How to manage change and achieve sustainable growth in Hong Kong Dissertation

How to manage change and achieve sustainable growth in Hong Kong Travel Industry A case study on China Travel Service - Dissertation Example The interview results were analysed to develop an understanding of the change management process of CTS, the barriers that it faced and overcame and the outcomes of the change. The analysis of the change process revealed that CTS has succesfully used the change management techniques to instil both a process and culture change. The case study of CTS provides inspiration and insight to other travel organizations in Hong Kong to emulate. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Background and Introduction 1.2. Research Questions 1.3. Research Aims and Objectives 1.4. Research Methods 1.5. Dissertation Outline Chapter 2: Overview of CTS Chapter 3: Literature Review 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Travel and Tourism Industry 3.2.1 Chinese Travel Industry Overview 3.2.2 Hong Kong Tourism 3.2.2.1 Tourism Performance 3.2.2.2 Customer Profile and Segmentation 3.2.2.3 Hong Kong as a Repeat Destination 3.2.3 Factors Affecting Tourism Industry in Hong Kong 3.2.3.2 Government Attitude and Policies 3.2 .3.3 International Events 3.2.3.3 Increased Exposure to the Outside World 3.2.3.4 Increase in Standards of Livng and Purchasing Power 3.2.3.5 Technology 3.2.3.6 Rapid Investment in Infrastructure 3.2.4 Challenges Faced by Travel Industry 3.2.4.1 Perception of Risk Hazards 3.2.4.2 Liberalization and Entry of Foreign Players 3.2.4.3 Competition from Neighboring Destinations 3.2.4.4 Government Controls 3.2.4.5 Cultural Issues 3.2.3.6 SARS and Intermittent Outbreak of other Infectious Diseases 3.3 Strategic Management in Travel Industry 3.3.1 Tourism Organizational Structure and Vision for Hong Kong 3.3.2 Tourism Strategy in Hong Kong 3.3.2.1 Tourism Promotion 3.3.2.2 Tourism Development in Hong Kong 3.3.2.3 Monitoring and Regulation of Tourism in Hong Kong 3.3.3 Lack of Strategic Implementation 3.4Change Management Theories and Concepts 3.4.1 Definitions and Concepts of Change Management 3.4.2Theories of Change 3.4.2.1 Lewin’s Model of Change – The Force Field Analysis 3. 4.2.2 The ADKAR Model 3.4.2.3 Six Changes Model 3.4.2.3 Eight-Step Process for Implementing Successful Transformations Model 3.5 Summary of Literature Chapter 4: Research Methodology 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Research Objectives 4.3 Research Approach 4.4 Research Methods 4.5 Research Design 4.5.1 Secondary Research 4.5.2 Primary Research 4.5.2.1 Sample 4.5.2.2 Sample Selection Method 4.5.2.3 Data Collection Method 4.5.2.4 Data Collection Instrument 4.5.2.5 Data Analysis Method 4.6 Ethical Considerations 4.7 Summary Chapter 5: Findings 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Challenges Faced by CTS in the Current Business Environment 5.3 Opportunities for CTS in the Current and Future 5.3 Strategic Changes made by CTS 5.5 Internal Changes at CTS 5.6 Change Management Process at CTS 5.7 Challenges to Change Management Process and Overcoming Barriers to Change 5.8 Outcomes of Change Management 5.9Analysis of the Change Management Process 5.10 Summary Chapter 7: Conclusions 7.1 Summary of Findings 7.2 Limitati ons of Research and Scope for future Research List of tables Table 1: Total Number of Visitors to Hong Kong in the first six months of 2010 Table 2: Positive Outcomes of Change Management â€Å"How to manage change and achieve sustainable growth in Hong Kong Travel Industry?† A case study on China Travel Service Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Background and Introduction The business environment within

Consumer behaviour regarding luxury product consumption

Consumer behaviour regarding luxury product consumption From guilt-free fair-trade products and free-range eggs, to cruelty-free shampoo and chemical-free paint, a revolution seems to be occurring in wealthy capitalist societies. And this is happening not at the margins of society but at its heart, in the shopping centers and homes of ordinary people (Lewis and Potter, 2010). Mainstreaming of ethical concerns around consumption is on the rise and companies are extending their fair-trade range over more products, in a bid to catch the ethical consumer. But is this phenomenon also apparent in luxury product consumption? The discussion in this paper is aimed towards analyzing the role of ethics in the luxury industry where consumption, to much extent, is based on hedonistic values. It is also quite uncertain whether luxury brands actually target ethical consumers. The role of ethics in luxury product consumption is complex and thus requires an intricate analysis. This paper will initially discuss about ethical consumerism as a whole. Comparing and contrasting various research studies and surveys; it will present the current global trends in consumer behaviour. Moving into the luxury sector, it will analyze the values and motivations behind luxury product consumption and examine if sustainable development can co-exist with luxury products. Finally, it will highlight some of the steps big luxury groups such as BVLGARI, LVMH and Versace are taking to integrate ethics into consumption by working on issues such as animal welfare, child labour, education and environmental protection. The question arises whether these measures motivate consumer behaviour de facto. This paper will demonstrate that consumer motivations behind luxury purchases are hedonism and social recognition, rather than ethical values. Purchase of a product that concerns a certain ethical issue such as human rights, animal welfare, child labour or environment protection can be termed as ethical consumption (Doane, 2001). In general, ethical consumption is reflected when a consumer feels responsible towards society and expresses these feelings by means of his or her purchase behaviour (De Pelsmacker, Driesen and Rayp 2005). Consumers can translate their ethical concerns by either buying products that contribute towards ethical concerns or by boycotting products that are unethically produced. Ethical consumers are therefore aware of the consequences of production, consumption and disposal, and expect companies, producing the products they buy, to conform to ethical standards. Recent studies indicate that consumers increasingly care about ethics while purchasing regular household goods and are willing to pay a premium for socially acceptable products (Auger, Burke, Devinney and Louviere, 2003). For example, they prefer to buy fair-trade coffee, organic foods, products free from child labour and legally logged wood. The Edelman Goodpurpose consumer survey (2010) shows that 86% of global consumers believe that business needs to place at least equal weight on societys interests as on businesss interests. According to the survey, emerging markets have taken the lead consumers in Brazil, India, China and Mexico have outpaced their peers in the west in purchasing and promoting brands that support good causes. Hence, there is cultural variation in behavioural intentions, but the group of consumers most interested in socially responsible products is growing across the world. The Edelman study also suggests that after 4Ps Product, Price, Placement and Promotion, Purpose is the 5th P of marketing. In order to retain their customer base, marketers need to understand and act on the social issues that matter to their customers and are a best fit to their business. Whilst a lot is indicated about increasing socially conscious consumer attitude, it does not reflect in actual consumer behaviour. Research indicates that a consumer attitude towards making ethical purchases is more positive than behaviour (De Pelsmacker, Driesen and Rayp 2005). For example, Cotte and Trudel (2010) demonstrate that 44% consumers indicated an intention to change their buying behaviour to consume ethical products, however only 18% actually did. General ethical attitude or even surveys intent on measuring consumption ethics are almost completely unrelated to actual behaviour since there is pressure to answer in a socially desirable way (Auger and Devinney, 2007). So consumer purchasing behaviours are not nearly as high as these attitudes would predict (Carrigan and Attalla, 2001) and consumers will buy responsible products only if quality, performance and prices are equal (Deloitte, 2008). This ubiquitous attitude behaviour gap is due to various factors. It may be the consumers perception of having to compromise on attributes such as convenience and quality of the product they value (Roberts, 1996) or could be the lack of knowledge about the firms ethical behaviour. Consumers are more aware of a firms unethical behaviour and rather have little knowledge about its ethical initiatives (Carrigan and Attalla, 2001). Another reason is widespread consumer scepticism and cynicism (Roberts, 1996). Marketers who try to oversell their firms offering as better on socially conscious dimensions, risk being accused of what is now called green washing (Cotte and Trudel, 2009). Hence, the most important factors affecting buying decision are still price, quality, convenience, and brand. Therefore, there is clearly a lack of conclusive and empirical evidence that consumers will pay more for socially responsible products (McWilliam and Siegal, 2000), but at least there seems to be a constant effort by both consumers and companies to be ethically conscious in consumption and production respectively. There is a trend towards more consumer activism with respect to the social behaviours of organizations, especially large and well-known multinational corporations (Auger, Burke, Devinney and Louviere, 2003). Despite the ethical markets strong growth, consumers have blasted Nestlà ©, Coca-Cola, Cadbury, McDonalds and Tesco for failing to do enough to champion ethical values, according to new market research (Britton, 2010). But traces of such efforts can rarely be found in the luxury sector. It is observed that for higher priced products, only those consumers, who have a strong favourable attitude towards charity, are ready to pay the premium (Anderson and Cunningham, 1972) . In order to verify this behaviour, it is important to explore the motivations behind luxury purchases. Analyzing consumers perception of luxury products, a survey conducted by Synovate (2009) demonstrates, 35% people feel that luxury is everything over and above what is needed and 17% associate luxury as a lifestyle. Whether consumers define luxury as a feel of cashmere on their skin, the joy of time to spend as per their wish or the pleasure of showing off their success, actually depends on where they live. For example, in developing countries like India and Brazil, luxury is about flashing your wealth with big designer logos, its away of life. Whereas in countries like France, where people are certainly hedonistic, and enjoy the small pleasures like a good smell, or the softness of a scarf, and of course cooking and eating, luxury is about making them feel good and not about flaunting a brand. Luxury purchases are motivated by hedonistic values associated with instant gratification (Szmigin, Carrigan and OLoughlin, 2007). These values stimulate a consumer to purchase a $3500 Louis V uitton bag whose function is the same as a handbag at $250. Essentially, at the core of luxury consumption are three key motivations: indulgence, exclusivity and status. Danziger (2004) highlights two reasons behind buyer behaviour to solve problems and to make them feel good. She classifies consumer purchases into 4 categories Utilitarian, indulgences, lifestyle luxuries and aspirational luxuries, each motivated by different values (represented at the ends of each axis in fig.1). Utilitarian purchases include items such as blenders, food processors and microwaves, which essentially focus on practicality. Indulgences represent lifes little luxuries that provide emotional satisfaction and which consumers can buy without guilt. Cosmetics, entertainment products, games and costume jewellery are appropriate examples. Lifestyle luxuries are luxury cars (Mercedes, BMW), designer clothes (Armani, Ralph Lauren), Watches (Rolex). They are extravagant and provide material satisfaction, along with the prestige and image conferred by the brand. And finally there are aspirational luxuries that have no practical need and are purchased largely for the pure joy of owning them. Theses include Art, antiques, vintage collectibles, yachts, fine jewellery, etc. Consumers buy these items to make a statement about them in society, express their values, interests and passions. Fig1: Consumer purchase categories and motivations behind each Having discussed that a consumer buys anything to satisfy a concrete need, in purchasing luxury items, the act of consuming, rather than the product itself, satisfies this need (Danzigner, 2004). In fact, tracking the roots of luxury product consumption and marketing, we find it to be based on sheer unethical values (Sylvester, ND). Back in the 1840s in Manchester England (The worlds richest city then), the cotton mill owners were at the top of the social ladder and usually showed off their wealth at dinner parties where they served wine instead of beer and the wealthier class served champagne. For the most affluent class this was a problem as champagne was no longer exclusive. As a solution, the French marketers, keeping the product unchanged, created a much more expensive drink called vintage champagne. The rich mill owners were flocked to it. Hence, within a few years, the world was buying more bottles at higher prices. The anecdote above is a good example that shows how the concept of luxury is based on un-ethical selling and consumption, of which marketers are well aware. This view is supported in the 21st century as marketing strategist, Sergio Zyman (2000), provides in his book, the end of marketing Marketing is how to sell more things to more people more often for more money. In fact, French marketers are the leaders in marketing luxury brands and even the puritan roots and guilt dont prevent them from behaving in unashamedly elitist ways and producing items that no ordinary person will ever be able to afford. Marketers are concentrating their efforts on selling things that people dont need, but want. Different values that motivate consumers to make a low value purchase as compared to a luxury purchase. Empirical evidence suggests that materialism is negatively correlated with consumer behaviour, i.e. unethical behaviour is associated with greater amounts of materialism (Barrett, 1992 cited in Muncy and Eastman, 1998). The more materialistic consumers might be willing to bend ethical rules to gain possessions and when faced with an ethical choice, the acquisition of the goods may begin to take primacy over ethical values (Muncy and Eastman, 1998). Thus, the factors that may cause a person to be more materialistic may also cause him or her to be less ethical. In fact, marketers may have self-interest in encouraging materialism. Even if we consider that some people do behave ethically while purchasing luxury products, their decisions are not necessarily dependent on ethical values. People, while shopping in public, like to be seen as altruistic and thus are more likely to choose green products, that maybe expensive and low quality but benefit the environment (Griskevicius, Tybur and Van den Bergh, 2010; Telegraph, 2010). So their purchases are often motivated by status, especially when these products cost more relative to non-green products. The Toyota Prius is a prime example of a self-promoting mobile billboard for environmentalist beliefs. A compact hybrid Sedan with moderate features and performance, considered a Green product due to high fuel efficiency. In a survey, 40% of hybrid owners indicated that they bought a green car as an alternative to a traditional luxury car such as a BMW (Griskevicius, Tybur and Van den Bergh, 2010). Yet, the top five reasons why the Prius was so successful and environmental conservation was last on the list (Maynard, 2007). The number 1 reason was, that it made a statement about the consumer, a statement that the owner cares about the environment. So consumers are willing to spend on ethical products but at the cost of earning a public status or reputation. In the privacy of ones home, luxury and comfort is still the winner (Griskevicius, Tybur and Van den Bergh, 2010). Having discussed that hedonism and materialism as motivators of luxury purchases, it is evident that sustainability and luxury are quite incompatible terms. To drive a Rolls Royce, a Bentley or a Mercedes S Class would radiate a message that the owner couldnt care less about gas overconsumption and the warming of the atmosphere (Kapferer, 2010). Luxury is about excellence: more than any other, luxury brands guarantee zero risk. Now there are more and more pressures from lobbies and animal defense groups to forbid testing skin care products on animals. But without testing, the brand cannot ensure that its product is harmless for consumers. If all fashion luxury brands adopt a minimalist look, they would lose all capacity to differentiate and thus lose their integrity. Elliott and Freeman (2001 cited in Belk, Devinney and Eckhardt, 2005) found relatively high price elasticity of demand for products made under bad labour conditions but low price elasticity for products made under good conditions, implying that companies can potentially lose from having their products identified as being made under bad conditions but have little to gain from marketing their products as being made under good conditions. Modern revelations of how Prada and Dolce Gabbana bags were being stitched by clandestine Chinese workers in workshops-costing a mere à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬20 to produce, have signaled the need of ethical behaviour in manufacturing, in order to retain customers. Luxury brands are advancing fast to meet the demands of sustainable development. Some brands are actually working on philanthropic endeavors, but their motive is not quite clear. For example, since 2009, BVLGARI has raised more than 6 million Euros to support Save the Childrens quality education programs and are hosting several special events to support quality education for the worlds neediest children (Bvlgari, 2010). LVMH has been auditing its carbon imprint since 2004 and has taken as a managerial motto the four words: renew, recycle, reduce, and review (Kapferer, 2010). The same holds  true for Tiffany. Dior (LVMH) gets their handbags made in Italy (excellent leather suppliers and their know-how that produces less CO2 than if it was made in China) and the leather comes from bio farms. Versace has an Art Unites initiative where the brand makes one-of-a-kind handbags out of each work of art drawn by a child. The bags are sold for about $250 through its global boutiques and all p roceeds go to childrens foundation or other charities. Having analyzed the extent to which consumers value ethics in the luxury sector, as well as explored the same issue from the perspective of the luxury companies, one can conclude that that people care more about ethics if the people around them can recognize them for doing so. There is a big attitude behaviour gap that demonstrates that consumers still make important purchase decisions on the basis of price, quality and durability of product rather than ethics. Thus, the intentions of both consumers and producers are to some extent unethical in its roots and motivated by further recognition to be doing whats right rather than for the outcome and effect of those ethical decisions on the people that they are benefitting. What is evident is that firms have realized that need of ethical conduct to retain its customers if not gain more.

