Organizational Behavior and Communication in the Walt Disney Company

This paper focuses on the organizational behavior and communication within the Walt Disney Company. This piece contains a discussion on The Disney Company’s philosophy, mission statement, vision statement and values and its affect on organizational behavior and communication. The Disney Company is an international organization in which communication role plays an important part in the organizations’ perception and organizational culture. The Company supports its values through its actions and communications among and within cast members (employees) as well as the general public. The Walt Disney Company â€Å"started with a mouse† a favorite comment made by Walt himself as he looked back at the humble beginnings of his organization. The Company’s philosophy, mission statement, vision statement and values come directly from The Company’s annual report (2010). The Company’s philosophy is taken directly from Walt Disney himself where â€Å"every child is born with a vivid imagination† which became the foundation for animated sequences of fantasy, visits to the depths of the ocean and dreams of flight into Space. The Company’s mission statement is â€Å"to be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world. † The vision statement reads â€Å"The Walt Disney Company is to be the preeminent leader in the field of family entertainment. The Company values are Innovation, quality through high standards of excellence and maintain quality standards for all product categories; Community to create a positive and inclusive idea about families and provide entertainment experiences for all generations to share. Every product will tell a story and will be timeless and engaging to inspire and delight; Optimism which focuses on hope, aspiration and have positive resolutions and Decency where the company honors and respects the trust people place in the Company and provide an atmosphere to create fun and to laugh at experiences and themselves. Communication plays a crucial role in perception and organizational culture within The Disney Company. A significant part of communication lays the question of trust between people receiving information and those giving information. Thomas, Zolin & Hartman, 2009 discussed the capability of trust and communication improving organizational concerns relating to employee participation and job performance. Open communication is a factor relating to interpersonal trust. If employees cannot trust supervisors then employees hesitate to work towards organizational goals. When companies exhibit openness, it promotes the organizations’ commitment to it culture and values (DeRidder, 2004). Being a global company, Disney employs people with diverse backgrounds and nationalities and being unable to communicate and work together can create problems. The Company aligns its communication style with its culture and values through the use of storytelling. Using a method called the â€Å"Grandparents Story†, Murray Nossel teaches employees of global companies how to listen and communicate with each other (O’Connor, 2010). Nossel says the use of storytelling brings people together because everyone has a Grandparent story and key to the method is not the story itself, but people listening (O’Connor). Barker and Gower (2010) recognized storytelling as a person’s ability to establish a common ground and social relationships. By creating a picture through stories, organizations are able to represent personal, interpersonal and corporate perspectives on a social level (Barker and Gower). A noteworthy part of communication is dealing with and resolving conflict. The Disney Company faced significant communication conflicts with Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris) in France. Instead of listening, assimilating and communicating with the French people and their culture, The Disney Company dictated how the park would be set-up, prices to charge and create another â€Å"America† in France. According to France, everything had to be â€Å"the Disney way† and the French and their culture were pushed aside adding to a hostile environment (Spencer, 1995). The Company should have formed a group with French and American members to work out conflicts because the opinions of the members create discussions establishing an improved detailed method rather than a singular perspective (Jehn and Mannix, 2001). To improve communication with and among groups, The Company should follow the methods of recently acquired Pixar Company. The people at Pixar have the freedom to communicate with anyone in a â€Å"safe† environment to offer ideas and criticism with explanations from anyone at any level in the organization. The leadership at Pixar explains that creativity is behind the company’s success and having an open communication format is the basis of the company culture (Catmull, 2008). Disney’s espoused values align with its enacted values. The Disney Company focuses on the customer and their experiences and even created a new term called â€Å"guestology† (Innovation value). The term applies to the importance Disney puts on understanding their customers. Disney measures the amount of time a customer has to wait, the number of acceptable drops on the ride Tower of Terror† and what prices guests are willing to pay before becoming unhappy (Quality, Every product telling a story and Optimism values) (Ford and Heaton, 2001). According to Ford and Heaton, the organizational culture of The Disney Company guides and directs employees on how to handle situations using honor and respect that may not appear during formal training (Optimism value). Disney cast members (employees) are empowered to make decisions or perform reasonable actions to satisfy guests (Decency value). According to Michael Griffin, Vice President of communications for Walt Disney World, when it comes to communication, Disney disseminates in writing the same information to cast members as it does to the general public. When it comes to information not in writing, team leaders are informed and they in turn verbally inform their members. According to Griffin, the company does everything to protect the brand (Elsasser, 2009). As the Walt Disney Company grew through the innovative efforts of artists and technology, the Company maintains its philosophy of creating with the vivid imagination of a child. As the company grew to international status through movies, amusement parks and Broadway productions, the company continues to maintain its dedication to providing innovative, quality entertainment for all members of the family. The Disney Company communicates its corporate values which are infused in the organizational culture, instilled in employee training and acted upon with honor and respect to the customer.

Carbon footprint

Simply operating a business solely on the objective of earning a profit can potentially come back to bite you in the end. There are true cost and risk associated with the way we do business. Some companies operate with the mindset they can do whatever they want right now. â€Å"I'll be gone† or â€Å"You'll be gone† when the bill comes due (Friedman, 2009). In respect to our future generation that effect Is going to be global climate change. We will begin to see increased health risks, decline in fresh water, rising sea levels, displaced people. Companies will see effects related to agriculture, tourism, and Insurance related costs.The potential outcome of global climate change can be compared to the collapse of GIG. Alga failed because they discounted to zero the very small, remote risk of simultaneous defaults in their investment or insurance portfolios (Friedman, 2009). The risk in fact was probably less than one percent, perhaps a great deal less – but it hap pened nonetheless (Friedman, 2009). In this case Alga had the benefit of being bailed out by the government. Our planet is not so lucky and will have to be offset by he way this generation and future generations conduct business.One way In which a business can strive to become more green is by setting a goal to become carbon neutral by a specified date. This could be added to their Nilsson statement and be clearly defined, measurable, and executable (Adulators, 2011). Evaluation of their strategic planning process is also necessary. In a rapidly changing environment the steps of the planning process can be going on simultaneously. For example the cost and risk of developing a new product have to be evaluated ecologically, competitively, economically, socially, politically, and legally.A company in the pursuit of more sustainable products can help benefit the environment and the companies bottom-line. McDonald's in an attempt to address waste management switched to a new wrapper that was less bulky, cheaper, required less energy to produce, and discharged less pollution (Adulators, 2011). This strategy helped reduce waste and pollution while simultaneously lowering McDonald's production costs (Adulators, 2011). Some companies are already operating in a lean state, but are still leaving a carbon ND employee car-pooling can be promoted throughout the organization.Also companies can reduce their footprint by purchasing carbon offsets. These can be geared toward reforestation, methane digester, or wind farms for example. The fact of the matter is that a change needs to begin now. The consequences of taking no action are fare too great. We can take a page out of Denmark book. They made it a priority in 1985 to focus on energy efficiencies and renewable energy. Sixteen percent of their total energy consumption comes from wind and solar, this reared a whole new export industry (Friedman, 2009).Today Denmark does not rely at all on energy from the Middle East. A world off sustainable environment is a world of freedom. If climate change and environmental degradation ever get the better of our planet we will have to ration where we live, how we live, and how much we can use (Friedman, 2009). Now is the time to start reducing our carbon footprint. Astronomical Adulators, R (2011). Green Marketing Management. Mason: South-Western Coinage Learning. Friedman, T, L (2009). Hot, Flat, and Crowded. New York: Picador

What Are the Problems with the Uk’s Party System, and How Might They Be Resolved?

