Organizational Behavior at Accenture Essay

1. Introduction This paper gives an overview of the organizational behavior (Organizational Structure, Culture, and Leadership) at Accenture– the last organization I worked with. Accenture is an international management consulting, technology services and outsourcing organization, with approximately 0.25 million people and clients in more than 120 countries. It has generated net revenue of US$ 27.9 billion for last fiscal year i.e. 31 st August 2012. (Accenture,2012) 2. Organizational Structure 2.1 Accenture’s Structure – At A Glance Organization’s structure divides the organizational activities and co-ordinates them to achieve the aim of the organization. Accenture is organized into various partially overlapping industry areas that allow the clients to choose from a variety of integrated consulting services. It upholds four global operations workforces: 1. Consulting 2. Servicing 3. Solutions 4. Enterprise Table 2.1 highlights five operating groups and their respective 19 industry groups within the organization. (Accenture Facts,2012) Financial services Banking Capital Market Insurance Health & Public Services Health Public Services Communications , Media & Technology Communication Electronics & High Tech Media & Entertainment Product Automotive Air, Freights & Travel Services Consumer Goods & Services Industrial Equipment Infrastructure & Transportation Resources Chemical Energy Natural Resources Utilities Table 2.1 The figure below displays the organizational chart of Accenture and explains how different sub-units interact with each other. Exam Number: B031449 Page 3 of 11 Figure 2.1 Accenture’s Organizational structure (Source: Official board, 2012) 2.2 Analyzing the Structure of Accenture Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) defined seven key elements of organizational structure and in this section, we will see how they relate to Accenture as an organization. It can be easily inferred from the organizational structure (Figure 2.1) and Work group division (Table 2.1) that Accenture is a large complex organization that requires its employees to be highly specialized in the tasks allocated to them to ensure that quality work is delivered. In order to make sure that all the employees are highly skilled with respect to their tasks, an intense induction takes place in the beginning of their journey in the organization. Accenture follows a tall organizational hierarchy structure due to its diverse workforce and workgroups where Span –of –Control for a Manager depends on the size of the project. Within the solutions workforce, in a single project, following hierarchy exists: Figure 2.2 Hierarchies in a project For example, Span of Control for the project in which I worked was a 96: Designation Programmers (10) Senior Programmers (8) Analyst Programmer (6) Team Lead (4) Manager Span of Control One Team lead , supervises 24 resources One Manager supervises 4 team-leads. So total Span of Control = 96 The tasks in each project in the Solutions workforce are departmentalized into different submodules i.e. Analysis, Design & Build, and Testing. Department of Analysis is responsible for creating business artifacts that detail out client’s requirement and proposed solution to achieve it. These artifacts are then passed to the Design & Build Team who create the high-level design documents and develops the products which client has asked for. Once the product is delivered, it is then passed on to the testing team to ensure that the final product is as per the business artifacts and there are no issues encountered. Accenture is highly formalized organization, where each project while working on a client’s requirement has to adhere to the policies, procedures and norms set by Accenture as well as the clients. This is one of the key approaches to gain the client’s trust. Since project managers have the authority to take decision related to their respective projects, we can call Accenture as highly centralized organization. 3. Organizational Culture Culture is embedded and reflected in every aspect of an organization. As stated by Ravasi, D., Schultz, M. (2006), organizational culture is a lay down of shared intellectual assumptions, which guide understanding and action in an organization by defining suitable behavior for diverse situations. Figure 3.1 is a three-layer model for organizational culture developed by Edgar Schein (2004). Figure 3.1: Schein’s three levels of culture – Source (Bohine, Markham, 2003) Insight on Accenture’s Culture 1. Schein’s three levels of Culture a) The first level i.e. Observable level is the most visible layer. Table 3.1 highlights few of the Surface manifestation of culture at Accenture Manifestation Ceremonials Course Norms Slogan Symbol Accenture Fun Fridays, sporting events, monthly birthday celebrations, quarterly awards Greenfield training for the new employees where the number of days varies from 1 week to 6 weeks depending on the employees Code of Business conduct led by multiple policies High Performance Delivered Accenture has six core values (Accenture Core Values) – Stewardship: Fulfilling our obligation of building a better, stronger and more durable company for future generations, protecting the Accenture brand, meeting our commitments to stakeholders, acting with an owner mentality, developing our people and helping improve communities and the global environment Best People: Attracting, developing and retaining the best talent for our business, challenging our people, demonstrating a â€Å"can-do† attitude and fostering a collaborative and mutually supportive environment Client Value Creation: Enabling clients to become high-performance businesses and creating long-term relationships by being responsive and relevant and by consistently delivering value. One Global Network: Leveraging the power of global insight, relationships, collaboration and learning to deliver exceptional service to clients wherever they do business Respect for Individual: Valuing diversity and unique contributions, fostering a trusting, open, and inclusive environment and treating each person in a manner that reflects Accenture’s values. Integrity: Being ethically unyielding and honest and inspiring trust by saying what we mean, matching our behaviors to our words and taking responsibility for our actions Rewards and Recognition in Accenture: Accenture has various ways of acknowledging an employee’s contribution towards achieving the â€Å"High Quality† work. In addition to promotion, few of the awards given by Accenture (specific to solutions domain) are: ACE Award – Accenture Celebrates Excellence is an award given on quarterly basis to the employees who show outstanding performance during a quarter in their respective industrial groups. The nominations for these awards are forwarded by the project manager along with the citation to justify the nominations. Innovator for the quarter – This category of award is held at different project levels and is awarded to an individual or group of people who have innovated something to either add value to the client or helped in increasing automated work to save on efforts. Star of the month – This category of award is also held at project level where the work of an employee performing extraordinary is acknowledged. Propel Awards – This category of award is held at industrial group level where the employees are awarded against different criteria’s e.g. Adding Value to Client, Organizing quality work and anticipating critical situations etc. Celebrating Performance – Celebrating performance is a tool through which Team leads and above acknowledges the work of an individual by giving them some points. These points can be redeemed via a shopping catalog holding a range of different things. c) The third level i.e. basic assumption is invisible layer. It is the perception held by individuals concerning human behavior. As mentioned earlier, this cannot be seen but felt by the individuals and hence is difficult to be described in words for any organization. 2. On analyzing Accenture based on different Cultural framework and Cultural typologies it can be said that Accenture falls into Role culture and Communal culture. The justification for this goes below: ï‚ § Accenture is very much driven by its policies, procedures, and rules, which makes it high on formalization aspect. Figure 2.1 clearly shows the level of hierarchy that Accenture has. Managers at top of the hierarchy work as per their roles and specializations that make Accenture a highly centralized organization and hence putting it into a Role culture. However, if we deep dive to the lowest division i.e. the Projects, the task to be achieved is allocated at the Managerial level and is then cascaded down to different team members based on their expertise. The aim of the team is to ensure the task is delivered on time and with a high quality. For example, in my projects, there were times when a task demanding high expertise on specific domain were assigned to the senior programmers instead of the team leads. This clearly displays that the project division is on to the Task culture i.e. high formalization, low centralization where people are acknowledged based on their expertise and not just position. ï‚ § Accenture has very strict entry criteria and employees who suit the working environment are selected. Once the employees are in the company, another level of assessment happens to check the skills to identify which project who the employee be best suited for. During an initial phase in the project, the employees are giving an intensive training about the core values of Accenture as well as the client that they are working for. The roles and goals for each individual are made clear right from the beginning and each employee is expected to have a degree of flexibility to switch the roles as and when required. All these characteristics make Accenture falls into the category of Communal culture i.e. High Sociability and high solidarity. 4. Leadership Walt Disney said, â€Å"You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality† (Disney, 2011) Accenture groups skills, competencies, and personality traits of effective leaders into three vital pillars (Accenture Leadership): Visionary Evangelist- They see possibilities and inspire others with their vision; they know where the company is headed and what its customers will value in the future. Relationship Builder-They enlist the support and capabilities of others by building loyalty, motivating and engaging. Manager of Execution- They provide structure, discipline and a sense of priorities to get things done. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard (1998) described the concept of situational leadership. Situational leadership is an approach of identifying the most effective way of motivating, directing, and supporting employees to get the work done. Whether it is the leaders at the top of hierarchy (CEO) or the leaders at the lowest division (project managers), leadership style in Accenture varies depending upon the situation. Figure 4.1 Situational Leadership Model (Source: Davidmerzel, 2012) How Leadership style works in Accenture When an employee is new to a project or the organization, it is ensured that a counselor and a supervisor are assigned to him. It is supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the employee understand the norms and the working culture of the project and Councilor helps the employee with the career aspirations and issues (if any) faced by him while working in the project. In other words, it can be said that supervisor acts as the coach and councilor supports the employee at the same time. Supervisor and the Councilor are not the same person and it is the councilor who remains the same throughout the journey in Accenture where as supervisors keep of changing as when an employee progresses. Once an employee displays the ability and the skills required to tasks assigned (i.e. generally at Analyst Programmer level), the work is then delegated where very few directions and support are required. At no point in Accenture, you would find a leader portraying the directive leadership. Support and mentoring is always provided until an employee is capable to work on his own. 5. Synopsis Accenture is an organization on the move, one that is engaged in a good range of projects in various locations. Its culture varies from one extreme to another depending on the client and the geographical location of the office in which one reside. Employees, working at the client site, particularly for extended periods, find themselves following client’s culture as well as Accenture’s. It has a youthful environment that helps in making contacts, which lasts as an employee moves from project to project. In spite of the youthful, work-hard/play-hard atmosphere, employees strictly adhere to Accenture’s high standards, which require dedication and discipline on behalf of the employees. People at Accenture genuinely respect and admire each other. Willingness to help others and strong interpersonal skills are more common that being self-centered. This can be easily seen by the prompt responses of peers in different cities and countries towards any technical query being raised at the company’s portal. To summaries, Accenture surely is a strong cultured and centralized organization where the core values of the organization and client’s both are kept in mind and at the same time its ensured that employee’s professional aspirations are also met. I would definitely say a great place to work! 6. References (Arranged alphabetically) 1. Accenture, 2012 – About Accenture Available at: http://www.accenture.com/gb-en/company/Pages/index.aspx Accessed on: 26th October 2012 2. Accenture Core Values: Living Accenture’s Core Values [online] Available at: http://careers.accenture.com/gben/working/overview/values/Pages/index.aspx Accessed on: 26th October 2012 3. Accenture Facts,2012 – Q4 Fiscal 2012 Available at: http://newsroom.accenture.com/fact+sheet/ Accessed on: 26th October 2012 4. Accenture Leadership: Why Leadership and Culture Matters [online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Why_Leadership_and _Culture_Matter.pdf Accessed on: 27th October 2012 5. Accenture Logo – Accenture UK Limited [online] Available at: http://www.enterprisemanagement360.com/company/accenture-uk-l imited/#.UIqNsm_Mjsw Accessed on: 26th October 2012 6. Bohine, Markham, 2003

