The Hero vs Villian Dichotomy in Beowulf

Casey Kerins AP English Literature 10/1/12 In the Epic Beowulf, composed in the 8th century, the reader follows the protagonist, Beowulf, on a series of adventures to defeat three key monsters. This old English poem uses a series of motifs to help develop its themes, known as dichotomies. Dichotomies, defined as â€Å"opposites on the same spectrum,† range from good and evil to young and old, light and dark to Christianity and paganism. All these dichotomies are represented clearly in the text; however the concept of Heroes and Villains can be pulled in many different directions.Although Beowulf is always the hero, it is questionable as to if his three opponents are simply â€Å"villains. † In the first of Beowulf’s three battles, he fights Grendel, an â€Å"evil creature†¦full of envy and anger† (13). Grendel, a cursed descendent of Cain who lived in the darkness, attacked the people out of anger and jealousy, for they were constantly rejoicing and c elebrating. When Beowulf heard of Grendel’s murders and attacks, he set out to avenge the Danes. Although Grendel is protected by â€Å"his sorceries,† Beowulf is victorious in defeating him by brutally pulling Grendel’s arm from his socket, fatally wounding him.In this battle, Grendel is very obviously the villain, and Beowulf the triumphant hero. According to the text, Grendel was a bloodthirsty and evil creature who enjoyed the pain and suffering of others; in no way can the creature be redeemed. The poem says, â€Å"then [Grendel’s] heart laughed, for the savage beast was in the mood to sever each soul’s life from its body before daybreak as he saw this opportunity to sate his slaughterous appetite† (33). Grendel is an evil creature, and his actions are for selfish and personal reasons. Beowulf, on the other hand, is the Hero, who fights for the good of others, and defends the helpless.Although he does desire glory, Beowulf gives thanks to God always for helping his prevail. The second battle is between Beowulf, again, and Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother, who remained nameless throughout the poem, is described as â€Å"that wife of trolls,† and a hag, although she is not depicted as scary or monstrous. She was mournful and attacked Heorot to avenge the death of her son. Being more of an angry, scared woman and not a bloodthirsty monster, she quickly realized her mistake in attacking and fled for her life, taking a chieftain with her.Beowulf went to destroy the beast, and succeeded in bloodily killing Grendel’s mother. The text says â€Å"he smote so ferociously that it caught her by the neck, breaking her bones† (57). Beowulf again proved victorious, a hero in the eyes of the Danes. This second battle is more complicated than the first. Although one can merely say â€Å"Beowulf is the hero, Grendel’s mother is the villain† and be done with it, further thought sugg ests it is not that simple. As a warrior and hero, Beowulf upholds himself to the heroic code, calling for courage, honor, and vengeance.If our standards for a hero rest on these three qualities, is not Grendel’s mother as heroic as the Hero? She is honorable in trying to avenge her son’s death, just as Beowulf was with Grendel and the Danes. She shows courage by attacking Heorot, full of warriors, and obviously wants vengeance for her son’s death. Although Grendel’s mother is ugly in appearance and a descendent of Cain, therefore cursed and evil, she is justified in retaliating, and possesses the three qualities of a hero. The final battle takes place fifty years after Beowulf defeats Grendel and his mother, and he is now an old king.Beneath the land Beowulf ruled lies a dragon, guarding a large amount of treasure and â€Å"ancient heirlooms. † The dragon, which lived unprovoked for three hundred years, was disturbed when a slave stole a goblet fr om the cave. When the goblet was not given back, the dragon attacked villages and incinerated the countryside. Beowulf, who once again sought vengeance and to protect his people, went after the dragon with 11 men. When they saw how ferocious the beast was, all but one fled in fear. Beowulf and Wiglaf fought the dragon and succeeded in killing it, unfortunately at the cost of Beowulf’s life.Before Beowulf’s death, he asks to see the treasure to comfort him and know he is giving something to his people. This battle is similarly complicated. Is the dragon evil for simply protecting what was his? Or is it wrong for the dragon to attack all the land, over a single goblet? The dragon is described as being an â€Å"evil monster† with â€Å"war-making† and â€Å"fiendish rage† (75). Beowulf, the old hero and king, sought out the dragon to protect his kingdom. The dichotomy of Hero and Villain is plainly seen here; Beowulf is the hero, and the evil dragon i s the villain.Although the dragon was wronged when the slave stole from the cave, Beowulf is the hero in defending his people from the attacks. In each of the three battles, a dichotomy of hero and villain is weaved into the text. Beowulf is, of course, assumed to be the hero, but how much his opponents are evil is open to discussion. Beowulf’s opponents have many evil traits in them, but some are justified in what they do, and even present characteristics of a hero. The Epic Beowulf presents good and evil and hero versus villain in different ways within each battle, that contribute as a whole to its theme.

Reaction Paper: GMRC Essay

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 As we grow older things started to change. Changes in our surroundings, people we meet every day, our own point of view in life, and our own faith. These changes affect our daily existence. As a child, we are innocent of everything, we don’t care if we get tired of just playing around for the whole day, we don’t care if our clothes get dirty, we don’t care if there is a dirt on our face, but we do get scared when our mother and father get mad on us for the mistakes that we do. But in spite of these as a child; we still give the beautiful smile without keeping any grudges deep in our heart. As a child, we are pure and innocent and there is a glow of faith to God in our child heart. As we grow older, we are starting to expose to the reality of life. Life becomes complicated. We starting to have enemies and keep grudge s in our heart, we starting to become attached to the materials things around us, we starting to disobey our parents, we starting to be weak and fall on the sin, and we started to slip away on our faith and forget that there is a loving and forgiving God that watching us. As we celebrating the Christmas season, I would like to give emphasis to our FAITH and a beautiful verse and the heart of the bible, John chapter 3 verses 16. â€Å"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.† If we give our self a time to reflect on this remarkable verse on the bible, it will really transform our faith and our life. People may asks with a lot of how, why, who, and what questions on how this verse will affects us in our faith and to our daily life. Yes indeed, people will always questions God for so many reasons but we don’t bother to reflect and to analyze our own actions to our selves, towards our love ones and to the other people, to our environment and how much we offended GOD for the many sins we committed every single day. When our great father Adam and our great mother Eve committed the biggest sin, they cut the string that binding us to God, the morta l sin that passes to the generation of all mankind. But God is so good; he works in many mysterious ways and promises to save the human race from sin. God gave his one and only begotten son Jesus Christ to us. We celebrate the Christmas because the birth of Jesus Christ gives us new hope and new  life. The births of Jesus Christ on the manger show and reflect the humility of the Son of God. Also through this humility of the son of GOD, the three wise men give homage, respect and gave different kind of gifts that only for a king. The birth of Jesus Christ rejoices our heart in gladness. The birth of Jesus Christ is knocking at a door of our hardened heart and teaching us to be a child again. A child heart that is full of hope, happiness, humility, care, love and faith. It’s amazing how God really works and show how much He care and love the human kind through his Son Jesus. God sent his son Jesus to the world to carry a greatest mission, a mission to save all mankind from sin that weaken and destroy our faith. Jesus lives a life on earth with simplicity, love and obedience to his father Joseph and mother Mary but He never f orget the greatest work that our Lord God put on his shoulders. He started to proclaim the words of the Lord. He started to travelled and performed different kind of miracles. He touches and changed the life of different people. He healed different kind of sickness that makes our earthly body weak. Jesus Christ founded the sacrament of the Eucharist. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, â€Å"Take and eat; this is my body.† Then He took a cup, gave thanks and gave it to them saying, â€Å"Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.† (Matthew 26: 26-28). At the last suffer; Jesus founded the Eucharist to share with us His life and to provide us with the commemoration of his suffering and pain. When the time of Jesus Christ came, He carries his greatest mission. He shows his humility, as his holiness and divinity are trampled upon by the people he has chosen to be his own. People spit in His face and He struck him and while other slapped him by saying that his not the Messiah. But Jesus Christ accepted every pain, mocking and humiliation that the people gave to him without talking back or complaining. Jesus Christ can ask God the Father to send angels and protect him but he chooses to suffer in obedience to the will of the Father. Jesus Christ embraced all mankind, when He stretched his hands on the cross to redeem us from our sins. Jesus Christ cross proclaims the wonder of his love to all of us. God the father willed his one and only begotten son Jesus, to die on the cross for the sins of the world for us to understand how much God and Jesus Christ love the mankind  unconditionally. As we accept Jesus Christ, true God and true man in our life, his victory on the cross teaches us to reflect on his suffering, death and resurrection in order for us to have an unfailing faith in Thy goodness that has no end. Jesus Christ led us to many beautiful lessons. He teaches us to reflect and to be strong and to hold on to our faith in the midst of present danger and fear. He teaches us to bear our cross so that we may be united to his suffering as we pass by on our earthly life and to be worthy to hope for a new life in the kingdom of God.

Heart is a lonely hunter - symbology of music Essay

Heart is a lonely hunter - symbology of music - Essay Example When one reads â€Å"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,† they can hear the sounds of music through the words, as music shapes the way that this entire novel is written. The language of the novel is sometimes written in such a way that makes it seem as though one is listening to music that is rhythmic and harmonious, such as when the depressing duets take place between Mick and Singer. At other times, however, the novel takes a different turn, as the language makes it seem as though one is listening to music that is harsh and discordant, such as when the final argument takes place between Jake and Dr. Copeland. Along with the different types of music that are portrayed in the novel, McCullers also enables us to experience silence, as in the case of singer, who is a mute (Big Read, 2). Not to mention, this novel is musical in that it deals with the polyphonic characteristics of words and phrases, as it relates to the structure of the complete novel (Fuller 57). McCullers is ingenious in how she creates different voices with the characters in the novel that have differing tones and sounds that are like different musical instruments, which are to represent the way their lives are, as well as their thoughts and what they are determined to do; yet, these voices sing similar notes, which are the two similar themes in which the novel is written around.