What are the problems with the UK’s party system, and how might they be resolved? This essay will analyse the challenges and problems UK party system is facing. The essay will look into public apathy and mistrust, resulting in low party membership and low electoral participation. The main argument is that political parties do not have strong enough incentives to connect with voters. Proposals to resolve these problems will be changing electoral system, further limiting donations to the political parties and banning their trade activities, forcing more ideological changes and showing strong real actions to ignite the political debates. As we all know, UK political system is dominated by main two political parties, Labour and Conservatives. Historically, most of the elections, apart from few exceptions, resulted in one party forming the government whilst other party being in opposition. Throughout the history, British political parties enjoyed large memberships and enthusiastic support from all sections of population during the elections. Voters were more politically aware and active in political life. British Election Study’s survey in 1964 showed that three quarters of population had strong or fair affiliation with a political party (Pattie & Johnston, 2007, p. ). In 1950’s Labour had 1 million members while conservatives had 2,800,000 (Fieschi, 2006, p. 143) However, political parties lost the trust and support of public. Membership of parties is at all-time low. According to the recent study, only 2 percent of voters in the UK are party members (Beetham, Blick, Margets, & Weir, 2008, p. 42). People abstain from voting in general elections, the trend observed especially amongst young voters. Pressure groups and lobbyists are gaining more influence and political parties are increasingly getting disconnected from the general public. Latest MP’s expenses scandal dramatically reduced the trust in politicians. The trend is not unique to Britain. Other European states observe the same decline in public participation. Therefore, many analysts declared that the age of mass party membership is over (Beetham, Blick, Margets, & Weir, 2008, p. 42). But what are the reasons that the political parties lost the trust of public? It is not true that people are not interested in politics anymore. Mass mobilisation of cross-party protests against the war in Iraq is the biggest example that politics still plays important part in public’s life. Almost all of the works and researches done on the subject of declining of party politics agree on one thing- the electoral system in the UK and subsequent â€Å"two party† system that results from it is the main obstacle for parties to engage with public. The argument is, political parties only concentrate on swing voters and taking the â€Å"safe votes† for granted (Pattie & Johnston, 2007, p. 7). However, Britain always had a two party system with FPTP. So, why parties did not concentrate on marginal swing voter areas before? The explanation given by commentators is that Britain used to be divided into two poles: conservative traditionalists and labour working class. But now, most of the population is more or less â€Å"middle class† and have moved to the centre (Garner & Kelly, 1998, pp. 255-256). Therefore, people have marginalised their party or ideological identities. This argument does not hold ground, as although political parties reformed greatly, the membership of both parties still declined. â€Å"But this is because voters don’t see the difference between parties and are confused† the critics say. But, is it not exactly what the two political parties used to be; having two distinct ideologies? Yet, membership is declining in both cases. So, one might think that it is inevitable for party membership and influence to diminish on the face of social developments in the UK. However, there is another explanation. Commentators are right to point out to parties only concentrating on swing voters. However, while before, party largely depended on their grass-root support and mass membership, political leaders tried to be â€Å"independent† from their supporters. Many laws were passed amid the opposition of most of the party members. Even the reforms of the Conservatives under William Hague could not produce effective â€Å"democratisation† of the party. Today, both parties are still centralised. Parties just don’t need the support of their members anymore, as parties can only focus on minority of voters and still win the elections. The argument of inevitability of party support declining in the face of rising middle class is also weak. Labour party did manage to almost double its membership in 1997 with the drive to recruit more members (Whiteley, 2009, p. 249). However, once Labour came to power, party became more preoccupied with â€Å"governing†, and disregarded grassroots party (Whiteley, 2009, p. 249). The conclusion from above analysis is that, given the right incentives, parties are able to recruit members. But political parties are more concerned with winning elections and holding office, and not concentrating on representing the people (Copus, Clark, Reynaert, & Steyvers, 2008, p. 6). But how could political parties do it? Do they not depend on members and supporters at least financially to survive? Well, this brings us to the second issue-the party funding. It is only natural that parties did suffer financially with the decline in membership. However, all of the major parties managed to find wealthy donors to compensate for the loss (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 196). Apart from that, political parties have found ways of generating money through trade, although at the moment it constitutes only minority of their budget (Granik, 2005). The issue of party funding through wealthy individuals have been and still remains a controversy. The funding scandals in both main political parties triggered the need to review their funding and expenditure. Following Neill Committee report, drastic changes were introduced, including declaration of donations over ? 5,000, banning the donations from foreign donors, capping the spending in general elections at ? 20 million and controls over spending on referendum campaigns (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 196). Even before Neill Committee report, in 1976 and 1981 Houghton and Hansard Society reports respectively, proposed political parties being state funded (Garner & Kelly, 1998, p. 202). No action was taken by ruling Labour on Houghton report and Conservatives rejected Hansard Society report (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 96). Proponents of the state funding claim that parties, like military or police are vital public bodies, therefore they need to be subsidised by taxpayer. It will also remove the reliance on donors, thus removing the undesired influence (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 197). However, those arguments are weak. Although, it is true that the state funding might reduce the dependence on donors, it also removes the incentives for parties to recruit more members, thus stopping them further from engaging the people during inter-election times. Provided the public trust in political parties and politicians being record low, it will further raise the suspicions of the public, especially after the expenses scandal. The solution is not state funding, but limiting donations even further. Large donations from interested businesses and individuals should not be just declared, but banned altogether. Parties should be forced to, once again, rely on their members for funding. The claim that political parties are public bodies is untrue. They are voluntary bodies. Political parties are only good if they are fit for purpose, i. e. eing a link between a government and public. When they are successful in this task, they gain trust of public and their membership will soar. This automatically will solve their funding problems. Coming back to the issue of electoral system, most of the public agree that the FPTP is the most unjust type of representative system available. It is made worse by current decline in party allegiance among the popu lation. FPTP is also unfair to smaller parties. While major parties get disproportionately large amount of seats to the votes they received, for smaller parties it works the other way around. A more proportionally representative voting system will result in more parties competing in general elections, with new parties created to contest the elections. This competition will not only motivate parties to engage with public, as noted earlier, but also make people more politically active during the elections. Supporters of FPTP system say that it provides strong and effective government, while PR system likely to produce hanged parliaments and unstable coalitions. But political parties themselves are coalitions of many views, that’s why public is faced with non stopping rifts within the parties. Furthermore, coalitions can be persuaded to work with each other successfully, as it is the case in many European countries. Initially, labour government were committed to electoral reforms, with the promise of referendum on the issue in 1997 manifesto. A decade later, 2007 government green paper on constitutional reform had only one line, informing that electoral reform is still under revision (Brown & Straw, 2007, p. 46). This uncertainty and not delivering promises further alienates voters. â€Å"In 2009 Britain, a frighteningly large proportion of UK voters feel effectively disenfranchised† says John Ward of Guardian (Ward, 2009). One of his proposed solution to representation problem is reducing the power of party whips. He says that reduction of power of whips â€Å"†¦ is absolutely essential if backbench idleness, disillusionment and cynicism are to be curbed – and the executive controlled. Those few still in touch – the likes of Kate Hoey, David Davis, Dennis Skinner and Graham Brady – are popular because they understand widespread concerns (respectively) about rural life, personal liberty, uncompromising values and educational aspiration† (Whiteley, 2009). Problem of parties being too strict is actually good for their discipline. However, over the years one sees that the whip system is been abused to great extends, thus taking away the independence of politicians. There is a problem of people lacking political information. People lacking the political information are less likely to participate in politics. In 2006 Joseph Rowntree Trust’s â€Å"Power Report† was published, where the issue was identified amongst many others. In the report, the solution proposed was â€Å"The citizenship curriculum should be shorter, more practical and result in a qualification. † (Power Report, 2006, p. 204). As Power report admits, the curriculum has many flaws. It is unlikely that curriculum makes any significant impact on young people’s political participation. Therefore, political parties themselves should engage in educational activities. They should hold more meetings and rallies, explaining people why to vote and why to vote for them. Political parties should re-think their methods of appealing to public. Emphasis should be given to enlarging their membership and engaging with public. Rather than being a vote-calculating machines, they have to re-establish their clear ideological stands. Public disillusion with what they are voting fore can only be resolved with party philosophies and ideologies being distinct. They also have to find the ways of re-gaining public trust. For that, they need more action rather than words. Radicalism is missing in modern day politics. Mass rallies, public speeches are being replaced by appearances on mass media and point scoring PR campaigns. Of course, all the symptoms mentioned above are interconnected, so it would be wrong to analyse each separately and come to a negative conclusion. But we believe that old-fashioned traditional politics can work if politicians commit themselves more. If parties reform, they make their positions stronger, with respect and trust vested in them by public. Failure to reform will eventually lead to their doom. Bibliography Beetham, D. , Blick, A. , Margets, H. , & Weir, S. (2008, February). Power and Participation in Modern Britain. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Democratic Audit: http://www. democraticaudit. org/download/PP_lowres. pdf Brown, G. , & Straw, J. (2007, July). The Governance of Britain (CM 7170, Green Paper on constitutional reforms. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Official-Documents: http://www. official-documents. gov. k/document/cm71/7170/7170. pdf Copus, C. , Clark, A. , Reynaert, H. , & Steyvers, K. (2008). Minor Party and Independent Politics beyond the Mainstream: Fluctuating Fortunes but a Permanent Presence. Parliamentary Affairs , 62:1, 4-18. Fieschi, C. (2006). How British Parties Lost Our Favour. Parliamentary Affairs , 60:1, 143-152. Garner, R. , & Kelly, R. (1998). British political parties today (2 ed . ). Manchester: Manchester University Press. Granik, S. (2005). Invisible Business: The Unregulated World of Political Party Commerce. Politics , 25:2, 89-98. Jones, B. , Kavanagh, D. , Moran, M. & Norton, P. (2007). Politics UK (6 ed. ). Harlow, New York: Pearson Education. Mehdi, H. (2009, September 29). Do politicians matter? Retrieved November 15, 2009, from Guardian: http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/29/labour-conference-politicians-least-trusted Pattie, C. , & Johnston, R. (2007). Power to the People through â€Å"Real Power and True Elections†? The Power Report and Revitalising British Democracy. Parliamentary Affairs , 60:2, 1-26. Report, P. (2006). Power to the People. York: Power Enquiry. Ward, J. (2009, October 16). MPs have forgotten how to represent us. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Guardian: http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/16/mps-representation-constitutional-reform Whiteley, P. (2009). Where Have All the Members Gone? The Dynamics of Party Membership in Britain. Parliamentary Affairs , 62 :2, 242-257. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. This year’s Ipsos Mori poll suggests that the politicians are the least trusted group of professionals, with only 13% of public trusting them. This is the lowest percentage politicians received in this poll in 26 years (Mehdi, 2009). [ 2 ]. For example Labour abandoning clause 4 and â€Å"modernising† the party [ 3 ]. Interesting to note that, although Conservative party was always associated with rich class and electorate dominated by working class, the party was always able to win the elections, gaining at least a third of working class. Especially during inter war periods; Conservatives were the most favourite party in inter-war period [ (Garner & Kelly, 1998, p. 56) ]. This reinforces our thesis that different ideologies could be overcome by concentrating in recruiting more grassroots party members. [ 4 ]. For example, Poll Tax of Conservatives, war in Iraq, 5 ]. The newly created â€Å"policy forum† to discuss the policies and national party conventions are only advisory and it became harder to challenge the leadership of the Conservative party (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 287). [ 6 ]. Under this system, most of the votes are wasted. As we have observed before, parties take â€Å"safe seats† for granted and only campaign in â€Å"swing† constituencies. Public, on the other hand, knowing that their vote would not make a difference, abstain from voting. [ 7 ]. Evidence suggests that more competitive the elections, more people cast their vote (Pattie & Johnston, 2007, pp. 5-7).