Forward the Foundation Chapter 11

9 We all have our small illusions and Cleon-Emperor of the Galaxy, King of Trantor, and a wide collection of other titles that on rare occasions could be called out in a long sonorous roll-was convinced that he was a person of democratic spirit. It always angered him when he was warned off a course of action by Demerzel (or, later, by Seldon) on the grounds that such action would be looked on as â€Å"tyrannical† or â€Å"despotic.† Cleon was not a tyrant or despot by disposition, he was certain; he only wanted to take firm and decisive action. He spoke many times with nostalgic approval of the days when Emperors could mingle freely with their subjects, but now, of course, when the history of coups and assassinations-actual or attempted-had become a dreary fact of life, the Emperor had, of necessity, been shut off from the world. It is doubtful that Cleon, who had never in his life met with people except under the most constricted of conditions, would really have felt at home in offhand encounters with strangers, but he always imagined he would enjoy it. He was excited, therefore, for the rare chance of talking to one of the underlings on the grounds, to smile and to doff the trappings of Imperial rule for a few minutes. It made him feet democratic. There was this gardener whom Seldon had spoken of, for instance. It would be fitting, even a pleasure, to reward him belatedly for his loyalty and bravery-and to do so himself, rather than leaving it to some functionary. He therefore arranged to meet the fellow in the spacious rose garden, which was in full bloom. That would be appropriate, Cleon thought, but, of course, they would have to bring the gardener there first. It was unthinkable for the Emperor to be made to wait. It is one thing to be democratic, quite another to be inconvenienced. The gardener was waiting for him among the roses, his eyes wide, his lips trembling. It occurred to Cleon that it was possible that no one had told the man the exact reason for the meeting. Well, he would reassure him in kindly fashion-except that, now he came to think of it, he could not remember the fellow's name. He turned to one of the officials at his side and said, â€Å"What is the gardener's name?† â€Å"Sire, it is Mandell Gruber. He has been a gardener here for thirty years.† The Emperor nodded and said, â€Å"Ah, Gruber. How glad I am to meet a worthy and hardworking gardener.† â€Å"Sire,† mumbled Gruber, his teeth chattering. â€Å"I am not a man of many talents, but it is always my best I try to do on behalf of your gracious self.† â€Å"Of course, of course,† said the Emperor, wondering if the gardener suspected him of sarcasm. These men of the lower class lacked the finer feelings that came with refinement and manners, which always made any attempt at democratic display difficult. Cleon said, â€Å"I have heard from my First Minister of the loyalty with which you once came to his aid and of your skill in taking care of the grounds. The First Minister tells me that he and you are quite friendly.† â€Å"Sire, the First Minister is most gracious to me, but I know my place. I never speak to him unless he speaks first.† â€Å"Quite, Gruber. That shows good manners on your part, but the First Minister, like myself, is a man of democratic impulses and I trust his judgment of people.† Gruber bowed low. The Emperor said, â€Å"As you know, Gruber, Chief Gardener Malcomber is quite old and longs to retire. The responsibilities are becoming greater than even he can bear.† â€Å"Sire, the Chief Gardener is much respected by all the gardeners. May he be spared for many years so that we can all come to him for the benefit of his wisdom and judgment.† â€Å"Well said, Gruber,† said the Emperor carelessly, â€Å"but you very well know that that is just mumbo-jumbo. He is not going to be spared, at least not with the strength and wit necessary for the position. He himself requests retirement within the year and I have granted him that. It remains to find a replacement.† â€Å"Oh, Sire, there are fifty men and women in this grand place who could be Chief Gardener.† â€Å"I dare say,† said the Emperor, â€Å"but my choice has fallen upon you.† The Emperor smiled graciously. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Gruber would now, he expected, fall to his knees in an ecstasy of gratitude. He did not and the Emperor frowned. Gruber said, â€Å"Sire, it is an honor that is too great for me-entirely.† â€Å"Nonsense,† said Cleon, offended that his judgment should be called into question. â€Å"It is about time that your virtues are recognized. You will no longer have to be exposed to weather of all kinds at all times of the year. You will have the Chief Gardener's office, a fine place, which I will have redecorated for you, and where you can bring your family. You do have a family, don't you, Gruber?† â€Å"Yes, Sire. A wife and two daughters. And a son-in-law.† â€Å"Very good. You will be very comfortable and you will enjoy your new life, Gruber. You will be indoors, Gruber, and out of the weather, like a true Trantorian.† â€Å"Sire, consider that I am an Anacreonian by upbringing-â€Å" â€Å"I have considered, Gruber. All worlds are alike to the Emperor. It is done. The new job is what you deserved.† He nodded his head and stalked off. Cleon was satisfied with this latest show of his benevolence. Of course, he could have used a little more gratitude from the fellow, a little more appreciation, but at least the task was done. And it was much easier to have this done than to settle the matter of the failing infrastructure. Cleon had, in a moment of testiness, declared that whenever a breakdown could be attributed to human error, the human being in question should forthwith be executed. â€Å"Just a few executions,† he said, â€Å"and it will be remarkable how careful everyone will become.† â€Å"I'm afraid, Sire,† Seldon had said, â€Å"that this type of despotic behavior would not accomplish what you wish. It would probably force the workers to go on strike-and if you try to force them back to work, there would then be an insurrection-and if you try to replace them with soldiers, you will find they do not know how to control the machinery, so that breakdowns will begin to take place much more frequently.† It was no wonder that Cleon turned to the matter of appointing a Chief Gardener with relief. As for Gruber, he gazed after the departing Emperor with the chill of sheer horror. He was going to be taken from the freedom of the open air and condemned to the constriction of four walls. Yet how could one refuse the Emperor? 10 Raych looked in the mirror of his Wye hotel room somberly (it was a pretty run-down hotel room, but Raych was not supposed to have too many credits). He did not like what he saw. His mustache was gone; his sideburns were shortened; his hair was clipped at the sides and back. He looked-plucked. Worse than that. As a result of the change in his facial contours, he looked baby-faced. It was disgusting. Nor was he making any headway. Seldon had given him the security reports on Kaspal Kaspalov's death, which he had studied. There wasn't much there. Just that Kaspalov had been murdered and that the local security officers had come up with nothing of importance in connection with that murder. It seemed quite clear that the security officers attached little or no importance to it, anyway. That was not surprising. In the last century, the crime rate had risen markedly in most worlds, certainly in the grandly complex world of Trantor, and nowhere were the local security officers up to the job of doing anything useful about it. In fact, the security establishment had declined in numbers and efficiency everywhere and (while this was hard to prove) had become more corrupt. It was inevitable this should be so, with pay refusing to keep pace with the cost of living. One must pay civil officials to keep them honest. Failing that, they would surely make up for their inadequate salaries in other ways. Seldon had been preaching this doctrine for some years now, but it did no good. There was no way to increase wages without increasing taxes and the populace would not sit still for increased taxes. It seemed they would rather lose ten times the credits in graft. It was all part (Seldon had said) of the general deterioration of Imperial society over the previous two centuries. Well, what was Raych to do? He was here at the hotel where Kaspalov had lived during the days immediately before his murder. Somewhere in the hotel there might be someone who had something to do with that-or who knew someone who had. It seemed to Raych that he must make himself conspicuous. He must show an interest in Kaspalov's death and then someone would get interested in him and pick him up. It was dangerous, but if he could make himself sound harmless enough, they might not attack him immediately. Well- Raych looked at his timeband. There would be people enjoying their predinner aperitifs in the bar. He might as well join them and see what would happen-if anything. 11 In some respects, Wye could be quite puritanical. (This was true of all the sectors, though the rigidity of one sector might be completely different from the rigidity of another.) Here, the drinks were not alcoholic but were synthetically designed to stimulate in other ways. Raych did not like the taste, finding himself utterly unused to it, but it meant that he could sip his drink slowly and look around. He caught the eye of a young woman several tables away and had difficulty in looking away. She was attractive and it was clear that Wye's ways were not puritanical in every fashion. After a few moments, the young woman smiled slightly and rose. She drifted toward Raych's table, while Raych watched her speculatively. He could scarcely (he thought with marked regret) afford a side adventure just now. She stopped for a moment when she reached Raych and then let herself slide smoothly into an adjacent chair. â€Å"Hello,† she said. â€Å"You don't look like a regular here.† Raych smiled. â€Å"I'm not. Do you know all the regulars?† â€Å"Just about,† she said, unembarrassed. â€Å"My name is Manella. What's yours?† Raych was more regretful than ever. She was quite tall, taller than he himself was without his heels-something he always found attractive-had a milky complexion, and long, softly wavy hair that had distinct glints of dark red in it. Her clothing was not too garish and she might, if she had tried a little harder, have passed as a respectable woman of the not-too-hardworking class. Raych said, â€Å"My name doesn't matter. I don't have many credits.† â€Å"Oh. Too bad.† Manella made a face. â€Å"Can't you get a few?† â€Å"I'd like to. I need a job. Do you know of any?† â€Å"What kind of job?† Raych shrugged. â€Å"I don't have any experience in anything fancy, but I ain't proud.† Manella looked at him thoughtfully. â€Å"I'll tell you what, Mr. Nameless. Sometimes it doesn't take any credits at all.† Raych froze at once. He had been successful enough with women, but with his mustache-his mustache. What could she see in his baby face? He said, â€Å"Tell you what. I had a friend living here a couple of weeks ago and I can't find him. Since you know all the regulars, maybe you know him. His name is Kaspalov.† He raised his voice slightly. â€Å"Kaspal Kaspalov.† Manella stared at him blankly and shook her head. â€Å"I don't know anybody by that name.† â€Å"Too bad. He was a Joranumite and so am I.† Again, a blank look. â€Å"Do you know what a Joranumite is?† She shook her head. â€Å"N-no. I've heard the word, but I don't know what it means. Is it some kind of job?† Raych felt disappointed. He said, â€Å"It would take too long to explain.† It sounded like a dismissal and, after a moment of uncertainty, Manella rose and drifted away. She did not smile and Raych was a little surprised that she had remained as long as she did. (Well, Seldon had always insisted that Raych had the capacity to inspire affection-but surely not in a businesswoman of this sort. For them, payment was the thing.) His eyes followed Manella automatically as she stopped at another table, where a man was seated by himself. He was of early middle age, with butter-yellow hair, slicked back. He was very smooth-shaven, but it seemed to Raych that he could have used a beard, his chin being too prominent and a bit asymmetric. Apparently Manella had no better luck with this beardless one. A few words were exchanged and she moved on. Too bad, but surely it was impossible for her to fail often. She was unquestionably desirable. Raych found himself thinking, quite involuntarily, of what the upshot would be if he, after all, could-And then Raych realized that he had been joined by someone else. It was a man this time. It was, in fact, the man to whom Manella had just spoken. He was astonished that his own preoccupation had allowed him to be thus approached and, in effect, caught by surprise. He couldn't very well afford this sort of thing. The man looked at him with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. â€Å"You were just talking to a friend of mine.† Raych could not help smiling broadly. â€Å"She's a friendly person.† â€Å"Yes, she is. And a good friend of mine. I couldn't help overhearing what you said to her.† â€Å"Wasn't nothing wrong, I think.† â€Å"Not at all, but you called yourself a Joranumite.† Raych's heart jumped. His remark to Manella had hit dead-center after all. It had meant nothing to her, but it seemed to mean something to her â€Å"friend.† Did that mean he was on the road now? Or merely in trouble? 12 Raych did his best to size up his new companion, without allowing his own face to lose its smooth naivete. The man had sharp greenish eyes and his right hand clenched almost threateningly into a fist as it rested on the table. Raych looked owlishly at the other and waited. Again, the man said, â€Å"I understand you call yourself a Joranumite.† Raych did his best to look uneasy. It was not difficult. He said, â€Å"Why do you ask, mister?† â€Å"Because I don't think you're old enough.† â€Å"I'm old enough. I used to watch Jo-Jo Joranum's speeches on holovision.† â€Å"Can you quote them?† Raych shrugged. â€Å"No, but I got the idea.† â€Å"You're a brave young man to talk openly about being a Joranumite. Some people don't like that.† â€Å"I'm told there are lots of Joranumites in Wye.† â€Å"That may be. Is that why you came here?† â€Å"I'm looking for a job. Maybe another Joranumite would help me.† â€Å"There are Joranumites in Dahl, too. Where are you from?† There was no question that he recognized Raych's accent. That could not be disguised. He said, â€Å"I was born in Millimaru, but I lived mostly in Dahl when I was growing up.† â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Nothing much. Going to school some.† â€Å"And why are you a Joranumite?† Raych let himself heat up a bit. He couldn't have lived in downtrodden, discriminated-against Dahl without having obvious reasons for being a Joranumite. He said, â€Å"Because I think there should be more representative government in the Empire, more participation by the people, and more equality among the sectors and the worlds. Doesn't anyone with brains and a heart think that?† â€Å"And you want to see the Emperorship abolished?† Raych paused. One could get away with a great deal in the way of subversive statements, but anything overtly anti-Emperor was stepping outside the bounds. He said, â€Å"I ain't saying that. I believe in the Emperor, but ruling a whole Empire is too much for one man.† â€Å"It isn't one man. There's a whole Imperial bureaucracy. What do you think of Hari Seldon, the First Minister?† â€Å"Don't think nothing about him. Don't know about him.† â€Å"All you know is that people should be more represented in the affairs of government. Is that right?† Raych allowed himself to look confused. â€Å"That's what Jo-Jo Joranum used to say. I don't know what you call it. I heard someone once call it ‘democracy,' but I don't know what that means.† â€Å"Democracy is something that some worlds have tried. Some still do. I don't know that those worlds are run better than other worlds. So you're a democrat?† â€Å"Is that what you call it?† Raych let his head sink, as if in deep thought. â€Å"I feel more at home as a Joranumite.† â€Å"Of course, as a Dahlite-â€Å" â€Å"I just lived there awhile.† â€Å"-you're all for people's equalities and such things. The Dahlites, being an oppressed group, would naturally think in that fashion.† â€Å"I hear that Wye is pretty strong in Joranumite thinking. They're not oppressed.† â€Å"Different reason. The old Wye Mayors always wanted to be Emperors. Did you know that?† Raych shook his head. â€Å"Eighteen years ago,† said the man, â€Å"Mayor Rashelle nearly carried through a coup in that direction. So the Wyans are rebels, not so much Joranumite as anti-Cleon.† Raych said, â€Å"I don't know nothing about that. I ain't against the Emperor.† â€Å"But you are for popular representation, aren't you? Do you think that some sort of elected assembly could run the Galactic Empire without bogging down in politics and partisan bickering? Without paralysis?† Raych said, â€Å"Huh? I don't understand.† â€Å"Do you think a great many people could come to some decision quickly in times of emergency? Or would they just sit around and argue?† â€Å"I don't know, but it doesn't seem right that just a few people should have all the say over all the worlds.† â€Å"Are you willing to fight for your beliefs? Or do you just like to talk about them?† â€Å"No one asked me to do any fighting,† said Raych. â€Å"Suppose someone did. How important do you think your beliefs about democracy-or Joranumite philosophy-are?† â€Å"I'd fight for them-if I thought it would do any good.† â€Å"There's a brave lad. So you came to Wye to fight for your beliefs.† â€Å"No,† said Raych uncomfortably, â€Å"I can't say I did. I came to look for a job, sir. It ain't easy to find no jobs these days-and I ain't got no credits. A guy's gotta live.† â€Å"I agree. What's your name?† The question shot out without warning, but Raych was ready for it. â€Å"Planchet, sir.† â€Å"First or last name?† â€Å"Only name, as far as I know.† â€Å"You have no credits and, I gather, very little education.† â€Å"Afraid so.† â€Å"And no experience at any specialized job?† â€Å"I ain't worked much, but I'm willing.† â€Å"All right. I'll tell you what, Planchet.† He took a small white triangle out of his pocket and pressed it in such a way as to produce a printed message on it. Then he rubbed his thumb across it, freezing it. â€Å"I'll tell you where to go. You take this with you and it may get you a job.† Raych took the card and glanced at it. The signals seemed to fluoresce, but Raych could not read them. He looked at the other man warily. â€Å"What if they think I stole it?† â€Å"It can't be stolen. It has my sign on it and now it has your name.† â€Å"What if they ask me who you are?† â€Å"They won't. You say you want a job. There's your chance. I don't guarantee it, but there's your chance.† He gave him another card. â€Å"This is where to go.† Raych could read this one. â€Å"Thank you,† he mumbled. The man made little dismissing gestures with his hand. Raych rose and left-and wondered what he was getting into.

