other factors can influence a child’s art development such as the materials to be used, socio-cultural considerations, and contemporary contexts in the child’s life. These can either advance or hinder a child’s art development, no matter what developmental stage he belongs to. Although it is important for teachers to know the developmental level of the children they teach so they are aware of the skills they can already learn and do, it is still essential for a teacher to be a keen observer of children’s interests and learning styles. Marne-Thompson (2009) argues that this is the best way for teachers to learn how children use art to learn and express meaning into it. Eisner (2002) offers five principles that guide teachers in art education. He enumer ates: Art education should give pride of place to what is distinctive about the arts†¦ foster the growth of artistic intelligence, help students how to create satisfying visual images, help students recognize what is personal, distinctive and even unique about themselves and their work.. and make special efforts to enable students to secure aesthetic forms of experience in everyday life (Grauer,Irwin & Emme, 2011, p. 13). In following these guidelines, teachers of young children will gain enough confidence to teach Art. Teaching Art to a Six-year old Boy I had the pleasure of working one-on-one with a creative little boy of six. In observing him, I learned that he was quite adept in using some art materials, as he exhibited good fine motor skills in drawing, cutting, pasting, molding and pasting. My objectives for our art sessions were: To inspire him to express his creativity through art To engage him in the process of collage-making, clay-molding and painting as art forms To motivate him to use art as a creative expression of himself And to simply enjoy the art activities. The first activity was creating a a big black spider with different coloured thick cardboard paper. We first discussed how spiders looked and he described that it looks like a bug but with eight legs. Then, to encourage his imaginative thinking, I asked him how he would want his own spider to look if he was to design it. He said he wanted it big and scary, but happy with a lot of colors in order to â€Å"attract friends who’d think he’s scary, but when they get to know him, is actually a friendly guy†. This verbalization about his planned art work corresponds to the talk as art criticism as referred to by Feldman (1994) when he says â€Å"Art criticism has become the storytelling aspect of art and aesthetics and transforms visual experiences into verbal expressions that can be shared with others (Cromer, 1990, p. 9 as mentioned in Grauer, Irwin & Emme, 2011, p.10 9). He started to cut an oval out of thick black cardboard and eight long rectangular â€Å"legs† and attached these around the oval. He also cut a smaller oval to attach as the head. Next, he chose different colors of construction paper and began cutting them in different shapes. For some, he tore, leaving some fibers of the paper exposed at the edges. Then, he carefully pasted the different colors randomly on the big oval, covering all the

Tuberous Sclerosis A Rare Disease Research Proposal

Tuberous Sclerosis A Rare Disease - Research Proposal Example Definition of Tuberous Sclerosis Tuberous Sclerosis is one of the genetic and rare disorders being closely monitored and evaluated by the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) under the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (ORDR, 2009). It was thereby defined as â€Å"a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous noncancerous (benign) tumors in many parts of the body† (ORDR, 2009, par. 1). The definition provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) more comprehensively identified the affected parts of the body, to wit: â€Å"Tuberous sclerosis--also called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) - is a rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. It usually affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnorma lities, and kidney disease† (NINDS, 2012, par. 1). Both definitions classify this disorder as genetic and manifested through multiple growths of specifically identified tumors in different parts of the body. Causes Since the disease is classified under genetic and rare disorder, its cause is thereby traced through inheritance (PubHealth Med, 2010). As disclosed, â€Å"changes (mutations) in two genes, TSC1 and TSC2, are responsible for most cases of the condition. Only one parent needs to pass on the mutation for the child to get the disease. However, most cases are due to new mutations, so there usually is no family history of tuberous sclerosis† (PubHealth Med, 2010, pars. 2 & 3). This means that although most cases have identified the cause to be directly handed to the sibling from even one parent, there have been cases where both parents did not carry a defective gene but new mutations were manifested. Known through a process called â€Å"gonadal mosaicism. These p atients have parents with no apparent defects in the two genes that cause the disorder. Yet these parents can have a child with TSC because a portion of one of the parent's reproductive cells (sperm or eggs) can contain the genetic mutation without the other cells of the body being involved† (NINDS, 2012, par. 8). Symptoms The symptoms for this illness were categorized into three: skin symptoms, brain symptoms,and other symptoms, and are hereby detailed as follows: (1) skin symptoms include: areas of the skin that are white (due to decreased pigment) and have either an ash leaf or confetti appearance; red patches on the face containing many blood vessels (adenoma sebaceum); and raised patches of skin with an orange-peel texture (shagreen spots), often on the back; (2) brain symptoms include: developmental delays, mental retardation, seizures; and (3) other symptoms include: pitted tooth enamel, rough growths under or around the fingernails and toenails, rubbery noncancerous tu mors on or around the tongue (PubHealth Med, 2010). Genetic Make-Up The explanation provided by Howell (n.d.) on the genetic analysis of this illness clearly and explicitly illustrated the mutation in one of two identified genes, the â€Å"TSC1 gene is located on chromosome 9q34 and the TSC2 gene on chromosome 16p13† (Howell: Gene Analysis, n.d, par. 1). The illustrations are hereby presented as

Stock Market of China and USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stock Market of China and USA - Essay Example For 20 years America has been borrowing unprecedented quantities of money to play its stock-market casino. Even after the latest falls, the US stock market is worth 120 per cent of GDP, compared with 40 per cent for much of the 1980s, and far above its previous peak of 72 per cent in 1972. Meanwhile, the US trade deficit stands at a record 4 per cent of GDP; no country has ever been able to sustain a deficit on this scale for long. The US currently absorbs 64 per cent of all global capital flows to finance its deficit. Capital has been sucked out of the rest of the world, including many developing countries, to enable America to indulge itself. It is no coincidence that Citicorp, the giant US bank, has its largest branch outside New York in Buenos Aires. For years Americans deluded themselves that they were actually making this money rather than borrowing it. With the ever-rising stock market fuelling the illusion of wealth, they embarked on an orgy of personal spending, building up an average credit-card debt of $7,000 per household and allowing the proportion of their incomes saved to fall below zero for the first time since the 1920s. But now the casino has closed for business, and America finds that it has run out of chips. And then there is China. This year its economy will grow by 8 per cent, and with the vast majority of its GDP dependent upon domestic trade, it remains well insulated from the downturn in the global economy. Moreover, earlier this month China joined the World Trade Organisation, a momentous event utterly eclipsed by events in America.