Business Enterprise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Enterprise - Essay Example â€Å"A business model describes the rational of how an organization creates, delivers and captures value† (Osterwalder & Pignuer, 2009). A business model canvas is a visual chart. The elements in the chart will describe the firm’s value proposition, infrastructure, customers and finances. It describes its elements through the building blocks. Key partners as well as key suppliers have to be included in this part of the model. For the success of the site Spotify needs a good deal with the related parties like the recording company. Another key partner is Facebook. All the account holders of Facebook have an opportunity to deal with Spotify. Key resources are required to offer the value proposition to the customers; or deliver what the customers want. Key resources can be â€Å"physical, intellectual, human and financial resources† (Osterwalder & Pignuer, 2010). The key resource for this company is music. Since, it has to make available all music to the entire world, so the music license has to be obtained. A server is also required to reach the customer. Value proposition is something which the company is giving to its customers. In other words, the factors which are forcing the customer to buy the products of the company are termed as the value proposition of the company. Here, the value proposition is between the listeners and the advertisers. The value proposition for the listeners is that, it offers a large amount of music for least cost. And the site is legally registered. The songs can be listened through a smartphone and can be listened offline too. Another offer is that we can share songs. For the advertisers, the site is making a platform to advertise their products and services. In the current context, customer is considered as a king. Companies are required to give what the customers want. In service industries also, the company have to keep in

Unemployment In UK and Effect of a Wage Increase Essay

Unemployment In UK and Effect of a Wage Increase - Essay Example Unemployment In UK and Effect of a Wage Increase In general, a minimum wage rate sets the price of hourly labour at a level that defies the ability of the market forces to determine the price of hourly labour. The legislated minimum wage, of course, is not set below the equilibrium wage rate or the wage rate in which the demand for labour is equal to the quantity of labour supplied or the hours of labour supplied. Otherwise, there would not be a need for a legislation of a minimum wage rate. Legislation on the minimum wage rate is usually above the equilibrium wage rate. At that level, however, or at the level in which the legislated minimum wage rate is higher than the equilibrium wage rate, the quantity demanded for labour or the number of hours of labour demanded is lower than the quantity of labour supplied or number of hours of labour supplied. Thus, involuntary unemployment takes place. In Baumol and Blinder discussion, the line segment AB represents the employment gap. The work of Mankiw and Gwartney et al. also supports the perspective articulated in Figure 1. Varian pointed out the wage increases can actually increase or decrease the supply of labour but Varian’s view on the matter may not be relevant because the wage increase that we are discussing pertain to the minimum wage. Baumol and Blinder pointed out, however, that research undertaken by economists David Cards and Alan Krueger in early 1992 for New Jersey and Pennsylvania reportedly did not provide support for the perspective reflected in Figure 1 because the New Jersey stores in which wages were higher produced more net hiring than their Pennsylvania counterparts whose wages are lower. Thus, even if Baumol and Blinder (2009, p. 115) articulated a conventional perspective on the impact of legislated minimum wage, the authors called for more studies. In another section of Baumol and Blinder (2009, p. 201-202), the authors viewed that an increase in the nominal increase in nominal wage at current prices lead to a leftward shift in the ag gregate supply curve. This is because the marginal costs for output will increase with an increase in the minimum wage. Baumol and Blinder (2009), however, did not clarify if the economic model represented in Figure 2 will also apply to a vertical aggregate supply curve but it seems appropriate to view that it is probably the case. Thus, it is possible that a net effect of an increase in the minimum hourly wage for labour above 21 years old will be to contract the economy, assuming that increasing the minimum wage for above 21 years old will have a net effect of increasing the overall minimum hourly wage. In addition, if the Baumol and Blinder perspective (2009, p. 201-202) applies, the increase in hourly minimum wage (assuming the increase in minimum wage for labour above 21 years old will have that effect), will also lead to an increase in the price level. Of course, we are assuming here that aggregate demand is unchanged. The current world crisis has probably shifted the aggregat e demand to the left and, thus, it is more likely that the contraction will not be associated to a significant increase in prices. Figure 2. Nominal wage and the aggregate supply curve Baumol and Blinde

Real Estate Price Volatility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Real Estate Price Volatility - Research Paper Example In this context, the present paper attempts to discuss about one of the early developed models that is still prevalent in the present economic scenario. The model was developed by R. Engle in 1982, which came to be known as Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (ARCH). The paper also attempts to through lights on how effective is the model in the present real estate climate in the United States of America with particular reference to California. The paper takes an analytical approach wherein the model is suggested with a brief explanation of its application, merits and demerits. The various stakeholders (participants) in the real estate market comprising of real estate investors, banks, non-bank financial institutions, portfolio managers have always been curious to predict the local housing prices. Naturally, they have always encouraged the attempts to evolve mathematical models that can prevent the losses and chaos from the volatility of real estate prices. Parties who are also interested in housing prices estimating models include managers of banks, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), and homebuilding companies. Prior models have tried to incorporate many of the macroeconomic variables including the bubbles and crashes in the stock market. Experts such as Alan Stockman and Tesar Linda, Lane Philip and Girouard N and Bl'ndal have described the housing price behavior from a dynamic general equilibrium point of view (Stockman and Tesar, 1995, Girouard and Bl'ndal, 2001 and Lane, 2001). Studies undertaken by Driffill John and Sola Martin explored the model in the context of market bubbles (Driffill and Sola 1998). Attempts have also been done to evolve a model that incorporate the interaction of an array of variables such as transactions in the real estate sector, changes in the demography of participants, and macro factors comprising of diversity in the income distribution and changes in the economic activity as a whole. For example, Francois Ortalo-Magne and Rady Sven have studied these aspects through a significant research (Ortalo-Magne and Rady 1998, 1999, 2003a and 2003b). Economic Analysis The model developed by R. Engle in 1982 is found relevant in the present scenario where traditional models that describe variables such as location factors, structural variables and floor area and income are no longer valid (Engle 1982). This model was coined as Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (ARCH). The basic contention of this model is that housing price prediction should take care of time-varying volatility and studied through time series analysis. The Model The ARCH model was developed using mathematical and statistical notations and theories. For a better understanding of the model, the ARCH process consisting of conditional mean process and a conditional variance process will have to be known. The conditional mean process is developed in conformity to the standard Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) equation (Engle 1982). Where, Rt is the return on average home prices on a monthly basis, e, and s2 are constants. Through this model, Engle try to analyze and incorporate the pricing behavior with two

Generational contrast & comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Generational contrast & comparison - Essay Example Two consecutive generations, known as the Baby Boomers and Generation X, clearly fit this model. They are well defined by society, culture, economics, and history. Society retains the qualities of one generation to the next as traditions and social norms are passed from parent to child, but there are also new and striking differences. In the case of the Baby Boomers and generation X, the differences are fueled by history, socialization, and the exposure to a rapidly changing world. This research will be conducted to determine where the differences are between the Baby Boomer generation and the age group known as generation X. More importantly, it will critically assess why there is a difference and evaluate the forces that created their different values and social interactions. The research is an important method to gain a deeper insight into our society and its mechanisms of enculturation. In addition, it has a commercial value to marketing departments, product developers, managers, or political campaigns who wish to exploit the underlying differences between generations. Understanding how different age groups interact with each other is critical to developing modern management strategies. It is interesting to note that this research is being conducted during a national political campaign where the three major candidates are from different generations. John McCain was born during the depression and Hillary Clinton is a Baby Boomer. Though Barak Obama technica lly fits into the Baby Boomer demographic, he was born in 1961 and as such exhibits many of the traits and characteristics associated with Generation X. They are an ideal group that can be used for comparisons and contrasting viewpoints on public policy. There is no one firm definition for either a Baby Boomer or a member of Generation X and birth dates and ages vary by as much as seven years (Wallace, 2006, p.150). Almost all the previous research agrees that the first Baby Boomer was born in 1946. However, generations do not fit neat and tidy boundaries and there is some variance as to when one ends and the other begins. For the purposes of this study, a Baby Boomer is anyone born between January 1, 1946 and December 31, 1964 (Smith, 2005, p.440). A member of Generation X has a birth date of January 1, 1965 and December 31, 1980 (Smith, 2005, p.440). This places the age of a Baby Boomer at approximately 44 to 62 years old, while a member of Generation X is approximately 28 to 43 years of age. In addition, the age of the generation at the time that the previous research was conducted becomes important. Age and maturity also influences people as well as their identification with a generation. The research will be conducted through the analysis of previous research and studies on this topic. It will be organized as follows: 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Scope and Purpose 3.0 Literature Review 4.0 Discussion 5.0 Recommendations and Conclusion 3.0 Literature Review Both the Baby Boom generation and Generation X have been extensively described and characterized in the popular media. For the sake of marketing and sales, advertisers have sought to drawn clear distinctions between the groups. Schaie (2007) states that, "Baby boomers are hedonistic; they are self-centered; they are spendthrifts; they are altruistic; they strive to self-actualize" (p.131). These characterizations are

CASE STUDIES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

CASE STUDIES - Essay Example That is, the gestation period of any travel guides including Lonely Planet is an extended one due the need for extensive homework. Because of which, a somewhat, same kind of information or even a better current version is provided by the website. So, this out-datedness in the travel guide will be the issue for a number of customers who use both Internet and the books. So, the solution to reduce revenue losses or operational frictions is to promote each vehicle as different entities, according to the market’s needs. That is, there are still markets where Internet technology have not improved much, in those places travel guides should be promoted. Then, people while traveling will not be able to access Internet any time, for them the travel guides of Lonely Planet will be feasible and so this segment of markets can be targeted With the advent of Internet and wireless technologies, the scope for Lonely Planet to develop has increased, a lot further. That is, like its joint venture with Nokia, in which Lonely Planet provides city guides on mobile phones, it could provide the city guides along with digitized maps to all telecom providers. That is, if it has a joint venture with telecom companies, it can reach more mobiles. As mobiles have become a lifeless extension of hand, which can be carried anywhere including during travel, Lonely Planet could expand its base. Then for the users of Internet, it can introduce features or products like seeing a virtual image of tourist spots like what Google earth is doing. Also, all the previous issues of Lonely Planet’s Travel guide that were published from 1970’s can be digitized and made available as download able files for a fee, because all the new and young readers cannot access the previous issues in book form. So, with this launch of new products th e customer’s concerns about timeliness and currency of information can be looked after. That is, with the use of

Summary Dismissal of Mark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary Dismissal of Mark - Essay Example In the case of Mark, the employer had some grounds which could warrant for summary dismissal and he went ahead to dismiss him. From the point of view of Mark, the action of the employer is unlawful and as such it constitutes an unfair dismissal. The grievances of Mark presented in the case study are true and they form a ground upon which he can appeal against the termination of his contract. In this regards, I will argue that wrongful dismissal and violation of his rights as the basis upon which he can appeal against the dismissal. In summary dismissal, there has to be a proof of gross misconduct. In this case, Mark disobeyed a direct disorder from his superior.However, the manner in which it was carried out was not procedural. First off, the dismissal was not in tandem with the usual meaning of this type of dismissal which is instant.The case states clearly that Mark had been asked to work overtime which he refused and a fierce confrontation ensued.Although arguing with superiors is wrong especially in front of other employees, it does not warrant summary dismissal. He was allowed to go home and the next day after he had reported for work; he was given his marching orders after starting his work for the day. In this regards, if indeed summary dismissal was the case, it should have been done the previous day and not the next day after working for some time. ... In Marks case, it appears that the employer was trying to coerce him to fore gore his own commitments for the company’s sake. Such an unprecedented step to coerce an employee to work overtime constitutes violation of an employee’s rights2. Mark is therefore entitled to appeal his summary dismissal on the basis of gross violation of his employee rights. Dismissal of Simon Redundancy is major factor that is considered by employers when they are dismissing their employees. For dismissal on redundancy ground to be fair, the employer must be able to show consistent statistics in terms of underlying problem that led to the dismissal. To give more credence to redundancy dismissal, the employer must consult widely with other stakeholders as well as the concerned employee. However, regardless of whatever method is used to dismiss an employee, the employer must have a formal meeting with the earmarked employee for dismissal. In this meeting, the employee is given an explanation a s to why the employer is terminating the employment contract3. In the case of Simon, the employer used laid down procedures of the company to come up with a trumped charge of poor performance as the basis of his dismissal. First off, this is not a case of poor performance because the underlying problem is change of system from manual to a computerised system. Regardless of human learning capabilities and ingenuity, it is utterly impossible for one to learn new systems in under a month. When the company (Fit & Well Co. Ltd.) was instituting changes, it did not warn the employees to make the necessary preparations to adapt to changes in the work place. Similarly, after making changes in the

Biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Biotechnology - Essay Example Much debate has already taken place over this very debatable topic. The label of these foods is another very debatable topic; human beings need to be educated about these foods, it is also important to tell them about the pros and cons of consuming it. Companies would gleefully produce tons of genetically modified food but who would take the responsibility of distributing it and educating the consumers about it? These questions need to be answered sooner rather than later. â€Å"What is the level of detectability of GM food cross-contamination? Scientists agree that current technology is unable to detect minute quantities of contamination, so ensuring 0% contamination using existing methodologies is not guaranteed.† (Genetically Modified Food) Genetically modified food is the result of fine genetic engineering, human beings have come a long way and some of the recent developments that have been made are truly startling. Every coin is two sided and this particular case is no different, research goes to show that genetically modified foods have a better resistance against pests when compared to natural food. This means the losses incurred to farmers and other people who are involved in the same can easily be averted. Research also goes to show that genetically modified food is also resistant to herbicides which natural food can never be. These are some of its advantages but there are disadvantages too which must be considered to make its case even. Last year a laboratory study was published which showed that pollen from B.t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B.t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish. Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field

Censorship on the Community Essay Example for Free

Censorship on the Community Essay The Effect of Censorship on the Community and People in the Novel â€Å" Fahrenheit 451† The Novel Fahrenheit 451 exploited censorship and all the negative thing that can occur when a society is censored. There were many examples in this novel. In the Novel Guy Montag finds out that censorship is a big part of his community and realizes that has a negative effect and need to be abolished before it changes humans for good. â€Å"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and youll never learn. †(Ray Bradbury). This quote is stating that since books are censored and people in Montag’s area cannot read, they will not gain intelligence. They are hiding their ignorance by refusing to read books. Books hold information and many things that can open someone’s eyes to the world to understand it. In this novel there are no books aloud, and if a citizen has a book or books, the books are burned to ashes inside the home. The community lives in fear of firefighters. Montag is a firefighter who loves burning books, at first, but then runs into a stranger who changes his perspective. As Ray Bradbury said â€Å"we were putting one foot in front of the other†(Ray Bradbury). That is exactly what the Clarisse was doing when she ran into Montag. Clarisse doesn’t believe in all the censorship and act different from the rest of the future community. She doesn’t believe in the books, the schools, and the television programs being censored. The television programs keep people away from the books and the schools teach students that books are bad and not needed. The schools also censored what the kids were able to do and the activities they participated in. Society lives in fear in the novel Fahrenheit 451. Towards the middle of the novel, the fire fighter, Montag realizes that censorship is wrong and starts collecting books on his own. He soon starts going against society and all the censorship. He starts reading the books and tries to get his wife to read them as well. Soon the fire fighters turn on him and make him burn don’t his own house. This shows the censorship causes distrust, fear, injustice, and the breaking of bonds on a society. After he burns his own house, he ends up killing his boss because of how he acts and Montag realizes that his boss might actually want t die. The censorship has killed society. It causes violence, ignorance, wars, and people who live in fear or cowardly. Many civilians are violent and commit suicide also no one seems to care because it has become normal. No one seems to care about others and society is in a cave. In Conclusion censorship has a terrible effect on the community in Fahrenheit 451. All the extra problems and violence is unneeded. It is all caused by the deep cave that censorship brought the place into. The only way the help is by reading the books so the spread of knowledge can occur. The community is always on the brink of war with jets flying around and bomb shelters everywhere. The effect of censorship doesn’t lead to anything good, and is always going to end up with a bad ending. The Novel Fahrenheit 451 shows a perfect example of what censorship does to a society. The school becomes a violent place and the people that are supposed to help people stop caring. Plus all the serious things are taken for nothing as it becomes a casual normal thing for people to harm themselves or commit suicide. Censorship is terrible and shouldn’t be able to happen anywhere. Everyone should be able to have their own views and opinions on a wide variety of topics. The more people express their ideas the more the world will grow and knowledge will spread. People will become wise, more intelligent, and more willing to learn what other people have to share. This Novel is the perfect example of censorship is a terrible thing. Work Cited Bradbury, Ray D. Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury | Books. Harper Collins, 2001. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. . Bradbury On Fahernheit 451. Interview by Haper Collins. RayBradbury. Haper Collins, 2001. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. . Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451 Quotes. By Ray Bradbury. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. .

Tangibility and intangibility of humanity Essay Example for Free

Tangibility and intangibility of humanity Essay In my artwork which is done in clay I attempted to portray how high and low culture can be merged in a sculpture. My intention for this piece was to portray a character normally found in fiction, and; attribute it with features that express human emotion. Looking at my piece one could easily say that the bust portrayed is that of a non-existent creature, such as an alien or a gargoyle. However, in portraying my theme, I intentionally gave the sculpture a downcast expression as seen in the hollow and downturned eyes as well as the bowed position of the bust. Here, I would like to portray the contrast between the tangibility and intangibility of humanity where the intangibility is represented by the existence of imaginary or self-inflicted states as I would like to portray in the creature and the tangibility which is represented by the human emotions in the piece. In doing this I believe I was able to achieve what Jeff Coons tried to achieve in many of his artworks where he tries to represent two levels of culture and society in a singular artwork to establish the link between the concepts and ideas. For instance, in his piece â€Å"Rabbit† he is able to express the merging of two diametrically opposed concepts, novelty and value. The mere fact that the artwork is done in metal but is of a common object, an inflatable bunny, makes the artwork representative of two different social spectrums. This is what I wanted to achieve in my artwork. I can say that I was able to achieve this in my piece by taking something out of fantasy and using this to portray the very real emotions of humanity. The effect is an apparent fusion between the two concepts which all the more makes it interesting. What my artwork represents is not however strange or foreign except for the fact that there are no fantastical creatures in real life. What it is representative of is the very real phenomenon of derivation of emotional instability or the lack of it from the existence of unreal of fictional situations. This concept is quite common among people of high society who believe in one thing but portray another. So, in effect the merging of the high and the low of culture could be easily expressed in my artwork as the apparent and the real – what can be seen but is not real and what cannot be seen but is real and genuine. This same concept is portrayed by Koon in his artwork of Michael Jackson and his pet monkey – this is an illustration of how a piece, while featuring two very famous figures or household names, actually represents two layers of society and even satirizes the contrast between Jackson and the monkey on a more intimate level. In addition to the features of my artwork that I mentioned I would also like to mention the reason why I intentionally gouged out a line that runs from the forehead down to the chin. While this particular feature seems to present the creature as a humanoid hybrid between man and ape, which all the more makes it a fusion of two cultures, the line also makes obvious what normally are imaginary lines in anatomy. This makes the piece more verbose in its portrayal of the tangible and the intangible. I used these features in my artwork because I consider genuineness in emotion a component of high culture and the concealment of these emotions in fantasy a component of low culture. I am aware though that the piece I did is not as articulate as I expected it to be, but in more ways than one, it expresses what I want to convey to my viewers. Another aspect that I would like viewers to take notice of is the medium and what is portrayed using the medium – I portrayed a fantastical creature using a mundane medium making an even stark contrast between the heights of fantasy and the lows of reality.