PRIMARY CURRICULUM AND PLACEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

PRIMARY CURRICULUM AND PLACEMENT - Essay Example The curriculum enables children to communicate in a variety of ways and motivates them to develop literacy and numeracy skills in meaningful contexts (Early Years Interboard Group, 2006, p.3) It takes knowledgeable people to design a curriculum that meets all the needs of children. Before one could even attempt to create a developmentally appropriate programme for children, one must know how they learn best and incorporate the principles in the curriculum (McGuire, Wooldridge & Pratt-Adams, 2006). â€Å"Children learn best when learning is interactive, practical and enjoyable for both children and teachers† (Early Years Interboard Group, 2006, p. 4). Very young children in the early years need to have several opportunities to engage in active and challenging learning experiences that capitalize on their interests. When they are actively involved in planning, reviewing and reflecting on these activities, they become more eager learners ready to acquire the skills and concepts they need. The Foundation Stage curriculum aims to provide stimulating environments that give children access to a range of resources, develop secure relationships with peers and adults and empower children with choices and the exercise of autonomy and independence in their learning. It encourages children to explore and take risks (Early Years Interboard Group, 2006). The Foundation Stage curriculum recognizes the importance of play in childhood, as it provides many benefits (QCA, 2000). Play is one avenue in which much learning takes place and they need to be involved in play that is stimulating, challenging and considerate of their developmental needs where they can be free to be oneself without anyone imposing rules or restrictions to conform to society’s standards. Play engages the mind to actively imagine various scenarios for fun or for problem-solving (Pound, 1999). Babies and toddlers play in order to get to know their world – how

What Is Neoliberalism In The United States Research Paper

What Is Neoliberalism In The United States - Research Paper Example Unlike in other countries such as the Western Europe and Japan, the United States has been very successful in terms of the use of neoliberal policies in this country. This explains why the United States is considered the leader of imperialist countries (Dumenil and Levy 9). In general, the concept of neoliberalism is based on the classical liberal economic practice that was widely used in the United States for many years way before the Great Depression took place in 1930s (Dumenil and Levy 1, 12). However, between the mid-1930s up to mid-1970s, the US government decided to implement the use of the â€Å"interventionist† approach rather than the typical classical liberalism (Kotz). When Ronald Reagan was elected as the President of the United States back in 1980, the US government started supporting the use the classical liberalism in making public policies which aims to limit labor power, deregulate industries and agriculture within and outside the United States (Harvey). The main purpose of this study is to discuss the significance of neoliberalism in North Atlantic states particularly in the case of the United States. As part of analyzing the impact of neoliberalism in the U.S., this study will first discuss what neoliberalism is all about followed by discussing how neoliberalism in the United States has affected the developments in â€Å"deregulation† and â€Å"privatization† of public companies. What is Neoliberalism? According to Dumenil and Levy (5), neoliberalism is the â€Å"new phase in the evolution of capitalism†. Basically, the word â€Å"neoliberalism† is commonly used as a general term for economic liberalization of public policies and advocates (Fish; Boas and Gans-Morse). Since we are already in the era of globalization, a lot of academic institutions have considered neoliberalism as a â€Å"central guiding principle of economic thought and management† (Harvey). However, the question remains as to what n eoliberalization really mean and why the United States has been very supportive of neoliberalism? As defined by Mirowski and Plehwe (13-14), neoliberalism is â€Å"the priority of the price mechanism, the free enterprise, the system of competition and a strong and impartial state†. It means that neoliberalism strongly believe in the idea that a society should never be considered as a product of natural development. Instead, people should continuously promote the importance of having a free society that is subject to a â€Å"free market economy† or an â€Å"unregulated capitalist system† (Harvey ; Kotz). In general, the neoliberals strongly believe that a free market competition could challenge each business entity to improve not only their knowledge in managing a business but also maximize the use of technology. By giving each person the freedom to choose, neoliberals explained that business people can support the increase in the country’s overall economi c performance. It means that the business people are expected to become more focused in finding ways on how they can effectively increase their production efficiency and output, progress in the use of machineries and information technology, and promote distributional justice in order to increase the annual U.S. economic growth. As a free country that practices free trading, Kotz explained that the U.S. government has a limited role in its economic development. In general, the neoliberals consider the presence of state intervention as an external factor that can trigger more problems on the part of the business sectors. The public policy under neoliberalism

Explain the N.J. state court system entirely be sure to state and Essay

Explain the N.J. state court system entirely be sure to state and explain each court that comprises the sytem especially the 2 s - Essay Example They also hear decisions made by the State Division of taxation on matters of income tax, sales tax and business tax. The Superior court is the trial court where cases involving criminal, civil and family law are heard and decided. They decide all other cases that are not within the jurisdiction of the Municipal and Tax courts. The Appeals Court are divided into two, the Appellate Division of Superior Court and the New Jersey Supreme Court. In the Appellate Division, reviews and decides cases in division of at least two to three judges without trial or further evidence. It reviews and make sure that there were no mistakes or errors in the judgment and decisions of the Trial Courts, Tax Courts and State administrative agencies. The N.J. Supreme Court is the highest court in New Jersey and is the state’s court of last resort, ruling from the Appellate Division may be appealed here. The New Jersey Constitution limits its jurisdiction in cases involving a constitutional question, if a judge in the Appellate Division dissented, if capital punishment is used, or the court granted "certification," or if the case involves redistricting (Art VI). Its jurisdiction is limited in hearing appeals for legal issues and just like the Appellate Division, does not include trial of facts. 2000). Citation Van Dervort, T. R.

Knowledge of American Historysocialcultural, economic, literary, Essay

Knowledge of American Historysocialcultural, economic, literary, political, and religious changes that have occurred in American History over the time periods 18651992 - Essay Example These well-intentioned ideals would evolve into hate groups, whose mission was to control elected offices through the intimidation of voters and election fraud.built on violence. Taking the law into their own hands, they pledged to protect their property, life, and well-being in the face of inadequate government institutions and a legal system that they viewed as hostile. Groups, such as the KKK, would soon succumb to a power hungry leadership that was driven by ethnic fanaticism and racial hatred. Their priority would soon shift from regulating the social order to white supremacy. Since the Civil War, white supremacists and their organizations have openly denied constitutional rights to minority citizens, instilled fear, and advocated extreme violence, and now occupy legitimate positions within the highest ranks of the American political and social system. The KKK emerged after the Civil War as the most powerful, and well organized, white supremacist group of that era. Confederate soldiers, returning home from the war, were driven into a prolonged period of forced inactivity. Lacking capital for agriculture, and denied participation in business or the professions, a group of young men formed the KKK in Pulaski Tennessee in June 1866 as a social group to share ideas and promote their local economy (Wilson & Lester, 1884, p399). The KKK spread quickly throughout the South with an escalating membership that was propelled by bitter feelings of swelling resentment towards the freed slaves that lingered after the war's end. Using intimidation and violence, the KKK's primary goal was to control political offices in the South by preventing African-Americans and their sympathizers from expressing their recently acquired constitutional right to vote. The KKK was infamous for its 'Midnight Rides', in which they would ride through the countryside , masked, and violently attack their opposition with beatings, arson, and lynchings. Their membership and ritual were highly secretive, which not only added to their mystique and fear, but also gave them an additional layer of protection from public scrutiny (Wilson & Lester, 1884, p.400). Though membership lists were not kept, and few official records were maintained, it is estimated that by the 1920s Klansmen and their sympathizers numbered in the millions (McClymer, 2001). The power of the KKK's membership fueled the racial discord of the 1920s and made it possible to elect KKK candidates to some of the highest political offices in the country. The peak membership of the 1920s would dissipate as the KKK, and other white power groups, experienced a steady decline in membership due to social pressures and public perceptions. The KKK suffered a series of financial setbacks, such as a federal tax judgement that prohibited them from forming a national chapter, and lawsuits that deprived the national KKK from the right to own property. Over time, the members migrated to approximately 300 different organizations, which have 25,000 hard-core ideological activists that support the white supremacist movement (Carlie, 2002).1 These organizations have tended to act less violently, though they have continued to preach an agenda that includes violent revolution. This accompanies a conflicting philosophy that includes biblical scripture and Christian

Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Strategic Management - Case Study Example This novel concept prioritizes removing the distinction between the categorization of businesses for profit from those which are essentially for benevolent purposes. This posits that for a company to have a competitive edge, it does not mean that it should lose grasp of social issues that prevail within the community. Rather than having substantial social functions as a distinct aspect of a corporation, shared value envisions a business enterprise that is founded upon it. The company’s productivity has a direct connection with social issues which affects effectiveness. This mandates a need to invest in factors which have the strongest link to company productivity that include: environmental impact, supplier access and viability, employee skills, worker safety, employee health, water use, and energy (Kramer and Porter 8). This is differentiated from corporate social responsibility (CSR) since CSV is not merely a reactionary measure of a corporation which is optional on its part. The CSR functions of business is usually an adjunct of the business which exists separate from its corporate goals and implemented as a manner of goodwill to improve its reputation. On the other hand, CSV is founded on its own economic worth wherein social value is inherently a part of it. This is a direct deviation from capitalism where big business is equivalent to big profit. In this regard, it is not uncommon to ascribe the characteristic of a dog-eat-dog scenario in the name of profit to the prejudice of social and environmental concerns. The article dubs this as the new standard that veers away from capitalism which has acquired a notion of distrust. What Kramer and Porter propose is an innovative change that will ultimately redefine business. The paper provides examples such as WaterHealth International which provides clean and inexpensive water to people in some parts of the Philippines, India and Ghana, Revolution Foods which provide healthy meals to

Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critique - Essay Example We were all excited because it not only took us out of the confines of the classroom but also gave us opportunity to enjoy getting wet in the rains! Our walk through the history was a real eye opener because it kept attracting people to join our small group. At each of the destination, the number of people increased and finally when we reached Brown Island Park, we were actually part of a big crowd. It was highly satisfying because our walk had served to motivate other people, including the young and the old who were similarly inclined to explore the socio-cultural history of Richmond. Most interesting was the fact that rain had absolutely failed to deter the history enthusiasts who had kept their zeal till the end. I can thus confidently assert that ‘walking tours’ are highly relevant in the contemporary times because it inspires people to learn from history. Historical places and documents showcase a country’s inheritances of its socio-cultural values that have traversed time and help inculcate sense of national pride. I tremendously enjoyed the walk and learnt that knowing our history is important part of development. (words: 282)

Work Performance and Employee Well Being Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Work Performance and Employee Well Being - Essay Example Work performance and well-being of an employee have a cause and effect relationship with each other that runs both ways. Well-being is both a cause and effect of good work performance. On one hand, when an employee is psychologically and physically healthy, he/she is able to deliver his/her best at work and thus his/her work performance is enhanced. On the other hand, good performance at work leads to better reputation of the employee in the organization so that the employee feels good while at work. Similarly, good work performance is both a cause and effect of well-being. When an individual shows good performance at work, he/she finds interest in work. This interest helps him/her work hard so that he/she earns the trust and confidence of the employer. As a result of this, the owner appreciates the efforts of the employee by rewarding him/her through increase of wages, additional benefits with wage, and/or a higher position in the workplace. â€Å"People’s experiences at work affect how they feel about themselves, how they interact with their families and friends, how they use their leisure t ime, how anxious they are about the future and so on† (Fairhurst and O’Connor, n.d., p. 2). Any kind of reward increases the level of happiness of the employee and the employee’s overall well-being is enhanced. Work performance of an individual is an outcome of several variables that include but are not limited to the physical and mental health of the employee, the eligibility and competence of the employee in the work, the employee’s qualification and experience in the similar kind of work, and most importantly, the employee’s level of motivation. Of all of these factors, employee’s well-being is the most fundamental factor that affects his/her performance because if an employee does not feel well, he/she might not arrive at the work at the first place. â€Å"Having healthy employees is

Contract Law Questions Essay Example for Free

Contract Law Questions Essay Max, an improvised law student placed the following advertisement in the Law Student Gazette: For sale Treital Law of Contact, ? 5 Brian telephoned Max but he was not at home and Celia, Maxs girlfriend, answered the telephone. Brian asked her whether it was the latest edition. She replied that it was not. Brian then said he would give ? for the book and Celia replied that she was sure that was acceptable but for Brian to ring back later that evening. That night Brian telephoned Max. Max told Brian that the book was in excellent condition and that he would not accept anything less than ? 5 for the book. Brian, however, did not hear this because of a fault on the line. The next day Brian called at Maxs house with the ? 4 but Max refused to let him have the book Advise Brian 2. D placed a notice in a local newspaper offering a reward of ? ,000 to the first person to climb to the top of the monkey puzzle tree in his garden and take a photograph of Ds garden. On Monday E was in the process of climbing the tree when he fell off. He was in hospital for four days. On Tuesday, F climbed to within three feet of the top of the tree but considered it too dangerous to proceed further as he was too heavy for the upper branches. On Wednesday, G was at the top. He was about to take the photograph with the special camera which G had purchased for. Especially for the purpose. D shouted, Forget it! There is no money at all. The deal is off. Later that day, D broadcast an advertisement on the local radio station informing everyone that the reward was no longer an offer. On Thursday, H, the son of Ds neighbor, climbed the tree, took the photograph and claimed the reward. He had not heard the broadcasts on the local radio station. On Friday, E returned to the garden and climbed the tree and took the photograph. Advise the parties.

Causal Judgement and Blocking Experiment

Causal Judgement and Blocking Experiment Michael Arruzza Abstract Recent results of studies which aim to gain a greater understanding of how blocking works and the mechanisms involved have led to some conflicting results. Some research suggest that blocking may be the result of assumptions about the additive nature of outcomes. Others think that it may have more to do with associative learning. This experiment investigates blocking in causal learning with human participants with the aim to addresses two main questions. Is blocking affected by encouraging or discouraging assumptions about the additive nature of the outcome? How do the results differ if we separately measure the memory for specific cue-outcome pairings? Results of the study show that there is evidence for both ideas and they may both contribute to the phenomenon of blocking. Introduction A model of the blocking effect was first developed by Kamin in his work with conditioning animals (Kamin, 1969). Kamin identified that training with one cue considerably reduced performance to another cue that was added to the first cue, in a second phase of training. A typical example of blocking would go something like this. Cue A is paired with an effect (A+). In a second phase a compound of two cues, the former cue A and new cue B is paired with the effect (AB+). Decisions on the strength of cue B are effected or â€Å"blocked† by information about the causal relationship of cue A. This has been described as the blocking effect. He theorised that learning may be driven by surprise, if a cue did not provide new information about the contingency between events and the environment it was ignored. Others researchers more recently such as Lovibond (Lovibond P, 2003) have tried to explain blocking in terms of inferential reasoning based upon a relatively simple set of propositions where the observer can deduce though logic that the blocked cue is not a cause of the outcome. Using an allergic reaction to foods as an example this would occur if someone assumed that the patients allergies are additive. When two foods are eaten which cause an allergic reaction they should cause a greater reaction then if only one of the two foods caused a reaction. If one does not observe an increase in the severity of the outcome when B is eaten at the same time as the allergenic food A, then one can deduce that B does not contribute to the allergic reaction. For example if eating a banana causes an allergic reaction rated as 5 and eating a banana and an apple causes a reaction of 5, then the apple has not made the reaction worse and is not the cause of the reaction itself. Lovibond (Lovibond P, 2003) and his colleges also observed that pre-training with explicit instructions that encourage outcome additivity assumption enhance the blocking effect. It is possible that the blocking effect is product of deductive reasoning and it sometimes unreliable response might be due to some participants assuming outcome aditivity while others do not. However a statistically robust blocking effect has still been observed even after explicit non-additive pre-training (Mitchell Chris, 2006). But his blocking effect is significantly smaller than after additive pre-training. In this study done by Mitchell et all multiple blocked use and control cues were implemented. The study only used a non-additive pre-training group and did not include an additive group. This would have been beneficial as it would have been great to contrast the two groups. After non additive pre-training participants were worse off at recalling the outcome associated with the blocked cue. Mitchell goes on to suggest from the data that the blocking effect that has previously been observed after non-additive pre-training may be the result of a non-rational process such as a failure to retrieve the outcome associated with the blocked cue. The ‘blocking affect’ may results from a failure to encode the B–outcome relationship during training. This concept tried to explain blocking as an associative learning theory. This research aims to better understand the blocking phenomenon. In particular to reconcile the two somewhat contradicting explanations outlined above that either blocking is the result of deductive reasoning or it is a part of a failure to encode cue-outcome associations. Is it the product of one of these two ways of thinking about blocking, can they co-exist or are they mutually exclusive? Based on previous research: It is hypothesised that both additive and non-additive groups would show reliable blocking in memory for both groups It is also hypothesised that there will be a weaker causal attribution for blocked cues with additive pre-training Method Participants This trial was done by 120 undergraduate university student who were separated into two groups numbering 60 students in each. Of the sample 78 were female and 42 were male. The mean age of students who participated in the study was 21.7 years of age. Procedure All 120 participants sat a computer trial to determine which foods were causing a hypothetical ‘Mr X’s’ allergic reactions. This initially began with a training phase. On a number of trial participant had to predict whether an allergic reaction would occur by click on of two or three options on the screen. Next participants were then told whether an allergic reaction had occurred and how severe the reaction was on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. This was Stage 1 was done by participants 8 times. In stage 2 compounds were also presented 8 times each. Participants could choose from no reaction, or one of two alternative reactions. In stage 2 a reaction occurred could have a severity of either 5 or 10. Next the 20 cues were presented individually and participants were to make two ratings for each cue. First to pair the cue with the allergic reaction that had occurred. The cues A-H were blocked cues, S-Z overshadowed control cues, and K-N no outcome cues. Next they rated their confidence on a scale of 0-100, 0 being not confident at all and 100 very confident. On the same scale they then rated the extent to which that same cue actually caused the reaction on another rating scale. Assumptions on additive logical reasoning were manipulated on two two levels: One group (Additive pre-training) were given training trials before blocking training, which showed the effects of combining to other allergenic food cues. They also received 3 explicit instructions stating that the addition of two causal cues resulted in a more severe outcome. The other Non-additive pre-training group received the same pre-training except that two options that cause and reaction gave the same medium allergic reaction of 5 as each of these options individually. This group also received explicit instructions stating that the addition of two causal cues resulted in an outcome of the same severity. The purpose of this design is to evaluate if scores show a lower causal rating for the blocked cues than the overshadowing cues. Also whether participants were less accurate in recalling the outcome for the blocked cues than for the overshadowed cues. It’s also to understand the effect of pre-training on blocked and control cues. Results The results of the study indicate that some areas of the study produced statistically significant results while when comparing other groups no statically significant data was found. When comparisons across groups were assessed it would appear that cue type had a significant effect on blocking (F (1,118) = 99.596 p Figure 1: mean memory accuracy across groups which show no significant difference of blocking between different groups. Figure 2: mean causal reasoning which show a significant difference between groups in terms of blocking. Discussion Prior to the conduction of these experiments due to the results of previous studies it is hypothesised that both additive and non-additive groups would show reliable blocking in memory for both groups. It is also hypothesised that there will be a weaker causal attribution for blocked cues with additive pre-training. Just like in the research done by lovibond (Lovibond P, 2003) pre-training influenced causal reasoning as blocked cues in the experiment were judged as less causal in the additive group. A significant difference in the strength of the blocking effect between groups. This adds evidence to the idea that deductive reasoning about the additive nature of causal events may contribute to the blocking effect as previously thought by other researchers. However the data does still show that even though significant difference in the strength of the blocking effect between groups Blocking still evident after non-additive pre-training, product of associative learning. Another significant result of the experiment was the data showed a strong blocking effect on memory for correct outcome. The outcomes associated with blocked cues were recalled less well than the outcomes associated with the control cues. Pervious idea about the blocking effect (Mitchell Chris, 2006) had proposed that the effect may be due to a failure to encode the B-outcome during training. The fact that data showed a blocking effect for the correct outcome shows that this may be the case. It also helps to explain why it a blocking effect has still been found even though non-additive pre-training had been part of the experiment. Previous research has shown that there are two separate ways of thinking about the blocking, the process as a result of outcome aditivty or a failure to encode the B-outcome. Our research has shown that blocking might be the result of several quite different mental processes. The fact that blocking was still evident after non-additive pre-training suggests that it may be the product of associative learning. Even when measures are taken to discount outcome aditivity a blocking effect it was still present. This means that it is likely that they both contribute to the blocking effect. This experiment needs to be replicate by other studies to ensure this conclusion is valid. It should be extended to different groups of people not just the limited selection of university students in a more scientific setting then a classroom test. It may be that a group of university student with a mean age of 21.7 may not be the best representative same of the population. It may be the lack of scientific setting effected the degree of seriousness when participant undertook the test. It might also be interesting to evaluate something other than blocking to hypothetical allergic reactions as this may in tale different assumptions about food that may have not been controlled for in this study. However students were randomly allocated to different classes for university at the start of semester so that does help with the reliability of the results. Student were also unaware what condition they were in and what was being tested by the experiment which would help prevent a selection bias . Further studies of blocking would be encouraged to eliminate some of the experimental flaws included in this study. This study does show the room needed for further research into the area of blocking as theories of blocking do not appear to be mutually exclusive but underly an associative process that has not yet been discovered. References Dickinson, Anthony. (1984). Judgement of Act-Outcome Contingency: . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 36A 29-50. Evan, L. (2006). The relationship between blocking and inference in causal learning. School of Psychology, University of Sydney. Kamin, L. (1969). Predictability, surprise, attention, and conditioning. Punishment and aversive behavior. Lovibond, P. (2003). Forward and backward blocking of causal judgment is enhanced by additivity. Memory and cognition, 133-142. Mitchell, Chris. (2006). Forward blocking in human learning sometimes reflects the failure to encode a cue–outcome relationship. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 830-844.