Motivation behind Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Motivation behind Behavior - Essay Example The topics of the course were very diverse. They ranged from an overview of sustainability aspects including engineering perspectives, health, corporate and consumer responsibility to planning, designing, and measuring sustainability. They offered broad knowledge and adequate case studies such as Offshore Wind Farm negotiation that were practical and taught me how to plan and execute negotiations with stakeholders for a sustainable environment (Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005; â€Å"PON at Harvard Law School – Offshore Wind Farm Negotiation,† 2008). Moreover, they also enabled me to understand how to perform an analysis of a project impact. Leadership lessons taught me how to motivate others, identify developing conflicts, and solve them. The Strength Deployment Model taught me to identify positive things from people’s behavior, learn the motivation behind their behavior, and use appropriate language to motivate them towards a sustainable environment (SDI, 2015). Concepts in this lesson helped me understand myself and my roles as a leader in sustainability. It taught me the value of being aware of happenings in the society or the importance of an aspect such as the climatic change to society. Some of the main aims of leadership include actively solving the issue of how to organize the collective effort for optimal outcomes. It also taught me that working with people is challenging and I now know the challenges to expect and what to do to create a motivating environment for everyone to accomplish sustainability measures in society.

Reasons for Re Launching Electric Car †Reva Essay Example for Free

Reasons for Re Launching Electric Car – Reva Essay Introduction : The Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) was founded in 1994 by Chetan Maini, as a joint venture between the Maini Group of Bangalore and Amerigon Electric Vehicle Technologies (AEVT Inc. ) of the USA. The companys sole aim was to develop and produce an affordable compact electric car. Several other automakers were also aiming to do so, but in 2001 RECC launched the REVA Reva, started off with a bang : The first electric car in India and the people behind the car were confident of the success of the car. Plans were set and the forecasting team estimated that 1500 cars would be sold by the end of the first year. Three years after its launch, Reva barely managed to sell a total of 300 cars. Reva was subsequently pulled off Indian markets. On May 26th 2010, Mahindra Group bought a 55. 2% majority stake in Reva and now has plans of relaunching the car in Indian markets. This article explores reasons for the failure of Reva and what should be Mahindra Reva’s Strategy for achieving success in the Indian market. * Reva was positioned as a â€Å"Green, low operating cost car†. The marketing strategy when Reva was first launched mainly concentrated on the car being green and the first of its type in the electric car segment. But this was not enough to create ripples amongst the consumers. * With a small size, easy to drive (no clutch or gear) and slow speed, Reva was targeted at small families, old couples and female drivers. While Reva had a beneficial cost proposition of only Rs. 0. 40 paise per km travelled, it was not a cheap car. Priced at around Rs. 3. 75 lakhs, people would have preferred to purchase a Maruti Zen or an Alto which are within the same price range. The major problem with Reva was that it was perceived to be a low cost car, but it was actually not. Also it was not a car that the rich wanted to buy, as it looked below their league. In one word, Reva, was a total misfit. * Aesthetically, Reva did not appeal to the youth. It was not fast, did not have a high range, had high maintenance problems (100 % charging needed 8 hours) and was not meant for long drives. The small car space and the design made it look like a rather uncomfortable car. People do advocate being green but they are not willing to sacrifice their comfort for it. * The marketing campaign for Reva also was not an aggressive one. The car made news for itself for being the first electric car in the Indian market but no marketing effort was made to create ripples in the customers. The buzz through promotions and advertisements was very low. There was no excitement and curiosity created in the minds of the consumers before the product launch. A research done by me amongst 50 female drivers, 35 elderly people (50+ age) and 20 couples has helped me come up with the following customer value hierarchy for a Car: 1. Core benefit: Takes you from one place to another without an inconvenience. 2. Basic product: Easy to drive, comfortable seats and leg room, high mileage. 3. Expected Product: Safety, does not break down, easy to repair. 4. Augmented Product: Speed, smooth on road, Stylish. 5. Potential Product: Environment friendly. As seen the points bolded in red font are the ones that Reva clearly misses. Not being able to satisfy the core, basic and expected product benefits has been a major miss in the marketing strategy of Reva. If Reva has to be successful it has to first cater to these customer benefits, satisfy them and then only will being environment friendly be a product differentiator. Reva had expected to sell around 1500 cars in its first year itself. After 3 years, Reva managed to sell only about350 odd cars. This is a definite failure in the first innings of Reva. However the fact that it is the only one in the electric car market, a proper marketing strategy can help it become a success. Reva’s Second Innings: A Re-launch Strategy It is not like Green cars are boring and cannot be successful. Take the example of Roadster Tesla an electric car which is the coolest and one of the most aspired cars in the automobile market. So surely there is no reason for Reva to fail if it is marketed in the right way. If the car is able to satisfy the core, basic and expected benefits of its target audience then we have a winner on our hands. In today’s, Global warming era. Being green is in fact the in thing. But just Green Cannot Sell. Reva should market itself on its other facets as well. Consider the slogan below for marketing Reva: Reva: â€Å"Easy to drive, Stylish, Comfortable Car †¦ By the way, we are also Green† The easy to drive attribute is already present in Reva. Reva needs to do slight alterations in its design to make it look more stylish, ergonomically designed for seating and safety needs. As given in the figure above, Reva should look at targeting the growing female car owners. Also it should target the young and old couples, who find the cuteness factor in the car, exciting enough to purchase it. Reva should be promoted as a â€Å"Fun† car to hang out with. Promotions The Reva advertisements should not hire any stars to advertise it. Instead it should look at taking the common office going man, the girl next door, the college couple to brand it. This will ensure that its target audience connect to the advertisement and Reva to a greater extent. The greenness in Reva can be subtly highlighted in the advertisements. The promotion ideas for both print and television advertisements are: 1. The office goer: How because of heavy traffic he used to reach late to office and get reprimanded by his boss. How now Reva has made him reach office in time and get promotions. Catch line: â€Å"Traffic problems. No Problem. Reva is here† 2. The girl next door: How Reva has made her independent. Highlight the ease and comfort of driving the car in the advertisement. Catch line: â€Å"Get Independent. Do The Reva† 3. The lovebirds: A part by part ad series in which an old couple get nostalgic on how they started their love story in a Reva and their memories associated with the Reva car. Highlight the comfort of the Reva car. Catch line: â€Å"Reva getting you closer† Social media promotions – Low cost and high effect. 1. Social gaming applications in which users play a car racing game and get green credits for using the Reva Car. This will help spread the Reva brand virally. 2. Get expert reviews on the Reva car and publish them on the Reva Blog. 3. Have a contest in which users can upload their Reva moment on YouTube. Also upload YouTube videos to show how Reva makes a greener world. 4. Have, â€Å"The Spacious Reva Contest†: Customers try to fit in as many of their friends in a Reva car and upload a picture of it on Facebook. The one with maximum likes would win the contest. 5. Listen to what your customers are saying about Reva, how are they feeling about Reva? Have you managed to create the right buzz? Social media would tell you instantly and help you to do any kind of damage control if necessary. The social media is a good measure on how well your marketing strategy has worked. In conclusion , Reva has already in its â€Å"First Innings†, highlighted its attribute of being a Green Car. The â€Å"Second Innings† strategy that has been mentioned will market Reva as an easy to drive, safe, stylish and comfortable car. Thus satisfying the core, basic and expected needs of its customers which will help the Reva car become a success story. While the Mahindra brand name and its distribution network and capabilities in the Indian market should definitely benefit Reva, in having a successful second innings. The strategy outlined above should help Reva preventing burns and scars the second time round.