Rationale For Leadership Development

Rationale For Leadership Development This assignment will be assessed through the students own reflection towards leadership developments in future. This assessment helps student evaluate their current leadership abilities and create their own leadership development plan. 1. Develop a Personal Leadership Development Plan (LDP). 10 marks You are expected to develop a plan for improving your leadership ability. This plan could set two goals for your personal leadership development in future. It should also help you take more responsibility for your own future and life. The two samples of LDP layout are as following Ldp 1 (5 marks) Identify opportunities you have for leadership development (SHORT TERM) [1 mark] In reality, there are many opportunities to develop your leadership skills, both within your organization and externally. You just need to know where to look. Opportunities also exist outside the workplace. If you belong to a computer science or IT association, offer to serve on a committee. Or volunteer with a non profit organization, where you can develop your leadership abilities with a group that would welcome your assistance. Quality leaders are always in demand at IT organizations. You already have the advantage of experience within and knowledge about your firm, so by improving your leadership skills, youll make yourself even more qualified for advancement. Your rationale for leadership development [1 mark] Successful management requires more than just assigning tasks to the team. It calls for a leader who can inspire team members to achieve their full potential. People want to be guided by a person they respect, someone who has a clear sense of direction. To be that person, there are certain things that you must BE, KNOW and DO. And thats what developing leadership skills is all about. This could be a real eye opener, and the key to making changes to your leadership style. Employ a 360 degree approach wherein you receive feedback from your team members and peers. Let your team in on the objective behind the survey. A relaxed and open environment will help draw out their honest opinion. Take complete responsibility for how you are heard. Always rephrase your message to make it sound positive. Effective communication is a fine art. An integral part of developing leadership skills is to learn to respect your teams capabilities. Let the te am members take decisions on certain issues. Your team must believe in your integrity, and that you really mean what you say. Distribute tasks among group members depending on the situation and individual strengths. You become a better leader by involving more people in the leadership process. Your prime responsibility is to ensure success and development of the team. Focus on building their skills as this will enhance motivation and team performance. Describe your strategies for leadership development [1 mark] Tailor personal and 360-degree assessments to the business strategy. The first place to start is the assessments you use in any LD program, as these are the front end of leadership development work. For instance, maybe change is an important implication of your business strategy. Identify parts of existing assessments that can be emphasized and relate. Select development goals related to the business strategy. When people identify goals, have them describe in their plan how the goal ties back to the business strategy. This activity gets people thinking about how goals relate to the business and why they should tackle a particular development goal. Tie training to the business strategy. In general, you have a choice of training topics and the design of the training. With the topic choice made, you can design the training to be based on the business strategy. He or she can describe exactly how the training relates to the current business strategy. Select Action Learning projects directly related to the business strategy. Many organizations use Action Learning as part of their LD efforts. This allows participants to practice their development goals. The key decision is selecting the projects. Select those that best fit and push forward the business strategy. Create a hybrid LD strategy. The prior four strategies are independent. That gives you the opportunity to string them together. Depending on your particular situation, you may be able to combine all four strategies and take action in each area. Or maybe it is just tackling two of them. Timeframe required to accomplish your development(s) [0.5 marks] Bill Gates had an early interest in software and began programming computers at the age of thirteen. In 1973, Bill Gates became a student at Harvard University, where he meet Steve Ballmer (now Microsofts chief executive officer). While still a Harvard undergraduate, Bill Gates wrote a version of the programming language. Bill Gates company Microsoft became famous for their computer operating systems and killer business deals. For example, Bill Gates talked IBM into letting Microsoft retain the licensing rights to MS-DOS an operating system, that IBM needed for their new personal computer. Gates proceeded to make a fortune from the licensing of MS-DOS. Bill Gates company Microsoft became famous for their computer operating systems and killer business deals. For example, Bill Gates talked IBM into letting Microsoft retain the licensing rights to MS-DOS an operating system, that IBM needed for their new personal computer. Gates proceeded to make a fortune from the licensing of MS-DOS. Evaluation (How will you measure what you have accomplished?) [1 mark] In contrast, evaluation for program improvement reflects an approach we refer to as real-time evaluation or RTE. At the Packard Foundation, real-time means balancing monitoring and evaluation to effectively support learning and continuous improvement as our grant making strategies are implemented. In practice, this approach extends beyond evaluation, and represents our overall strategy to develop an appropriate monitoring, evaluation, and learning system for each subprogram. We integrate real-time monitoring and evaluation to regularly facilitate opportunities for learning and bring timely evaluation data-in accessible formats-to the table for reflection and use in decision making. Rather than focus solely on evaluation, we have been encouraging a culture that thinks evaluative throughout the grant making lifecycle of planning, implementation, monitoring, assessment, and course correction Resourcing required [0.5 marks] Ldp 2 (5 marks) Identify opportunities you have for leadership development (LONG TERM) [1 mark] By making the Leadership Development Institute available at your organizations site, you have the opportunity to positively affect the organization. Any of our open-registration programs can be tailored to fit your organizations requirements, or we will create a program that mixes the elements your organization needs. Our goal is to provide you and your organization with long-term foundation to create productive, results-oriented workplace relationships. Education and training efforts are best when considered as ongoing at all levels of the organization. Your rationale for leadership development [1 mark] It is almost impossible to find good feedback,green bay packers jersey5, which you can trust,green bay packers jersey8, but there are a few golden rules which will aid you to work your way through either good or bad criticism Lets touch on the heavier,green bay packers jersey2, more important and life changing decisions that we can make but dontstressed-by-wulfpst files,green bay packers jersey8, make sure you close the Outlook,green bay packers jersey3, as the files will not be copied What are you worried anymore? The sound that Razor e100 makes? You really don? have to worry about that; this Razor e100 is not going to make the noise when your child rides on it If these heavy structures are checked on a regular basis then it would help avoid any major technical defect in the futureOnce upon time,93552, garages were for cars Apart from being a personal chef,green bay packers jersey2, he also writes for different national culinary pub lications, hosts a TV show called Culinary Adventures,green bay packers jersey4, and can be heard on many radio stations in the upper Midwest as he talks about the fine art of barbecuing and grilling Moreover, there is no credit check process So Randy intended to go FSU on a full football scholarship He had been living with his grandmother,green bay packers jersey9, and it was said he was unhappy about this,green bay packers jersey9, wanting to live with his mother Qubilah in Texas While facilities have been put in place to allow soldiers on break to call their families and friends,green bay packers jersey9, these do not seem to make up for the lost timecom An MMA fighter must maintain his strength,green bay packers jersey8, power and endurance at an even level during the matchmy-ownPeople with fibromyalgia also may benefit from a combination of physical and occupational therapy,green bay packers jersey0, by learning pain management and coping techniques,green bay packers jersey9, and by properly balancing rest and activity Describe your strategies for leadership development [1 mark] . The definition of business strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal or set of goals or objectives. Strategy is managements game plan for strengthening the performance of the enterprise. It states how business should be conduct to achieve the desired goals. Without a strategy management has no roadmap to guide them. Creating a business strategy is a core management function.It must be said that having a good strategy and executing the strategy well, does not guarantee success. Organisations can face unforeseen circumstances and adverse conditions through no fault of their own. Timeframe required to accomplish your development(s) [0.5 marks] . Having a professional development plan is an important part of career development. A development plan will lay out your career objectives and the path you will take towards achieving them. It will also set up clear expectations between you and your manager.sit down by yourself and identify your career goals and objectives within your organization. Clearly write out your one-year and five-year career goals and what you need to do in order to achieve them. If you need additional support from your management and peers to achieve those goals, identify the people who will be keys in your career development. Evaluation (How will you measure what you have accomplished?) [1 mark] Resourcing required [0.5 marks]

A Place Of Your Own :: essays papers

A Place Of Your Own Reading chapter 36 of The Malling of America, of William Kowinski, I see a man who does not like how America is progressing in time. He believes that we are heading towards a time when everyone will be preprogrammed to be hard-core consumers and the world is going to be dominated by money. In chapter 36 of his book, he explicitly blames the mall as being the cause and proponent of this change. I agree with Mr. Kowinski’s ideas of the changing world, but I do not agree that the shopping malls are to blame for the changes. The malls purpose is to produce a profit for the investors. If shopping centers were not profitable then it would not be there. Unlike Kowinski’s views of the mall, I see a place where people, especially young adults, congregate in a safe environment. The mall offers working opportunity to young adults. Opportunities where someone with no experience and qualifications can work. I believe it can be quite hard for a young adult to obtain a job where there are many responsibilities and the requirements are experience and knowledge. I disagree with Kowinski’s that the benefits of a job in the mall are overrated. With a job at the mall, young adults learn to set goals. Even thought these goals might be little goals, but the little goals also have many lessons that shape members of our society. Kowinski writes about a young girl who works at an establishment in the food court of some mall. Kowinski underestimates the influence of the perfect curl on top of the ice-cream cones. The girl learns to take pride in what she does. Not the pride in a perfect curl but pride in the fact that she has accomplished a goal that has thought here perfection, alertness. And some of these lessons might help her in the future. The mall also provid es job for young adults who need the paycheck for living and/or education. A study by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that there are many teenagers in shopping malls and the mall is a place where teenagers like to go. The International Council encouraged the teenage presence because ‘the vast majority support the same set of values as does shopping center management.

Revenge In Hamlet Essay -- essays research papers

What do you consider to the main theme(s) of Hamlet? Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a complex play where many themes are intertwined – themes that are essential to the development of the play. The issue of death and disease, both physical and emotional is very prevalent throughout the duration of the play, as well as fate and divine providence. The play also questions madness and whether it can be feigned, as well as corruption and its moral implications. Of course, who could forget the famous ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy, where Hamlet not only questions life and death, but many of life’s other uncertainties as well. Undoubtedly, the most essential theme in the development of Hamlet is revenge and question ‘Does revenge pay?’ Revenge is a frighteningly bloodthirsty emotion, which causes people to act blindly and without reason. Revenge is a theme that is cleverly built upon throughout the extent of the play; with it being the driving force behind two of the main characters in the play. The play is introduced by the appearance of the ghost of Hamlet’s father in the first scene, which automatically gives the impression that something is amiss. This is later clarified by the statement that â€Å"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark† (Act1 Scene 4 Line 90). The ghost emerges before Hamlet and insinuates that his death was not as nocent as it may seem. The ghost urges Hamlet to â€Å"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder† (Act1 Scene 5 Line25) and informs him that â€Å"The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown â€Å"(Act1 Scene5 Line 38). This appears to indicate that Hamlet’s father’s death was actually murder, and that the deed was committed by King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius, who had now taken over as King of Denmark. The Ghost taunts Hamlet, telling him that it is part of every man’s honour to avenge his death. Hamlet then becomes a part of Denmark’s foulness and wre tchedness when he agrees to avenge his father’s death. This is the beginning of a vicious cycle of hatred, death and revenge that destroys many lives. Soon after Claudius marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, Hamlet feigns madness as a ploy to cover up his attempts to avenge his father’s death and to bring him closer to Claudius. One of the first things Hamlet does in his attempt to prove Claudius’ guilt is to have ‘The Mousetrap’ performed in court. ‘The Mousetrap recreates ... ...amned Dane, Drink off this potion. Is thy union here? Follow my mother.† Laertes dies, content that justice has been served and Hamlet himself dies soon after, his father’s death finally avenged. The obsession and need for revenge displayed by our two main characters eventually led them both to their downfall. Not only did it hurt themselves, but many others close to them. Ophelia’s death, for example could be blamed on Hamlet’s desire for revenge, whilst Hamlets death occurred as a result of Laertes quest to avenge his father’s death. Hopefully, it is easy to see why I believe that revenge is the core theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Revenge shapes the entire plot of the play and could be blamed for corrupting Hamlet and Laertes, making them almost evil in their final intentions. Shakespeare highlights the moral implications of revenge, and how a person can be corrupted by their need for revenge. The age-old saying ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ is outlined perfectly in Hamlet. You cannot receive a punch, return a punch and then all sit down together for a lovely dinner. The second that you retaliate, it starts a horrible chain that is almost impossible to break.