Descriptive Essay House on Fire

descriptive essay house on fire The House on Fire That cold night of December 2004 had left behind a memory which will stay in my mind for a never ending period of time. That night was not the same as the rest of the days in my life. Instead of going to bed, that night I was standing in the middle of the road, in complete terror. My heartbeat was accelerating with fear and tears were rolling down my cheeks as I saw Emily taken away by the ambulance. The house, which I was standing in front of, was burning as fire engulfed it from all sides. There was fire everywhere.The roof was on fire, the doors and the windows were on fire, fire was even coming out of the house through various openings, looking like a fire-breathing dragon was inside the house, puffing fire. The flames burned deep red and amber, almost livid purple as I saw various firefighters trying to put out the fire. Nothing inside was likely to survive the fire. Flames were licking up in the air with the wind, trying to catc h something else on fire, and finding nothing but air, disappearing into the windy night, like disappointed flutters. Everything was happening too fast.During a minute or less, fire had spread across the entire landing. I was petrified by the sight of the fire, which crawled lizard like up the house. The house was exploding in yellow blue flames that quickly turned orange. I was trembling and whimpering softly as I saw Emily’s mother sitting on the ground, helplessly. She was crying out of despair. Her reaction had made me even more scared. I wanted someone to console me by telling me that nothing will happen to Emily. She was my best friend. We had spent seven years of our childhood together and I did not want to lose her.I was praying silently while Emily’s mother had lost all the hope of her survival. I had never felt so alone before. Even the thought of losing her, frightened me. I felt as if I was living through the worst nightmare. Grief is the worst feeling in t he world. You feel hopeless, scared, angry, frustrated, alone and afraid. Going through a phase in life when you have a feeling of losing someone is hard to accept and it is much harder for an eight years old child. You feel as if the world had stopped and you could never move on in life.It is very painful to accept that you will no longer be able to see someone who was very close to the heart. I was crying while looking at the crowd of people that had clustered around the house by that time. The voices of the people echoed in my ear hauntingly. Their screams and shouts gave rise to my fear. I was horrified by the siren of the ambulance, the police car and the firefighters, the ringing of the phones of the crowd, the yelling, the cries, the increasing roar of the fire; everything added chaos to that place and frightened me even more.Ghosts of smoke were drifting across the street. I smelled smoke. It was not heavy, but it had a pungent smell. I started to cough as the smoke enfolded me. The air surrounding me was becoming less breathable by the second. My mouth was filled with the bitter taste of the smoke. I wanted a draught of clean air to rinse out my polluted lungs. The cough had aggravated pain in my head. My eyes were becoming swollen and watery. Soon after, the fire got quite out of control as the whole house was on fire. The firefighters evacuated the street and told everyone to go inside their houses.I had no choice but to retreat to my room where I could see, feel, and hear Emily’s house burn down. In a few minutes, the house had been reduced to a pile of rubble, ashes, and smouldering wood and items. There was a rotting smell that took over the whole neighbourhood, like a bad barbeque party gone horribly wrong. The smell was so overpowering that it took almost a week to get it out of my nose. That horrifying night of December still reminds me how valuable a person is in our life. If the firefighters were even one minute late in rescuing Emily , I would have lost my best friend that day.