Organizations Essay Example for Free

Organizations Essay An organization can be defined as a group of persons or individuals that unite to perform a common task. Each individual within an organization usually has a relatively well-defined job description, so that the group is â€Å"organized† in a way that will ensure that all tasks necessary for the completion of the goal will be covered. Organizational behavior involves applying the behavioral theory of how persons act within groups to the practice of working within organizations. It is the practical application of research done in such disciplines as psychology. The approach taken in organizational behavior is known as â€Å"systems† through which relationships are probed and defined according to the level of organization and the types of individuals that make them up. The human side of organization is directly related to organizational behavior, as it acknowledges the factors such as personality and behavior that may cause different types of managerial strategies to be employed. The personality of the manager may cause him or her to display a certain type of leadership style, while the personalities of employees may make it necessary for the manager to display a different style. Because an organization is made up of humans, it is practically impossible to separate it from the behaviors that are common to humans. Work is an important part of human life. Because people spend so much energy preparing and educating themselves for the jobs they perform, work tends to define the individual. Also, a large portion of any person’s day is spent doing the work from which they derive monetary and other resources. Therefore, work is more than just a means of earning money. It is also a method of channeling one’s creativity and can be the area in which one offers a unique gift to mankind. I, for example, take inventory for a copier company and I enjoy it because it allows the staff of the company to remain organized. My job is also necessary as it allows the managers and owners to have tangible evidence of the company’s health by gauging the speed at which the stock leaves the shelves and goes into the hands of consumers. Finally, it is a fulfilling job because I am able to make sure that customers are satisfied when all the goods they need are there on the shelves. Reference http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadob.html