India Stand In Terms Of Soft Power Potential Media Essay

India Stand In Terms Of Soft Power Potential Media Essay The proliferation of mass media television, radio, internet and print media with its reach across vast swaths of the globe has made it a strategic imperative for countries today to proactively manage their image and perceptions if they are to become a Soft power. Forming, communicating and managing Indias appealing attributes in an era of 24/7 news becomes increasingly important to how we are perceived by other nations and peoples. A corollary to communicating our attributes is that we need to contemplate and define the attributes that best define us as a nation.  [i]   2. India is fortunate enough to be endowed with a rich Soft Power. The foundation of Indias Soft Power is its pluralism, tolerance, secularism, unparallel cultural heritage of music, dance-drama, yoga, Ayurveda and a tradition of absolute thinking. This tradition of abstract thinking has given an unrivalled edge in the contemporary world. It is this tradition of abstract thinking which has put India in the centre-stage of Information Technology. A long tradition of learning enabled India to master modern Western Science Technology. IITs and IIMs and other Institutes become the primary vehicles of keeping abreast with the western Science and Technology. The appeal of its democratic system and growing economic success make it an exciting counterpart to more authoritarian China and a far more affluent United States. 3. What India can achieve can be guestimated from the following figures:  [ii]   (a) 38% of doctors in America are Indians. (b) 12% of Scientists in USA are Indians. (c) 36% of NASA employees are Indians. (d) 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians. (e) 28% of IBM employees are Indians. (f) 17% of Intel employees are Indian. (g) 13% of Xerox employees are Indians. (h) 23% of Indian Community in the USA is having green Card. (J) In Silicon Valley, one third of the engineers are of Indian descent and 70% of high-tech firms are led by Indian CEOs. 4. This is what Indians can achieve in the most developed country of the developed world USA. So, is India in a position to get due recognition by other nations of the world? Its economy is growing at a stupendous rate of over eight percent. India now is a nuclear power, having the fourth largest military, and supports over 17.5 percent of the worlds population. Its foreign exchange is a whooping 313 billion dollars and growing. Indians dominate the list of top 10 billionaires, with four Indians on the list. Does this prove the grandeur of India? So, now can it have a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, and be allowed to join the elite power group? Can it now be placed above the Third World status, and be known to the world as a developed country? India has not adequately utilized its Soft Power resources at home and through the Indian Diaspora. India should realize where its strengths lie if it wants to resurrect its image. In Shashi Tharoors words, India must de termine where its strengths lie as it seeks to make the twenty-first century its own.  [iii]   5. So where does India stand in terms of Soft power potential? Today, we find ourselves often being referred to as a potential power in spite of nearly half a decade of record economic growth. To be acknowledged as a global power India needs to unlock its vast potential to be a Soft power.   We are uniquely positioned to tap into the characteristics an ancient culture, expanding economy, vibrant democracy, spirituality, diversity, and a widespread Diaspora which provide India with core attributes that are attractive to the World. Examples of success abound, Bollywood today reaches an audience twice as large as that of Hollywood; our Information Technology industry competes globally; Yoga has become mainstream in the west, and even the IITs and IIMs have become synonymous with world class education. Indias philanthropic efforts in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and more recently the aid offered to countries affected by the tsunami underscores our concern for the world around us . For India to truly become a tour de force in the community of nations, it needs to look at its weaknesses and turn them into our biggest opportunity by offering the world a new vision, a vision that would have to be rooted in our own success.  [iv]   Spirituality 6. Topping the list of Indian soft power is its spirituality. Spiritualism is the ultimate thirst-quencher of the human soul; it is the only solace provider, the bliss, the only universal solution to human problems. It is that way of life which leads to completeness. It is this India that has nurtured and allowed spiritualism to thrive and flourish, to see a man or woman becoming a complete human being. India (also called the blessed land of gods) has given birth to major religions of the world-Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Christianity reached India before it reached Rome or Europe. Islam, too, is in full bloom. Indias culture has absorbed all these religions, with its followers living in harmony with one another. This has added to the richness of its culture, and it represents a perfect archetype of unity in diversity.  [v]   7. The values of love, peace and brotherhood are the qualities that Indians are known for, with Gautama Buddha, Mahavir, Ashoka and Mohandas K. Gandhi being prime examples. At present, the Indian diaspora seems to be winning the hearts of the world with their endearing character and peaceful qualities. Sreeram Chaulia, in his article, The Geat Indian Diaspora, mentions that, For the most part, an average American, Canadian or Dutchman does not see Indian immigrants as national security or economic threats, thanks to their humble, flexible and endearing qualities.  [vi]   Cultural Diplomacy 8. India is acutely aware of the importance of soft power and cultural attractivity, and needs to do little to render its culture appealing to the rest of the world. The process is natural, almost organic. This is consistent with Indias long history as both a birthplace of ideas, and of peaceful cultural diffusion. The peaceful propagation of Buddhism is a multi-millennia old bond that India shares with the rest of the Asian continent that acts as a testament to the power of its civilizational pull.  [vii]   9. While India may still have miles to go in its quest to be a global political power, the world is already embracing it as a cultural superpower. From Bollywood films and food to authors like Kiran Desai conquering the Booker Street, brand India has seen transformation of sorts. No wonder, cultural diplomacy has evolved into a significant track II. Brand India is now flexing its muscles as a soft power, which is essentially the international influence a nation acquires when others are drawn to its culture and ideas. While the term may have become clichà ©d, it is being taken seriously by the South Block given the huge potential and gains that it may accrue. Earlier cultural diplomacy was considered peripheral, now the message is clear: Soft Power is important and the idea behind the festival is to project India as a plural multicultural society and to achieve the goals of political diplomacy, says Dr Karan Singh, president, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).  [viii]   10. While cultural diplomacy may not always provide solutions, it can help narrow differences. For instance, troubled relations with a country like Pakistan can be improved by cultural diplomacy, which India is currently engaged in. Besides strategic gains, it will supplement Indias economic relations with countries like China and can boost tourism, where India has fared below its potential. Political Diplomacy 11. Indias ambitions to be treated like a global leader of world governance at this juncture can be realised, as it is being respected as a global emerging economy and the largest democracy in the world. It is being seen as part of the new economic wall of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and an emerging southern voice called IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa). Many developing countries in the world are looking towards India to provide them with support (technical, professional, material) in their trajectories of development. This preference is more readily reflected in their deep appreciation of indigenous models and practices of development and progress that India is credited to have evolved so successfully. 12. The challenge before the Indian government, its political leadership and its people today is to practically demonstrate ways in which its soft power could be made accessible to many of these developing countries around the world. Indias soft power is enormous, and official leadership can acknowledge and mobilise it to make India a truly global leader.  [ix]   13. India has also increasingly sought to expand its activities as a donor, both to reposition itself as an emerging power and to use aid as an instrument for engaging with other developing countries.  [x]   Bollywood 14. When it comes to defining Indias more modern soft power Bollywood is often cited, and with reason, as a prime example. The glittering, flamboyant films churned out by Mumbais gargantuan film industry have long been popular in certain regions of the world such as the Middle East ,Central Asia, South East Asia, North Africa, South Africa and throughout South Asia and the United States. 15. Over the past decade, however, Bollywood has been making inroads elsewhere. One of the most popular current viral videos in India shows a man in the depths of Tajikistan passionately humming and singing a Bollywood theme song to his bemused Indian visitors-all in perfectly memorized Hindi. In certain African countries, such as Senegal and Mali, villagers often trek out miles to the closest projection room just to be able to watch one of the latest Bollywood films. Little does it matter that they do not understand the dialogue or that it is set in a distant land; the themes of love, family and marriage they evoke are universal, and the sparkling opulence of the dances, costumes and songs have the gift of enchanting the minds of moviegoers far less jaded than those in the West.  [xi]  Ã‚  Many Asian and South Asian countries increasingly came to find Indian cinema as more suited to their sensibilities than Western cinema. Jigna Desai holds that by the 21st century Indian cinema had managed to become deterritorialized, spreading over to the many parts of the world where Indian diaspora was present in significant numbers, and becoming an alternative to other international cinema. 16. Indian cinema has more recently begun influencing Western musical films, and played a particularly instrumental role in the revival of the genre in the Western world. Baz Luhrmann stated that his successful musical film Moulin Rouge (2001) was directly inspired by Bollywood musicals. Danny Boyles Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008) was also directly inspired by Indian films, and is considered to be homage to Hindi commercial cinema. Films by progressive female Indian directors such as Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta have revealed that Indian films are more than escapist fantasies, and can be simultaneously contemplative and entertaining. 17. India is the worlds largest producer of films. In 2009, India produced a total of 2961 films on celluloid that include a staggering figure of 1288 feature films. The provision of 100% foreign direct investment has made the Indian film market attractive for foreign enterprises such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. Tax incentives to multiplexes have aided the multiplex boom in India. By 2003 as many as 30 film production companies had been listed in the National Stock Exchange of India, making the commercial presence of the medium felt. 18. The Indian Diaspora consists of millions of Indians overseas for which films are made available both through mediums such as DVDs and by screening of films in their country of residence wherever commercially feasible. These earnings, accounting for some 12% of the revenue generated by a mainstream film, contribute substantially to the overall revenue of Indian cinema, the net worth of which was found to be US$1.3 billion in 2000. Music in Indian cinema is another substantial revenue generator, with the music rights alone accounting for 4-5% of the net revenues generated by a film in India. 19. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has envisioned a whole new role for Bollywood, noting Indias soft power, especially the film industry, can be put to use as an important instrument of foreign policy. The Indian Prime minister says: The soft power of India in some ways can be a very important instrument of foreign policy. Cultural relations, Indias film industry, Bollywood I find wherever I go in the Middle East, in Africa, people talk about Indian films.  [xii]   TV Programming 20. Bruce Springsteen released a song some time back   57 channels and nothing on! 57 seemed like a good number then and India had 6 channels. Today the Indian TV industry supports more than 600 channels and there are 400 more channels in the offing awaiting governmental clearances. Indian TV studios churn out news in more than 10 languages, with an entertainment library which is now more than 10,00,000 hours of programming. India is global leader by a vast stretch. Europe by comparison is a toddler and the only other comparison with India is USA.  [xiii]   21. When the Indian TV soap opera Kynunki Saas Bhi was dubbed in Dari and aired on Afghanistans Tolo TV it was such an astounding success that it became a national obsession. 90% of television-owning Afghan families would follow the show, sometimes incurring the wrath of mullahs who viewed it as being responsible for the desertion of mosques during evening prayers.  [xiv]   The Worlds Largest Music Industry 22. India releases more music, in more languages, than any other country in the world. We have, of course, the worlds oldest living tradition in music. Compared to Indias music tradition of 3000+ years (at least),  Western Music is about 400-500 years old. Most are aware of modern music but the scene in classical music is still very vibrant. Bhajans from Mirabais, Tulsidas, Surdas of 500 years ago, continue to sell in volumes and are in demand. Thyagarajas and Dikshitaars compositions in Telugu, 300 years old are still mainstream music. Compare this to the Western classical music, itself originating from the Romany Gypsy music.  Western classical music has become a fringe music tradition,  while Indias Bhakti geet is alive and vibrant.  [xv]   University Higher Education. 23. One of the ways in which Indias soft power in education can be significantly enhanced is by becoming a global hub for higher education. The US and the UK realized the importance of this and opened its doors to foreign students in the 20th century. India has some natural advantages to attract students in terms of low annual tuition fees (less than $ 10,000 per year), low cost of living and most of the universities teaching in English capable of handling English speaking students. India can attract many students from emerging economies in Africa and Asia. India has the potential to become a global education hub and also rival Bollywood with education as a soft power. Knowledge Power 24. In this twenty first century, India is regarded as a knowledge-producing machine, with its doctors, engineers, scientists and software professionals being the first preference of the international community. Indian education is high quality. Barack Obama, the U.S. President, in his election campaign had promised Americans that he would improve the level of American education to such high standards so as to enable the American students to compete with the students of India and China. Also, according to R N. Vijay, Martin Luther King once said, When I go to other nations, I go to preach. When I go to India, I go to learn.  [xvi]  These examples show reverence for Indian wisdom. 25. In the US, there are Indians in almost all the good research labs. Indian doctors have made a name for themselves in many parts of the world. Many of the Indian immigrants to the US have been professionals engineers, doctors, scientists, etc. If India is able to contribute more to this growing tribe of educated professionals, it will create yet another category of soft power. Health Diplomacy 26. The Indian healthcare industry is seen to be growing at a rapid pace and is expected to become a US$280 billion industry by 2020. The Indian healthcare market was estimated at US$35 billion in 2007 and is expected to reach over US$70 billion by 2012 and US$145 billion by 2017.  [xvii]   27. India is quickly becoming a hub for medical tourists seeking quality healthcare at an affordable cost. Reduced costs, access to the latest medical technology, growing compliance to international quality standards and ease of communication all work towards Indias advantage. Foreigners in increasing numbers are now coming to India for private health care. They come from the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, for complex paediatric cardiac surgery or liver transplants-procedures that are not done in their home countries. They also come from the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America for quick, efficient, and cheap coronary bypasses or orthopaedic procedures. A shoulder operation in the UK would cost  £10 000 ($17 460; à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬14 560) done privately or entail several months wait under the NHS. In India, the same operation can be done for  £1700 and within 10 days of a first email contact.  [xviii]   28. Traditional Indian rejuvenation methods like yoga, ayurvedic massage find favour with people in western countries and corporate hospitals and wellness centers are cashing on this. Allopathic system of medicine has reached its tether. It is no more in a position to cure the civilizational diseases of the day heart ailments, Cancer, AIDS and diseases related to digestive system. Therefore there is talk of an alternative system of medicine. Ayurveda has all the potential as an alternative system of medicine without any side-effect. 29. Yoga is an ancient practice of keeping the body healthy and non-diseased. Yoga has all the powers to heal all kinds of incurable diseases. With the emergence of Baba Ramdev, Yoga has certainly become popular and pervasive all over the world. But the unfortunate fact remains that Indian State has made the least efforts to popularize it. With the rising longevity of mankind, Yogas relevance would further increase. No amount of food and medicine can keep the body fit and fine in base age of ones life. Yoga is indispensable in late age of ones life to keep the body healthy and non-diseased. Indian Diaspora 30. The biggest instrument of our soft power is the Indian Diaspora. The Indian diaspora can play a major role in spreading the soft power of India through the immense influence that they possess in their residential countries.  [xix]  Mr. Yashwant Sinha, according to C. Raja Mohan, pointed out that, people of Indian origin are extremely important sources of support for the Indian Government in the execution of its policies through the influence and respect they command in the countries in which they live.  [xx]   31. Guyana, Mauritius, Fiji, Tobago, Trinidad, Singapore and many other countries at some point or the other have experienced the leadership of a person of Indian origin. In the developed countries too, they are leaving no stone unturned, and all this just in order to enhance the intangible standing of India. During Presidential elections in the US, the Indian community is targeted by the candidates, which is also a reflection of the clout that this community enjoys.  [xxi]   32. India once again seeks to leverage the tremendous intellectual, financial and communicative resources of its diaspora, estimated to number 25 million, widely scattered across five continents. Through their glittering academic and professional careers overseas, the diaspora opened the eyes of the West to India as a reliable destination for business process outsourcing (BPO) and for the cutting-edge phenomenon- knowledge process outsourcing (KPO). India is the proud recipient of more remittances from its Diaspora than any other country, beating China and Mexico and reigning at $21.7 billion per annum.  [xxii]   Indian Army 33. A well run

The Bill Of Rights :: essays research papers

The Bill of Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bill of Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first ten amendments to the US constitution are called the Bill of Rights because they provide basic legal protection for individual rights. The terms also applied to the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Canadian Bill of Rights 1960, and to similar guarantees in the constitutions of the American states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the perspective of two centuries, it can be said that Madison chose well among they pyramid of proposal sin the state. he included all the great rights appropriate for constitutional protection. The US Bill of Rights contains the classic inventory of individual rights, and it has served as the standard for all subsequenent attempts to sage guard human rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first American use of the term was in 1774 when the first Continental Congress adopted the declaration and resolves, which was popularly termed the Bill of Rights because it was an American equivalent of the English Bill of Rights. Two years later came the Virginia declaration of rights, which contained the first guarantees for individual right single gully enforceable constitution. The distinctive feature of the provision in American Bill of Rights is that they are enforced by the courts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the time they first settled in Virgin and Massachusetts, the American colonist relied upon the rights enjoyed by Englishmen. The struggle for independence, however, demonstrated to them that rights not specified and codified in constitutional documents were insecure. The result was a movement as soon as independence was declared, to adopt bindings constitutions that limited governmental power and protected individual rights. Seven of the thirteen states adopted constitutions that included specific bills of rights. The Bill Of Rights :: essays research papers The Bill of Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bill of Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first ten amendments to the US constitution are called the Bill of Rights because they provide basic legal protection for individual rights. The terms also applied to the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Canadian Bill of Rights 1960, and to similar guarantees in the constitutions of the American states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the perspective of two centuries, it can be said that Madison chose well among they pyramid of proposal sin the state. he included all the great rights appropriate for constitutional protection. The US Bill of Rights contains the classic inventory of individual rights, and it has served as the standard for all subsequenent attempts to sage guard human rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first American use of the term was in 1774 when the first Continental Congress adopted the declaration and resolves, which was popularly termed the Bill of Rights because it was an American equivalent of the English Bill of Rights. Two years later came the Virginia declaration of rights, which contained the first guarantees for individual right single gully enforceable constitution. The distinctive feature of the provision in American Bill of Rights is that they are enforced by the courts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the time they first settled in Virgin and Massachusetts, the American colonist relied upon the rights enjoyed by Englishmen. The struggle for independence, however, demonstrated to them that rights not specified and codified in constitutional documents were insecure. The result was a movement as soon as independence was declared, to adopt bindings constitutions that limited governmental power and protected individual rights. Seven of the thirteen states adopted constitutions that included specific bills of rights.