Figure of Speech and Ancient Greece Essay

Modernity has certainly evolved from the time of the ancient Greece. However, the advancements in technology have not necessarily created a Utopian society. In â€Å"Icarus,† a poem by Edward Field, a mythological character is placed in the bustling and oxymoronic reality of the modern world. Figurative language, irony, syntax, and perspectives are essential elements of Field’s relocation of Icarus, whose relocation exposes an alienating and unrelenting 20th century setting. Irony and contrast are immediately evident as Icarus’s story unfolds in the second millennium of the common era. Beginning be depicting the setting and its inhabitants, the speaker highlights some oxymorons in current behavior. Witnesses to Icarus’s mishap run off to a â€Å"gang war,† a cruel satire of urban life and ironical reversion of roles in just one line. Furthermore, Icarus’s report at the police station is â€Å"filed and forgotten,† one element denying the purpose of the other. In addition to this, modern practices appear to contrast those of Icarus’s original setting; in ancient Greece, tales were not written but sang, and they certainly weren’t forgotten. Thus, though lacking mention to the protagonist, the first stanza subtly implies immediate differences between Icarus’s traditional home and his new one. The second stanza begins with yet another juxtaposition of the original and the modified; while the foolish Icarus would have been deemed â€Å"disobedient† in his times, he becomes â€Å"nice Mr. Hicks† in modernity. As the speaker begins to describe Icarus directly, another allusion to modern tenets is made; Icarus’s suit â€Å"concealed arms,† which we soon find out though that they are not the â€Å"arms† used in gang wars but those with which he attempted flight. Icarus’s neighbors cannot perceive his sadness at the failure of his deed, though, and the gentle time (and air) traveler does not wish to upset them by revealing the truths. In this case, a metonymic â€Å"front yards† is used by the speaker to symbolize the suburban lifestyle and â€Å"moralistic† attitude of the people surrounding Icarus. In creating the final analogies and contrasts between the past and present Icaruses, the speaker draws into the tragic hero side of the protagonist and uses it in a rhetorical question at the end of the second stanza. Unfortunately for Icarus, it seems, he did not fall to his death but to the â€Å"middling stature of the merely talented†; he cannot find serenity in an environment where personal judgment (Icarus’s neighbors) cannot reconcile with the group activities (participating in committees and riding commuter trains). Using anaphora, the first two lines of the third stanza convey Icarus’s longing for tragic departure, juxtaposing nightly reflection and daily attempts at flight. Lacking the success he had in the past, even though it had cost him, Icarus comes to the conclusion that his role would have been much more satisfactory had he drowned. Field employs techniques of content (contrast and irony) and of how the content is shaped (anaphora and figurative language). In doing so, he conveys both poetically personal reflections and an effective change of Icarus’s setting, shaping this work as an even more tragic story for the protagonist than his death in had been.

Politics and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics and Society - Essay Example From 1753 through 1801, William Pitt came up with the right bestowed on the prime minister to request other ministries to reign and establish it. The only record up to year 1916 evidencing the decisions of the cabinet was a letter done by the Prime Minister to be sent to the Monarch. Some of the posts that were created in year 1916 were the secretary of the cabinet and the secretariat of the cabinet. (number10.gov.uk, 2011) Peele in his book says that in 2004, the system of government in Britain was that of cabinet. This system has all the political as well as executive leadership being provided by the cabinet. This cabinet is made up of few senior ministers who are heads of various main departments. The head of the cabinet is the Prime Minister. The position of premiership is devoid of formal powers, but is usually above the other ministers in superiority. The power bestowed to the Prime Minister is, thus, legitimate in the collective government. Therefore, the Prime Minister is jus t but the ministers’ team leader. This government in entirety is the one responsible for all the decisions reached in parliamentary proceedings. Despite the fact that Macmillan in 1957 to 1963 suggested how a cabinet type of governance should be, the current cabinet system in the UK is altogether different. Changes are evident in many levels of the system, with the prominence of premiership being a source of power imbalance in the cabinet. (Peele, 2004 p127) The most senior of the positions in the cabinet are usually filled by the appointments made by the Prime Minister subsequent to an election. All persons holding the positions in the cabinet of the UK are usually serving members of parliament. The senior most positions in the cabinet are Foreign Secretary, Deputy Prime Minister, Exchequer’s Chancellor and the Home Secretary. The holders of the office are usually announced immediately after every general election’s result. This is mostly after one or two days afterwards the appointments of minor positions in the cabinet are made public knowledge. (historylearningsite.co.uk, 2011) In Britain, coalitions approach of governance have happened severally and arrangements as well as pacts alike. Coalitions are usually established to bring resolutions to predicaments. Some of these predicaments arise from crisis nationally like the popular Great Wars in the 1900s, while some of the crisis that call for coalition governments are economic (for instance, the 1930s National Government). Other crises that bring about a coalition government are political like the 1970s’ which was formed due to a small majority by the labour party. (Oaten, 2007 p11) A coalition government is defined as simply a system of governance where a government is made up of at least two parliamentary parties. This type of governance is not common in systems where there is a plural system of election and two-party systems. It is a common occurrence in proportional represen tation systems of governance, though. There are also special circumstances that require for this type of governance like where after an election, none of the contesting parties makes plural votes in a convincing manner or even scenarios needing a united purpose nationally. Parties

State and Society in 20th Century China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

State and Society in 20th Century China - Essay Example Globalization of business can be define as multi-directional because globalization is at the same time leading to greater emphasis on nation identity and leading to greater cooperation between nations. Globalization is creating a situation where manager must able to work with people from different cultures, nations, regions and continents. As China's economy has attracted attention from all over the world, lots of international companies can be found in China (Rodriguez, 2007). Due to globalization, most of the firms are workforce diversity. To be deal smoothly in China, foreigner should have ability to perform to a great extent when dealing with the Chinese. Globalization became a buzz word in the 1990s because of its influence in creating a world in which geographic location became increasingly irrelevant. In essence globalization refers to the unrestricted flow of goods, capital, information, technology and people across national borders (Chow, 5). Globalization is, however, by no means a new phenomenon and China has been subjected to its effects for many centuries (Alford, 1999). In fact, the effects of globalization in China go "as far back as the Han dynasty (206BC-220AD) when trade took place between the Han Chinese and neighboring people in the North-west through the Silk Route" (Chow, 3). Despite this, in the Qing Dynasty and the early stages of the Chinese Communist Party's rule, right up until Deng Xiaoping's open door policy, China tried to close its doors and restrict the influence of globalization (Street, 2000 and Chow, 11). This was not the first time that China was forced to confront and implement a national strategy to either embrace or combat the effects of globalization. In fact, as recently as the 1990s, China was confronted by this conundrum, namely: whether to continue its global economic expansion in the face of the Asian financial crisis or to once again close it doors and retreat inwards to protect itself from the economic fallout of a struggling region (Fishman, 25 and Nolan, 31). However, by carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages of economic openness the Chinese government decided to open up the Chinese economy even more, and eventually joined the World Trade Organization by implementing large economic reforms (Bijian, 2). There is no doubting that these economic reforms and China's embracement of globalization has brought stunning results. Since starting to open up and reform its economy in 1978, China "has averaged 9.4 percent annual GDP growth, one of the highest growth rates in the world" (Bijian, 3). One of the reasons for the huge leaps in growth has come from direct foreign investment that has been facilitated by China's admission to the WTO. For example, in the space of a few days in 2004, a North Korean Steel Company launched a $500 million steel project in the Dalian development zone; France's St Gobain invested $70 million in one of its presented glass production lines in China; Germany's Siemens inaugurated its 14th office in China for development of software; and Finland's Stora Enso invested $1.6 billion in a paper pulp project in Guandong Province (Hall et al, Press). Such results have seen China become the third largest trading country in the world and the

Application and development of relevant business management knowledge Essay

Application and development of relevant business management knowledge - Essay Example Here the term â€Å"Market† refers to the customer base. In recent days, the entire world has become a marketplace and the entire population of the world has turned into customers, thanks to technology. Even a few decades back it used to be a complex job to sell clothing and accessories in a foreign country. Today the advancement of technology has made it possible to bring the customers across the world at the virtual shop where they are allowed to browse, select, try and make payments without being physically present at the store. This technological advancement has in turn fuelled the amount of rivalry among firms and the process of innovation has been continuously adapted by every firm in order to draw the customers. A country’s economy is highly stimulated by the production and consumption cycle on one hand. On the other hand the cycle of production and consumption is totally dependent on the demand of the customers and the supply of goods by the marketer according t o those demands. Therefore it is the key objective of every business to satisfy its customers and supply them with the demanded products and services. In case a business fails to provide the necessary goods and services to its customers, the customer base shifts to the substitute market thus making the business lose its market share which proves to be a devastating outcome for the firm. Therefore each and every firm tries hard to retain their existing customer base because it is believed that a satisfied customer is equal to an advertisement for the company and retaining the existing customer is more profitable than replacing them with the new ones. (Hawkins 2010). It is however a difficult task to understand what exactly satisfies a customer ('Customer is KING' 2010). Some might get attracted towards a cheaper price while some other might feel that cheaper price resembles cheaper quality. As a result it becomes difficult for the firm to assess the customer’s expectation and fix the price accordingly because every customer has different needs. Thus it is necessary for the firms to study the market within which it sells its products and to divide the market according to the needs and preference of the customers (Bazerman 2001). The theme of the thesis deals with the topic â€Å"What role does geographical location and brand play in influencing consumer’s behavior?† Further the research involves recognition of the consumer behavior of China, their perception towards Country of Origin and their purchase pattern towards the famous furniture manufacturer, IKEA. For proceeding with the given topic we need to discuss in details the various aspects of consumer behavior. Consumer Behavior symbolizes the sum total of the buyer’s choice with respect to the possession, utilization and nature of products, activities, services, ideas, people, experiences, and by decision-making units (Hoyer & MacInnis 2008). Consumer Behavior is a domain that cov ers all the aspects of buying, be it a tangible product or an intangible service. It is a dynamic, complex, multi facet process and the marketer makes all the