How Does Culture Impact On International Business Management Essay

How Does Culture Impact On International Business Management Essay Introduction The study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002) examines the effect of dimensions of national and organizational culture differences on the performance of international joint venture (IJV). They used the data from a survey of executives from joint ventures between Indian partners and partners from other counties to do the research. Finally, Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Chen, Park (2002) found that there is a negative effect from culture distance on the performance of international joint venture originates from differences in national culture and differences in organizational culture. Whats more, they found that the presumed negative effect from culture distance on the performance of international joint venture originates more from differences in organizational culture than from differences in national culture. Therefore, from the study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002), we can know that differences in national culture have a negative impact on the performance of international joint venture. Moreover, differences in organizational culture also have a negative impact on the performance of international joint venture. Now, we know that differences in national culture and differences in organizational culture both have a significant impact on the performance of the international business. Differences in culture between partners have a significant impact on the international business. Therefore, it is very important and necessary for the international business people to study and understand how culture impact on the international business. Moreover, Sirmon and Lane (2004) said that when the domain of a social group is closer to the value-creating activities of an alliance, cultural differences between the partners members of that social group will be more disruptive. From Sirmon and Lane (2004), we can know that when cultural differences between the partners are very relevant to the value-creating activities of an alliance, cultural differences will significantly affect the performance of the international business. Therefore, it is very important and worthy to study how the cultural differences between the partners impact the performance of international alliance. Whats more, Sirmon and Lane (2004) found that when the domain of a social group is closer to the value-creating activities of an alliance, organizational culture differences between the partners members of that social group will be more disruptive than national culture differences. Furthermore, they also found that professional culture is the most relevant t o the value-creating activities of an alliance. Therefore, when the domain of a social group is closer to the value-creating activities of an alliance, the professional culture differences between the partners members of that social group will be the most disruptive. From the study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002) and the study of (Sirmon and Lane, 2004), the culture differences have a significant impact on the international business when the domain of a social group is closer to the value-creating activities of an alliance. This essay will discuss how the culture impact on the international business. Moreover, this essay will discuss how the culture differences impact the international business based on three main readings: (Morrison, 2006, p.168), the study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002) and the study of (Sirmon and Lane, 2004). Section 2 is definition of culture and international business. Section 3 is discussion and analysis of how the culture differences impact the international business. Section 4 is the conclusion and some suggestions. Section 2 Definition of Culture and International business Culture In order to discuss how the culture differences impact the international business, we must understand what culture is first. Culture can be broadly defined as , a learned, shared, compelling, interrelated set of symbols whose meanings provide a set of orientations for members of a society (Terpstra and David, 1991, p.6). From (Morrison, 2006, p.169), we can know that culture has many aspects, for example, value, behavior, beliefs, communication, sport, music and customs. International Business In order to discuss how the culture differences impact the international business, we should also understand what international business is. From (Morrison, 2006, p.5), we know that an international business forms when business activities of a company straddle two or more countries. A global business forms when a company expands to the extent that a large portion of its business is outside its home country (Morrison, 2006, p.6). Salk and Shenkar (2001, p.163) said that International alliances reside at the confluence of different cultures which include national, organizational and occupational cultures. Therefore, it is very important to study and understand how different cultures impact on the international business. Section 3 Discussion and analysis of how the culture differences impact the international business. Pothukuchi et al. (2002) found that partners cultural differences may have more influence on the performance of international alliance as those differences become more directly related to the alliances primary value-creating activities. An international alliances performance is driven by the alliances effectiveness in achieving its primary value-creating activities. Moreover, Harrison et al. (2001) said that resource complementarity between partners of international alliance is often a necessary condition to optimize this value creation. Therefore, in order to share, combine and leverage complementary resources, the partners employees must interact effectively. Many researchers found that national and organizational culture differences between these employees affect their interactions. This means that differences in national and organizational culture have a significant impact on the performance of international business. It is very important and necessary for the international busin ess people to study and understand different national cultures and organizational cultures. (Morrison, 2006, p.168) also said that culture differences can directly impact the success or failure of a project. He also said that achieving a successful outcome will depend on sensitivity to differences in cultures between partners. This means sensitivity to differences in norms of behavior, value systems and languages between the partners will impact the success or failure of a project. Whats more, Trompenaars (1994) also said that for international business, grasping the interacting cultural dynamic between the global and the local is the key to be successful. Therefore, for international business, sensitivity to differences in cultures and grasping the interacting cultural dynamic between the global and the local is very important because culture differences can directly affect the success or failure of a project. Moreover, Sirmon and Lane, (2004) said that cultural differences stems from national, organizational and professional cultures. The differences in national, organizational and professional culture can inhibit international alliance partners employees ability to interact effectively. This essay will discuss how the culture differences affect the international business from three different aspects: national culture, organizational culture, and professional culture. National Culture We know that different countries have different cultures. From (Morrison, 2006, p.172), nations are distinguishable from each other by a shared cultural history, for example, religion, language, or racial identity. Moreover, all these distinguishing characteristics blend into a national culture. Common language, shared religious, shared moral values, shared history, relationship between the individual and group, and attitudes to education are all the elements of national culture. National culture relates primarily to deep-seated values (Hofstede et al., 1990). National culture influences family life, organizational culture, education, and economic and political structures (Morrison, 2006, p.172). Sirmon and Lane, (2004) also said that the influence of national culture is strong and long lasting. Organizations, while they may develop their own specific values and behavior, are also highly influenced by the national culture of their home country (Morrison, 2006, p.202). Moreover, Hofst ede (1991) found that national culture explains 50% of the differences in managers attitudes, beliefs, and values. Albert (1991) said that national culture differences are clearly seen in economic and political systems, educational systems, and other institutions. Therefore, Sirmon and Lane, (2004) said that national culture differences between partners of the international alliance can challenge the development of successful relationships. Park and Ungson (1997) said that these challenges stem partially from the lack of shared norms or values. Moreover, this lack of common understanding may undermine the partners interpretation of each others strategic intent, which is crucial in global markets and partnerships (Hitt et al., 1995). Whats more, Hennart and Zengs (2002) research findings also suggests that differences in national culture can disrupt collaboration and learning between partners of the international alliance. Furthermore, Sirmon and Lane, (2004) said that a lack of shar ed values and norms may reduce effective communication, trust and knowledge sharing in joint ventures. They said that all these problems have been found to lead to lower the performance of the international business. However, differences in national culture can be beneficial. For example, when the managers work with the foreign partners, they will spend more effort on avoiding misunderstandings in international alliances than they would in domestic alliances. In this case, differences in national culture can lead to high-level communication and a more sustained collaboration. Therefore, differences in national culture also have a good and positive impact on the international business. Whats more, Chui et al. (2002) and Gibson (1999) also said that National culture has been shown to impact on major business activities, from capital structure to group performance. Now, we know that differences in national culture have a significant impact on the international business. Therefore, it is very important to study and understand how the national culture impact on the international business. This essay will also discuss how the national culture impact on the international business by discussing and analyzing how language and religions impact on the international business. (1). Languages Common language is an element of national culture. Language is the basic means of communication between people. Language facilitates social interaction and fosters a system of shared values and norms (Morrison, 2006, p.174). If partners of international alliance cannot have common language to communicate, they cannot cooperate and interact because they cannot communicate. Business people cannot do business with the people who speak different languages. Nowadays, the importance of English as a global language extends far beyond the number of native speakers. English as a global language and common language helps people who speak different languages to communicate. English language is an intercultural means of communicating. Business people can use English in their international business activities. Business people now can do business with the people who speak different languages by using English. English helps the business people overcome the problems of intercultural communication in their international business activities. Therefore, having a common language is a very important necessary condition for international business. Today, most of South America is Spanish-speaking, moreover, in recent years Spanish companies have expanded in the region, attracted by a perceived affinity with these markets derived from a common language(Morrison, 2006, p.175-176). Moreover, in a low-context culture, communication is clear and direct, such as America. In a high-context culture, much goes unsaid because ambiguity is the norm and directness is avoided, such as Asian cultures (Morrison, 2006, p.174-175). Difference in language culture will also impact international alliance partners employees communication and inhibit their ability to interact effectively. Therefore, knowing and understanding the partners language culture well is also very important for international business. (2). Religions The system of values and beliefs that characterizes a culture may be embodied in a particular religion (Morrison, 2006, p.179). As well as religious power, religion may exercise considerable political power. It can form a major unifying force in society. In countries where religion is a major element of the cultural environment, sensitivity to local religious beliefs and practices is particularly important in building business relations (Morrison, 2006, p.180). Research has identified over 15,000 distinct religions and religious movements among the worlds population (Barrett, 1997). Therefore, there are many people who have religious beliefs in this world. Knowing the local religious beliefs and the business partners religious beliefs well is very important for the international business. Moreover, many social associations and political parties in many countries are commonly based on religious affiliations. Moreover, these form an essential dimension