Harvey Keitel: The Art Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Harvey Keitel: The Art of Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harvey Keitel was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 13, 1939. Harvey was the youngest of 3 children, one brother and one sister. Harvey’s childhood was rough. He spent most of his times on the streets of New York. He was raised in a rather bad neighborhood, and he began to hang out with a local gang. Although things were bad, every summer he would go to Coney Island, climb rocks, and fish. He was a normal child raised in a very dangerous place, but he knew what was the right thing and what was the wrong thing to do. Although he was in a gang, he never really got himself into much trouble.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the age of 16, Harvey Keitel did not know what to do with his life, so he decided to enlist in the Marines. Harvey was stationed in Lebanon, and stayed there for his 3 year term. When Harvey got out of the Marines in 1959, he was still unsure of what he wanted to do for a living. For the time being, he began a job as a shoe salesman. About a year later from selling shoes, Harvey began to take an interest in becoming an actor. He began to try out for part in off Broadway plays. Stella Adler and Strasberg found promise in Harvey Keitel, and they began to teach him ways to become a better actor. Even under these two stars wings, finding work was still very hard for Harvey. He did find some job opportunities in very off Broadway plays. While Harvey Keitel was a very good actor, it did not look like he was going to be going anywhere with acting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harvey Keitel was about to give up on acting altogether, but he decided to give it a second chance when he answered a newspaper ad by Martin Scorsese, who at the time, was a NYU student looking for actors for his thesis work, Who’s That Knocking On My Door?. When Harvey and Martin met, they became fast friends, and have stayed friends since than. Keitel has worked with Scorsese many times since than, and only Robert De Niro has worked with Scorsese more than Keitel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Things were looking good for Harvey Keitel, but his career took a downfall when he was passed over for a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.

Electric utility Essay

Doctor’s office – job shop or project. All patients do not require the same procedures, namely the service offered are custom in nature. Automatic car wash – assembly line flow. There is a linear sequence of operations common to all cars. College curriculum – can be any: Assembly line flow: if same curriculum is required of all students, batch: if curriculum is tailored to some degree, or project: if curriculum is tailored to individual students. Studying for an exam – project. The studying process is unique to each student for different, unique exams. Registration for classes – assembly line. All students must largely complete the same sequence of steps which vary little regardless of the program of study. Electric utility – continuous process as the product is highly standardized and can be automated to a great degree in order to better achieve a low unit cost. Q2. Why are assembly-line processes usually so much more efficient but le ss flexible than batch processes? Give three reasons. Reasons for efficiency, but less flexibility of the line than the batch process: a. Standardization of tasks b. Standard products c. Highly automated d. Specialized equipment e. Unskilled or semi-skilled labor Q3. The rate of productivity improvement in the service industries has been much lower than in manufacturing. Can this be attributed to process selection decisions? What problems would be involved in using more efficient processes in service industries? Yes, the rate of productivity improvement in the service industries can be partly attributed to process selection  decisions. Service industries typically select a batch or project process to provide customized service. This is usually less efficient than the assembly line or continuous process approach. The problems in using more efficient processes in the service industries are: Possible customer dissatisfaction with standardized product Need for extensive capital investment Need for high and stable volume, particularly without inventory Difficult to specify exact process sequence The customer can be involved in the process during production of the service and create unique demands or inefficiencies. Q6. Compare the expensive restaurant, fast-food restaurant, and cafeteria in terms of process characteristics such as capital, product type, labor, planning, and control systems. The project process, typically used for skyscraper construction, probably does lead to higher costs because the volume of skyscraper construction is low. To make a batch process preferred would require construction of some number of identical skyscrapers. This seems both unlikely and aesthetically undesirable. Perhaps, however, sections of skyscrapers could be standardized and produced by batch processes while still maintaining the appearance of unique buildings. This would be a modular approach to the problem. Q7. An entrepreneur is planning to go into the food business. How would he or she decide whether to open a cafeteria, fast-food restaurant, or fine restaurant? What factors should be considered in this decision? He would have to consider marketing operations, and financial aspects of the problem. The factors to be considered are: Cafeteria Fast Food Fine Restaurant Capital Requirements Heavy initial investment to set up cafeteria line. Low inventory. Medium initial investment, but higher inventory needs. Lower initial investment medium inventory. Market Conditions Need for large body of steady customers; mobile market. Inexpensive market. Competition very intense. Need for large and inexpensive market. Competition fairly intense. Need for expensive Less danger from competition. Labor Low skilled labor at low cost. Low skilled labor at low cost. Highly skilled cooks and waiters required. Technology Most risky. Less risky. Little risk. Q10. What are the strategies of the following organizations? Is the strategy defined in terms of product or process or both? McDonald’s. AT&T Telephone Co. General Motors. Harvard Business School. Distinctive Competence Product/Process McDonald’s Restaurant Fast, inexpensive, quality food, pleasant atmosphere . Product & Process AT&T Telephone Company Highest volume of calls Best technology Process Ge neral Motors Its reputation, number of dealers Product & Process Harvard Business School Case method Process Q12. A new business is considering starting up a new plant to produce low-volume, standard products. They are hoping that the business will grow and the products eventually will become successful and sell in high volumes. a. The business should consider using a batch process that is flexible enough to be modified into a line process when the products become successful and sell in high volume. b. The business should expect the need to invest more when it eventually uses a line process. It may be necessary to purchase special purpose equipment when the products sell in high volume for a long period of time. Lower skills, lower pay and more repetitive tasks may characterize the future labor force. Q1. Classify the following services by their degree of customer contact (high, medium, or low). Also, determine how much uncertainty the customer introduces into the system by the ability to make customized service demands (high, medium, or low). Check clearing in a bank. Bank teller. Bank loan officer. Customer contact customized service demands Check clearing in a bank Low Medium Bank teller High Low Bank loan officer Medium High Q5. Describe the service-product bundle for each of the following services: Hospital. Lawyer. Trucking firm. Trucking firm is tangible service – explicit service what the provider does for customer Hospital is psychological benefits – implicit service how customer feels after service Lawyer is physical goods – facilitating goods used during service or received by customer Q10. Why is the service-profit chain important to operations management? The service-profit chain model tries to link all the components required to make an organization successful. According to this model, a company that performs well in one aspect and poorly in another will eventually develop problems that affect the entire organization. This working model highlights the importance of the links between quality management, a good work force and exceptional service to the customer. Q14. How can we use the service matrix to improve service operations? The Service Process Matrix is a classification matrix of service  industry firms based on the characteristics of the individual firm’s service pr ocesses. The Service Process Matrix can be useful when investigating the strategic changes in service operations. In addition, there are unique managerial challenges associated with each quadrant of the matrix. By paying close attention to the challenges associated with their related classification, service firms may improve their performance. Also, the Service-System Design Matrix is a useful tool for understanding the different elements Service Design Matrix of a service system. Q16. What key factors are most firms seeking when they offshore services? Transaction-intensive services becoming commoditized. Professional services more commonly offshored High-end niche providers are globally dispersed Firms moving fast to scoop up global talent Collaboration and maintaining quality challenging with globally dispersed providers

Is Single Life or Married Life Better Essay

In my culture, you used to be required to be married in order to be treated as a grown up or an adult. That concept had been in my culture for more than a thousand years. As time changed, that concept has somewhat changed too. Nowadays, being married in an option. Many people prefer to stay single and are living happily with their choices, but many others disagree. They think that you need to be married to achieve ultimate happiness. So, what are the differences between being married and being single? The three most popular arguments between a married life and a single life are freedom, social ife and finance. Let’s start with the first difference: freedom, since it is the first thing you give up when you marry to someone. Coming along with marriage is responsibilities, it means that you have to take care of your partner, your children, you cannot just decide to do anything on your own anymore. You can’t take off and do anything you want anymore, because most of your time will be dedicated to your family. So, whenever you want to go out with your friends, you need to ask your partner for permission. Things are ifferent when you are single. When you are single, you have full control over your life, you are not bound to any responsibility but your own. If you need to take a break from the stress from your work, you can just take off by yourself. When you want to go out with your friends, you don’t need to ask anyone’s permissions. In contrast, you have busy life taking care of you parent and your children, and you don’t get enough time to go out and enjoy yourself. If you’re married, you don’t have to worry about your social life. It won’t be a hassle if you ecide to go out or need someone to hang out with because your partner will always be there. Since you and your parent have become a package, your amount of friends will become double concluding your partner’s source of friends. You get to meet more people with more choices of activity. But, things are much more difficult for a single person than a married couple in social life. People who are single always have to worry about their companion whenever they are out. They don’t have such a stable friend or partner every time they go out. Instead, they need to call many friends before they find a suitable partner for the night, or they need to spend more time making new friends. Also their choices of activity are limited and predictable since there are only some activity for single person. So in comparison, people who are married will save time in finding a partner for their social activity with a lot more choices. Last but not least, finance. It is very controversy topic whether you will save more money staying single or earn more money being a married couple. According to Tom Van Riper on Forbes. com, married couples have the advantage in the short term compared to single life, where only 9. 3% of monthly gross income goes for rent compared with 23% for single, 5. 6% vs. 8. 3% for food, 1% vs. 1. 8% for cable television, and 1. 2% vs. 2. 8% for telephone bill. In addition, auto insurers place married couple in a lower risk class, saving them money on car insurance. On the other hand, once the children enter the picture, which can bring a married couple in financial trouble, a child’s cost can goes up to $4000 per onth ascending in ages. Despite the expenses, single people actually do better in buying houses. Annually, standard deduction for a single person is $4,750 per year, where married couple stands at $7,950 per year. Moreover, married couple tend to start saving for retirement early on, while singles generally wait until they’re 40, which means singles have more free cash in their pocket than married couple. As I stated in the introduction, nowadays, being single or married is a choice, which many eople choose differently according to the perks they encountered. But beyond the perks, you need to choose wisely with another point of view where you can acknowledge advantage and disadvantage of being single or married. Married life comes with responsibility, where you need make the correct decisions every day and taking care of your partner and your children; while single life offers freedom, escape from the burden of responsibilities, but lonely in the late years of your life. It has been always a tough decision.