Performance Management assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Performance Management assignment - Essay Example By doing so, organizations can easily project their profitability and thereby formulate effective strategies for business expansion. However, it is observed that budgetary forecasts in the modern era are not always accurate and result-bearing due to frequent market fluctuations. A recent statement from accounting press reflects that â€Å"the downturn has rendered budgets agreed last year largely irrelevant† (as cited in Jarman and Bibekar, 2009). This paper explores the scope of traditional annual budgeting process in the modern period. Generally, companies prepare budget for the whole financial period of 12 months. This forecast for a long period of 12 months seems useless in this fast changing business scenario as the deepening downturn and increase in economic volatility largely alter nation’s economic structure. Therefore, economic and market conditions after 12 months will probably be much different from that of the current situation. Similarly, today’s hig hly volatile nature of economy raises several constraints to the forecastability of the future economy. In short, the role of traditional annual budgeting process is not helpful in the present business era since it would not predict the future economic conditions accurately. In addition, the conventional practices associated with annual budgeting and forecasting processes involve higher costs. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey in 2009, on an average basis, every company employs an equivalent of ‘eight full-time staff to budgeting and forecasting’ (as cited in Jarman and Bibekar, 2009). The application of various modern financial and accounting tools is essential to predict the future economic variance. Similarly, under traditional budgeting system, a considerable portion of time is spent on data collection and tabulation activities. Hence, we can clearly assess the fact that budgeting and thereby forecasting process also includes cumbersome human efforts and it generally lasts up to three months. However, the degree of economic volatility would determine the success or failure of annual budget. As a result, if the economic conditions turn to be unfavorable in future, it will not only affect the success of the budget but also the cost spent on the formulation of the budget. Many economic conditions may adversely affect the effectiveness of a formulated financial budget. Most of the multinational companies value their various revenues and expenditures on the basis of predicted exchange rate of currency. If the fluctuation unfavorably exceeds the forecasted limits, then the expected revenues and expenditure would vary accordingly. Naturally, this situation may impede the successful progress of the designed annual budget. Similarly, different government regulations such as taxation and trade barriers raise further difficulties to the application of annual budgeting. When government increases tax imposition on trade activities, companies are forced to spend more on taxation which result in proportional increase in expenditure; and that will be higher than the budgeted expenditure. Moreover, economic downturn causes large deviation in budgeted figures. In such situations, firms are compelled to postpone their predetermined developmental policies since they need to spend more on other sectors in order to stabilize the economic growth. It is very difficult for the companies to predict whether there will be an economic downturn within

Any topics,i will show the detail on instructions Essay

Any topics,i will show the detail on instructions - Essay Example For some historians such as Bacino (3), the tensions between the two nations may have started in 1917 when the US sought to promote social and economic reconstruction in Siberia. During the same period, the Russians also made some efforts to enforce a structural transformation of the international political economy. It is possible that differences in ideologies existed between the two nations and these may have sparked some tensions. Most historians however focus on 1939 and 1940, which are also the years that marked the beginning of the Second World War. The views of the later group of historians is supported by a series of events which began with the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, and a supplementary accord that followed a month later and revealed the Soviets’ invention to integrate Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, eastern Poland, and Latvia into their territory (Elsuwege 29). The Russian Army occupied eastern Poland in the same month and by 1940, the Red Army ha d occupied Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Russia however failed in its invasion of Finland in 1939 and this forced the Russians to accept cession of Finnish territory which it hoped would protect Leningrad from future invasions. The Soviet army advances in 1939 and 1940 and the signal that the Soviets received from Hitler’s Germany to expand westward culminated in the pursuit of Hitler’s defeated army to almost 100 miles west of Berlin. This evidence illustrates that Stalin had, at an early date, resolved to bring eastern Poland, the Baltic States, and Bessarabia within the expanding Russian empire but most of his expansion plans had to be put on hold between 1941 and 1944 as Russia defended its homeland territory. As shall be demonstrated later in this paper, some of the western leaders were uncomfortable with the Soviet’s territorial

TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS - Assignment Example The prevalence is expected to increase in the future. The paper will seek to describe the tools for management of disease along with various goals as well as the influence of cultural diversity on the tools. There are five essential tools for management of type 2 diabetes. The important first tool is lifestyle modification. The initial stages of the disease can be controlled through diet and exercise alone (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), 2014). In advanced stages, lifestyle and diet change plays a significant role in glycaemic control as well as reducing cardiovascular development. Exercise helps in improving metabolic control as also lead to improvement of glucose tolerance (RACGP, 2014). In terms of diets, one should focus on low-fat diets and more nutritious foods. Eating low-fat diet food has been shown to help in cardiovascular protection (RACGP, 2014). The other thing is a regular evaluation. The evaluation helps in identifying factors that may be affecting diabetic person health (RACGP, 2014). The diabetic people may have other challenges to deal with such as other medical conditions, work, and even stress. The other tool is an HbA1c test. The affected person should regularly be tested so as to assess how well the condition is being controlled. The HbA1c goal for diabetic patients is one lower than 48 mmol/mol (NHS, 2013). The target helps in eliminating challenges such as eye disease, kidney diseases, and heart disease. The other tool of management of the disease is through medication. The medication is meant to sustain long-term glycaemic regulation and also to prevent complications associated with the disease (RACGP, 2014). Such therapy may entail control of blood pressure (BP) as well as the level of lipid. The goal of BP for the patient is 6-8 mmol/l at fasting and 8-10 mmol/l in normal time while the lipid goal is 2 mmol/litre (RACGP, 2014). This helps

Symbolism in Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin Essay

Symbolism in Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin - Essay Example ave a child who grows to appear with a heritage as a ‘quadroon’, the happiness of their marriage is shattered and Desiree disappears into the bayou as Armand destroys the evidence of their love. In the end, a letter reveals that it is Armand who had a mother with the heritage that gave their child the appearance of a ‘quadroon’, not Desiree. The story of Desiree’s Baby written by Kate Chopin uses symbolism to show the way in which prejudice and slavery affect her characters and in order to discuss the nature of race, gender, and love in a compelling story with a surprise ending that challenges conceptions. Because there is doubt about the origins of Desiree, there is a fear by the Valmondes, the people who took her in as she was left on their doorstep, that she will have a mixed race heritage. As she is loved by them, they do not care, but they fear for her life as a wife of a rich plantation owner who has many slaves. Although he implication of this is that she will be unacceptable as a wife for Armand who claims to not care because he loves her so much. Chopin writes that â€Å"Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot† (Chopin 219). When she bears him a child who appears to be of mixed race, his heart turns on her and he drives her from their home. The discussion that Chopin introduces is based upon the difficulties of identity and race as it was interpreted in the time contemporary to her writing. Armand loves her as long as he has no knowledge of her genetic history, but when he believes he has discovered that she has an ancestor that might be ‘black’, he turns on her and rejects this aspect of her identity. The imagery that Chopin evokes as he falls in love with Desiree evokes a violent and explosive idea through the â€Å"pistol shot† (Chopin 219). This is a foreboding of how the relationship will end as his powerful attraction to her

What I learned and what i think about the things ive watched Essay

What I learned and what i think about the things ive watched - Essay Example They bring back to life all abandoned neighborhoods, something that gives them enough wages as they await their graduation. Ritz mission is bringing hope and awareness in neighborhoods that have been devalued. He explodes with energy during the presentation hence engaging the audience in the conversation without swaying them from the message. The second video of Majora Carter features three crucial stories. The first story is that of Brenda, who was hired to assist ex-convicts in re-entering the society and preventing them from reconviction. Her solution, in turn, was to establish a business that could manufacture skin products using honey. The program employed seemingly unemployable men converted them, and made them productive citizens. Secondly, Andy Lipkis works to help Los Angeles reduce infrastructure costs that come with urban heat island and water management – linking technology, people and trees to establish a livable city. Trees normally absorb water hence helping to cool the city. Finally, Judy Bonds the coal miner’s daughter saw potential wind energy on a mountain of reduced elevation of over 2,000 feet. She was against removals of mountaintops for mining. This would guarantee clean energy and stimulate development of technical skills and local knowledge on harnessing wind energy. The third video is part of an interdisciplinary seminar series that examines the necessary changes within the system of free market. The tough questions that were tabled include whether capitalism can truly be just and sustainable. This comes at a time when there is global climate change, depletion of resources, inequality and social unrest. The seminar noted that current political and economic models are proving unsustainable. Some of the suggestions put forward for changes include law and public policy, science and technology, consumer behavior, the

Who has been the most successful Prime Minister since 1945 and why Essay

Who has been the most successful Prime Minister since 1945 and why - Essay Example She is the first woman prime minister in history of United Kingdom. She is regarded as an iron lady by the political government more specifically the law makers, have referred her as the most successful prime minister since 1945 during the world war due her decisive nature. She managed to pip Clement Attlee labor party, a driving force that was researched by the international and political relations undergraduates when they spoke to more than 158 MPs at Royal Holloway University in London (Garnett 2007, p. 172). The research involved Clement Attlee, Gordon Brown and Margret Thatcher. From the research, many members of parliament based their arguments on decisive nature inherent in the prime ministers. It was seen that decisiveness was more significant, important, and progressive than energy, principles, intelligence, honesty or ruthlessness. The above leaders lacked the decisiveness nature that was inherent in Margret Thatcher. The outcome showed that she scored an aggregate score of 7.4 and Attlee scored 7.3, Tony Blair 6.8 and Winston Churchill who scored an average of 6.5. There are other prime ministers who fell below the category in the survey. In addition, Dr Nicholas Allen, a senior political lecturer at Royal Holloway’s who managed the survey had overseen the survey stated categorically that Margret Thatcher held a very special place in the minds of United Kingdom MPs. As much as Mrs. Thatcher policies were economical, they were also moral. In this regarded she confronted the empires of socialism and communism. During the political struggle, her beliefs were first tuned. In effect, there was a little change in comparison to what she resonated in Grantham (Stepney 2014, p.134). There are several prime ministers who have been in Downing Street for long, but the prime minister who resonates in the minds of people is Lady Thatcher. She is the only prime minister with an â€Å"-ism† during her political