of the business environment. For example, the growth in membership and influence of large churches in parts of the US impacts on the social and cultural environment of the communities in which they are located. If there is an established religion in a location, a business must take account of its wide ramifications. If there are multiple religions in locations, a business as a good corporate citizen should not discriminate (Morrison, 2006, p.181-182). Knowing the business partners religious beliefs well will help to achieve good outcomes. Do not know the business partners religious beliefs well may lead to the failure of your business. Therefore, we can know that it is particularly important and necessary for the international business to know the business partners local religious beliefs well. Whats more, many aspects of business life are directly (or indirectly) affected by religious beliefs and practices. For example, particular foods that are forbidden such as beef for Hindus; ban or restrictions on consumption of alcoholic drink; religious festivals during which work may be forbidden; clothing requirements; requirement for women and men to be segregated in the work environment in Muslim societies; and the ban on Sunday shopping in some countries (Morrison, 2006, p.187). Organizational Culture From the study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002), we know that the negative effect on the performance of international joint venture originates more from differences in organizational culture than from differences in national culture. Whats more, from the study of (Sirmon and Lane, 2004), we know that when the domain of a social group is closer to the value-creating activities of an alliance, organizational culture differences between the partners members of that social group will be more disruptive than national culture differences. Therefore, from the study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002) and the study of (Sirmon and Lane, 2004), we can know that organization culture has more impact on the international business. Organizational culture is very important for the international business. Therefore, in order to discuss how the culture differences impact the international business, we must understand what organizational culture is. From (Morrison, 2006, p.195), organizational culture or corporate culture, like national culture, focuses on values, norms and behavioral patterns shared by the organization. An organizational culture is one that is deliberately fostered among employees, who may have come to the company from a variety of different cultural background. Characteristics of organizational culture include that, for example, common language, shared terminology, norms of behavior, and dominant values of the organization. Hofstede et al. (1990) said that whereas national culture relates primarily to deep-seated values, organizational culture relates primarily to shared beliefs in organizational practices and processes. Weber et al. (1996) found that different organizational cultures between acquirer and target could decrease top managers positive attitudes toward the merger and decrease their cooperation. Therefore, Sirmon and Lane, (2004) said that organizational culture is very important for the success of mergers and acquisitions. They thought that when the partners have the same organizational culture, satisfaction, learning and effectiveness of interactions will be increased. Therefore, same organizational culture between the partners has positive impact on the success of mergers and acquisitions. Whats more, they also thought that if the partners have different organizational cultures, satisfaction, learning and effectiveness of interactions will be decreased. Moreover, from (Sirmon and Lane, 2004), we know when learning, satisfaction and effectiveness of interactions are decreased, the business processes used to share combine and leverage resources will be inhibited. Sirmon and Lane, (2004) said that it will be more difficult for partners who have different organizational cultures to effectively achieve the primary value-creating activities. Professional culture From (Van Maanen and Barley, 1984; Jordan, 1990 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ºBrown and Duguid, 1991; Lave and Wenger, 1991), we know that professional cultures develop through the socialization. Individuals receive the socialization during their training and occupational education. Then this socialization will be reinforced through the individuals professional experiences and interactions that lead to a broad understanding of how their occupation should be conducted. Moreover, Trice and Beyer (1993) said that professional cultures form as people, who span individual organizations, share a set of norms, values and beliefs related to their occupation. Sirmon and Lanes (2004) research findings suggests that professional culture differences are often the most relevant and salient cultural differences that the interacting employees face, and thus professional culture differences are the most disruptive to the alliances effectiveness in achieving its primary value-creating activities Section 4 Conculsion This essay discussed and analyzed that how the culture impact on the international business. Moreover, this essay discussed how the culture differences impact the international business based on three main readings: (Morrison, 2006, p.168), the study of (Pothukuchi, Damanpour, Choi, Chen, Park, 2002) and the study of (Sirmon and Lane, 2004). After discussing how the culture differences impact the international business, we know that: An international alliances performance is driven by the alliances effectiveness in achieving its primary value-creating activities. Moreover, resource complementarity between partners of international alliance is often a necessary condition to optimize this value creation. In order to share, combine and leverage complementary resources, the partners employees must interact effectively. However, national and organizational culture differences between these employees affect their interactions. Therefore, partners cultural differences may have more influence on the performance of international alliance as those differences become more directly related to the alliances primary value-creating activities. Achieving a successful outcome will depend on sensitivity to differences in cultures between partners. This means sensitivity to differences in norms of behavior, value systems and languages between the partners will impact the success or failure of a project. Therefore, culture differences can directly impact the success or failure of a project. Cultural differences stems from national, organizational and professional cultures. The differences in national, organizational and professional culture can inhibit international alliance partners employees ability to interact effectively. Differences in national culture lead to the lack of shared norms and value. The lack of shared values and norms may reduce effective communication, trust and knowledge sharing in the international business. Moreover, this lack of common understanding may undermine the partners interpretation of each others strategic intent, which is crucial in global markets and partnerships. All these problems have been found to lead to lower the performance of the international business. Therefore, differences in national culture can disrupt collaboration and learning between partners of the international alliance. Differences in national culture may have a negative impact on the performance of the international business. In some circumstance, differences in national culture can lead to high-level communication and a more sustained collaboration between the partners. Differences in national culture also have a good and positive impact on the international business. Therefore, differences in national culture can also be beneficial for the international business. Knowing and understanding the partners language culture well is also very important for international business. In countries where religion is a major element of the cultural environment, sensitivity to local religious beliefs and practices is particularly important in building business relations. When the domain of a social group is closer to the value-creating activities of an alliance, organizational culture differences between the partners members of that social group will be more disruptive than national culture differences. Therefore, the negative effect on the performance of international joint venture originates more from differences in organizational culture than from differences in national culture. Moreover, different organizational cultures between acquirer and target could decrease top managers positive attitudes toward the merger and decrease their cooperation. Organizational culture is very important for the success of mergers and acquisitions. Professional cultures form as people, who span individual organizations, share a set of norms, values and beliefs related to their occupation. Professional culture differences are often the most relevant and salient cultural differences that the interacting employees face, and thus professional culture differences are the most disruptive to the alliances effectiveness in achieving its primary value-creating activities. Some suggestion for the international business which reside at the confluence of different cultures: Morrison, (2006, p.202) said that in the international environment, a polycentric approach will make it easier for the international organization to adapt to the different cultural environments of foreign operations. (Morrison, 2006, p.168) also said that joint ventures is a good way to make international business relationships successful. Whats more, cultures are not fixed and static. Cultures can change. Therefore, organizations should be capable of change as they expand internationally because there are interactions between cultures and growth of international markets and global brands. Albert, M. (1991) Capitalisme contre Capitalisme, Paris: Seuil. Barrett, D. (1997) Annual statistical table on global mission:1997, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 1 (1):24-5. Brown, J.S. and Duguid, P. (1991) Organizational learning and communities of practice: toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation, Organization Science 2(1): 40-57. Chui, A.C.W., Lloyd, A.E. and Kwok, C.C.Y. (2002) The determination of capital structure: is national culture a missing piece to the puzzle? Journal of International Business Studies 33(1): 99-127. Gibson, C.B. (1999) Do they do what they believe they can? Group-efficacy beliefs and group performance across tasks and cultures, Academy of Management Journal 42(2): 138-152. Harrison, J.S., Hitt, M.A., Hoskisson, R.E. and Ireland, R.D. (2001) Resource complementary in business combinations: extending the logic to organizational alliances, Journal of Management 27: 679-690. Hennart, J.-F. and Zeng, M. (2002) Cross-cultural differences and joint venture longevity, Journal of International Business Studies 33(4): 699-716. Hitt, M.A., Tyler, B.B., Hardee, C. and Park, D. (1995) Understanding strategic intent in the global marketplace, Academy of Management Executive9 (2): 12-19. Hofstede, G. (1991) Cultures, Organizations: Software of the Mind, London: McGraw-Hill Hofstede, G., Neuijen, B., Ohayv, D.D. and Sanders, G. (1990) Measuring organizational cultures: a qualitative and quantitative study across twenty cases, Administrative Science Quarterly 35: 286-316. Jordan, A.T. (1990) Organizational culture and culture change: a case study, Studies in Third World Societies 42: 209-226. Lane, H.W. and Beamish, P.W. (1990) Cross-cultural cooperative behavior in joint ventures in LDCs, Management International Review 30(special issue): 87-102. Lave, j. and Wenger, E. (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lyles, M.A. and Salk, J.E. (1996) Knowledge acquisitions from forging parents in international joint ventures: an empirical examination in the Hungarian context, Journal of International Business Studies 27(5): 877-903. Morrison, J. (2006), The International Business Environment, palgrave macmillan Parkhe, A. (1991) Interfirm diversity, organizational learning, and longevity, Journal of International Business Studies 22(4): 579-601. Park, S.H. and Ungson, G.R. (1997) The effect of national culture, organizational complementarity, and economic motivation on joint venture dissolution, Academy of Management Journal 40(2): 279-307. Pothukuchi, V., Damanpour, F., Choi, J., Chen, C.C. and Park, S.H. (2002) National and organizational culture differences and international joint venture performance, Journal of International Business Studies 33: 243-265. Salk, J.E. and Shenkar, O. (2001) Social identify in an international joint venture: an exploratory case study, Organization Science 12: 161-178. Sirmon, D.G., and Lane, P.J. (2004), A model of cultural differences and international alliance performance, Journal of international Business Studies (2004) 35, 306-319. Terpstra, V. and David, K. (1991) The Cultural Environment of International Business (Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co.). Trice, H.M. and Beyer, J.M. (1993) The Culture of Work Organizations, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Trompenaars, F. (1994) Riding the Waves of Culture (New York: Irwin). Van Maanen, j. and Barley, S.R. (1984) Occupational communities: culture and control in organizations, Research in Organizational Behavior 6: 287-365. Weber, Y., Shenkar, 0. and Raveh, A. (1996) National and corporate culture fit in mergers/acquisitions: an exploratory study, Management Science 42:1215-1227.