Anthro Exam Notes and Review

Biological Anthropology – can demonstrate: how populations vary (biological variations; hair color, blood type, etc. ) that past populations have evolved that modern human populations are evolving and changing through time. Biological/ Physical Anthropology: Foundations In offs ? recognition of variation, concern over how species came to be. Major research areas: Paleontology's – anthropology concerned with fossil hominids; study of human evolution.Pharmacology – belonging to same taxonomic order as humans; study of vying primates; study of nonhuman primates. Human Variation – to describe and explain biological differences between various human populations. Biological study areas and specializations: Molecular anthropology Astrology (study of skeletons) Paleontology Forensic anthropology 2. Archaeology – the study of the human past through material remains found In the present. Don't do dinosaurs, few do pyramids, and fewer do space aliens. Basic Pr emise of Archeology: Material remains studied were created and deposited in the past, but are studied in the present.Surviving archaeological record is typically a pale reflection of what actually happened in the past. Prehistoric Archeology: 99% of human history is unrecorded before present historic archeology studies. Archeology today: Trash In landfills Is usually a good representation of the state of the economy (poor economy – less trash). August 24. 2012 Applied Anthropology: Work for non-academic clients, such as government agencies, community groups, and businesses. All four sub-disciplines Cultural, Linguistic, Physical (Biological), Archaeology August 27, 2012 Research Ethics: Informed Consent:Especially when performed on human subjects Medical research means the subject must be protected and aware of test What Is Who is sponsoring the research? Who can you call with questions? Personal safety and safety of the subjects Interpretation of data gathered: Mimic categor ies Used by the people interviewed Ethic categories Used by ethnographer Research Process: Formulating research questions Obtaining funding Conducting the research Interpreting the research Publishing the results Subject Position(s) of the Ethnographer(s): Country of origin Region, community Class Race/EthnicityGender/Sexual orientation Age Life experience Social Theories Current at the Time Research Conducted: Interactions that occurred during fieldwork: How the people being represented choose to represent themselves to the ethnographer. How the ethnographer represents him or herself and interprets the interactions then and later. Historical Events: Before and during the research Types of Studies: Community studies Comparative studies Multi-sited (several research areas) Problem-oriented research Longitudinal research Team research Theoretical Trends in Cultural Anthropology: Historical Particularistic:In the United States Franz Boas = father of anthropology in the United States Fo cus on Native Americans Describe cultural artifacts, knowledge Assumption: Indigenous cultures were disappearing in the face of modernity, so anthropologists needed to â€Å"salvage† that knowledge. Another important goal: argued that cultures are very complex and all components off culture matter. Ruth Benedict Margaret Made 0 Patterns of culture, culture and personality Structural Functionalism: Developed in Britain and France What are the functions of structures and how do they make everything work?Theory sakes away from the fact that society can function organically and doesn't address what happens if the society is not functioning properly or is malfunctioning. Influenced a lot of ideas about religion and society. Bronchial Mammalians Polish, taught in Britain Credited as the person who came up with doing extensive field research for a year (living in the culture). Developed out of fieldwork that it is not enough to tell the natives to come up to the house and do intervi ews, but you must live with the people of a village and see what happens on a day-to-day basis to really understand the society.A. R. Radcliff-Brown Research in Africa Claude Levi-Strauss French Took Structural Functionalism and worked it with the mind Cultural Evolution and Cultural Ecology: Concerns: Adaptations to environments Historical Ecology says you cannot assume that things are organically created but you must consider people of the past. Leslie White, Julian Steward, etc. Political Economy: Concerns: Power relations and social inequalities Pay attention to the relationships and power differences within a particular society or culture. Stresses social inequalities based on class Influenced by the Marxist theoryCultural Interpretation and Reflexive Ethnographers: Reflections about power relations involved in ethnographic research and writing. In particular, reflections about the role of the ethnographer in conducting and writing up the research. Questions scientific claims t o objectivity and truth. The idea that you must be someone from outside of the culture to analyze the culture because you will be more objective was questioned because what about the language or the subtle aspects of the culture that an outsider could not understand. Situates ethnography in history versus â€Å"ethnographic present† which made impersonations about groups.Early ethnographers were written in present tense. Present tense had a tendency to represent the cultures as unchanging. August 29, 2012 Paul Arabian (1977): 1968 0 12 years after Morocco had achieved independence from France Arabians Subject Position Research Process Richard Abraham (taught Arabian Arabic; Arabian saw Abraham as a friend) All Meeker Milk Post Modern, Post-colonial Feminist, Diaspora Studies, etc. Changes in the forms of modern society Accounts for disparities among countries and the historical legacies of European colonialism.Accounts for inequalities based on sex, gender, and race-ethnicity that were not sufficiently counted for by political economy's. Tong: Cathy A. Small (1997): Voyages: from Tong Villages to American Suburbs History Smalls subject position Research process Key cultural consultants Other research methods Self-Reflexive Ethnography US Immigration Policy: 1796 0 Free White Persons (men) ASSES O Slavery ends 1824/1924 0 National Origin Quota – Laws 1965 0 Immigration and Nationality Act 1986 0 Immigration Reform and Control Act Legal Permanent Residency: Family Reunification 2005: of 1. Lion Skilled workers Investors Random lottery 2000: 8 million applicants 1 10,000 selected 178 Tongs Refugees/political asylum cases Remittances is the money immigrants send back. Material wealth important for some aspects of life in Tong. Tong: History 1500 B. C 0 Polynesians come to settle 875 0 Stratified Chiefdom Low chiefs Specialists Commoner farmers 1150 0 ‘Lounge' Tu† Tong capital 1 575 0 4-tiered tomb September 5 Tong: Kava Drinking Ceremonie s – people were arranged and served by their social status; typically women do the serving to men. Religion: ‘Original' godsHouse's (Supreme god) Loyola (rain, wind, agriculture, harvest) Maim (holding up the islands) 5 sea gods; god for craftsmen At least 300 gods ‘Soul' gods ‘Mischievous' gods Celebrations: Community celebrations and exchanges Ceremonial wealth (kola) Tap cloths and mats; baskets of food Blankets, cash, etc. Weddings and funerals First birthday, 21st birthday Tautology Special dance performed by women; could be difficult learn Kinship and Raising Children: The Tong way (nag factions) Respect (including tapes) Children could not touch top of father's head Exchanges, obligations (gave)Outside/inside Expectation that cooking is outside of house and eating is separated from cooking. Kinship and Households: Father = head; disciplinarian Brothers, sisters Relationship becomes a lot more formal after puberty. Eldest brother, eldest sister High ex pectations; must fulfill roles if a death occurs. Eldest son's futuristic privilege is that they inherit the land. Father's sister Could have the children if she wanted; very important role.Mother's family Adoption Contact with Europeans: 1616, 1643 0 Dutch explorers asses 0 Captain James Cook (British) 1797 0 London Mission Society (Boson) sass 0 Cargo ships, Whalers asses 0 Wesleyan Methodist missionaries; Wars of Succession/Civil Wars and conflicts between chiefs 1834 0 Rising Chief converts 1845 0 Becomes King George I 1875 0 Some chiefs, land, taxes, etc. 1900 0 British Protectorate 1954 0 Independence Mourning period for a kings death is 10 days. Businesses are expected to be closed during the mourning period.With the last kings death the mourning period was deck September 10 Culture At least ‘365' different definitions â€Å"Complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any there capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of so ciety' (Taylor 1871). Going to be a member of a specific society Characteristics of Culture: Learned Keeping 2-3 feet of space between you and someone you don't know intimately was never a taught thing, but is learned implicitly by observation.Systems of Symbolic Meanings Religious symbols (I. E. A cross) entail a lot of meaning people. Culture teaches us how to express biological or natural ‘urges' in particular ways. What, when, and how to eat All-encompassing In other words, not restricted to ‘high culture, fine arts, great literature, etc. All that relates to everyday life. Integrated Different aspects of culture are interrelated, patterned systems. Social scientists focus a lot of attention on trying to determine various patterns and relationships.Changes in one aspect of culture usually entail changes in other aspects. Example: increasing numbers of women in the U. S working outside the home from the asses on. People use culture actively and creatively. Culture as a ‘process' vs.. A thing. Once you start thinking of culture as a process, change can take place. Various forms of knowledge and practice Culture can be adaptive or maladaptive with respect to the (natural and/or cultural) People raised with certain rules and norms, BUT Rules and norms vary according to subject positions of individuals.Gender, age, etc. They are subject to interpretation. They can be contested and changed. There are struggles within cultures (and among different groups of people) over the meanings of symbols, ideas, values, and practices. Ideals: what people say they do or should do. Practices observed by members of that society (as well as anthropologists). Levels of Many cultures have origins before nation-states were ever created. However, today: International or transnational cultures Spread of global capitalism, commercialism.Many struggles over values and meanings. National cultures Subcultures (within nations) I. E. The South in the U. S. Has several di stinguishing factors. Region, ethnicity, language, class, religion, age, etc. Cultural Relativism Practices in one culture should not be Judged by the standards of another culture. Vs.. Ethnocentrism, Human Rights, Cultural Rights Analyzing Cultures Universities You must eat, you must sleep, etc. Generalities Common in many different cultures ParticularitiesSeptember 12 Rites of Passage Separation, Limitability, Incorporation Collective Limitability Community spirit, solidarity, effervescence (some) social hierarchies are temporarily suspended. Equivalent of Carnival in Brazil is Marci Grass in the United States. Religion Beliefs and rituals concerned with supernatural beings, forces, and powers (Wallace 1966: 5 cited in Cotta). Rituals Formal, stylized, repetitive, stereotyped, practices usually performed in special places at set times. Social acts, typically with groups; participation, versus audience, religious/secular Functions of ReligionPersonal or group transformations Throug h rituals and rites of passage Create a sense of group unity Through shared practices (rituals and rites) Explain the mysterious Reduce anxiety, offer hope Help people cope with adversity Joy, fear, etc. Reduce or create anxiety Control nature and/or social worlds Achieve specific aims Provide moral codes (or values) Guide practices and beliefs Produce regret, guilt, shame Produce the need for forgiveness Capote's in Southern Mexico and live in Cacao and use the economic system of Slaughter to fund economic practices.