Essay on Social Position Reflected in Roxana and Emma :: Roxana and Emma Essays

Social Position Reflected in Roxana and Emma   Ã‚   There were severe conflicts between the City party and the Country party in 18th century Britain. The Country party, mainly composed of gentry, was based on landed interest and the City party made money through trade and was based on moneyed interest. The Country party passed the Landed Property Qualification Act to maintain their power. However, this act merely encouraged more men of wealth to buy country estate, in many cases displacing old landed families who truly represented the  ¡Ã‚ °landed interest. ¡Ã‚ ±[1][1] We can see this changing of power through these two works, Roxana and Emma. Daniel Defoe was born in London, so he naturally engaged in City party. Roxana ¡Ã‚ ¯s background is mainly city while that of Emma is the little country society called Highbury. As we can see the difference of the background of two works, we can also find some different attitude toward City and Country in these two works. I will write about these differences in point of the conception of g entleman, rank and different attitude to City lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Defoe indicates that younger sons who have careers in law and trade are the backbone of the English Nation. The uneducated eldest son is an insult to the word gentleman: he is a man of no use to himself or to others.[2][2] He thinks that trade is more important than land. We can find this attitude in Roxana. Roxana says,  ¡Ã‚ °a true bred Merchant is the best Gentleman in the Nation; that in Knowledge, in Manners, in Judgement of things, the Merchant out-did many of the Nobility ¡Ã‚ ± (Roxana 170, The page numbers of further references from Roxana will be put in parentheses in the text).   She also says  ¡Ã‚ °That an Estate is a Pond; but that a Trade was a Spring ¡Ã‚ ±(170). The Dutch merchant also says that  ¡Ã‚ °the Tradesmen in London, speaking of the better sort of Trades, cou ¡Ã‚ ¯d spend more Money in their Families, and yet give better Fortunes to their Children, than, generally speaking, the Gentry of England from a 1000 l ¡Ã‚ ±(170). We can know that Roxana has a very positive view to a merchant from this. She thinks that a merchant is better than gentry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, it is viewed differently, as shown in Emma. When Emma talks about the father of Mrs. Elton, she says like this :  ¡Ã‚ ° a Bristol ? merchant, of course, he must be called; but, as the whole of the profits of his mercantile life appeared so very moderate, it was not unfair to guess the dignity of his live of trade had been very moderate also ¡Ã‚ ±(Emma, 164).

How Should China Establish The Privilege of Silence System in Criminal Proceedings?