truthhod Quest for Truth in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

The Quest for Truth in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is set in Africa's Congo region, and his descriptions of that place are stark yet full of the wonder of discovery as well as the shock that comes from uncovering ugly truths. Conrad was purposefully vague in his setting for Heart of Darkness; he never actually named the destination to which Marlow journeyed. This may be because Heart of Darkness was more an inner journey than a journey between places.   Conrad juxtaposed his protagonist's inward quest with an outward journey through the wilderness of   "dark" Africa. The novel's climax was not comprised of actions, but of moral discoveries and intellectual awakenings.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A stylistic device utilized by Conrad throughout the novel is the highlighting of themes by setting certain symbolic elements in opposition to contrasting symbolic elements. In order to accomplish this, he relied heavily on metaphors. Metaphors only gain meaning, as they are associated in the reader's mind with images or ideas that are beyond the intrinsic meanings of the words themselves (Searl 1979). In reference to the title Heart of Darkness, Ian Watt said " . . . Both of Conrad's nouns are densely charged with physical and moral suggestions; freed from the restrictions of the article, they combine to generate a sense of puzzlement which prepares us for something beyond our usual expectations: if the words do not name what we know, they must be asking us to know what has, as yet, no name" (Watt 1963).   Resonating throughout Heart of Darkness was the contrast between elements, which may be represented as being light, and elements, wh ich may be characterized as being dark. Light carries with it the metaphorical meanings ... ... Cox, C. B. Conrad: Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, and Under Western Eyes. London: Macmillan Education Ltd., 1987. Guetti, James. ‘Heart of Darkness and the Failure of the Imagination’, Sewanee Review LXXIII, No. 3 (Summer 1965), pp. 488-502. Ed. C. B. Cox. Ruthven, K. K. ‘The Savage God: Conrad and Lawrence,’ Critical Quarterly, x, nos 1& 2 (Spring and Summer 1968), pp. 41-6. Ed. C. B. Cox. Street, Brian V. The Savage in Literature. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1975. Thornton, A. P. The Imperial Idea and its Enemies. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985. Watts, Cedric. A Preface to Conrad. Essex: Longman Group UK Limited, 1993.   Wiley, Paul L. Conrad's Measure of Man. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1954. Wynne-Davies, Marion. Ed. The Bloomsbury Guide to English Literature. New York: Prentice Hall General Reference, 1990.

Faded Glory :: essays papers

Faded Glory Hatred between two people who once thought they would spend their entire lives together, the separation of what once was thought of as the perfect family, a financial burden for a person who once considered themselves well off. Divorce is known for its’ power to rip apart even the most picture perfect family. The idea of living alone with no one to wake up to in the morning or no one to share your stories with after a hard days work. In short, divorce can seem like an eternal wreckage of everything a person ever worked for. Quite often, after signing the papers though it’s realized that the high expectations of hatred and loneliness have turned into a new outlook on life. This outlook puts hope and excitement back into a before, mundane life. Those endless nights of yelling and screaming have now been replaced with a peaceful nights sleep that leads to a new day that is even better than the one before. In short, a divorce can seem like a second chance at life. The re are three main areas to illustrate the positive image of divorce: new found happiness, individual freedom, and second chance at love. The first area to illustrate the positive image of divorce, as a second chance at life is ones new found happiness. Now that the worst half has been eliminated, one begins to realize that they have the time to do the things they like to do. No more, â€Å" Honey could you clean the kitchen for me.† or â€Å"Honey could you run to the grocery store for a few things.† Now ones new life consists of, â€Å"Can I get you another beer.† and all you can eat buffets. No longer does the new bachelor have to come home early so he can get a good nights rest to help provide for his beautiful bride. Nights now consist of hanging out with old friends and telling stories of when they were young and wild. That new car also helps to raise the spirits that the beautiful bride said was too expensive and not economical. In short, the now single guy is a tight- ropewalker without the net. The individual freedom is the second area used to illustrate this positive image as a second chance at life. This means no more waiting thirty minutes for the bride to get beautiful, just to go eat at Wendy’s, or having to stay up all night because she caught a cold.