Defining Terrorism

If people around the world were surveyed and asked to define terrorism, the answers would be seemingly endless. It has been said, â€Å"one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. † From culture to culture, people view terrorism in a different way. An inherent definition of terrorism would be the act of creating terror, but not everyone is terrified of the same thing. So how then is it possible to come up with one definition for the word? â€Å"A 2003 study by Jeffrey Record for the US Army quoted a source that counted 109 definitions of terrorism that covered a total of 22 different definitional elements. [1] In the book Understanding Terrorism, the author Anthony Marsella comes up with â€Å"four problems associated with efforts to define terrorism today: (a) there have been historical changes in the definition, (b) media and states have been inconsistent in their use of the term, (c) there are multiple definitions across agencies even within a sing le country such as the United States, and (d) there is international disagreement on the definition of the term. †[2] Some views of terrorism say that it must have political goals, while other do not believe this. Some views state that it must be innocents or civilians who are the victims, while other definitions do not believe this. Another argument is whether or not the terrorists must be non-state actors. Definitions are different based on whether they were created for legal purposes or international agencies. In this paper, I will go through some of the different arguments in order to provide a clearer sense of what terrorism truly means in this day in age. Most books written on terrorism begin by giving a definition of the word in the author’s opinion in order to put it into context for the remainder of the book. The entire first chapter of Bruce Hoffman’s book Inside Terrorism is dedicated to trying to define terrorism. Terrorism now seems to be a part of our everyday life. It appears as though every act of violence is perceived as being ‘terrorism. ’ Every time violence occurs people immediately think terrorism. The term terrorism is so hard to define and there is so much controversy about how to define it that it is easy to make the assumption that all violence is terrorism. At the same time, because of the controversy, many media sources are reluctant to use the word. Instead, they give attacks different titles. The Oxford Canadian Dictionary defines terrorism as the â€Å"systematic employment of violence and intimidation to coerce a government or community, especially into acceding to specific political demands. †[3] This definition might satisfy Hoffman because he believes it must be stressed that terrorism is the use or threat of violence to achieve a political aim. [4] Without a political aim, there cannot be terrorism. Nor can there be terrorism without the threat or use of violence. Hoffman believes it is difficult to define terrorism because of its ever-changing meaning throughout history. A factor that makes defining terrorism difficult is that the definition has changed over time. The original definition of the word is no longer the definition used today. The word originally gained support during the French Revolution as part of the â€Å"Reign of Terror. † The purpose was to scare people in order to prevent further revolutions from occurring. The terror was created by the state. Although the definition has changed since the â€Å"Reign of Terror,† there are two points that are similar in today’s definition. First, the regime de la terreur was neither random nor indiscriminate, as terrorism is often portrayed today, but was organized, deliberate, and systematic. †[5] Terrorists plan out their attacks, they are not random or spur of the moment. Targets in present day are often chosen based on what will receive the most media attention. â€Å"Second, its goal and its very justification was the creation of a â€Å"new and better society† in place of a fundamentally corrupt and undemocratic politically system. †[6] Simply put, terrorist attacks occur in order to achieve a political goal. Later, during the Industrial Revolution, Carlo Pisacane argued that the most effective way to publicize his cause was through violence, and that no other means would generate the same amount of attention. [7] This revolutionary-style terrorism remained up until the First World War. â€Å"By the 1930s the meaning of â€Å"terrorism† had changed again and was used to describe the practices of mass repression employed by totalitarian states and their dictatorial leaders against their own citizens. †[8] After the Second World War, the term returned to the original connation of a revolutionary type act. Up until the 1960s, terrorism was largely considered to be domestic. In the late 1960s and 1970s, terrorism began to become more international. It is important to discuss the three types of terrorism: international, domestic and â€Å"new terrorism. † Domestic terrorism is terrorism that takes place against people within your country. International terrorism is terrorism that takes place against people by a group that is not native to the country. New terrorism may have no political aims, but instead are more religious based and mainly concern themselves with destruction. The textbook The Globalization of World Politics states that there are â€Å"three factors that led to the birth of transnational terrorism: the expansion of air travel; the wider availability of televised news coverage; and the broad common political and ideological interests. †[9] These terrorist attacks initially took form in airplane hijackings, but as security tightened up, the terrorists instead chose American targets in foreign countries. Since the September 11th attacks on the United States, international terrorism is mainly what people think of when they think of terrorism. Those attacks were very publicized and had a huge impact on international relations. As well as understanding the different types of terrorism, it is also important to distinguish the difference between a terrorist, a guerrilla and a ‘freedom fighter. ’ â€Å"The freedom fighter conducts a campaign to liberate his people from dictatorial oppression, gross disarmament, or the grip of an occupying power. †[10] A guerrilla is fighting against a military and most importantly the terrorist goes after civilians. Any group can use terrorism to achieve their goals. In the book Terrorism: The New World Order, Fotion et al explain that there are narrow and broad views of terrorism. The narrower views insist that victims of terrorism must be innocent. A problem with the narrower view is that although it is most often innocents who are targeted by terrorists, they did not see a distinction. Whether they target a military organization or innocent civilians, they are performing terrorist acts. Their objective does not change based on who they are attacking from one day to the next. Their goal is to demoralize their opponent. It is very hard to differentiate the difference between a guerrilla and a terrorist. Although a guerrilla would be attacking military personnel, they could be labelled differently based on their intentions. They could be attacking merely to kill and weaken their opponents or they could be attacking in order to scare the opponents into possibly retreating. By defining terrorism as only attacking civilians, it makes analyzing terrorism a lot more difficult. Fotion et al discussed the paradigmatic scheme, which represents the most generally accepted view of a terrorist attack. [11] â€Å"An attacking group (or individual) victimizes some group of people by harming or killing them. The attackers then escape either before, during or after the victimizing event. Others, seeing what has happened to the victim group become terrorized (frightened, anxious, etc. ). We will call this the immediate effect or result of the process of creating victims. While in their state of terror, they pressure their government to change its political outlook in a way that satisfies the goals of the attackers and, most likely, displeases the government and many of its people. This pressure and resulting changes count as the secondary effect or result of the victimization process. [12] The book Terrorism: The New World Order points out that the word terrorism is seen as having negative connotation, so those who are often labelled as such, would try and find a definition that does not apply to them. [13] â€Å"Those labelled â€Å"terrorists† by their opponents rarely identify themselves as such, and typically use other terms or terms specific to their situation, such as separat ist, freedom fighter, liberator, revolutionary, vigilante, militant, paramilitary, guerrilla, rebel or any similar-meaning word in other languages and cultures. [14] In the past, people did not hide behind these labels and proclaimed themselves as terrorists and their tactics to be terrorism. [15] This inability for people to acknowledge they are terrorists makes coming up with a definition near impossible. Robert Keeley wrote an entire article about trying to define terrorism. In this article he pointed out that freedom fighters and terrorists are two different things, however freedom fighters often use terrorism. [16] Keeley believes aims of terrorism include â€Å"to advertise for the terrorists’ cause and to weaken morale on the attacked side and build up morale on the attacking side. [17] Because of the pejorative connotation of the word, during warfare, groups often label their opponents as ‘terrorists’ in order to gain more support for their own side. Thi s furthers the difficulty of defining terrorism, as everyone wants to say their opponent is a ‘terrorist,’ which makes everyone a terrorist. At the end of his article, Keeley did not seem to be any closer to finding a true definition than at the beginning. In the book Terrorism: Origins and Evolution, Lutz and Lutz say there are six main parts to defining terrorism. They believe that violence is directed to political ends and that there must in fact be violence or a serious threat of violence. Terrorism must affect a wide range of people, not just the victims of the action. People need to be aware when a terrorist act has happened; there must be an audience. If no one is aware of an occurrence, then the attack has failed. Terrorism is organized and it is performed by a non-state actor. It is important to note the difference between war and terrorism. In simplest words, a war is a conflict between two organized groups. The difference between a war and terrorism is that terrorism occurs by a non-state organization. In recent years, with the availability of the Internet, it has become much easier for terrorists to spread their ideas. It is now simpler to gain the audience that is required to be a successful terrorist. Finally, they believe that terrorism is a weapon of the weak. Terrorist acts occur when the terrorists have no other options in order to achieve their political goals. [18] Though there are many definitions for the word terrorism, it seems that all the definitions stressed that it is political in nature. The act is used to achieve a political aim through the means of violence. Terrorists do not require extensive supplies and the goal is to gain support and demoralize their opponent. As long as those who may be seen as terrorists find other names to describe themselves, unwilling to admit that they are a terrorist, I believe it will continue to be difficult to agree on a specific definition. With no one willing to admit to being a terrorist, the word becomes completely subjective. There will always be controversy over finding one definition, especially with the â€Å"new terrorism† in which religion plays a huge role. These terrorists want nothing, but to create terror and cause destruction. They do not fit in the accepted definition of violence with a political motive, yet what they are doing is creating terror and therefore should be considered terrorism. People will find ways to describe themselves as anything but, and their opponents will try to stress that they are in facts terrorists. â€Å"Terrorism is ultimately a form of psychological warfare, nd it is designed to induce fear. †[19] BIBLIOGRAPHY Baylis, John, and Steve Smith. Globalization of World Politics an Introduction to International Relations. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Bisset, Alex, ed. â€Å"Terrorism. † The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Fotion, Nicholas, Joanne K. Lekea, and Boris Kashnikov. Terrorism The New World Dis order (Think Now). New York: Continuum International Group, 2008. Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Jackson, Robert, and Georg Sorensen. Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Keeley, Robert V. â€Å"Trying to Define Terrorism. † Middle East Policy IX. 1 (March 2002): 33-39. Lutz, James Michael, and Brenda J. Lutz. Terrorism Origins and Evolution. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Moghaddam, Fathali M. , and Anthony J. Marsella, eds. Understanding terrorism psychosocial roots, consequences, and interventions. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2004. Terrorism Research Center, What is the Definition of Terrorism? (n. . ) Available from: Charles Townshend, Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002). Whittaker, David J. Terrorists and terrorism in the contemporary world. London: Routledge, 2004. ———————– [1] Fathali Moghaddam et al. Understanding terrorism psychosocial roots, consequences, and interventions. (Washington: American Psyc hological Association, 2004), 14. [2] Fathali Moghaddam et al. Understanding terrorism, 15. [3] Alex Bisset, ed. â€Å"Terrorism. † The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary. (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000), 1085. 4] Bruce Hoffman. Inside Terrorism. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006), 3. [5] Hoffman. Inside Terrorism, 4. [6] Hoffman. Inside Terrorism, 4. [7] Hoffman. Inside Terrorism, 5. [8] Hoffman. Inside Terrorism, 14. [9] John Baylis et al. Globalization of World Politics an Introduction to International Relations. 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 482. [10] David J Whittaker. Terrorists and terrorism in the contemporary world. (London: Routledge, 2004), 4. [11] Nicholas Fotion et al. Terrorism The New World Disorder (Think Now). New York: Continuum International Group, 2008), 4. [12] Fotion et al. Terrorism The New World Disorder, 4. [13] Fotion et al. 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