The Electoral Systems of Britain and Sweden Essay -- comparative polit

The Electoral Systems of Britain and Sweden The quality of a democracy is regulated by the electoral system that awards seats in democratic assemblies to those seeking office. This paper will compare the electoral systems of the parliaments of the United Kingdom (herein called Britain) and Sweden in order to determine which country has the preferred electoral system. The quality to be measured is the fairness of democratic representation, which is to say, how properly the various public interests are represented and how much control voters have over their government. The first part of the paper will study each electoral system separately, looking at the mechanics of how the members of parliament are elected, what kind of political party system can participate in the parliament, and how the parties go about setting up the executive branch of government. The second part will compare and contrast the two parliaments, and afterwards it will be shown how one of the parliaments represents its electorate more fairly and democraticall y. These two countries have been chosen because Britain?s electoral system is characterized as a system of single-member districts, and Sweden?s system is considered to provide proportional representation, which strives to elect members of political parties in the proportions in which votes were cast. The Electoral System in Britain Voters in Britain elect members of the House of Commons, the more powerful lower house of the Westminster Parliament, for maximum terms of five years. Each one of the 659 electoral districts sends one member to the House of Commons after being chosen on the basis of plurality. Candidates obtain their places on the ballot by being nominated by their party. Frequently the w... ...). "The Election of the Swedish Riksdag, September 2002," Representation. 39(2): 146-156. Kavanagh, Dennis (2000). British Politics: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press. Mattila, Mikko and Tapio Raunio (2002). "Government Formation in the Nordic Countries: The Electoral Connection," Scandinavian Political Studies. 25(3): 259-280. Metcalf, Michael F (1987). The Riksdag: A History of the Swedish Parliament. New York: St. Martin?s Press. Nation Master (2003). "British House of Commons." St. Petersburg, Florida: WikiMedia. . Nation Master (2003). "Elections in Sweden." St. Petersburg, Florida: WikiMedia. . Petersson, Olof et al. (1997). Report from the Democratic Audit of Sweden 1996. Stockholm: SNS Fï ¿ ½rlag.

The Crash :: Creative Writing Essays

The Crash ........ as Jesse stumbled down the stairs, he could hear the weeping and he knew that something had gone wrong. He cried out, "what's going on?" "Jesse this is officer Potter, and he would like to talk to you," wept his grandmother. "What's the problem officer?" mumbled Jesse half asleep, rubbing his eyes. "Well, Jesse I don't know how to tell you this, but this morning on I-43 your dad was in a very terrible accident. He was hit by a semi truck heading south on the interstate. And when we arrived upon the scene, your father was found dead." Stammered the nervous rookie cop. "Oh God, oh God, who did this?...........how did?.......why?.... . ............. I have to get out of here." Cried Jesse with a face full of tears. "Jesse come back here!" Sobbed his grandmother. Jesse then took off, and he told no one where he was going. So now there is a grandmother weeping, a nervous rookie cop, and an upset missing teenager; what is the family to do now. They just lost their dad, and son, and now his child has taken off. Talk about a nightmare of a morning. After Jesse took off his grandmother sat there on the couch, clutching the work shirt of her dead son crying, "Oh Edward, Oh Edward." The cries echoed through the empty house as the grandmother sat there in tears. "How could this have happened?" Thought Jesse to himself, "he was just in Green Bay and now he's dead. Who did this? They will get theirs." The only thing that kept Jesse going was his hatred. He had to devise a plan to get back at the person who did this. The only thing he could think of was to repay blood for blood. Jesse didn't know the exact details of the accident, but when he found out he erupted into a fit of rage. "So the driver of the semi fell asleep behind the wheel, huh? I tell you what, he better not fall asleep tonight. There is one pissed of kid coming for him." As Jesse sat at home devising a plan to pay back 'blood for blood', his grandmother is planning out the arrangements for the funeral. Jesse's plan sounds so simple and fool proof that even a child could pull this off. His idea was to wait until about 1 o'clock in the morning and break into his house and deal with him in an inhumane manner. All through his life Jesse had a