Sport At School Should Not Be Compulsory :: essays research papers

Sport at school should NOT be compulsory. Sports training and PE take up time that could be better spent learning other subjects, and PE and Sport are not as important as other subjects like maths, science etc. It is also my belief that it students should have the right to choose whether or not we do sport/PE, because we are allowed to choose the subjects that are more important, so why are we not allowed to choose whether or not we do sport?Every year in PE, we do the same sports and the same practice drills, so after year 7, there is no point continuing to do PE, because the you are just doing the same things that you have done in previous years. 2 periods per cycle are spent on PE, 2 periods which could be spent on subjects like foreign languages, which are only allocated 4 periods per cycle or English or Science, which get 5 periods per cycle. These subjects are more important than PE and time the two periods given to PE would be better used if distributed to these subjects.As well as PE, we spent up to 3 hours a week at training and another 3 hours on Saturday for competition. Can you imagine students' academic performances if we were to spent 6 hours a week doing homework or study? And it is not only the actual time you are at training that counts, because often, after training you are tired and cannot be bothered to do homework or study, again dragging down our academic results.If sport was optional, then the people participating in the teams would be the people that wanted to be there, the people who wanted to play and win. But instead, there are people in the teams who are not interested in the sport, not interested in winning and are only there because they have to be. These people drag down the team and ruin the sport for those that want to be there.

The Baader-Meinhof Gang

The Baader-Meinhof or the Red Army Faction (RAF) was a prominent militant outfit of the ‘German Autumn. ’ A terror era that lasted for nearly three decades was marked by the rise and fall of several terrorist organizations. One of the most dreaded of these was the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Originally formed as a revolutionary organization that would put an end to German fascist era, the gang went off-track with its goals and resorted to unlawful activities.At their peak, they had perpetrated numerous acts of terror including bank robbery, kidnapping and murder. They had become so infamous that the German Government labeled them as a terrorist organization. The origin of the Baader-Meinhof can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s when West Germany reeled under a series of terrorist bombings by radical leftists in Augsburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Munich and at American installations in Frankfurt and Heidelburg, and bank robberies and Molotov cocktail attacks on public offices (Christenson 20).Two groups claimed responsibility for the attacks and one of these groups was the June 2nd Movement, which along with the other group was later known as the Baader-Meinhof gang (Christenson 20). A couple of the people involved in these activities were Andreas Baader, the man responsible for the formation of the gang, and his girlfriend Gundrun Ensslin. A prominent journalist who worked for the Konkret – Ulrike Meinhof – had interviewed the two people and justified their deeds, and later joined the gang after helping Baader escape from a jail (Christenson 20).Essaywriters 2 The formal establishment of the RAF or Baader-Meinhof gang was done on 5 June 1970, but the gang’s terrorist acts caught serious attention only since 1974 (Fulbrook 229). The gang, comprising mostly of people who were middle class and well-educated, was formed with the frustration that had crept in to their minds after witnessing their families die in the 1940s (Fulbro ok 229). This was one of the primary reasons given by the gang, which felt that the government’s true, oppressive face has to be brought before the public.As a result, they started attacks on property and also engaged in bank robberies to fund their activities (Fulbrook 229). However, the real threat had begun when they had started to commit murders of popular people like the banker Jurgen Ponto; General State Prosecutor Buback, who they accused of causing the deaths of terrorists – Holger Meins, Siegfried Hauser and Ulrike Meinhof; and employers’ leader Hanns Martin Schleyer (a high-ranked official in SS) (Fulbrook 229). The most prominent of their involvements was in the Munich Olympics Massacre of 1972 (Reeve 37).The Organization The Baader-Meinhof Gang was formed out of the New Left and Extra Parliamentary Opposition student movements that had huge support from the German students in the 1950s and the 1960s, especially against the U. S. war in Vietnam (Tucke r 95). With the passage of time, further student demonstrations took place and on June 2, a university student called Benno Ohnesorg was shot dead by the police, adding fuel to the fire burning in the students’ hearts (Tucker 96). Andreas Baader encouraged student Essaywriters 3activists to overthrow the German Government as it was a part of the corrupt International system and was dominated by the United States (Tucker 96). The real terrorist group was formed after a left-wing lawyer named Horst Mahler suggested the creation of a German urban Guerilla Movement, like the Tupamaros in Uruguay, and engagement in greater violence than arson (Tucker 96). Mahler, along with Baader and Ensslin were the leaders of this small terrorist group. When Baader was arrested after the group was formed in 1970, Ensslin asked Meinhof for help and the journalist helped him escape (Tucker 96).Terror Activities The terrorist gang started its first few attacks on symbols that represented the capit alist system and in 1968, after Baader led left-wing student group Kommune I was released for arson activity, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and two other colleagues placed bombs in two department stores in Frankfurt am Main (Tucker 96). Andreas and his girlfriend, Ensslin, were arrested for the act, but were later released in 1969 (Tucker 96). In the period 1970-1977, the gang targeted a number of government top-ranked officials for assassination.They were successful in this goal when they assassinated prominent individuals like Jurgen Ponto, Prosecutor Buback and Hanns-Martin Schelyer (Fulbrook 229). Schleyer’s body was dumped inside the boot of a car after a hijack attempt by the gang was stopped by Federal Border Police in Mogadishu (Fulbrook 229). The hijack had been planned to force the government to release the gang’s top leaders Baader, Raspin and Ensslin. When Holger Meins, one of the people arrested in 1972, died Essaywriters 4of a hunger strike, the group ki lled Judge Gunter Von Drenkkman in response (Christenson 21). When police arrested many supporters of leftist terrorist organizations in connection with this incident, the June 2nd group kidnapped West Berlin mayoral candidate Peter Lorenz and demanded the release of five convicted people, and in March, another group bombed the Paris office of West German publisher Axel Springer demanding the release and pardon of Baarden-Meinhof group’s members (Christenson 21).In another incident in April 1975, six guerillas killed three people and took 12 hostages in the West German Embassy in Stockholm demanding the release of the gang and when the government refused, they killed two diplomats and set the embassy on fire (Christenson 21). Main People in the Group Andreas Baader The most prominent name in the Baader-Meinhof gang is Andreas Baader and the group was named after him. Baader was attracted to the leftist-student movement and he was one of the people responsible for the bombing of a Frankfurt department store in 1968. He was a criminal even before his involvement in the Baader-Meinhof gang.He was arrested for the department store bombing, but was released. He was arrested a second time in 1970, when Ulrike Meinhof helped him escape through the library outside his prison. After the escape, he had spent some time in Jordan in a militant training camp. After he returned to Germany, he was involved in many bank robberies and bombing activities from 1970-1972. In June 1972, Baader and other members Jan-Carl Raspe, Essaywriters 5 Holger Meins and Gudrun Ensslin were arrested and they were tried till 1977. Baader had committed suicide in October 1977 inside the prison cell. Ulrike MeinhofUlrike Meinhof was not a part of the group from the beginning. She was a sympathizing journalist who helped Baader escape from jail. Along with Baader and other prominent people, she became a part of the Baader-Meinhof gang. On May 9, 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found hanging from t he ceiling of her prison cell in Stuttgart-Stammheim. Gudrun Ensslin Although the group was partly named after Ulrike, the gang’s main female leader was Ensslin, who was also the girlfriend of Baader. She had participated in many student protests in the 1960s. Ensslin had assisted Baader in many terror activities.She was also found dead with Baader and Raspe in the prison cell in 1977. Horst Mahler Horst Mahler was also one of the founding members of the Baader-Meinhof gang. He was formerly a left-wing militant. He was later kicked out of the gang. Jan-Carl Raspe Jan-Carl Raspe was one of the early members of the gang. He was arrested along with Baader and the rest. He was also found dead in the prison with others in 1977. Essaywriters 6 The Diffusion of the Group Although the government believed that the Baader-Meinhof gang stopped functioning after the death of its main leaders, the group continued to function till 1998.The media company Reuters had received a message in 19 98 that formally announced that the gang had been dissolved. It was the end of the ‘German Autumn. ’ Essaywriters 7 Works Cited Christenson, Ron. â€Å"Political Trials in History: From Antiquity to the Present† (1991): 20-23 Fulbrook, Mary. â€Å"History of Germany, 1918-2000: The Divided Nation† (2002): p. 229 Reeve, Simon. â€Å"One Day in September† (2000): 37 Tucker, Jonathan. B. â€Å"Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons† (2000): 95-96