1. The origin and the connotations of the Privilege of Silence. â€Å"Miranda warning† originated from a case heard by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1966: an 18-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped, she identified that it was Miranda who did that. The police interrogated Miranda and used his confession as the hearing testimony. After Miranda was convicted he appealed to the Supreme Court on the grounds that the police did not inform him of the right to remain silent, and his confession was concocted under pressure. He said that if he had been told to have a privilege of silence, he would have not made up that confession. After considering all the arguments, the United States Supreme Court ruled the Miranda confession invalid. Because of this jurisprudence, when arresting or interrogating suspects, the police need to say the â€Å"Miranda warning† first. This is how the privilege of silence was born in the judicial system. The Privilege of Silence contains the following connotations: First, the suspect has no obligation to say words which might be detrimental to his/her own, the prosecution agencies or the courts can not use inhuman or degrading methods to force him to say; Second, the suspect has the right to always keep silent during the interrogation, and the judge can not make the adjudication against him/her because his/her silence; Third, before the suspect says the favorable or unfavorable word to him/her, he/she has the right to know the consequences of these words. And he/she must be voluntary to say. If the suspect was forced to speak, the court cannot use these words as the evidence. 2. The Privilege of Silence in China In China, the Privilege of Silence has not yet been established. This is inseparable with China's actual situation. In China’s judicial practice, on one hand, due to the comparatively poorly developed investigation technology, the testimony of the suspect plays an important part in guiding the police to find out the truth. On the other hand, paying attention to the testimony of the suspect can indeed enhance case handling efficiency. However, the neglect of the right of silence begins to constantly expose some problems. For example, some significant wronged cases reported by the media these years show that the problem of â€Å"Confession by Torture† is so severe in China. Although the confession by torture is strictly prohibited by Criminal Law, yet in the investigation, prosecution or trial activity, the phenomenon of torture generally exists. It is not uncommon that the judiciary staff frequently uses threat, enticement, deceit or other illegal methods to collect evidence, which seriously violates the basic human rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Among the various causes of the torture phenomenon, the most important reasons are the ideology of the presumption of guilt and the practice of relying heavily on confessions. Thus the establishment of the privilege of silence plays an important role in effectively combating with this phenomenon. 3. Pros and cons Whether China shall establish a right to silence system? This has long been the hot topic in the legal circles in recent years. The mainly supporting ideas are as following: (1) The establishment of right to silence can help to curb the long-standing phenomenon of confessions by torture. Extracting confessions by torture is a spurned and forbidden behavior in the civilized society. Its typical characteristic is to impose violence or disguised violence on the suspect, severely devastating both the suspect’s physical and psychological health, violating the natural rights of human. (2) It is required by the full implementation of the presumption of innocence. Although the presumption of guilt is prohibited by law, yet in China’s judicial practice, this harmful ideology is not even close to be banned. Under the impact of this ideology, the alleged offender is considered as a criminal and he/she shall be treated as a criminal. So the penalties, the long-term or even indefinite detention, the torture and other inhuman ways can all be imposed on him/her. 3 (3) China has recognized the right of silent advocated by some international rules or meeting, therefore, China needs to make the corresponding provisions in the Code of Criminal Procedure. With the development of international economic and trade, the cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries continue to deepen. You can read also King v Cogdon The technological media makes China’s judicial activities began to be transparent to the world. Thus, to safeguard the image of the country, a high demand of the legality in investigative activities must be assured. (4) The confirmation of the privilege of silence was considered to be one of the most important milestones in human’s fight to the civilization. It ensures the humanity and justice in the criminal proceedings. It reflects the degree of judicial civilization of a country, and is an inevitable requirement of the country according to law. Opponents argue that the country should not create a right of silence system, the right of silence does not meet the conditions of our country, at least for now China does not yet have the conditions to introduce this system, their views mainly include the following: (1) The privilege of silence reduces the effectiveness of the proceedings, and influences the effectiveness of punishing crimes. The confession of the suspect is the shortcut for investigators to identify the facts of the case, but the silent right blocks this shortcut. This right of the suspect would make the investigators’ interrogation right exist in name only. As a result, the search of various potential evidences relies solely on the existing investigation techniques and the professional competence of the investigators, thereby greatly slow down the investigation process, and even stagnating investigative work. There are irreconcilable contradictions between the privilege of silence and the principle of economic proceedings. And if the investigators failed to find relevant evidences other than the confession, the truth of the case would not be identified and the defendant must be released. If the released defendant were the real criminal, then it would undoubtedly indulgent the evil, and would obstruct upholding the social justice. (2) The privilege of silence is bound to increase the cost of litigation. Once the suspect decides to keep silent, investigators then have to spend time and energy, make use of manpower, material and financial resources to search for clues and evidence for the case. Therefore, the establishment of the silent right system will inevitably lead to the increase in the cost of litigation. (3) The privilege of silence cannot fundamentally exclude the confession by torture. The right of silence can help to curb the torture to some degree, but due to a variety of objectively presenting reasons, investigators can always come up with various means or reasons to circumvent the legal responsibility. Therefore, the privilege of silence itself is not the cure of torture. To make the privilege truly serve to inhibit the confession by torture, there must be corresponding establishment of mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of this privilege. (4) In some major crimes of terrorism and organized crimes, the privilege of silence might be used by these â€Å"career criminals†, making them escape from the punishment of law. This is contrary to the original purpose. Despite there are certain flaws exist in the privilege of silence system, However, even criminals should also have their own personal rights, not to mention the suspects, any suspect can not be identified as guilty before the court makes a final judgment, so their right to remain silent should not be illegally infringed. If such a close judicial procedure could not be ensured, then the remote â€Å"eternal justice† would be doomed to remain as utopia. The reason that the Americans has accepted the â€Å"Miranda warning† and would tolerate the side effects of the Miranda rule is that they believe that the law’s first function is to suppress the public authority, secondary is to suppress the dangerous social criminals. 1 If the public authority were out of control, its harms to the society would be far more than those of personal crimes. Letting go the murderers may make the justice come late, but letting loose the public power may ultimately distort and devaluate justice. If the authority were abused to protect the so-called justice, it would be extremely possible that some legal-abiding citizens might be pushed into the abyss of evil. By then, even if it punished crimes a hundred times, it would not offset the pains that a kind person had gone through from one injustice. Even though the build of the privilege of silence system is the trend, it is important for us to realize that there are objective flaws exist in this system, efforts should be made to prevent its negative effects. According to the current conditions of the country, my suggestion is to confirm a limited right of silence. 4. Recommendations: Build a limited privilege of silence system. The right of Silence System is an integrated system that contains many aspects of deep-seated factors in the litigation. Thus the establishment of the right of silence system is not a simple task, but a systematic project, including the legislators' decision-making, the public’s recognition and support, the corresponding operational mechanism and the appropriate protection mechanism. Therefore, under current conditions, the country needs to establish a minimum mechanism of protection of the right to silence. (1) Comprehensively establish the principle of the presumption of innocence. The principle of the presumption of innocence is one of the basic principles in the criminal proceedings and is a generally recognized criminal procedure principle for modern countries under the rule of law. And the right of silence system is the necessary logic requirement of the principle of the presumption of innocence. The Article 12 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in China stipulates: â€Å"No person shall be found guilty without being judged as such by a People's Court according to law. † It has absorbed the spirit of the presumption of innocence. Therefore, the Code of Criminal Procedure should further clarify the principle of the presumption of innocence. This is the theoretical basis for and the guarantee of implementation of the privilege of silence system. Accordingly, the Article 12 can be modified to: â€Å"Every person should be regarded as innocent before the Court’s effective verdict. Every suspect has the privilege of silence, unless his/her privilege of silence is excluded by law. † (2) Expressly exclude the rule of self-incrimination and clearly confirm the privilege of silence. Prohibit making any adverse inference because of the suspect’s silence. Cancel the obligation stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Law that requires the suspects to answer questions truthfully. There is a close connection between the exclusion of self-incrimination and the privilege of silence. And the exclusion of self-incrimination should be a basic principle for the criminal proceedings. Therefore this principle could be added in the first chapter of the Code of Criminal Procedure—-the tasks and basic principles, namely: â€Å"any person can not be compelled to testify against himself/herself, suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings have the right to remain silent, unless his/her right of silence is excluded by law. Prohibit regarding the suspects’ and the defendants’ silence as aggravating circumstances. There is a contradiction between the right of silence and the obligation to honestly state. Therefore, to ensure the exercise of the privilege of silence, the 93 Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that the suspect must answer the investigators' questions truthfully should be removed. 7 (3) Establish Illegal Oral Evidence exclusionary rule and arbitrary confession rule. These are two important rules in the rules of evidence and are institutional guarantees for the privilege of silence and can help curb the phenomenon of confession by torture. Illegal evidence exclusion rules require all illegal or improper obtained evidences (rather than confession out of free will) should be absolutely ruled out, and confessions cannot be proven beyond reasonable doubt should also be excluded. Arbitrary confession rule puts that, unless the law explicitly limits, the confessions are effective only under the circumstances that the suspects voluntarily, intentionally and rationally give up their rights of silence. In China, the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that Judges, prosecutors and investigators must, in accordance with legal procedures, collect various evidence that can confirm the suspect’s and the defendant's guilt or innocence, or the gravity of his/her crime; extorting confessions by torture, threatening, enticing, tricking or other illegal methods are strictly forbidden in collecting evidence; and any person shall not be compelled to prove his own guilt. Therefore, based on the existing spirit of law, we can further confirm the evidence exclusion rules. In the Article 46 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, after the existing â€Å"†¦ credence shall not be readily given to oral statements†,7 we can further add â€Å"where extorting confessions by torture or threat, inducement, fraud, extended detention or other illegal methods that are used to obtain the testimony of witnesses, statements of victims and the confessions of the suspect can be verified, then these confessions shall not be used to accuse a crime or make a judgment. (4) Establish systems to encourage the defendant to testify, including the testimony immunity system and leniency programs. The right to silence does not mean that suspects cannot speak, nor that to encourage suspects to not confess, but to give him/her the right to choose whether to remain silent or to make a statement, this is to protect his/ her basic human rights. The law does not prohibit self- incrimination, but prohibits forced self-incrimination. In America, for example, through the Plea Bargaining, the offender's guilty plea rate is up to 90%. To minimize the side effects of the right to silence system, we shall establish some relevant systems to ensure that the defendant actively cooperates with the judicial authorities in a timely manner to investigate the facts. First, through legalizing the leniency policies to encourage the defendant to admit guilt initiatively, making the confession the legal circumstances of leniency, rather than just discretionary circumstances. The second is to establish testimony immunity system. Prohibit using some of the defendant’s statements to testify against herself/himself, and exempt the according criminal responsibilities. But note the testimony immunity system should only be applied to some significant and complex cases, for example, organized crime, triad societies, smart crime, corruption and bribery crime, transnational crime or other major crimes. (5) Improve the witness system. The testimony of witnesses is an important means to expose and prove the criminal. The establishment of right to silence system will make the Criminal proceedings mainly rely on evidences other than confessions. Consequently, the role of the witness testimony will be more prominent and more important. Therefore, the Code of Criminal Procedure should stipulate that witnesses must appear in court, and construct supporting measures to improve the attendance of witnesses and to ensure the witnesses provide testimony objectively and sufficiently. First, we must establish system to force witness to court and clear the legal consequences of the illegal testimony. The second is to establish a material compensation system and the security guarantee system for the witness, eliminating their worries. 6) Establish the Notification of Procedural Rights and the Lawyer Presence Right mechanisms, protect the suspect’s meeting right and communication right. These are the important procedural safeguards for the full implementation of the right to silence, without which, the right of silence would merely be a meaningless rule. It is impossible for people to exercise their rights if they don’t know them. And the judicial officers may use the misleading and unclear circumstances to lure confessions. To make the suspects be clearly informed of their rights prior to the interrogation is a common practice and consensus in most countries. Therefore, the law must stipulate detailed requirements to the notification system, including the time and specific issues of the notification, statutory interpretation obligations and the consequences of having failed to perform the duties and responsibilities. Due to the suspects are not necessarily familiar with the law, without the assistance of counsel, the right to silence is difficult to be well implemented. The lawyer presence right is an effective way to avoid confession by torture and to ensure the exercise of the right of silence. In China’s criminal proceedings, the lawyer’s involvement degree is very low, especially compared to the developed countries. Therefore, according to the country’s conditions, except some major cases, such as cases involves national security, complex organized crime cases, the Code of Criminal Procedure should endow the presence right to the lawyer. Through protecting the meeting rights and communication rights of the suspects, the law can prevent or reduce the coercion to the suspects in custody. Therefore, the law should reduce the limits to the suspect’s meet and communication. Of course, in some special cases, to protect some significant social interests, the law can set up necessary exceptions, review or control the suspect’s meeting and communication rights. (7) Establish some exceptions to the right of silence. To decide whether or not a suspect will be endowed the right of silence in a case, the specific issues need to be analyzed first. In some special cases, the suspects’ right of silence should be restricted. These restrictions are to seek the unification between individual rights and the social interest. According to this principle, at least it seems to me, the following crimes should be excluded: A. Crimes of endangering national security, financial fraud crime and computer crime. The country's interests are above everything else, to effectively safeguard national security and fight against both domestic and foreign hostile forces, the chapter one of the Criminal Law–crimes of endangering national security—could be excluded. The intelligent crimes have become increasingly prominent and due to the limits of the country’s investigative techniques, the high-tech crimes are to difficult to detect. Thus, at least for now it is not appropriate to give such criminals the privilege of silence. B. Smuggling, narcotics, money laundering, robbery and other severe joint crime, criminal syndicate and underworld crime and other organized crime. In crimes such as smuggling, narcotics and money laundering, criminals usually use one-way communication. Thus the confessions of the suspects play a crucial role in revealing the cases’ causes, backgrounds and processes, and the relationships between the accomplices. If they were given the right to silence, the real culprits behind the scene would not likely to be captured. Organized crime has the following characteristics: numerous people, strict organization, huge hazards or potential harms and hard to track down. Such cases are very difficult to catch, of accomplices, confessions plays the pivotal role. Therefore the confessions of the captured suspects tend to play a decisive role in such cases. C. Corruption, bribery and huge unidentified property cases. At present, China is in a period of high incidence of corruption cases, the fight against corruption is a long-term and arduous task. In order to effectively combat corruption and bribery, to curb and reduce the incidence of job-related crimes, it is recommended that those crimes are being excluded. Besides, most criminal subjects in these crimes hold an important authority; have a certain degree of education background and social status. Which means they have wide social relations and strong social activities ability, and often have both preparations before and countermeasures after the crime. Such strong anti-investigative capacities often interfere the detection processes. The investigation of these crimes would be harder if they were endowed with the privilege of silence, which would damage the interests of the country. D. Cases relate to public safety and emergency situations. For crimes involving public safety, if not got confessions in time, significant public safety hazard would happen. For life threatening cases, if the suspect did not immediately provide the place of where the victims were hidden, the personal safety of the victims would be endangered. Thus the privilege of silence should be excluded in these cases. For example, kidnapping, illegal detention, unaccounted dangerous goods crimes such as poisons, firearms, ammunitions and explosives. To these cases, at the trial stage, the privilege of silence is undoubtedly applied, but at the interrogation stage, whether or not the privilege of silence should be given need to be identified by the judges. E. The defendant should not keep silent on some crimes unrelated basic personal information. Such information includes name, identity, age, occupation, address and so on. This is in order to combat crime effectively and accurately, and to avoid unnecessary losses. (8) Improve the construction of the judicial organs. The establishment of the privilege of silence system is the trend, which put forward higher requirements for the construction of the judicial organs. The judicial offices should actively respond to this trend and try to improve themselves in the following two ways: First, update the judicial notions of the staff and weaken the confession’s role in evidence system. In current criminal proceedings, the confession is known as the â€Å"king of the evidence†, the value and importance of the confession is extremely exaggerated. This notion is still deeply rooted in the minds of many judicial officers, which is contrary to the requirements of the right of silence system. Therefore, the judicial organs should change their concepts, and establish the concept of human rights protection, and resolutely put an end to the behavior of extracting confessions. Second, use high-tech to equip judicial organs, and to improve their investigation abilities. The establishment of the privilege of silence system will makes the judicial officers pay more attention to obtaining external evidence rather than confessions. Which requires the country to increase investment in technology and equipment of the investigative organs, to improve the standards of the investigators, and to actualize scientific investigation. With the development of the litigation civilization and the improvement of the detection capability, the number of the unpunished criminals will be gradually reducing, and the side effects of the privilege of silence system will be minimized.