Growth, Development, and Economic Transformation Essay

Growth, Development, and Economic Transformation - Essay Example This would result in lesser inequality when a particular level of GDP per capita is achieved because of the trickling down of growth benefits. Furthermore, as economic growth takes place, people’s incomes grow and the resulting structural changes in the mindset and attitudes of people invoke them to become environmentally conscious which leads to ‘greener’ measures in the society, thereby reducing the rate of environmental degradation. The other aspect is that increased incomes and environmental awareness can induce governments to impose tighter environmental controls thereby enhancing environmental quality. Another theoretical framework to explain this is the â€Å"self-regulatory market mechanism† associated with the exchange of natural resources within an economy (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998). The stock of natural resources tends to decrease during the early growth stages which results in increased prices. This price signaling mechanism then induces lower explo itation of natural resources at subsequent stages in economic growth (due to high prices) (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998) (World Bank, 1992). Due to this reason, economies also tend to shift towards technologies that are less resource intensive. Thus, the shape of the Kuznets’ Curve (see Appendix 1) is not only explained by enhanced environmental government expenditure but also the price signaling mechanism of the free markets (Torras & Boyce, 1998). One school of thought argues that the present rate of environmental degradation has a tendency to enlarge in the long run, hence, government policy should aim at more rapid economic growth in order to climb up the hump or the turning point soonest possible. However this maybe a tedious process, taking several years before the curve slopes downward; the longer the wait the higher the abatement costs. Hence, the policy of waiting for the relationship to become negative can be potentially damaging. A more appropriate policy is to â€Å"tunn el through† the curve and to flatten it through government interventions such as subsidies on energy and agrochemicals and property rights on natural resources. It is also important to note that developing nations cannot follow what their developed nations did in early stages of development (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998). Infact, the amount of greenhouse emissions inherited by today’s less developed nations is much higher than that inherited by their developed counterparts in similar stage of development. Infact, several resource-intensive industries have shifted from the North to South, thus putting the latter at a disadvantaged position. In the absence of an international government, international environmental policies under the umbrella of ‘sustainability’ are required to enforce both wings (the developed and developing) to cut down environmentally harmful emissions. The change in proportions of labor and capital across various sectors in an economy is one of t he most significant features of economic progress of a nation. Research by Clark, Kuznets and Chenery has produced solid evidence for the notion of decline in the role of agricultural (primary) and secondary sectors of an economy and the simultaneous increase in the role of tertiary sector as the economy develops (Clark, 1940). However, in recent years there has been growing consensus amongst researchers such as Maddison, Buera and Kaboski that while the

Israli culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Israli culture - Term Paper Example his, the ticket officer says to the customer, â€Å"I suggest you to purchase a ticket for yourself and watch a movie while putting your children on a plane.† This is an example of a negotiation between an Israeli and an American. Israelis are creative and helpful in their negotiation, but they are often misunderstood and misinterpreted by the Americans. â€Å"The Israeli, who is often perceived as being arrogant, aggressive and pushy, is actually being direct and honest. And the American, European and Asian, who are seen by the Israeli as being artificial, phony and weak - are actually displaying politeness and respect† (â€Å"Tips for Doing†). Lack of understanding of the business culture of Israel can make the process of negotiation difficult and challenging between them and the Americans. While Israelis may be perceived as aggressive and straight-forward, Israelis think of such negotiation partners that think Israelis are being aggressive as impatient and ins incere (Salacuse). At the face, Israel has a low-context culture. Israelis cultivate unique ways of carrying out tasks. For example, they have distinct style of negotiation, their style of presentation is unique, they usually have very different expectations for meetings compared to others, and they develop relationships with their clients differently than people from other countries. â€Å"The unique cultural qualities found among Israelis can give a leading competitive edge if leveraged effectively, but if not understood, they can sabotage successful business results† (â€Å"Innovation & Investment†). The first and the foremost difference one should understand is between the negotiation style of the Israeli Arabs and the Jews. While the focus of the Jewish Israelis is short-term benefits, the Israeli Arabs have an emphasis on the long-term benefits (Winter). However, both Israeli Arabs and Jewish Israelis place value in long-term relationships and try to be in a win-win situation with their negotiation

CRJ Research Assignment-4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CRJ Research -4 - Assignment Example If the research questions are formulated in this manner, then the results will be related to the hypothesis, and thus proving the validity of this research study. Ultimately, I will prove that my research is valid by ensuring that the research instrument truly measures the correlation between wealthy families and kidnappings (Kaplan, 2004). Reliability of this research will be established quantitatively this will be through ensuring that the quantity of data will be measurable, accurate and consistent. For instance, the sample population will contain a preferable number of respondents who fit the desired characteristics of this research. Reliability of this research will also be established through following up the respondents if clarification for any information is needed (Kaplan, 2004). The following are factors are likely to create problems with either validity or reliability of this research. Firstly, lack of consistency of data provided by the respondents. Secondly, a data-collecting tool that is inaccurate and untrue, in that it lacks the capability of giving repeatable results. Thirdly, the idea of including respondents in the research study who do not have the desired characteristics of the sampling frame (Kaplan,

Domestic violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Domestic violence - Research Paper Example Many people, whether they realize it or not, are reluctant to intervene in cases of domestic violence because they do not have all the facts. Asking questions would seem, to them, as being similar to ‘prying’ or ‘interfering’ in matters that do not concern them (Herring 256). This is particularly true in communities that are conservative. Domestic violence is something that happens to people of both genders, of all ethnic backgrounds and income brackets, and in all age groups. The Occurrence of Domestic Violence in San Juan, New Mexico In San Juan County, which is situated in New Mexico, police officers respond to approximately 1500 incidences on an annual basis- which is actually three times as much domestic violence as takes place in other areas of the nation (Caponera 34). New Mexico is located at the border of the Ute and Navajo American Indian Reservations. San Juan has large populations of mainly three ethnic groups Caucasians, Hispanics, and American Indians. Even though San Juan is considered as being the economic hub of an area that includes northwest New Mexico, southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, and northeast Arizona, its economy is not as prosperous as that of many other parts of the United States. There are larger numbers of jobless young adults than in most American cities. In the past, the excuse of this seeming poverty has been used to explain the high numbers of domestic violence in San Juan. This, however, is a misconception. Even though domestic violence is more common in the financially challenged brackets of the population, it is mainly the result of a culture’s retrogressive cultural beliefs about both genders (Nurius, Macy, Nwabuzor and Holt 562). In some cases, however, poverty exarcebates an already challenging living situation, resulting in anti social behaviours being exhibited. While domestic violence can be used to refere also to sibling on sibling violence or parent on child violence, in San Juan, it is mainly used to refer to the violence meted out by husbands or men on their wives or girlfriends (Caponera 11). In San Juan, eighty-five percent of violence that women experience is perpetrated by their boyfriends or husbands (Malley-Morrison and Hines 951). More than fifty percent of the residents of San Juan are either of Hispanic or American Indian ancestry, while the remaining half are of Caucasian ancestry (Caponera 6). In San Juan, the factors in all present cultures that contribute towards the increase or propagation of domestic violence include financial inequality between women and men, machismo, and the influence of the church. Although there are organizations and individuals working towards altering these retrogressive cultures, there are an assortment of structural barriers they have to combat such as the institutionalized sexism and, in the case of the Hispanic and American Indian sections of the population, breach the ethnic and linguistic divide that have repress ed true change. In San Juan, many of the members of the Caucasian population are adherents of the Mormon faith, which encourages retrogressive practices such as polygamy. In all areas of the world where polygamy is practiced, men obviously have a greater amount of power over the women. The women in such societies are socialized to believe that the main purpose of their lives is to be wives and

Gender in Asian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender in Asian Studies - Essay Example They do this simply by following social systems that are dominant. She examined colonialism by Europeans in Asia, including areas in contemporary Indonesia, India and Malaysia (Rooy, 2000). The French, Dutch, and British were examples of colonialists that she used. She went on to claim that the status of women of European origin in the colonies had two main roles that were contrasting. These women oppressed the people that were indigenous, while also being oppressed by their European husbands and European men in general (Rooy, 2000). Stoler argues that colonialism by the Europeans was because of differences on the racial nature between non-whites and whites. They justified this prestige with the notion that they are a race superior to the colored people with darker skin (Rooy, 2000). While this distinction by race was of use in the creation of colonial authority, a pitfall in this system came up. This was the existence of children born of mixed race relationships, between local women and European men. The administrators of the colonies saw this as a worrying problem, as the existence of these children of mixed race would blur lines between the inferior and superior races (Rooy, 2000). During the early 20th century, there was concerted introduction of women from Europe to make the generation of children of mixed race cease. ... They also ensured their children did not take up customs from the local culture. These rules ensured a clear distinction between the natives and the colonialists. For the achievement of this goal, these women formed organizations for the preservation of European thought and lifestyle in the colonies. Her research showed there were two roles, very contrasting, for these European women: the oppressors and the oppressed. The women were subject to the strict rules aimed at placating their men not to wander, thus oppressed. They did this while enforcing actively segregation by race thus oppressing the indigenous people, who would, otherwise, been granted more freedom. 2. Faier, "Runaway Stories: The Underground Micro movements of Filipina Oyomesan in Rural Japan". Lieba Faier, a Geography assistant professor in the University of California, published this article in November 2008, in an issue of Cultural Anthropology. In it, Lieba tells us about migration of Filipinas, in large scale, int o Japan. They went as entertainers and were a section of a larger group of Marcos administration initiated emigrates. These migration patterns were initiated to increase foreign exchange and cut national debt in Philippines. Around 1980, Filipino unemployment had grown, and debt levels were critical. During this time, the Japanese economy was booming, and Filipinas looked to immigrate there. Brokers and managers began recruitment of women, both from rural and urban poor communities as bar hosts and sex workers. Women in Japan, on the other hand, removed themselves from this. Lieba brings to the fore stories of migrants of Filipina origin who, apparently, have escaped from their husbands in Central Kiso of Japan. He asked why these stories have become so significant, yet very few