Hollywood Musical Essay

The Hollywood provides different musical compositions that somehow affected the genres of musical films and the trends of musical preferences within the society. Even with the same musical movie genre, certain marked up evolution can be noticed excelling from Singing in the Rain in 1952 and the latest Hairspray last 2007. The trends of musicality, trends of conservatism to modernistic musical play, and the symbolisms of society present have greatly expanded in different perspectives, such as classical to pop musicale, rock to rap music, conservative fashion to less detailed professional look, etc. Much has been changed and shifted as depicted through the movies of Singing in the Rain (1952), West Side Story (1961), Godspell (1973), Fame (1980) and Hairspray (2007); hence, these movies are considered as the main focal points of the discussion. The aim of the study is to compare and contrast each of the genre presented in all of these musical movies. Furthermore, the study considers the mutual influence that occurred between these movies and the governing trends in society during the year of its making. Discussion Hollywood Musical Progress Hollywood musicals have always incurred popular support from various classes within the society, and these movies have undeniably influenced the statements and trends present in the society. Meanwhile, some of these movies, such as hairspray (racism), have obtained its plot from the current social issues manifesting in the society. Starting with the musical of Gene Kelly’s Singing in the Rain in 1952, the basic trends that can be obtained relates to the rise of showbiz careers by the protagonist (Don Lockwood portrayed by Gene Kelly) of the story, while the antagonist (Lina Lamont as Jean Hagen) sabotages the success of Lockwood’s musical career (Green and Schmidt, 1999 p. 70). The character of the movie can be inclined mainly in a 1950s setup wherein conservativism evidently exists in the characters’ portrayals (deep wordings with lesser use of slang), clothing (overly formal suits from 1950s), and the concept of the play, which somehow considers the trends of stardom in issues of musical entertainment in 1950s. Meanwhile, the genre of West Side story (1961) has obtained similar features with the latter musicale only in terms of romanticism played in a contemporary setting; however, the overall concept has been revolutionized into a somewhat modernized issue of society, which has been gangsters and dance crazes (Green and Schmidt, 1999 p. 233). The movie portrays the evident trends occurring within the society in terms of the group deviancies, gang wars, and peer organizations that has been blended with the context of love at first site (Richard Beymer as Tony and Natalie Wood as Maria). The movie provides the distinction on how youth moves in early relationships and seeks peer influences rather familial presence. The next movie is Godspell in 1973 can be considered in musical genre about religious and practical life issues. From the title of the movie itself, Godspell depicts the characteristics of Christian evangelism, which has occurred greatly during 1970s under the promulgations of different famous religious preachers, Benny Hinn, Don Moen, etc. The musical of Godspell somewhat provides the theme of Christian messing forms wherein they employed less choreography, incorporated distinct teachings of Christ Jesus, and the return of the youth to church fellowships (Burridge and Gould, 2004 p. 4). On the other hand, the religious context of the film provides an enigmatic way of messaging the society about Christian orthodox and the need to unite. Most significantly, it is during 1970s when the historical triggers of Middle East Wars, racial discriminations, industrial revolution and various conflicts within the society are all present; hence, the play utilizes religion and has shown the reverting of youth from rebellious perspective to an evangelical concept. Meanwhile, Fame in 1980 has provided a unique and a total diversion of theme from the last three socially oriented movies. Fame considers the modern movement of arts and place of youth in the society, which is a total diversion from the earlier genre of romanticism and conservativism (LoBrutto, 2002 p. 22). This movie somehow illustrates similarities with Hairspray (2007) since this musical uses a classical setting in 1950s to 1970s but utilizes the concept of modern entertainment similarly seen in the movie Fame. The social impacts of the last two movies involve concept of â€Å"new wave†, wherein the creative and modernistic means of musical is presented with less incorporation of serious social issues, but rather focusing on personal precepts. Conclusion Evidently, the five films presented in the discussion have shown evolution of genre from classical to modernistic or new wave categories. These involves the depiction or illustration of society’s condition, such as the first three films that based their plot in the occurring societal issues, and shifting or modification of themes, such as the ones viewed in Hairspray and Fame. The changes and shifts within Hollywood musical have always considered the trends present within the society.