Curriculum Development Class Reflection Paper

Two separate classmates asked me education questions two nights ago, Wednesday, 17 and based on what I have learned in our class, I could answer them. Until then, I did not realize what an impact this class had on my educational training. At the end of the summer, I will graduate with a Master’s in Business Education, and be a student teacher in the fall. In my business education courses, I have learned about professional organizations, endorsements, textbook adoption, and a few smaller topics. One class did focus a lot on the syllabus, unit plan, lesson plan, setting measurable objectives, and following the core standards.When I started thinking on what my â€Å"take away† is from this course, I realized that it is about 90% of the course. The other 10%, I actually knew. Since you probably do not want me to write a book, I am going to pick out the topics that grabbed my attention the most. Prior to beginning this course, I knew changes had occurred in how knowledge was delivered to students in the classroom. What I did not realize was how much was involved in the development of curriculum and the extent to which it has changed in such a short time.It has always been my perception that teachers knew the subjects they taught and that their knowledge was transferred to the students. I had not given much thought to the many other factors that a teacher is responsible for. I now understand that there are many elements involved in planning and implementing a curriculum for each class taught. I am amazed at the magnitude of information that needs to be considered; such as, desk arrangements, wall space use, planned activities, time considerations, classroom management, rules, procedures, record keeping, available resources, technology, plus many more.Many of these items can probably be easily mastered after performed a time or two, but as a future teacher, I have to ask, â€Å"What have I gotten myself into? † When I was in school, all I remember was that my teachers had a green lesson plan book and that was it. In a couple of my business classes I have written my philosophy on education and then one on teaching. What I did not know, was there are â€Å"determinants of an educational philosophy. † I had never heard of perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, or existentialism.On one end of the spectrum there is perennialism and on the other end there is existentialism. Experimentalism with a little of existentialism mixed in, loosely reminds me of some of the year-round school schedules talked about in chapter 8; where the students decide the type of instruction and when they will attend school. I based my philosophy on my personal values and what I believed teaching to be, which includes a little of some of the â€Å"known† philosophies. Last semester, one of my professors passed out this colorful triangle and called it Bloom’s Taxonomy.Possibly he expected everyone to know what is was, so he did not discuss it. After reading chapter three and hearing the presentation, I am amazed that time was not spent going over the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy in my business education methods class. I have been setting goals and objectives for most of my life. I did not expect the way I executed them when I taught would be any different. The state standards outline my objectives, and I determine how the material will be delivered, which was the approach I intended to take.Of course I knew that knowledge would be passed from me to the students and then they would be tested over the material; however, that only represents the beginning and end of the Bloom’s Taxonomy process; there is a big gap in the middle. When I stop and think about the process of the educational objectives of the cognitive domain, it makes perfect sense to follow the â€Å"steps† up the ladder. As a teacher, if I miss a step, let’s say for the sake of time or convenience, I have reduced m y effectiveness as a teacher; therefore, I have lowered my standards.In another class, much time was spent on the discussion state standards. Since I will be a business teacher, I will be qualified to teach many classes; therefore, I will have to become familiar with multiple sets of standards. I looked back through chapter four and learned how the standards first came to be, and considered how they have evolved to create a foundation for the standards we use today. It is intimidating to see how comprehensive the standards are.The first presentation on the article during the last night of class introduced three areas of curriculum that are not discussed at length in the book: subject-centered curriculum, learner-centered curriculum, broad-fields curriculum, and core-curriculum. It was interesting how they are separated in the terms used, but how integrated they should be. It is clear that students, at least in Tennessee, are taught from the common core. It seems that the teaching is a by-product of what everyone else wants, beginning at the national level all the way down to an individual school.I know in the chapter that I presented, Chapter 8, the author brought up the conventional way teaching has, for the most part, been done; teaching for the convenience of the teacher which did not facilitate the learning of the student. It is evident that change is occurring rapidly. There is only a brief mention of teaching to various learning styles. Oddly, I recently discovered I am a visual learner. For the life of me, I could never figure out why I had to have complete silence when reading.This revelation occurred in another education class and was reinforced when I read the paragraph on learning styles in our text book. The actual implementation of teaching must revolve around a flexible classroom. Not all students learn at the same pace and as a teacher I have to realize that and teach on multiple levels. Differentiated learning is at the heart of teaching. Every thing I have mentioned thus far, barely scratches the surface of the changes in my perception of teaching, the collection of new knowledge, and revelations I have had pertaining to class preparation.I know I can handle students in a classroom, but I am scared of everything else that defines a teacher. I just hope I have learned enough to effectively prepare kids to enter the real world. My courses are part of a career pathway, you might say, I am the last line of defense. It is overwhelming to think of my future and the enormous responsibilities I am entrusted with. In the questions you posed for consideration, one related to the Praxis test. To student teach, I have to take the PLT 7-12 test.I have reviewed the study outline, which are about six pages. Of course there will be material on the test about curriculum, but what scares me is everything on the outline that I have never heard of. I seems like it will be impossible to prepare for, any help you have to offer would be greatly appreciated. I took my first content knowledge Praxis test last Saturday for marketing. I had to smile when the first question on the test asked about Bloom’s Taxonomy. It is the little things that connect everything in life.

Freelance Writing Course †Autumn 2014

Freelance Writing Course – Autumn 2014 Freelance Writing Course Autumn 2014 Freelance Writing Course Autumn 2014 By Daniel Scocco Twice a year we open the enrollment for our Freelance Writing Course. The course is a 6-week program aimed at people who want to get started making money freelance writing online. You’ll get in-depth lessons on everything you need to know, including the tools and trade and the resources you can use to make your life as a freelance writer easier. More than 1200 students joined us over the years, and the feedback we receive is always very positive. Heres what one of the past students said about the course: Your course is amazing. What I have learned so far has been very helpful and I have looked ahead at what is still there and I am amazed at the depth of knowledge you have given me. The downloadable books are a big bonus. I know this course will be the best help I could ever find to becoming a freelance writer. Every week you get access to a new module. They are: 1. Writing Productivity: Youll learn how to become a prolific writer, which is essential if you want to make money writing. 2. Building an Online Presence: Setting up a website is not enough these days. You need to know how to promote it and how to reach the right people online. 3. Writing for the Web: Freelance writing is changing, and this module focuses on the differences youll face while freelance writing for websites and online publications. 4. Finding Clients: Probably the most important module. Here youll learn where and how to find your first clients, and how to obtain high-paying writing gigs over time. 5. Running a Writing Business: Freelance writing is like any business, and as such youll need to manage it efficiently if you want to increase your earnings over time. 6. Social Media: In this module youll discover tactics you can use to leverage social media sites to boost your career. For this edition we have re-designed the members area, optimizing it for mobile devices. This means that youll be able to go through the lessons using any smartphone or tablet. Enrollment starts today and runs until Saturday, October 25. -> Click here to visit the official page where you can get all the details and join. Dont miss out! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant NamesAwoken or Awakened?Narrative, Plot, and Story

Colonialism of Africa essays

Colonialism of Africa essays Although there had been a British and greater European presence in Africa prior to the last two decades of the 19th century it was primarily coastal and revolved around the slave trade. With the abolition of the slave trade within the British Empire in 1803 and a complete abolition of slavery across the empire in 1834 there was little interest in Africa by Britain until the end of the century. This lack of interest in Africa did not include The Cape Colony though, which the British gained at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and which served a key role in outfitting ships on the British trade route to India. The role and importance of Africa to the British soon changed though do to imperial competition with France and Germany. Germany under the aggressive policies of Bismarck set out to take a leading role in Africa and catch up to other European powers such as Britain and France in terms of empire by gaining new control over territory and expanding their spheres of influence. Other important factors made Africa the hot spot for British and European expansion including the discovery of gold in the Transvaal and diamonds in the Orange Free State, the palm oil industry in Nigeria, scientific discoveries such as the way to treat malaria, and the mapping and exploration of the previously mysterious African interior early in the 19th century. In order to explore the nature of British expansion in Africa Porters The Lions Share and T.O. Lloyds The British Empire 1558-1995 are indispensable texts. Using their information on British expansion throughout Africa as a foundation it becomes possible to break down the period of greatest growth between 1880 and 1900 by analyzing British role in Africa prior to 1880, the external roles that competitors such as Germany and France had in forcing Englands imperial hand coupled with the internal economic drives for procuring areas of Africa, and the special case and significance of...