Is Cloud Computing Beneficial to Organizations Research Paper

Is Cloud Computing Beneficial to Organizations - Research Paper Example Vast potentials for improving monetary revenues, performances and environmental concerns in these organizations were identified. Businesses, libraries and universities can substantially grow by using strategies to overcome cloud computing challenges identified in this study. 1. Introduction 1.1 History and Development of â€Å"Cloud† Development of â€Å"cloud† can be considered as an inevitable trend which began in 1950s as hardware time-sharing (Earnst and Young, 2012) and â€Å"Utility computing† and â€Å"Grid computing† in late 1980s (Global Technology Industry, 2011). Thus aggregating assets had been beneficial over on-premise computing since the beginning of IT industry. â€Å"Utility computing† allowed consumers to pay for computer software based on the amount they utilized as opposed to the traditional method of purchasing the entire software. â€Å"Grid computing† aggregated the processing power of several idle computers, decreased the time taken for operations of large software and provided multiple accesses to the data bases stored in remote computer labs, libraries and other offices in the universities (Educause, 2006). Moreover, Utility computing and Grid computing decreased the cost of purchasing license for software, increased convenience in monitoring the information systems in universities, aggregated the processors and decreased the time consumption on detailed-software such the 3D graphic designing. But these concepts were restricted to small scale operations in these organizations. Development of cloud enabled large scales businesses reaping benefits from resource aggregation and virtualization. It contains similar characteristics to Utility computing, Grid computing, High Speed Computers and clusters. But cloud computing essentially defers from Utility and Grid computing, due to many attributes. Example: services, deployment, associated issues and scope for development. These are described in detai l in the proceeding chapters. Furthermore, public used remotely hosted servers for connecting to the internet and obtaining web services such as Gmail, chat, e-banking and social-networking in large scale for a considerable time period in the history. But resource virtualization was not recognized as a possible venture involving vast economic benefits until the development of cloud in recent history. Cloud computing involves large scale aggregating and vitalizing of IT assets. It delivers a number of economic and operational benefits to all the consumer segments (Gong, Liu, Zhang, Chen and Gong, 2010). It has a growing potential to decrease the firms’ production costs, create virtual business firms and market business process as a service in modern economies (Earnst and Young, 2012). As opposed to Grid computing which mainly involved academic and government institutions cloud computing service providers involve commercial IT giants such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, IB M and Oracle (Gong et. al, 2010). And also private, cooperate and contract software developers and venders also market in clouds. Consumers of cloud computing services vary from small to large scale business firms, universities federal to individuals. Thus cloud computing provides benefits to many layers in the internet based market. Critical drawbacks had been identified related to operations of contemporary cloud computing. Building of cloud involves technologies and human creativity. Latter component also innovate methods for software piracy, hacking, frauds

Macroeconomic Problems and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomic Problems and Analysis - Essay Example According to his published article, Phillips posited that when unemployment rate fell, inflation tended to rise and vice-versa, thus, the apparent link between these economic factors. (Cobham, 1998) However, with the recent economic trends, economists of various countries noted that low inflation can, in fact, coexist with low unemployment rate (Oliver, 1999). Such observed trend is deemed to be contrary to the hypothesis of Phillips. This paper discusses the inflation and unemployment rate trend in Australia from 1994 to 2004. The paper aims to provide an explanation as to why the "Phillips Hypothesis" is regarded as an insufficient or inapplicable too to be used in analysing the relationship between the two economic factors. For over 40 years, the link between inflation and unemployment has been intensely debated upon by economists all over the world (Oliver, 1999). They hypothesis postulated by Phillips has been subjected to myriad criticisms regarding its ability to explain the inflation-unemployment relation. For instance, in the 1970s, the Phillips curve fell short of elucidating why many countries experienced stagflation - an economic condition characterised by high level of unemployment coupled with high level of inflation ("Wikipedia," 2005). With this, new theories emerged to better illustrate the observed link between inflation and unemployment levels. One of the most notable is the theory on non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU) or the natural rate of unemployment. Based on this theory, the short term Phillips curve is negatively sloping showing the inverse relationship between unemployment (on the x-axis) and inflation (on the y-axis). (Samuelson & Nordhaus, 2001) On the other hand, the long run Phillips curve is vertical, wherein only the natural rate of unemployment was consistent with stable inflation rate as expectations of market players change. In this regard, no trade-off is seen between inflation and unemployment in the long run. However, this theory is critiqued due to the difficulty in determining the natural unemployment rate. (Levacic & Rebmann, 1982) Another theory, which is influential in explaining the inflation-unemployment linkage, is the one postulated by Milton Friedman. He argued that the Phillips curve is formed due to "money illusion" such that the price inflation "fooled" businesses into perceiving that there is demand surge. As such, they hire more people, thus, decreasing the unemployment rate. Friedman's theory asserted that inflation tends to precede drops in unemployment rather than follow it. (Oliver, 1999) Other economists believe that, contrary to Friedman's theory, low unemployment raises bargaining power of workers. Given this, they tend to push for higher nominal wages resulting in cost-push inflation. Employers then would raise prices to remain within targeted profit level. ("Wikipedia," 2005) Inflation-Unemployment Relation - The Case of Australia The theories discussed only addressed scenarios in which stagflation occurs and when inflation and unemployment behave inversely. In the case of Australia and in other OECD countries as well, particularly in the 1990s to early 2000s, the robust output growth and prevailing low unemployment rate are coupled with low inflation. The growing Australian

My Summer Vacation Essay Example for Free

My Summer Vacation Essay Relaxing out in the sun in the middle of a lake that stretches for miles and miles, is probably one of the most amazing things you could ever see in life. The best part about that, I get to enjoy that every summer. Every summer my family goes to a small cabin on Lake Rainy in Canada. The most memorable time I have ever had with my family was at our family cabin in Canada. It was the summer of 2007 and also one of the hottest trips weve had at our cabin. One of my favorite things about the cabin is that it has no electricity unless we have the generator on. My brothers whined about that for the first couple days! Bubba even tried to convince Aunt Linda to turn on the generator just so he could watch a movie. With no success with my aunt he asked Uncle Tom and got his way. After the kids got the idea that there would be no more turning the generator on for little things like charging their Game Boys, things actually started to get better. With almost all technology set aside we did things unheard of in this day in age. One night we decided we were tired of being bored and I thought my little brother to play Kings Corner, they didn’t like that game very much. I decided it was time for a little easier game; it would have to be easy to catch Bubbas attention. Uno was the game we played most nights. Playing Uno at the cabin was great, the entire family was ordered to play by my Aunt Linda and since she is the boss, no one would have even thought otherwise. Don’t get me wrong we didn’t spend all of our time indoors. We went swimming very frequently, most of the time just to stay cool. It was usually too hot to go fishing, unless you had a death wish. One day when it was cool enough to fish, Kelsey caught the most beautiful Walleye I have ever seen. My little cousin Kimmy wasnt to excited about eating fish so the made her chicken every night we had fish. (This was most nights. ) The only thing I hated about Canada honestly was leaving. On the last day were at the cabin everyone is usually pretty sad to be leaving. It was always nice to get home, but as soon as we would get home we would instantly start to miss watching the sunset on a lake that stretched for miles and miles.

Arthur Millers Essay Example for Free

Arthur Millers Essay The first point I noted was when Alfieri said: A lawyer means the law, and in Sicily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten This suggests that before Christ and Christianity, the law was quite sloppy, and people could get away with crimes, but since the spread of Catholicism and An eye for an eye , people have been scared to cross the law since people have the right to exact revenge, without scorn from the community, and it worked because people knew that felonies could result in death, they stop committing them. A very important point is where Alfieri is talking about men in the Mafia who were shot by thugs from other families, and refers to those men as justly shot by unjust men which means that those men deserved to die, yet they shouldnt, in the eyes of the American Judicial System, be killed without trial, that being one of the Amendments of The Constitution. Perhaps the most important occurrence when dealing with this category is the prefiguration about Vinnie Bolzano (which has been previously mentioned), because it serves as a prefiguration about what happens when someone breaks the Code of Conduct, with regards to immigrants. The next type of tension is about Eddie as a sympathetic character. Miller wanted the audience to feel sympathetic for Eddie and does this by creating a sense of emotional involvement with Eddie, which forms a certain sense of empathy with Eddie, and a sorrow which implants a sorrow due to Eddies fate. This type of tension is similar to climatic tension except it creates an apprehensive mood in the audiences mind. Because this is in place early on, it is easier for the reader to justify Eddies actions and then empathise with him. In Arthur Millers view, Eddie posses or exemplifies the wondrous and human fact that he too can be driven to what in the last analysis is a sacrifice of himself for his conception, however misguided or right, dignity and justice. This to me provokes real empathy because it is very difficult to sacrifice for your beliefs, and for what behaviour he displays, he deserves so much more respect that he is given. Alfieri, upon meeting Eddie, described Eddie as having eyes like tunnels which suggests that he is in a trance like state, and he has probably given way to his emotions, which is not necessarily his fault, it may be that he is emotionally unstable, and insecure, it may be that he is suffering from stress, which makes him less mentally adept, but whatever he is, he should not, in this situation, be held accountable for his actions. Early on in the play, with Eddies conversation between Catherine Beatrice, a lot of Eddies gentle and more compassionate side is exposed when Catherine wants to work, Eddie wants her to stay in school, but she protests: Eddie: You wanna go to work, heh, Madonna? Catherine: Yeah Eddie: Alright, go to work. This shows Eddies compassionate side, because he gives in to Catherines demands, even though it is against his will, he does it because it is in Catherines interest. Another moment where Miller shows Eddies consideration for Catherine is the moment where she lights the cigar, and almost burns herself: Catherine: Here! Ill light it for you! Dont worry about me Eddie, heh? Eddie: Dont burn yourself. (Just in time she blows out match) This shows Catherines naivety, and perhaps her inability to function independently without Eddie, and how much he cares for her. She soon forgets this when she encounters Rodolfo, and Eddie feels displaced by him, like he is no longer needed, and for this reason, I think his goal becomes to have Rodolfo deported. But only because Catherine completely ignores him, and feels she is independent, when clearly, she is not. The last kind of tension is emotional tension. This is the disarray that begins due to the introduction of a stranger into this family, and continues due to Rodolfos unusual behaviour, Eddies emotional insecurities, Catherines naivety and Beatrices selfishness plunge them into. Due to analysis, I have come to realise that there is a vicious emotional cycle in place that erodes the already fragile relationship these characters share. Here is a diagram and an explanation: Catherine and Rodolfo take Beatrices advice. They become closer, get more intimate. They start to ignore Eddies opinion more. Catherine starts to become less nai ve, more aware, much to Eddies disapproval. Next Catherine and Rodolfos actions make Eddie more irate. He becomes more hypnotised by rage. He is more desperate to separate Catherine and Rodolfo. He feels displaced, like Catherine is bestowing all her affection on Rodolfo. He starts to ignore Beatrice and begins to focus solely on Rodolfos expulsion. Then Beatrice is annoyed by Eddie. She feels he is not attentive enough. She feels displace by Catherine and becomes even more jealous of the attention she receives. She encourages Catherine to become more independent and intimate with Rodolfo in the hope that she, with Rodolfo, moves out leaving Eddie to pay Beatrice more attention. This continues to occur, and destabilises this very dysfunctional family, with each party becoming more bitter and resentful to the others. It changes slightly so that Beatrice almost sides with Catherine and Rodolfo, I think purely for selfish reasons, as she has the most to gain from Catherines absence. In the end, I think is no one persons fault. I think it is the fault of all three parties. Catherine, because she is to nai ve to know what she is doing, and cannot see through Beatrices advice, Eddie for being too overprotective and getting too involved, and Beatrice, for wanting Catherine gone for all the wrong reasons. With all this, I think it is all the deceit and selfish motivation that accompanies a dysfunctional family that sees the Carbone family on their knees. In conclusion, Arthur Miller uses many types of tension in his play A View From The Bridge: climatic tension, dedicated to keeping the middle unknown; tension of discovery, to keep the play fresh with plenty of plot twists, and to keep the characters personas mysterious, the Sicilian Code of Conduct to keep the play within the same era, and to put his knowledge to good use, Eddie as a sympathetic character to keep the audience engrossed and to exploit one of the most fascinating human traits, and the triangular relationship between Eddie, Catherine and Rodolfo and Beatrice to show how easily a nuclear family can be dissolved by the introduction of a stranger who is welcomed with mixed opinions, much like a specie from a different ecosystem being introduced to a new one. Interestingly, with regard to the opinions, each member of the family represents a different opinion; Eddie represents the negative extremity (by wanting Rodolfo gone), Catherine the positive extremity (wanting to marry Rodolfo), and Beatrice who is neutral (doesnt mind, just wants Catherine gone). All these kinds of tension help to portray what happens when strangers enter a close-knit family which has mixed opinions, and that when pushed hard enough, people will forgo almost anything to protect their loved ones; their beliefs, their life, even if it really is all for the sake of self justified pride and dignity. To summarise it in one sentence, it basically says, Welcome to the human condition. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Evolution of the Piano Essay Example for Free