Bluesky Shopping Mall

Analytical Report on Blue Sky Shopping Mall Executive Summary Blue Sky Shopping Mall is a large shopping mall in a thriving business center in Myaynigone. However, it is in a bad shape and its growth is declining. Several factors, such as the lack of vision and mission and long-term plan, unsuitable organizational structure, lack of target market and market strategies and the high turnover rate affect the growth of the Shopping Mall. This report sets out a plan and recommendations to reinvent a new invigorating image of the Shopping Mall. Based on a situational analysis, it draws up an organizational structure best suited for the Mall.The organization structure explains the type of management needed, the importance of strong and visionary leadership, some marketing strategies and marketing mixes. Moreover, this report gives recommendation for some aspects of human resource management. It seeks to revitalize the Shopping Mall and make it a profitable business, serving the needs of the customers best. Introduction In the beginning of the year 2013, our Chairman Dr. Patrick Hong made an acquisition of Blue Sky Shopping Mall. The Shopping mall is located in No. 7, Bargaya Road, Myaynigone, Sanchaung, Yangon.The location of the Shopping Mall is very strategic in many aspects. The area has a thriving business environment with Dagon Center I and II, Gamonepwint, City Mart, and some other fashion shops, restaurants, Car Accessories Shop and Car Show Room. The Shopping Mall is a nine-storey building with a car park next to it. The Shopping Mall has eight sectors, starting with store-room at the basement, Food Court, Department Store, Clothing, Sports, Cosmetics, Appliances, Housing Accessories, and Recreation (play stations, playground for children and cinemas) on the ninth floor. I. Business Administration 1. 1.Long-term Business Plan Situational Analysis Blue Sky Shopping Mall was established in January 2010. The newly founded Shopping Mall initially enjoyed considera ble reputation and generated much profit. However, now it is not doing very well. The situational analysis below looks into some positive facts as well as some of the main causes of decline. A. Internal Factors: Strength and Weakness a. Strengths i. There are some experienced and skilled employees with potentials for becoming leaders. ii. The majorities of employees are young, hardworking and eager to learn to become more competent in their jobs. ii. As each sector (e. g food/clothing) occupies a floor, the interior organization of the Shopping Mall is simple and easy for shoppers to search for items they need and easy to manage. iv. The quality of the retailed products is as good as those from Dagon Center I and II and Gamonepwint. b. Weakness Organizational structure i. The organizational structure takes a centralization approach with all the decisions made by CEO. This has a heavy negative impact on the whole operation of the Mall. With too many matters at the hand of the CEO alo ne and decisions could not be made in time and problems pile up. i. There is no delegation of power given to supervisors of each sector. They have to wait for the decisions of CEO. The problems in each department became graver and solutions and directions became long overdue. This greatly hampers the efficient running of the Shopping Mall. iii. Having too many matters in hand, the CEO could not establish good relationship with the staff. He could only inspect each sector in rare occasions. Some employees take advantage of his absence and shun their responsibilities. This causes much quarrelling among staff.And as the number of problems increase the CEO becomes stressful and authoritative and could not trust his subordinates. iv. The few numbers of security personnel at the entrance of the Mall cannot cope with the long line of people pouring into the Mall. As a result, people become frustrated with queuing up and gradually turn away from the Mall. v. There is no clear job descriptio n given to supervisors, the staff in each department become confused. The direct effect of this disorientation is apparent in maintenance such as cleaning, replacing expired products, mistaken price label and shortage of stocks. vi. The cashiers are not well-trained.They take a long time to serve the customers. This causes unnecessary long queue at the payment counter making the customers feel stressed and sometimes quarrel among themselves. vii. The lack of clear break time schedule among the cashiers adds another problem to the long queue at the payment counter. viii. The staffs at the customer information are not well trained. The consequence is they cannot give necessary and satisfactory answers or directions effectively to the customers. Their discourteous manner causes great unease and unpleasantness to the customers. ix. The staffing of â€Å"general inspectors† is absent.These are people who go around to make sure that everything in a sector is running well. When ther e is a need in a sector there is no one to remind or report to the supervisors. Consequently, things do not get replaced or repaired soon enough. x. The food court has few drinks and items on the menu and the waiters and waitresses are not trained. Marketing i. One of the greatest weaknesses of the Shopping Mall is that it has no clearly defined target market. ii. In effect, there is no proper marketing plan. iii. No promotion such as new product launch, seasonal sale events, and special items sales and so on are carried out. v. Due to the centralization approach to management with nearly all the responsibilities resting on CEO, he could not give time to do market Survey. Human resource management i. The recognition and rewarding of certain workers in terms of their achievement is not carried out consistently. It is done casually and arbitrarily and thus leadership failed to encourage hard work and celebrate achievements. ii. The lack of continual capacity building of the staff, as was seen with the cashiers and the staff in customer information sector, has severe negative effects on the growing numbers and demand of customers. ii. The pay and benefits of the workers are not clearly designed, thus lack incentive for workers. iv. The morale of the staff begins to decline. This affects the spirit of service given to customers. All the mentioned weaknesses create a high turnover rate. B. External Factors: Opportunities and Threats Opportunities v. â€Å"Let’s go shopping. † is a popular phrase among people these days. When they say that they usually mean going to a shopping mall. Even when not buying, people like to just stroll in the Shopping Mall to get air-condition, or a meet their friends in it.It is a good rendezvous because it is clean; it is easy to reach by public transport; it offers affordable prices and thus makes it very convenient. In other words, it is a very good place to attract people, especially the young, to spend money. vi. As m ore and more young people meet their friends or watch movies at shopping malls, the social attitude is somehow synonymous with having money to spend. The young could be very reliable and profitable target customers. If the Mall is designed to cater to them in terms of ambience, products, prices and services they would flock to the Shopping Mall. ii. Given a good pay and good work environment, many young people can be recruited to contribute to the rapid attainment of the objectives of the Shopping Mall. Young people are energetic and creative. If only their potentials were channeled into the right direction, they could make up a very strong and efficient workforce. viii. The location of the Mall is very strategic. It is located in a thriving business area. The population around the area is quite dense. There are many schools, training and language centers in the areas. Young people make up the bulk of the population.Many forms of public transportation reach the area. The car park is a major asset to the Mall. All these conditions offer a tremendous opportunity for the Mall to be very successful. Threats i. The main rivals near Blue Sky Shopping, Dagon Center and Gamonepwint and City Mart are doing very well. They could take all customers and gain their loyalty. ii. Recently there has been heavy traffic congestion near Myaynigone area. This could turn away potential customers to other less congested shopping malls. Long-term Business Plan Vision To be a leading Shopping Mall creating space and value for the young.Mission Through young, energetic, and creative workforce, we know the needs of customers and fulfill them with delivering the latest quality products at workable price, at convenient location and provide a perfect rendezvous and best customer services. Objectives 1. Strategic objectives i. To reinvent a new image of the Shopping Mall with a new name and a new organizational structure in 6 months ii. To attain 10% market share within a year and increase it yearly 2. Tactical objectives i. To put in place the new management system ii. To build workers capacity for skills and services ii. To give space for young leaders with their creative ideas and promotion to win loyalty of young people 3. Operational objectives i. Run the new management system effectively in three month. ii. Conduct human capacity building for supervisors, managers in 3 months. iii. Expend capacity building to the rest of the stuff in a year. iv. Elect at least 30 new potential leaders in a year 1. 2. Organizational Structure CEO Finance manager| | Marketing manager| | Human Resource manager| | General Manager| | Purchase manager| | Security manager| | | | | | | | | | | |Senior accountants| | Sale promotion manager| | HR executives| | Engineers| | Supervisors| | Supervisors| | | | | | | | | | | | Junior accounts| | event manager| | supervisors| | Supervisors| | Sector heads| | Staff| | | | | | | | | | | | Auditors| | Advertisement team| | Trainers| | sector head s| | staff| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cashiers| | Public relation team| | staff| | staff| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sector head| | sector head| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | staff| | staff| | | | | | | | | Since all the sectors operate almost daily routine retailing, the organization is re-structured as seen in the chart above.Clear job description and special authority are given to sector heads to make key decision as they are more familiar with every day market and situation. They will work closely with the CEO in attaining the Shopping Mall goals and sales targets. In this sense, decentralization is more conducive to the Mall success and fit more into the management system. The chain of command, which means, â€Å"an unbroken line of authority that links all individuals in the organization and specifies who reports to whom†, can be seen from the organizational structure.In a Shopping Mall setting, daily retailing of a wide range of products need to have a very strong and clear scalar principle, which clearly defines authority and responsibilities. Span of Management Chief Cashier Staff 1 Staff 2 Staff 3 Staff 4 Chief Standby Staff 1 Staff 2 Staff 3 Staff 4 Replace inspector Staff 1 Staff 2 Staff 3 Staff 4 Customer service Staff 1 Staff 2 Staff 3 Staff 4 Sector Head Since the business is retail and each floor containing one sector, it is easier to organize the span of change.Each sector has a sector head with standby inspectors, cashiers head, replacing head immediately under him/her who would supervise about ten staff. In diagram one sector would look like this. 1. 3. Leadership 1. 3 The Importance of leadership in a rapidly changing world The importance of a leader in an organization can be compared to the captain of a ship. The captain not only directs the ship where to go, he/she encourages the crew member, supervise the crew to serve the people on board, and look forward to the danger, take the route that would give maximum satisfacti on during their ride on the ship.Without a leader with excellent management and interpersonal skill as well as with a clear vision toward the future, the crew will be disoriented, the ship would not get to its destination, the journey would be unpleasant, and the ship might even sink amidst the prevalent dangers in the sea. Due to the weakness of leadership in many areas as mentioned in situation analysis, the Blue Sky Shopping Mall got into a bad shape and is not reaping profit. In this age of rapid change in technological advances in telecommunication, social transformation, mass media culture and globalization, leadership must constantly adapt to these changes.If leadership in an organization could not keep abreast with the paces of these changes, that organization will certainly fall behind. The case of Blue Sky Shopping Mall is an example of the failure of leadership to respond to changes. The number of customers increased in the first years; however few security personnel coul d not cope with increasing numbers. As the number increased it demanded better and efficient services. In this respect also the CEO failed to respond. Moreover, CEO could not respond rapidly to a number of problems, which were actually, opportunities; especially he failed to look into the market demand of the young.As more and more people are becoming more aware health and environment issues the retailed products should co-respond to these shifts of expectation. In terms of ethical issues, the low wages of the staff in proportion to the hours of work, the Blue Sky earn a bad image in the public’s eye. When the CEO became too distant from the staff, and failed to share the values and views of the customers and the employee, the dynamic of the organization was very much weakened. All these shortcomings pointed out that leaders should constantly cooperate in the organization they lead. In other words, leadership is the lifeblood of an organization. . 4 Organizational Control As seen in the organizational structure chart, individuals at the top management will work closely with all the employees. Since the organization will continue to use existing employees only serving more or less the same products, the organization control focus will be on concurrent control and feedback control only. II. Marketing Marketing Strategies A. Segmentation Considering the opportunities in situational analysis, the strategic location of Blue Sky in an area which is populated by young people and people of white color jobs, we segment our market in the following categories. . Location 2. Age group 3. Income B. Targeting Since Shopping Mall gives retailing services, the most profitable portion of customers would be young adult, especially women, given the fact that the working population of young adults in Yangon is female aged between 16-35. Another target is families. Not only newly-wed but also families with children can be assumed to have a certain regular income. They make up a significant portion of population compared to people age-group below 18 and above 60. Still another target within the income group is people with middle income. They have considerable income to spend.Therefore, the Shopping mall should create value for this class of people. C. Positioning Shopping Mall can meet the needs of the market tremendously since it retails a wide range of products. Therefore, the positioning becomes very important. According to the text book, positioning means a product should have a clear, distinctive, and desirable place in the market (Pre-MBA marketing Principle, p 24). Since Shopping Mall retails many kinds of products to different target of customers, it is very crucial to consider and plan positioning with great care and in great detail.To have a clear positioning, the Mall should stock all the relevant products to meet, at the maximum satisfaction, the needs of the targeted groups. Shortage of stocks or lack of varieties of certain products could affect customers’ expectation and could lose their loyalty. Thus, the supervisor of each sector should immerse themselves into the market and constantly try to fulfill the market needs. It could use the slogan â€Å"We have what you need†. Another element of positioning is the product must be distinctive. In this sense, the Shopping Mall should cater to the targeted customers.The Shopping Mall should earn a reputation that fulfils the specific needs of the young adults, the middle-incomer, and the families. For instance, for the female young adults, to get the latest fashion and cosmetics, they should associate the Shopping Mall with their needs. Or when they want to meet their friends, they should automatically choose â€Å"Blue Sky Shopping Mall†, ‘because that’s the best place young people hang out. ’ Excellent service should be another distinctive feature of Blue Sky Shopping Mall. The last element of positioning is desirable. What could be more desirable for customers’ value than low price?Since the target group is the middle income group, the low price positioning would appeal and meet group’s need. In summary the marketing strategies can be shown in table as follows. Segmentation| Targeting| Positioning| location| Yangon, especially Myaynigone and Hledan| Clear place – â€Å"We have what you need. †| Age-group| Young adults and adults| Distinctive place – young and lively ambience| Income| Middle income group| Desirable – affordable to low price| Marketing Mix a. Product/customer solution Retailing service is considered as a product. In fact, it creates the best value or solution for customers’ needs and problems. b.Price/customer cost As mentioned in marketing positioning, we consider affordable to low price to be attractive to our targeted customers. c. Place/convenience Blue Sky Shopping Mall. A convenient place where all the public transport can reach, an ambi ence especially designed for and cater to the young, a place of great value to customers where their needs are fulfilled with the best service. d. Promotion/two-way communication In line with our objectives and target customer needs, promotions in the form of fashion shows, movies festivals, today special food, and some other creatively appealing to the young populace should be carried out.Frequent sales could promote the interest of the customers. III. Human Resource Management To respond to the high turnover rate, besides installing a new organizational structure, the following issues should be addressed adequately. The Human Resource Team should tackle the following areas: 1. Job, role, competency and skills analysis The first step in planning a workforce to fit into a new organizational structure, a comprehensive job, role, competency and skills analysis of the existing resources should be carried out in order to allot them in the areas they are best at.That way the organization will move smoother and faster to achieve its goal. 2. Training and Development After the analysis of job, role, competency and skills, a careful plan should be drawn up to train and develop the employers beginning with the most critical teams such as section heads, security personnel, cashiers and customer information services. 3. Creating a clear work schedule Part of the problem we saw in situation analysis was the lack of clear schedule, which causes much confusion and even quarrels among the workers. A schedule with reasonable amount of rest and clear timetable for lunch shift should remedy the chaos. . Pay, benefit and reward system As an incentive to promote high performance, reasonable pay according to competency and skill should be clearly made known to employees. Besides, benefits such as holidays, medical insurance, bonuses plan should be put in place and implement them consistently and transparently. Rewards for extraordinary performance as in sales or customer relations hip or taking up responsibility with good attitude should be promoted. This will not only encourage them to realize their potentials but also motivate the workforce to strive toward better performance. 5.Opportunity for personal development Since the majority of the employees are young people, the management could pick from the large pool of talents to drive forward the organization with momentum and efficiency. In this regard, potential workers should be handpicked and trained for specific task, within a framework. This is beneficial not only to the employees but also for the organization. 6. Warm and creative work environment enlivened by shared vision Most importantly, the employees are not just paid workers. They are human beings with feelings and emotions. And work has value for their lives.Thus work should give them meaning for their lives. To that end, the work environment should be warm and there should be space for their creativity as the worker population is young. If a vi sion of the Shopping Mall could be shared, it would facilitate the process. One important point is that unlike the top-down management, the people in higher position should show care, concern, and intimacy with all the employers. Only then, work environment could be warm and creative. Conclusion The business plan for Blue Sky Shopping Mall shows the overall plan of how to revitalize the Shopping Mall.The report points out areas of weakness where the Shopping Mall needs to tackle to improve its growth. The report believes that the recommendation gives a picture of what the Blue Sky Shopping Mall would look like after re-structuring the organization and imputing vision, mission, marketing plans and plans to reshape the workforce. There is a great chance that Blue Sky Shopping Mall can regain its former glory. Reference list: * MBA premaster course of business administration * http://www. capitaland. com/about-capitaland/our-mission * http://www. capitamallsasia. com/corporate/our_visi on_mission. aspx