Definition and Examples of Graphemes

Definition and Examples of Graphemes A  grapheme is a  letter of the alphabet, a mark of punctuation, or any other individual symbol in a writing system. The grapheme has been described as the smallest contrastive linguistic unit which may bring about a change of meaning. Matching a grapheme to a phoneme (and vice versa) is called a grapheme-phoneme correspondence. Etymology: From the Greek, writing Examples and Observations Trevor A. HarleyThe basic unit of written language is the letter. The name grapheme is given to the letter or combination of letters that represents a phoneme. For example, the word ghost contains five letters and four graphemes (gh, o, s, and t), representing four phonemes. There is much more variability in the structure of written language than there is in spoken languages. Whereas all spoken languages utilize a basic distinction between consonants and vowels, there is no such common thread to the worlds written languages.Linda C. EhrieTypically, beginners are taught grapheme-phoneme correspondences when they begin school. These associations are easier to learn if students already know the names of letters, because most letter names include relevant sounds, for example /t/ in tee, and k in kay. . . .There are about 40 distinctive phonemes in English, but 70 letters or letter combinations to symbolize phonemes. This makes pronouncing spellings easier than writing correct spellings. David CrystalGraphemes are the smallest units in a writing system capable of causing a contrast in meaning. In the English alphabet, the switch from cat to bat introduces a meaning change; therefore, c and b represent different graphemes. It is usual to transcribe graphemes within angle brackets, to show their special status: c, b. The main graphemes of English are the twenty-six units that make up the alphabet. Other graphemes include the various marks of punctuation: ., ;, etc., and such special symbols as , , and ( £). . . .Graphemes . . . may signal whole words or word partsas with the numerals, where each grapheme 1, 2, etc. is spoken as a word that varies from language to language (a logogram). . . . And several of the relationships between words are conveyed by graphology more clearly than by phonology: for example, the link between sign and signature is very clear in writing, but it is less obvious in speech, because the g is pronounced in the second word, but not in the fi rst. Florian CoulmasSpellings like to, too, two, sea, see, and phrase, frays, multiplied by hundreds of other examples, make for complex grapheme-phoneme correspondences, but the interpretation of written texts does not depend on these correspondences alone. Exploiting other systemic levels of language is equally common and practical. The plural of both dog and cat is uniformly indicated by -s, although it is [dogz] but [kaets]. In the event -s can be understood as indicating the plural morpheme rather than a sound. Accordingly, such spellings are sometimes referred to as morphograms.Cauline B. LoweMany phoneme–grapheme correspondences are conditional. The spelling of a given phoneme depends on the speech sounds that come before or after the target phoneme–grapheme correspondence.  For instance, doubled consonants often  follow short vowels in  closed syllables:  stuff, doll, mess, jazz. This pattern is an orthographic convention; the extra letters do not correspond to extra sounds. Each of these example words has only one consonant phoneme at the end of the word.

Organisational Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 11

Organisational Change Management - Essay Example In this regard, the council, through a consultant has been advised to use Appreciative Inquiry 5D to overcome the problem facing the organization and to allow them offer better services to the council. The use of AI 5D involves identifying the strengths rather than weaknesses to bring change in the organization, this paper then discusses the use of AI 5D in bring the necessary change in the council (Englund, Graham, and Paul 2006, p.35). Definition The main concern of the change process in the council is necessitated by the higher levels of absenteeism by the employees who abscond their duties most of the time, they do not show up to take care of their duties and this has led to the emergence of some of the problems associated with absenteeism. The department that was worst hit in this case was that of the elderly care in the council, the care managers then became concerned about the situation as it aggravated the condition of elderly in the council that needed the support of the emp loyees. With the absenteeism rate spiralling, there are a number of issues that became apparent for action to be taken so that change could be brought. One of the salient problems that became out of control was the decline in the quality of the services that was being offered by the council, due to the widespread absenteeism, the quality of the services that was being provided by the council experienced significant drop owing to the fact that there were few employees who showed up. This made it possible for the work to be strenuous to the few individuals who turned up and the demands of the department could not be fully achieved hence decline in the quality of the services (Tennant 2012, p.47). The absenteeism factor also created another problem in the council’s department where the employees who turned up for their duties were subjected to more duties than prescribed so that they could cover for the duties that were to be done by the other workers who decided to be absent. B ecause of these, it became strenuous and stressful to the few workers who maintained reporting for their duties, they worked more than necessary and it was envisaged that if the trend continues, there would be possibility of breakdown and burnout that will definitely impair the performance of the employees who showed up for their duties every day. This consequence too made it prudent for the organization to find a solution to the challenge that was facing the organization as it was bedevilling the performance in more than one way (Reed 2007, p.53). The colleagues that were absent for work had to be covered for by those who turned up, this explains why there was more duties for those who showed up resulting into stressful work (Kluwer 2008, p.58). Lastly, absenteeism also had serious economic consequences for the council, ordinarily employees should be paid for the services that they offer to the organization that employs them, if these services are not offered, then there should be no payments given to the employees. If this happens, there will be obvious losses incurred by the organization, in this respect, the employees that had been out of their duties in the organization were causing serious economic pinch to the organizati

How successful has the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Essay

How successful has the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia been in running the Australian economy over the l - Essay Example Trade policy in Australia supports open trade as well introduction of Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations which promoted economic growth for 17 consecutive years just before the global financial crisis. This writing analyses the degree of success that the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia been in running the Australian economy over the last two years. Australia’s economy is believed to have performed successfully in the recent years due to policies and strategies that the government and the Reserve Bank of Australia have made. Although there have been challenges and some sort of inconsistency in the economic growth for the last two years, the government has done tremendous things to boost the economy. According to Greber (2013, n.p), the Australian government has attempted to curb debt but the budgetary position has not fared on very well in the last few years leading to higher deficits and high level of unemployment. Additionally, there has bee n a reduction of revenue accompanied with increase in expenditure, which has greatly strained Australia’s budget for the last two years. However, the budget deficit was lower than the Europe’s making Australia to be in a somehow better situation compared to the region. Australia’s credit rating is currently AAA but the credit rating agencies have received strong criticism since the 2008 financial crisis. The agencies could not detect the jumble financial products that led to eventual fall of various financial institutions thus raising lots of questions regarding reliability of credit ratings. It is therefore apparent that dynamics of microeconomic indicators be used in determining the strength of Australian economy. On the other hand, Australia is one of the largest capitalist economies in the world and in 2011; it was position 13 in terms of national economy. The economy is dominated by service sector which makes up a bigger percentage of the GDP although econo mic growth mostly depends on the mining sector. According to Australian Government (2013), the government has somehow enhanced economic freedom thus making her economy the most free in 2013 index. The free economy has been consistent for the last two years especially freedom from corruption and business freedom. The government’s commitment to economic freedom as well as openness to investment and global trade has made Australia to rebound so quick from the global recession. This is actually plausible because most countries have not been able to recover from the crisis. Unfortunately, the government has not done much in terms of labor and poor management of expenditure. According to Thirlwell (2013, n.p), government and the Reserve Bank of Australia have ensured stabilized fiscal and monetary policies thus allowing banks to withstand the global financial crisis. In addition, public finances have somehow been managed well thus reducing the national debt compared to other econom ies. The government has created a stable and transparent climate for doing business making it one of the most steadfast and appealing place for entrepreneurs. There is also an independent judicial system, which has ensured protection of property rights and further allows easier and reliable enforcement of contracts. There is a tradition of clean and fair government that has smoothly worked for the last two years thus reducing bribery of public officials. Moreover, Australian government has boosted and attracted investors

Internetworking Switches and Routers Module Written ASSIGNMENT

Internetworking Switches and Routers Module Written - Assignment Example Routing protocols are divided into four categories, which includes hierarchical, flat, geographic and Quality of Service (QoS) routing mechanisms (Eslaminejad 2011, p. 24). First, the flat routing protocols are used to reduce or omit the redundant information originating from the primary sensor nodes. In these protocols, the sensor nodes perform the same task as well as forwarding data to the sink nodes. Data centric methods are used in these networks in order to eliminate the extra information thus reducing energy consumption. Flat protocols use two data centric methods, which include Direct Diffusion and Sensor Protocols for Information via Negotiation (SPIN). The methods reduce energy consumed by the sensor nodes, thus elongating the lifespan of the WSNs (Sohraby, Minoli and Znati 2007, p. 109). In hierarchical routing protocols, data transmission is conducted by clusters rather than individual nodes deployed in the harsh environments. Clustering technique is a common method used in this routing mechanism so as to save energy consumed in the entire WSNs. Clusters formed in these WSNs consist of a number of sensor nodes. The individual sensor nodes send data to the cluster heads, which in turn aggregates that data before transmitting it to the base station. Large amounts of energy are, therefore, saved when WSNs use the clustering method. The mechanism operates in a hierarchical order where primary nodes send information to the cluster heads, which in turn send it to the sink nodes (Garcia-Hernardo 2008, p. 123). The QoS-based routing mechanisms employed in WSNs aim at ensuring there is a balance between the energy consumption and data quality. WSNs applying the QoS concept should satisfy various parameters such as the delaying time and bandwidth. SAR (Sequential Assignment Routing) is one of the protocols that apply the concept of the QoS. Application of SAR allows WSNs to withstand technical failures at low power consumption.

Organisation business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisation business - Essay Example As such, the idea has found much popularity among managers in their attempts to bring up a successful and efficient workforce. The assumption that emotional intelligence directly influences job performance leads, as a result, to the thought that emotional intelligence might become of the keys to improved business performance and, consequently, higher profits. Though there exists a number of studies on the relation of emotional intelligence to employee effectiveness, many of them present different points of view. Therefore, the purpose of the given work is to review and analyze some of the most recent researches on the topic of emotional intelligence’s relation to employee performance with the purpose of determining whether there is, indeed, a positive correlation between the two. The findings will, therefore, help businesses and organizations to understand whether emotional intelligence should be given some additional attention and incorporated into organizational culture and HR practices. Defining Emotional Intelligence Modern literature provides a number of definitions of emotional intelligence. ... Such abilities, according to them, include â€Å"the abilities to perceive emotions in the self and in others, use emotions to facilitate performance, understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and regulate emotions in the self and in others† (Mayer and Salovey 1997, 3). The definition has not significantly changed with time. In 2009 Jordan and Lawrence refer to the 1997 work by Mayer & Salovey explaining emotional intelligence as â€Å"abilities, emotional awareness (own and others), emotional management (own and others), emotional understanding (understanding emotional cycles and progressions) and emotional facilitation (generating emotions) (Jordan and Lawrence 2009, 453). Therefore, it can be concluded that the term ‘emotional intelligence’ means human ability to realize and understand feelings (both own and those other people), to effective cope with emotions, as well as express own or evoke emotions of others with the purpose of dealing with specific situ ation in the most efficient way. Literature Review At the same time Stephane Cote and Christopher Miners (2006) of the University of Toronto point out that though the concept of emotional intelligence has raised much interest of businesses and organizations, there is a relatively low number of studies that prove emotional intelligence is really important for managing an organization effectively or that it is directly related to job performance (Cote and Miners 2006, 1). Furthermore, Barrett et al (2001, 1) even argue that the increase in the topic’s population is based on its being advertised rather than on profound scientific evidence. Nevertheless, some studies exist. In 2005 Brett Anthony Hayward, for instance, conducted a research with the