Evolution of the Piano Essay One of the more popular musical instruments is the piano. In Youtube alone, a popular video sharing website, type ‘piano’ in the search box and result will show 574,000 uploaded videos. From the modern grand piano that people are grown accustomed to, it is interesting to find that piano began its journey from three things: hammer, string and soundboard. Dulcimer, an instrument originating in Iran after the birth of Christ, is said to be the inspiration for the creation of the piano (Concert Piano Pitch Services 2008). The dulcimer shares the same principles as the piano, with hammers striking/ beating strings placed in a flat soundboard (2008). However, in place of mechanical hammers, players used sticks (2008). Crusaders brought it to Europe during the Middle Ages (Marcie Wallis 2008). The term ‘dulcimer’ comes from the Latin ‘dulce melos’ which means â€Å"sweet sound† (Marcie Wallis 2008). An image of dulcimer is seen below. Image 1. Dulcimer (Marcie Wallis 2008) By the tenth century, pipe organs were the rage in churches (Goode 43). To play, a key is depressed, sending air into the pipe, thus producing a sound (Wright 47). The pipes are arranged in groups, with each group specializing in one tone (48). The pipes have a switch, called stops (48). When all stops are pulled, a forceful sound is produced. An image of a pipe organ is seen below. Image 2. Pipe Organ (Quimby Pipe Organs. com 2008) During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, another keyboard instrument became popular- the virginal (Goode 43). The virginal is a box with strings (43). A quill was used to pluck the strings. The term ‘virginal’ is said to be a compliment to the Queen. Young ladies used to play the virginal. The virginal was placed on a table as seen in the image below or held in the lap. Image 3. The Virginal (BBC 2008). In 1400, the world was introduced to the clavichord (Concert Piano Pitch Services 2008). It is one of the oldest keyboard instruments. It works according to a simple principle: The player depresses a key which in turns strikes a string with a metal blade called tangents, thereby producing sound (Marszalek and Panagakis 2006). It is a rectangular box with keyboards on the side and strings stretched across (Kelly 1998). Once a key is depressed, the player can also change the pitch to create a vibrato (1998). A clavichord player can make it â€Å"fretted†, striking strings in a succession manner of â€Å"unfretted† to produce one note (Piano Keyboard 2003). Widely used in Europe, clavichords were popular during the Renaissance period (1998). The Renaissance (1450-1600) was a period of rebirth, curiosity and individualism (Kamien 75). In this time, the focus was on human life (75). Thus, vocal music was given importance, with instrumental music taking a backseat (78). Given its small design, the clavichord was usually played in small audience (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008). Despite its limitations, the clavichord was a popular instrument especially in German households (2008). The oldest surviving clavichord is from the year 1543 (Piano Keyboard 2008). An image of the clavichord is seen below. Image 4. Clavichord (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008) Instrumental music saw its rise during the Baroque period (Wright 103). In this time, one instrument stood out- the harpsichord. The harpsichord originated in Northern Italy in 1400 but reached its peak during the Baroque period (Wright 48). It is the largest keyboard instrument. Some harpsichords had two keyboards (Marszalek and Panagakis 2004). Like the clavichord, the harpsichord is played by depressing a key, which in turn â€Å"forces a pick to pluck a string† (48). The plucking produces a sound (103). However, its level mechanism limits the harpsichord in controlling the forte (48). When a key is depressed, the sound and volume is still the same. Hence, harpsichords that were usually used had two keyboards to make sound gradations (48). This shortcoming exemplified the way Baroque music sounded: straightforward, uniformity continuity, no abrupt changes (103). It was during the Baroque period that Johann Sebastian Bach rose as the greatest composer, and harpsichordist of his time (Kamien 125). His Bradenburg Concerto no. 5, written around 1721, gained importance for being the first piece wherein a harpsichord had a solo role (104). Usually, in a concerto grosso (the term used for small group of soloists), the instruments used were string instruments. In the Bradenburg Concerto, the harpsichord is played in the final section. An image of the harpsichord is seen below. Image 5. Harpsichord (Get Piano Lesons. com 2008) Henry Purcell, another famous musician from the Baroque period, was chosen to be the organist of the Chapel Royal in London (UK Piano Pages 2008). By this time, the spinet had become popular. The spinet also came from the harpsichord family (Piano Keyboard 2003). The spinet was different from the harpsichord in size and its keyboard, which was placed on the long side of instrument (2003). An image of the spinet is seen below. Image 6. The Spinet (Piano Keyboard 2003) In 1709, the harpsichord was replaced with the pianoforte or piano for short (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008). Bartolomeo de Francesco Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker, was responsible for creating piano (2008). Instead of plucking, hammers hit the strings and a level mechanism allows the player to produce soft and loud sounds, thus the term ‘pianoforte which translates to ‘soft-loud’ (Wright 48). During the Classical Period, the piano became the key keyboard of most musicians (Kamien 150). In fact, major compositions of Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven used the piano (150). Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major, one of the best known concertos of all time, was completed in this period (186). Image 7. Cristofori Pianoforte (Piano Keyboard 2003) Gottfried Silbermann, a German was touted as the maker of the first successful pianoforte (Piano Keyboard 2003). In 1742, square pianos were made (2003). An image of a square piano is seen below. Image 8. Square Piano (Piano Keyboard 2003) In 1739, the first upright piano was made by Domenico dela Mela (UK Piano. org 2008). The first upright piano is much more similar to a grand piano, though (2008). In 1768, Johan Christian Bach gave the first ever piano recital (2008). By 1800, John Isaac Hawkins created the first true upright piano (2008). Piano’s popularity continued until from then on. When Jazz music became popular in the 1890s to 1915, ragtime piano was developed (Kamien 360). Ragtime was played by black pianists in saloons and dance halls (360). Among the famous ragtime player at that time was Scott Joplin. One of his more prominent pieces was â€Å"The Entertainer â€Å"(360). The 1960s saw the birth of the electronic keyboard (Surovec 2002). Electric organs were used followed by amplified pianos (2002). From the spinet, virginal, clavichord and harpsichord which pluck the string, the invention of piano led to hammering the strings to produce sounds. Levers are used to work the hammers and dampers. The present piano has an iron frame which attaches the metal strings. When key is depressed, the felt-tipped hammers strike the strings, causing it to vibrate and make the sound. A piano also has tuning pins for tightening the strings. It has an 88-note keyboard and two or three pedals (Kamien 25). Half a million videos of people playing the piano is more than enough evidence that the popularity of piano has not faded. In fact, it has become more popular than ever. Music is part of our everyday lives. Be it the chirping of the birds, the machinery hum or the sound of one’s sweet singing voice. And with the invention of musical instruments, music has never sounded so pleasant to listen to. Works Cited BBC. 2008. The Virginal Piano. 7 April 2008. http://bbc. co. uk Concert Piano Pitch Services.2008. Piano. 7 April 2008. http://concertpitchpiano. com Get Piano Lessons. com. 2008. How the Renaissance Time Period Shaped the History of the Piano. 7 April 2008. http://get-piano-lessons. com Goode, Ruth. The International Library of Piano Music. Vol. 14. New Jersey: University Society, Inc. 1967. Kamien, Roger. Music An Appreciation. 3rd ed. USA: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Kelly, Robert. Dec. 1998. Clavichord Technique and Performance Practice. 7 April 2008. http://geocities. com/Vienna/3624/clavichd. htm Marszalek, C. S. and B. Panagakis. 23 August 2004. Clavichord. 7 April 2008. http://twingroves. district96. k12. il. us Piano Keyboard. com 2008. Piano History. 7 April 2008. http:/pianokeyboard. com Quimby Pipe Organs. com. 2008. Pipe Organs. 7 April 2008. htp://quimbypipeorgans. com Surovec, Sabrina. 2002. Electronic Music . 7 April 2008. http://essortment. com UK Piano. org. 2008. Piano History. 7 April 2008. http://uk-piano. org Wallis, Marcie. 2008. Dulcimer. 7 April 2008. http://marciewallis. com Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1996.