How can Village Volvo differentiate itself from Volvo dealers Essay

Assignment 1: Village Volvo Q-1: Describe Village Volvo’s Service Package Ans-1: Core Service Package: Quality Repair Service on Out of Warranty Volvos This Consist of Five Components: Supporting Facility Facilitating Goods Information Explicate Service Implicit Service Also Routine Service like Tune up and Oil Change†¦ Village Volvo has one Unique Feature that is: History of Work Information About Repaired Volvo History of Fault arise in Volvo Help Desk for Mechanics Beside the Core Service Village Volvo provide Additional Service Like: 1. Routine Service Customer Relationship Historical Trend Cost and Time Estimation Equipped Waiting Room Q-2: How are the Distinctive Characteristics of a Service Firm illustrated by Village Volvo? Ans-2: Village Volvo implemented Service package which make customer Convinced and Comfortable Generally in Service Operation Management there is one Rule: â€Å"If you are able to make customer your side your 50% job has to be done† In village Volvo there are main three distinctive things: Prepared by: Milan Padariya Page 1 Assignment 1: Village Volvo 1. Customer Comfort 2. Trust 3. Respect Village Volvo Provide good service with additional service. One other good service is Management Information System in Village Volvo†¦ Q-3: Characterize Village Volvo in Regard to the nature of the service act, the relationship with customers, customization and judgment, the nature of demand and supply, and method of service delivery. Ans-3: Following is the appropriate answer Nature of Service: Customer Participation Relationship: High Contact with Customer Customization and Judgment: Very High Nature of Demand and Supply: Pull Method of Service Delivery: Case Management Proactive intervention supportive service Q-4: How Could Village Volvo manages its back office (i.e. repair operation) like a factory. Ans-4: Village Volvo manages its back office by following ways: 1. Proper Spare Parts Management 2. Provide Next Service date and have a record with Village Volvo so, it will help for daily and weekly Planning. 3. Differentiate Emergency and Routine That is from Village Volvo†¦ As per my knowledge Village Volvo Should use some Quality Philosophy Like 5S of Quality Management 1st S: Sorting 2nd S: Set in Order Prepared by: Milan Padariya Page 2 Assignment 1: Village Volvo 3rd S: Shine 4th S: Standardize 5th S: Sustain There are more three S of Quality Management 6th S: Safety 7th S: Security 8th S: Satisfaction Q-5: How can Village Volvo differentiate itself from Volvo dealer? Ans-5: Village Volvo can differentiate itself from Volvo dealer from following ways: 1. Differentiation Through Service Excellence Integrated Virtual Call Centre Integrated Service Network Proactive offer sales service Customer Touch point Management Smart Service agent It is essential to ensure consistent customer Experience across touch point which reinforce your brand and sends the message to customer that you understand them well. OVERALL CONCLUSION: This is all about Service Operation Management (SOM). So, whatever ever Philosophy is for Service Operation Management which is related to Village Volvo like†¦ Dimension of Service Perceived Service Quality Expected Service Perceived Service Prepared by: Milan Padariya Page 3 Assignment 1: Village Volvo Mainly three dimensions considered in Service Operation Management†¦ 1. ESPS: Expectation no met: Unsatisfactory: Customer not Happy I want to add one more thing: In Village Volvo there are two Possibilities: 1. ES

Chinese Labor and Employment Law Essay

In November 2001, China became a fully admitted member of the World Trade Organization and in n in international trade. China has not only become a major export power, but also an attractive investment target for world trade and investment continues to increase, its labor environment will likely attract more ? 2 1980. At least 130 million of these are migrant workers who move from relatively poor rural areas to urban and industrial centers to work. Many of these migrant workers remit portions of their earnings back to family members in their hometown. Until recently, China has typically had an oversupply of unskilled labor and a shortage of skilled and professional workers. However, in the past several years, some companies in the major industrial hubs have begun to complain about labor shortages. As a result, many companies now raise wages 10 percent or more annually to retain workers, while others have closed their doors and moved to poorer inland areas or countries with cheaper labor. Interestingly, salaries for new university graduates have stagnated university system. While university graduates start their careers with wages comparable to a factory worker, their salaries typically rise much more quickly than those factory workers. How have 35 years. Prior to the early 1980s, nearly all jobs were allocated to citizens through an administrative bureau. Employees could not choose their employer or terminate their employment. Further, regulations set an expectation that the employee would work for the same employer for her or his whole working life. Companies in this era could only terminate employees for gross misconduct. This type of labor market and social safety net was called the Iron Rice Bowl because the employer guaranteed job security and benefits to employees In other words, the benefits could not be taken away 3 In 1983, the government introduced a contract system that attempted to address the low productivity of the labor market by replacing the Iron Rice Bowl with short-term labor contracts. At first, state-owned companies resisted this trend and the government succeeded only in minimal reforms. In 1992, the N required all trade unions to be affiliated with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU). This effectively brought labor unions under greater control of the government. The Labor Law of 1994 liberalized the labor market. The labor law, when combined with economic reforms, resulted in more than 40 million lost jobs in government and state-owned enterprises. As a result of the reforms, the government shuttered inefficient businesses and the formerly economically dominant northeast turned into a rustbelt. Meanwhile, Chinese entrepreneurs and Hong Kong investors transformed the formerly weak southeast province of Guangdong into the largest center of manufacturing in the world. In 2008, the government introduced a Labor Contract Law that rolled back some of the laissez-faire approaches to the workforce that the government introduced in the 1990s. This new law abolished the system of at-will employment for most full-time employees and required employers to provide employees with written contracts. Since 2008, the government has also revisited its policy of tight control over the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU). While all unions must still be approved by and affiliated with ACFTU, it appears that the government is allowing the ACFTU greater authority to advocate for the rights of workers than it did just a few years ago. That said, the government continues to imprison workers who advocate for the formation of independent trade unions. W A G ES Does China have a minimum wage? 4 Yes. There are two standards of minimum wage: monthly and hourly. Minimum wages are set at the provincial and municipal level. The government prohibits employers from reaching an agreement with employees for wages that fall below the local minimum wage standard regardless of whether the employee is still in her or his probation period or internship. A probationary period occurs at the beginning of an employment relationship and allows employers to terminate employees without severance pay up to a maximum of six months, but usually just two months. The probation period allows the employer to make sure the employee is a good fit with the employer before being locked into the full term of the employment contract. Provincial and municipal governments frequently adjust statutory minimum wages. For example, many municipalities have raised their minimum wages twice in the past year alone. Ho It depends on the locality. -time employees is RMB 1,120/month, or roughly $165. However, in the poorer inland city of Chongqing, the minimum wage is RMB 870/month, or roughly $130. Of course, purchasing wages. The relative cost of living in China is lower than in many developed countries, but even when wages are adjusted for relative prices they remain much lower than in highly developed countries. How much do factory workers earn? It depends on the locality, industry, skill level, and a host of other factors. However, several sources keep broad indices of costs for general factory labor across many regions. Although the indices are only rough estimates, they are helpful in gauging wage differentials across the country. For example, a skilled manufacturing employee in Beijing can be hired for 5 RMB 3,000/month, or roughly $445. A similar worker in the poorer inland municipality of Chongqing can be hired for RMB 1,900/month, or roughly $280. To illustrate how important geographic location is in determining wage rates, the average employee salary in Beijing is nearly three times higher than in the poor inland province of Jiangxi. Do Chinese workers get overtime? T , an employer must pay overtime compensation to any employee who works more than 40 hours per week. As a general rule, an employer cannot require overtime of more than one hour per day, or three hours per day under special circumstances, and no more than 36 hours per month. As in many other countries, white collar workers like managers and sales staff are often exempt from the overtime pay rules. The following payment schedule illustrates the overtime pay requirements. E xtended Wor king Hours Typical working day Rest day (min. one per week) (i. e. , weekend) National holiday M inimum O vertime Pay (percent of regular wages) 150 percent 200 percent 300 percent Many migrant workers desperate to earn quick money agree with the employer to work beyond the maximum overtime requirements so they can send extra money home to their families. This type of overtime work is frequently found in industrial hubs and is a contributing cause of recent labor strikes because employees who agree to these arrangements place downward price pressure on wages and upward pressure on hours. Employers are also able to maneuver around overtime regulations by applying to the local labor authorities and asking for approval to use an alternative system of working hours. What are the wage levels for workers who are paid piece-rate? 6 Piece-rate is a compensation system where the employer pays the employee for each unit produced or action performed, not on the basis of time. Piece-rate wages are still a feature of to address the exploitation of employees through piece rates. For example, workers were exploited when employers paid workers at piece-rate, but then fined them for quality defects, tardiness, or no reason at all. These penalties effectively left workers with wages far below what the employer promised the workers during the hiring process. The first principle of piece-rate wages is that employers cannot set a work quota so high that it prevents an employee from completing the work within an eight-hour day or an average 40-hour week.