Challenges of factoring economic inequality into work-family programs Essay

Challenges of factoring economic inequality into work-family programs and policies - Essay Example They rely on government cash assistance, which is inadequate for providing even a minimal standard of living to these poor families. Therefore the biggest challenge for these families is that they must choose between health care and food, or between other necessary expenditures. Furthermore, many of these low-income families that are eligible for government cash or other assistance either do not know they are eligible, or find that the application process is very lengthy in receiving assistance (Mooney, Knox & Schacht, 2014). These challenges of excluding lower-income families from government policies and programs lead to certain implications. Around 67 percent of employed parents claim that they do not have enough time to spend time with their children, at the same time 63 percent of married workers complain that they cannot spend enough time with their partners (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Over half of all employees also claim that they do not even have enough time for themselves (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Such a tough routine of long working hours engenders feelings of stress and guilt that endangers the quality of family life, even as incomes rise (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Mothers reported that they spend an average of 5.5 hours a day caring their children in 1998, which is almost the same amount of time as mothers did in 1965 (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). They accomplished this time with their children largely by cutting back on activities including sleep time, household work, leisure activities, and personal interest activities. In fact, it can be said that mothers who are a part of paid labour force forgo sleep equivalent to one night every week as opposed to mothers who are not a part of paid labor force (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Bernstein, J., & Kornbluh, K. (2005). Running Faster To Stay In Place: The Growth of Family Work Hours and Income (pp. 1-13). Washington DC: New American Foundation. Retrieved from

Application Exercise 2 (A-2) Due 7.17.13 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Application Exercise 2 (A-2) Due 7.17.13 - Essay Example Other techniques such as interview initiate presentation of particular situations only. However, this article gives us an overview on how various experience are registered by the focus group forms of data collection as far as nursing research is concerned. In the article, five distinctive reflections meetings were carried out to avail sexuality behaviors in nursing care practices. The issue of sexuality behavior in nursing care however, becomes a central focus as far as research methodology in this article is concerned. A focus group form of data collection was introduced in this research through cluster techniques, which involved grouping of seven Federal University of Santa Maria students in the nursing graduation course. Focus group in this article has been described as a motivation and justification form of data collection technique, commonly used by various student organizations through group meetings, giving out a synthesis of each one and final evaluation. The article shows that the researcher needs proper investigative method of data collection that could analyze sexuality behavior, as a cultural component. Contrary to the research, anthropology was the main reference and hence, a focus group form of data collection was considered as the most effective method. Focus group of data technique has been used frequently and considered as the appropriate method for qualitative research. The purpose of this method was however, to draw out different points of views about that specific theme. In addition, the purpose was to make people understand different worldviews as well as understand in depth a behavior of a determined group (Ressel, Gualda, & Gonzales, 2002). The article however, concludes by giving out final comments as well as reflections as far as focus group of data collection is concerned. The focus group forms of data collection proved to be the proper method in identification of the knowledge and the perceptions about

Challenges of factoring economic inequality into work-family programs Essay

Challenges of factoring economic inequality into work-family programs and policies - Essay Example They rely on government cash assistance, which is inadequate for providing even a minimal standard of living to these poor families. Therefore the biggest challenge for these families is that they must choose between health care and food, or between other necessary expenditures. Furthermore, many of these low-income families that are eligible for government cash or other assistance either do not know they are eligible, or find that the application process is very lengthy in receiving assistance (Mooney, Knox & Schacht, 2014). These challenges of excluding lower-income families from government policies and programs lead to certain implications. Around 67 percent of employed parents claim that they do not have enough time to spend time with their children, at the same time 63 percent of married workers complain that they cannot spend enough time with their partners (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Over half of all employees also claim that they do not even have enough time for themselves (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Such a tough routine of long working hours engenders feelings of stress and guilt that endangers the quality of family life, even as incomes rise (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Mothers reported that they spend an average of 5.5 hours a day caring their children in 1998, which is almost the same amount of time as mothers did in 1965 (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). They accomplished this time with their children largely by cutting back on activities including sleep time, household work, leisure activities, and personal interest activities. In fact, it can be said that mothers who are a part of paid labour force forgo sleep equivalent to one night every week as opposed to mothers who are not a part of paid labor force (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Bernstein, J., & Kornbluh, K. (2005). Running Faster To Stay In Place: The Growth of Family Work Hours and Income (pp. 1-13). Washington DC: New American Foundation. Retrieved from

Pollution and Encoachment of Coastal habitats in California Essay

Pollution and Encoachment of Coastal habitats in California - Essay Example Policies have been implemented that allow for greater leniency in the granting of permissions for off-shore oil drilling, and with a reduction of personnel in organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the strict guidelines that have survived are not being sufficiently enforced. The increasing number of people inhabiting areas near water sources such as rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands has caused greater pollution due to more runoff, which ultimately contributes to the pollution of harbors and bays. Polluted runoff and the occasional oil spill threaten coastal resources and often cause beach closures, resulting in risks to public health and significant impacts to local economies. With the advent of the deterioration of California’s coastal environment, some specific programs and organizations were created, such as the Critical Coastal Areas program, which delineates specific land areas of the California coast â€Å"where state, federal and local government agencies and other stakeholders have agreed to improve degraded water quality or protect exceptional coastal water quality from the threat of pollution† (CCA Draft Strategic Plan 1), and the California Coastal Commission, established in order to â€Å"protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations† (California Coastal Commission), to name just a couple. However, the proliferation of such agencies and programs has been insufficient to curb the negative effects of pollution and encroachment by humans on natural coastal habitats. According to an assessment of California’s coastal waters done in the year 2000, 98% of the state’s estuaries and bays were unable to fully support aquatic life, more than 90% carried warnings about eating fish and shellfish, and 86% could not support

Hurricane Katrina and its Impact on the New Orleans Economy

Hurricane Katrina and its Impact on the New Orleans Economy Introduction The Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 had hit the areas like, Bahamas, Cuba, South Florida, Louisiana and especially, New Orleans as it was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. Its greatest impact was seen in New Orleans, Louisiana with estimations of about 80% of the city being wiped out and the overall damages due to hurricane were pegged at more than $200 billion and 1,836 people lost their lives. New Orleans Economy Though the region contributes merely 2% of the gross domestic product of the USA, it plays a vital role in the growth and development of the country as the New Orleans port is one of the busiest and largest in the world. It is also a centre for the maritime industry. Another key industry at New Orleans is the countrys one of the major sources for petrochemical productions with oil refining facilities. It is also one of the major educational hubs of the country homing over 50,000 degree students. Besides, tourists from worldwide folk at the pristine beaches of New Orleans with over $5.5 billion turnover every year contributing about 40% of the tax revenue of New Orleans with about 10 million visitors. New Orleans is also one of the 10 most visited cities in the USA. The employment scenario before the Hurricane Katrina was different in New Orleans which could be understood from the fact that from 1990 to 2000, the employment in U.S. economy grew by 19.5 percent creating more than 21 million jobs whereas for the corresponding period, the population in the country had increased by 13 percent i.e., about 32 million people. However, in New Orleans city lost both jobs and population in the same corresponding period. Little less than half of the population in the city was employed in hospitality, trading, medical and healthcare and government. (Cashell Labonte, 2005) However, there was a shift in pattern of the employment base and tourism became one of the major employers with contributing 16 percent of total employment and government employment was about 20 percent. At the same time, the gap of average wage between national rate and New Orleans had widened. Export Hub Having three main industries in New Orleans namely, ports, education and tourism which have remained backbone for the local employment. The ports at New Orleans have capacity of handling about 5,000 ships every year from the docks of 60 countries. The port of New Orleans along with the Port of South Louisiana near LaPlace accounts for the maximum bulk shipping in the world. The major exports from these ports are petroleum products, food and grain and minerals. Whereas, the key imports are mainly with Latin America which includes coffee, cocoa beans, chemicals and petroleum. (Cashell Labonte, 2005) Education New Orleans city has Tulane University located in along with the University of New Orleans, Lyoyla University, Xavier University, Southern University, Dillard University and Louisiana State University Medical School. New Orleans hence, is a major hub for the degree students enrolling significantly of African-American students. Post-Katrina Economic Impact Following the devastating hurricane Katrina, the loss of output reduced the economic growth of the region in later of 2005 and resumed the economic activities in early 2006. However, the increase in spending while rebuilding the city and restoration measures had expected to increase the growth rate of the region for first two quarters of 2006 and the macroeconomic advisors changed their estimations for the growth from 3.2 per cent each for both quarters in 2006 to 4.4 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively. (AbcNews, n.d.). Impact on Energy and Trade For the nation as a whole, its Gulf Region is a key producer of oil and natural gas contributing 6.5 percent and 16 percent of consumption of crude oil and gas respectively. Due to Hurricane Katrina, the refining of crude oil and petroleum loss is estimated of about 2 million barrels per day as the refining capacities had to shut. Nonetheless, major pipelines supplying crude and petroleum to the East, South and Midwest costs also originate in Gulf which created impact on petroleum prices. Energy prices fluctuations in any economy leaves large impacts on the nation which has been observed in the disasters like wars and recessions. It leaves behind losses and opportunity losses hurdling the national growth rate indirectly. According to studies, mere 10 percent of rise in oil prices for about three months also can affect the cumulative growth of the economy curtailing it by about 0.7 per cent to 1.4 per cent per annum. It suggests that a small price rise in the key component like oil ca n have a modest impact and sharp impact on the national economy. According to the Energy Department, gasoline had set a new record price on September 5, 2005 at $3.07 per gallon. Dean Baker, economist and co-director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research had opined that the rise in prices was because of short in supply due to loss of refining capacity slowing the growth rate of economy slightly in the fourth quarter. These immediate effects had largely dissipated by the end of the year. If anything, the rebuilding from the storm (financed by insurance and government assistance) was giving a modest boost to the economy by the beginning of 2006, Dean was quoted in a news report. (AbcNews, n.d.) The hurricane in New Orleans had forced to cease about 95 per cent of oil production from very second day of the disaster striking. Though, the mammoth works of rebuilding and restorations were in place down to 10 months also from the day of disaster, the yearly oil production was 30 per cent less than before the Katrina. The refineries where shut down across the region and from nine facilities with capacity of refining up to 1.5 million barrels a day, seven were operational by November 2005 (Mcculey, 2007). Rest of two had taken longer time to commence. One of the refineries producing 247,000 barrels a day could start only after 8 months in May. Moreover, thousands of jobs were lost combining with the sharp increase in prices affecting the economic growth in the last quarter of 2005. The countrys GDP had seen a sharp fall in the growth rate at 1.8 per cent for the respective quarter in comparison to 4.2 per cent of GDP growth for the corresponding period in the previous year. Mesirow Financial chief economist Diane Swonk had commented that Katrina had left distortionary impact on the economy. After a hike in the fuel prices, they were again dipped less than $3 per gallon in first quarter of 2006 as the federal government along with the private enterprises had pumped in millions of dollars in rescue and restoration initiatives. The impact of this on GDP was very positive and the growth rate was registered at 5.6 per cent in the same period. Increase in household spending was also recovered in the same period with the fuel prices returning to normalcy. New Orleans after Two Years from the Disaster According to the Time Magazine, about 450,000 population of New Orleans had not returned to the city even after two years of the disaster after a majority population was evacuated and some had migrated in 2005. The unemployment rate had gone up in 2007 at 5.1 per cent from 4.5 per cent in 2006 in Orleans Parish. (Mcculey, 2007) The industries which had sustained the hurricane had started posting positive financial results which was a positive sign of the recovery though new enterprises were restraining from the region due to its vulnerability. (Brinkley, 2006) The ports of New Orleans were first to recover from the disaster and within two weeks of devastation, first ship call was received at the port. Sooner, the cargo traffic was in place contributing faster recovery as about 60,000 jobs were related to the ports and its operations in New Orleans. In 2007, about 500,000 passengers through cruise ship were estimated to arrive in New Orleans which was inching towards the figure of 2004 when 750,000 passengers through cruise had arrived at the port. (Dolfman, Wasser, Bergman, 2007) Conclusion Hence, the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the economy of New Orleans has been mixed as it shrunk the growth of the region but after the setback also rebounded with vengeance. It also changed the landscape of employment pattern and flow of tourists as tourism is one of the key industries here. The long lasting impact of the hurricane will remain in the minds of locals and those who lost their family and friends which could not be healed ever and as much as the economic damages can be. As the Time magazine had stated in its issue of 2007 that there were certain things in New Orleans which will never be like before. (Mcculey, 2007)

The Progressive Era Essay example -- essays research papers

The Progressive Era   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Progressivism in the United States took place in the period between the Spanish-American War and the entry of the United States into the great World War. It was a time for change in America in all walks of life, as well as a time for reform. It was marked by Theodore Roosevelt's 7 and a half years in office, the Rough Rider put it upon himself to make the first strides towards reform. These reforms included the cracking down on illegal monopolies and so forth. During this era large cities transformed into large metropolises, small towns into large cities and new towns sprang up nearly everywhere. Reforms also included the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth amendments. The progressive era really had significant impact in America's history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The progressive movement had many origins. One of these was the battle against governmental corruption and inability, in other words a struggle for civil services reform. The progressive movement was initiated by liberals in both political parties, the fight for government reform can be traced back to Liberal Republicans(An Oxymoron, Mr. Jetel?) during the Grant administration and Mugwumps. Citizens were enraged, with big businesses' growing influence in all branches of government and sought ways to purify it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Big Business was also a target of progressivism. During this time presidents like Roosevelt and William Howard Taft tried to regulate and control big business. Many well educated people of the time, as well as moderately prosperous businessmen and members of other professions(middle class) felt threatened by the increasing power of big business and the tycoons. These people were also disturbed by the Big business' influence in politics, making a mockery of the democratic system. Then with the failure of the interstate commerce act and the Sherman act, made big business look unstoppable. As the middle class in America began to develop and grow, they gained power. They were the people who wanted change and ultimately they won with the start of progressivism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Henry Lloyd all made significant contributions to the start of the Progressive movement with their writings. These people and others similar to them were labeled as muckrakers. These Muck... ...ormally in American society. Because of the stereotype they were regulated to minimal paying unskilled jobs. Blacks on the other hand made great strides during the Progressive era. Blacks wanted to be equal and lift them selves up in their own way instead of conforming to white society as Washington suggested. They marched on Washington and demanded the unrestricted right to vote as well as an end to all forms of segregation, equality of economic opportunity, higher education, equal justice in courts and an end to trade union discrimination. These demands stirred many whites abroad and set the groundwork for the civil rights movement. Blacks also became proud of themselves forming organizations to create pride for black heritage. The Progressive era came about as the result of several motives. The forces behind it ranged from the common man to the politicians as well as intellectuals. The era's true progress is sometimes contended, while in some instances reform measures did come about. Big business finally became somewhat regulated and the governmental power somewhat shifted back to the people. The progressive era evidently shaped up to be quite a significant part of our history.

Physics of Downhill Ski Racing Essay -- physics sport sports skiing

Gliding is the art of maintaining the flattest ski in order to achieve the lowest possible friction. The forces associated with gliding are fairly straightforward: gravity, friction, and air resistance. Air resistance has several inputs that add to the total resistive force. Friction is caused by the lack of a perfectly smooth surface between the skis and snow on a microscopic level. Think of it as the Rocky Mountain range trying to slide over the Himalayas. On a microscopic level this is what friction is. Two factors contribute to the resistive frictional force; a normal force and the friction coefficient. The normal force is the force holding the person up keeping them from falling towards the center of the earth. On level ground the normal force acts straight up against the acceleration of gravity. On a slope, the normal force is equal to the force of gravity proportional to the cosine of the angle of the slope to horizontal. This portion of gravity attempts to accelerate the person toward the center of the earth, the normal force resists this acceleration. The remaining component of gravity accelerates the body down the hill parallel to the slope, a linear acceleration. It is the coefficient of friction that speed skiers and racers try to reduce to a minimum. The normal force is a constant since it is related to their body weight, which does not change during the course of the race. The coefficient of friction is already reduced from everyday levels because of the snow, but it is the goal of racers to reduce this to an absolute minimum to maximize speed. The coefficient of friction is a unit less ratio of the force of friction to the normal force. The real value for the coefficient is often determined experimentally.... ...and the force normal to the shear plane. These two forces again result in the same resultant force but are rotated into the shear plane. The angle of rotation into the shear plane is phi in above second diagram. Phi is the edge angle minus the angle in the triangle of the normal force(N) and the friction force(F) on the ski divided by 2. This can be seen in the first diagram. The centripetal force can be found using the above equations in the second diagram: Fc=Fs*cos(phi)+Fn*sin(phi) Fn=Fs/tan(O-b-F) The Fc is the failing point at which the racer begins to slide the ski and lose speed. When a racer does balance the speed, radius, and other factors to maximize the centripetal force and acceleration, up to 2.5 Gs of acceleration can be achieved. Downhill ski racing is a ballet and balancing act of the laws of physics to be the fastest person down the hill.

Conflicting perspectives Essay

Before initial reading: The comments to the right are my thoughts and questions on phrases I have placed in the essay and how appropriate they would be. Analyse the ways conflicting perspectives generate diverse and provocative insights. All texts composed convey an agenda which is based on the composer’s context. William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Jason Reitman’s satirical film Thank You For Smoking (2005) and George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945) all use conflicting perspectives to convey their agenda by generating diverse and provocative insights. Conflicting perspectives are generated through the use and potential abuse of power, manipulation and the contrast between public and private personas and thus the responder is positioned to accept the perspective the composer has deemed to be valid. The use and abuse of power, the use of manipulation to gain power and the contrast between public and private personas are explored through the portrayal of conflicting perspectives. It can be seen that the responder is positioned to †¦.. the point you’re trying to make is that the use of conflicting perspectives allows for some ambiguity in the portrayal of these themes but you might then say that ‘ultimately we are positioned to accept that†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and then you could specify exactly what. Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar demonstrates conflicting perspectives on the nature of power. Shakespeare utilised this play as a commentary on the political situation of the time regarding the monarch of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth had gradually increased her power at the expense of the aristocracy and House of Commons, giving rise to political disputes. Likewise, Caesar has been granted dictatorial powers in the Roman Republic but he is not presented to have misused his power. Instead, Caesar’s hubris is more prevalent this which is seen to be the catalyst for the potential misuse of power. Brutus is aware of this and his idealism for a Roman Republic leads him to join the conspirators, shown in his soliloquy in Act Two Scene One. Brutus uses extended metaphors of a ladder and serpents in order to question Caesar’s ambition in conjunction with power. Brutus states  that ‘young ambition’s ladder [cause him to] look into the clouds, [leading him to] scorn the base degrees by which he did ascend’. Brutus also considers Caesar ‘a serpent’s egg, which†¦ would grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell’. The imagery of killing before birth reveals that Brutus is willing to remove Caesar before any tyrannical tendencies take place, suggesting that the assassination was unjust. Brutus would later attempt to justify the assassination that ‘because [Caesar] was ambitious, I slew him’. The conditional language and use of logos in demonstrating a clear cause and effect convinces the audience at Caesar’s funeral oration that the assassination was just, based on the declarative mood in their reaction that ‘Caesar was a tyrant’. However an alternative perspective is displayed through Antony. Even with Caesar’s dictatorial powers he has not seen any way in which he has abused his position, forming the basis of his defence of Caesar in his funeral oration. He uses conditional language by questioning ‘if Caesar was ambitious’ and he uses logos in presenting Caesar’s lack of ambition. Antony draws on examples such as ‘he thrice refused [the crown]’ and when coupled with the rhetorical question ‘did this in Caesar seem ambitious?’ he questions the view of the responders by providing a logical response to Brutus’ ill-based accusations. Antony is able to demonstrate Caesar’s lack of ambition and hence Caesar’s just use of power for the good of Rome. As a result Shakespeare presents two conflicting perspectives on power which generates diverse and provocative insights into his context. George Orwell’s Animal Farm also evokes similar ideas but its context as an allegory for the Stalinist rule of Soviet Russia must also be considered. George Orwell explores the notion of the corrupting nature of power in his allegorical novel (or political satire) ‘Animal Farm’. The allegory is a criticism of Soviet Communism tracks the rise of Napoleon, representing Stalin after the overthrow of Mr Jones, representing the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. and how his power is seen to slowly corrupt prompting in its abuse. At the beginning of the allegory/fable the animals are seen to be harbouring discontent against their autocratic ruler of Mr Jones through their plotting to overthrow humans out of their farm. Major states with a declarative mood that they should ‘remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever’. This connotes that Mr  Jones has abused his powers in allowing the poor conditions for his working animals. After the animals have revolted against Mr Jones the original commandments of Animalism are created, calling for the equal distribution of power as ‘all animals are equal’. However Napoleon’s use of intimidation through brute force upsets the equality and with the exile of Snowball Napoleon is left in a position of absolute power. Napoleon’s guard dogs are used as a motif to symbolise his power as even after his initial deployment of his dogs against Snowball ‘the dogs growled so threateningly that they accepted his explanation without any further questions’. Napoleon’s power is also seen to corrupt him and he is ironically presented as to be simply a replacement for Mr Jones. Through reverting the name of the farm back to ‘Manor Farm’ Orwell perceives that the situation the animals are in do not differ from the reality of life under Mr Jones. Napoleon’s ‘transformation’ into a man is seen to represent this as the animals ‘look from pig to man, from man to pig, and from pig to man again, but already it was impossible to determine which was which’. The repetition and inversion of the order of ‘pig’ and ‘man’ highlight the confusion the animals have over their present reality. This illustrates the corruption of power in Napoleon and with this Orwell is suggesting that life under Stalin was no different than from Russia’s previous autocratic ruler of Tsar Nicholas II. Consequently Orwell’s use of conflicting perspectives over the issue of power in an allegory is able to provide a commentary of Orwell’s perspective of the nature of Stalinist Russia. Good – you clearly analyse and show the changed perspective of Napoleon but revise and consider how to clearly identify the conflicting perspectives. Julius Caesar demonstrates how a conflict between public and private personas can result in conflicting perspectives of characters. Act One Scene One introduces the idea of conflicting perspectives within personas with the Senators Flavius and Murellius and their perception of the commoners. The Senators clearly see the commoners as inferior with their descriptions as of them as ‘vulgar’ and ‘the basest metal’. This juxtaposes the positive diction used by them to describe the commoners as ‘good countrymen’ when they are in the public sphere, suggesting that the patronising tone used had the sole purpose of gaining support from the commoners. However Antony is  the character that conceals the deepest division between public and private personas, demonstrating his Machiavellian nature. His public persona is presented toas supportive of the assassination by being supportive of the conspirators as he states that ‘it would become me better than to close in terms of friendship with thine enemies’. Give a bit more info of context. Who does he say this to? However his antithesis is indicated through his ‘hope that you shall give me reasons why and wherein Caesar was dangerous’. How? This is implied to be a signal of support from Antony towards the conspiratorshow? but it hid his inner motives of his desire offor conflict against the conspirators. His private persona is presented to be heavily opposed to the assassination and he calls for ‘havoc’ and ‘let slip the dogs of war’, with the violent imagery clearly stating his intention and perspective of the assassination. Mention that this is in a soliloquy before the oration and what we learn. His private persona is reflected in his funeral orations where he repeatedly implies his disagreement with the assassination but never explicitly stating his stance. Initially he states that he ‘comes to bury Caesar, not to praise him’, but this is juxtaposed with his questioning tone and use of rhetorical questions that serve the purpose of suggesting the lack of justice in the assassination. Eg? His private persona comes into full view by the conclusion of his oration where through pathos he calls the ‘stones of Rome to rise up and mutiny’. Link to the dogs of war comments.This perspective of encouraging mutiny is therefore in direct contrast with his interactions with the other conspirators. Explain where. As a result conflicting perspectives are shown also within the characters in order to generate diverse and provocative insights. Similarly, Jason Reitman’s satirical film Thank You For Smoking also projects similar ideas regarding public and private personas. The film is a satire onof the perception of cigarettes and tobacco but not to the extent in which it is condoned, due to the fact that no character in the film is seen smoking. Conflicts in private and personal personas are seen through the protagonist of Nick Naylor with his public support of cigarettes and questioning of its associated health issues, juxtaposed with his private persona where he openly admits to smoking-related health issues. This issue is displayed through Naylor’s criteria for winning an argument, that ‘I  proved that you’re wrong. And if you’re wrong, I’m right’extend this quote with film techniques used at this point. His public persona has a distinct lack of integrity as he provides false promises on the nature of his employer, the Academy of Tobacco Studies. This is shown at the beg inning of the film where on a talk show he promises ‘50 million dollars to encourage kids not to smoke’. This is done despite it being completely contradictory to the perspectives of his employer who asks him ’50 million dollars? Are you out of your mind?’ The anger of his boss on promising the sum of money is seen through the closeup of his face as well as his questioning tone. However Naylor’s private persona admits to the health issues associated with smoking. In a meeting with the MOD group (Merchants of Death, constituting people from America’s firearms, alcohol and tobacco industries) in the film they discuss deaths directly attributed to their industry in order to gauge America’s most hated industry. Naylor boasts that ‘my product puts away 475 000 a year’ and he gloats that the level of alcohol related deaths is miniscule in context ‘100 000 in a year? Wowee†¦ a tragedy. Excuse me if I don’t exactly see terrorists getting excited kidnapping anyone from the alcohol industry’. The unconcerned facial expression coupled with the mid-close up shots of Naylor displaying no emotion and the comparison of deaths to terrorism demonstrates the complete disregard of human life. You need to comment on the use of satire as a way to highlight the conflict between what is said on screen and the purpose of the film maker. This is exemplified by the fast transition of shots in the conversation indicating the competitiveness of the argument. This scene is a satire ?on the perceived lack of moral concern demonstrated by tobacco industry through its use of absurdist behaviour, mainly instigated by Naylor. Therefore Naylor’s contradiction between his public and private personas is also another medium used by Reitman in order to convey conflicting perspectives on his satire of the tobacco industry. Manipulation is one central concern in Julius Caesar which generates conflicting perspectives. Cassius is able to manipulate Brutus into firstly believing the idealism of his cause and thus joining the conspirators and enacting Caesar’s death. Brutus is presented to be an idealistic character as he ‘loves the name of honour more than I fear death’. The antithetical  language of ‘honour’ and ‘death’ demonstrates that he has cast himself as the honourable idealist, and when coupled with Brutus’ fear that Rome ‘chooses Caesar as their king’ Cassius is free to manipulate him into joining the conspirators. He uses hyperbole to exaggerate Caesar’s status and he juxtaposes images of him being both a ‘Colossus’ and a ‘sick girl’ in order to prove his weakness to Brutus. Cassius also appeals to his idealistic nature. His monologue contains the epistrophy epistrophe ‘one man’ that reveals Caesar’s true power, that only ‘one man†¦ is Rome’. This position is different to the democratic Roman Republic that Brutus represents and admires and he is slowly manipulated to join the conspirators. Manipulation is also seen to demonstrate the power of language, seen through the differing funeral orations of Brutus and Antony. Initially the commoners are irate onabout Caesar’s assassination and the declarative mood presented through ‘we will be satisfied’ highlights their anger but it also serves as a point of juxtaposition. Brutus’ use of logos convinces the crowd that he ‘loved Rome more’ than Caesar through posing rhetorical statements that question the loyalty of the commoners and Caesar’s supposedly true nature. Immediately following his oration the commoners immediately affirm that ‘Caesar was a tyrant’, with this declarative statement juxtaposing heavily with the sentiment displayed in the first line of the scene. However the crowd are manipulated again by Antony to subscribe to his point of view. He adopts a questioning tone throughout his oration in inquiring onabout the validity of Brutus’ statements in order to not directly oppose Brutus but let his audience question their own perspectives. He repeats the phrase ‘Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honourable man’ but the repetition of the phrase combined with the logos in his argument in proving Caesar’s lack of ambition therefore hint at the invalidity of Brutus’ argument. Further on in his oration Antony also uses metaphor to describe Brutus, that he was ‘Caesar’s angel’. This image is contrasted with the assassination, the ‘most unkindest cut of all’ and this contributes to the sentiment of betrayal with Brutus that assists in manipulating the audience. By the conclusion of the speech the commoners are united with one common purpose, shown in the stage direction in that all the commoners state ‘We’ll mutiny [against Brutus]. Anto ny’s rapid manipulation of the crowd demonstrates the power of language  and how it can be used to shape perspective. The manipulation of the animals in Animal Farm also conveys similar sentiment. Orwell utilises a cyclical structure of the allegory in order to demonstrate the power of manipulation instigated mainly by the antagonist of Napoleon and his spokesperson of Squealer. Orwell’s use of the text as an allegory of Soviet Russia creates a chilling context for the reader due to the fact that manipulation was repeated in Stalin’s rule of Russia, leading to the subjugation of the citizens of the Soviet Union. The pigs of Napoleon and Snowball quickly establish themselves as the superior class in the new ‘classless’ society of Animalism. Their superior intellect immediately allows them to create a simplified maxim for Animalism, which was to be ‘four legs good, two legs bad’. The sheep, representing the uneducated class, immediately begin to circulate this simplified form of Animalism and their attitude is reflected in the sheep ‘bleating this onfor ho urs on end’. The onomatopoeia exemplifies the repetitive nature and submissiveness in accepting this maxim and thus of the commands set by Napoleon throughout the allegory. Motif as well? The commandments of Animalism is used as a vehicle to demonstrate the manipulation of the animals. The commandments are changed repeatedly throughout the allegory to manipulate the common animals and their ‘poor memory’ as well as their naivety contributes to their ultimate acceptance of the new norm. The first notion of this manipulation is done when the pigs move and reside in the farmhouse. The new commandment reads ‘no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets’, with the ‘sheets’ clause added. The character of Clover demonstrates the naivety of the animals in general as she ‘had not remembered if it mentioned sheets, but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so’. The high modality of ‘it must have done so’ contrasts her failure to rememb er the commandment. Squealer’s immediate entry in justifying the change in the commandment is another example of manipulation as he uses his intellectual superiority and logos in order to influence his listeners. He states that a bed ‘is simply a place to sleep in’ and not a physical construct and his argument juxtaposes the affirmation at the establishment of Animalism that the commandments were ‘unalterable laws’. The death of the character of Boxer also reveals the extent of Napoleon’s manipulation. Boxer is a follower of Napoleon throughthe adoption of the motto ‘Napoleon is always right’ which, when combined with his hardworking nature, should warrant great care and respect from the pigs. However when Boxer falls ill he is taken to the ‘horse slaughterer’ to be killed in exchange for money. This reality, witnessed by the animals, contrasts the explanation of Squealer in that ‘the van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon’. By the conclusion of the allegory Napoleon’s power has become increased to such an extent that even the commandments of Animalism are shown to reflect the changes in that ‘all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others’. The paradoxical nature of this statement juxtaposes the original idealistic thinking based behind the creation of Animalism and demonstrates the extent of the manipulation of the animals. The animals are not aware that they are living in conditions very similar to life under Jones which forms the basis of Orwell’s cyclical structure of the allegory. The bending of the truth by the pigs as well as the willingness of the animals to accept this reality highlights the vast extent and impact of manipulation. Thus manipulation is another medium in which conflicting perspectives can be revealed. Composers of texts use conflicting perspectives in order to generate diverse and provocative insights into their context. These perspectives are shown to favour one side and they can provide an insight into the opinion of the composer on issues affecting their context. This is seen in Julius Caesar, Thank You For Smoking and Animal Farm where the composers, through their portrayal of power, public and private personas and manipulation that form the basis of conflicting perspectives. This is excellent overall. However, there are things you can do to improve. The analysis of AF is almost longer than Caesar. You must mention the end of Caesar in your analysis. There doesn’t seem to be at least one quote from Acts 4 or 5. Find a couple and use them. In the first body paragraph on power, use quotes for Antony from elsewhere in the play, not just the oration. Eg comment on the deification of Caesar at the start and how stage directions are used by Shakespeare to contrast the views of the commoners/Antony/ and Cassius/Brutus and others. Give an example of where we  see Caesar’s hubris ‘northern star’†¦ and contrast that with his humility elsewhere. Shakespeare is always offering contrasting views and creating ambiguity. However, comment also on how we are finally positioned at the end of the play. If discussing Brutus’s hubris, mention the tragic structure. Contrast the way this character is presented at the beginning, middle and then the end when we see the consequences of both his idealism and hubris when he fights with Cassius and dies and then the final comments by Antony. When writing about Antony, consider the way he is presented as loyal, then angry and vengeful about the murder of Caesar, then pitiful, then scheming and manipulative. Take quotes from a range of places throughout the whole play to give the reader a better understanding of the narrative arc of this character. The final paragraph on AF could be edited. It is very long and veers away from the idea of conflicting perspectives in the middle and becomes an analysis of the novel. Throughout the discussion, you could make links between it and Caesar to remind the reader of your point. Email if you have questions.